Advancement

Li Hao had glimpsed a peerless swordsman within the Eight Trigrams. Furthermore, after absorbing some of Li Hao's blood, the Starry Sky Sword had directly unsealed a fraction of its power. Li Hao had bled before, and his blood had smeared the little sword in the past, yet nothing like this had ever happened. Evidently, the sword's unsealing was linked to that phantom figure. This realization made both Li Hao and Yuan Shuo acutely aware of one possibility: that swordsman truly might be an ancestor of the Li family. A supreme expert! Yuan Shuo suppressed the tremor, terror, dread, and slender sliver of anticipation in his heart. His voice sounded somewhat strained as he said, "Forget about that for now. It's too far beyond us. It involves ancient powerhouse figures from lost civilizations. Our urgent priority right now is to strengthen ourselves!" He had regained his composure. Only personal strength was fundamental. The waters of this world were unfathomably deep—so deep that ancient civilizations had vanished, all inheritances had disappeared, leaving behind only scattered ruins and the pathetic remnants of Silver City's Eight Great Families. No, today only one family remained. Or rather, only one person. Li Hao gritted his teeth, forcing himself to cast aside and banish everything he had just witnessed. He dared not dwell on it. Every time he recalled that sword strike, an overwhelming surge of fear and exhilaration gripped him. Was that even human? He gingerly picked up the little sword and suddenly asked with a touch of worry, "Teacher... this thing is far too sharp. If I keep it on me, won't I accidentally skewer myself to death?" Yuan Shuo froze. After a long pause, he offered hesitantly, "Well... extraordinary artifacts can be peculiar. Some can recognize a master. How about you poke yourself with it? Maybe it won't hurt you." "..." Was that something a human being would say? With how sharp it was, what if it did hurt him and ended up stabbing him to death? Then again, a gentle poke might not do any harm, right? Fine, his teacher was trustworthy. If he couldn't trust his own teacher, who could he trust? ... A moment later. Li Hao stared at his blood-dripping arm, then at his teacher, completely at a loss for words. Yuan Shuo looked rather embarrassed. Glancing left and right, he muttered awkwardly, "Well... it seems it really will hurt you. You probably haven't fully bound it yet. It'll be fine down the road. Don't worry, I'll forge a sheath for you later. You can carry it on you like a dagger." There was nothing else he could do. He glanced at the nearby stone saber and felt a wave of relief. Thank goodness this object was a saber—and made of stone. Even if it unsealed in the future, it wouldn't wound him like that sword, right? Li Hao said nothing more. Wiping away the blood on his arm, he told himself it was just a small cut, nothing serious. Out of a hundred things his teacher said, ninety-nine were right. Just because one was wrong was no reason to doubt him. No need to doubt him at all! Yet despite thinking so, Li Hao couldn't help muttering, "Teacher, next time you suggest self-harm, how about you think it through before giving advice?" *I trust you completely! Don't squander your credibility like this, or I'll start doubting your omniscience.* "You little brat!" Yuan Shuo cursed. Who was he giving attitude to? Hadn't he just pricked himself once? "You just sprayed a mouthful of blood at me and nearly killed me earlier—did I complain about you? Stop wasting time! You've barely absorbed any energy from the Blood God Seed. What are you waiting for? Hurry up, don't waste it!" At those words, Li Hao pushed all thoughts aside. Absorb energy! He circulated the Five Animals Breathing Art once more, and the sword energy drifting in the void seemed to pour into him even faster. Not only Li Hao, but Yuan Shuo sensed it as well, his eyes lighting up slightly. With a fraction of the Starry Sky Sword unsealed, its effects had clearly improved, gathering sword energy at a much higher speed! By this point, Yuan Shuo's injuries had significantly improved, and the vitality and mental energy consumed by the Blood Saber Art had mostly recovered. A red pill appeared in his palm. A Three Sols Blood God Seed—far more potent than the red shadow Li Hao had finished off last time. Ever since stepping into Thousand-Battler, Yuan Shuo had not felt any deep, structured comprehension of the realm. He didn't even know how to distinguish between the various stages of Thousand-Battler... which showed that his earlier boast of being at the peak of Thousand-Battler was absolute nonsense. He had no idea what the stages of Thousand-Battler looked like, so how could he tell where he stood? Even so, Yuan Shuo was advancing by leaps and bounds along the path of Thousand-Battler. This was thanks to his decades of accumulation, the power of the previous red shadow, and the sword and saber energy. Looking at the red pill in his hand, he began indulging in grand fantasies. *If I swallow this, can I step above Thousand-Battler?* Above Thousand-Battler, martial records went silent. What kind of realm lay beyond Thousand-Battler? *Supernaturals have zero culture. Above Solar Radiance is Three Sols, and above Three Sols might as well be Nine Sols... completely uncultured!* Yuan Shuo grumbled inwardly, pondering whether he should coin a name for the realm above Thousand-Battler. After all, he couldn't just keep calling it "above Thousand-Battler" every day. "Ten-Slayer, Hundred-Breaker, Thousand-Battler..." Yuan Shuo fell into deep thought. After a long moment, his eyes brightened slightly. "Slaying ten men, breaking a hundred men, battling a thousand men... why not call the next realm the Myriad-Suppressor realm?" One person suppressing ten thousand—how did that sound? The thought made his blood surge with excitement. An army of ten thousand in ancient times was already considered a grand host. Those fond of boasting would claim an army of ten thousand was eight hundred thousand strong. Against a force of that scale, the sheer murderous aura alone was enough to shatter the courage of ordinary men. Yet a martial master, reaching that stage, could stand against ten thousand on his own! Suppressing ten thousand! "Not bad. Sounds fitting..." Quite pleased with his naming ability, he basked in smug satisfaction, though he had no idea how long it would take to reach that level or whether it would bring about qualitative transformations. No matter. Casting the thoughts aside, he swallowed the red pill in one gulp. Circulating the Five Animals Breathing Art, the immense energy was instantly drawn into his body and rapidly digested. He seemed ravenously thirsty. After his battle with Qiao Feilong, his inner force had been completely drained, leaving him in a persistent state of emptiness. Now, replenished by the energy of the Blood God Seed, Yuan Shuo instantly felt ready to clash with another Three Sols. He genuinely wanted to find another Three Sols to test himself against! It was a pity Hao Lianchuan had left. Otherwise, picking a pretext to fight him and experiencing the state of a seasoned Three Sols expert might offer a clearer gauge of his own strength. Qiao Feilong was a clumsy amateur, and Duan Tian had been taken down by a sneak attack. Yuan Shuo had never fought a head-on battle against an experienced Three Sols. Immersed in pleasant daydreams, Yuan Shuo smiled contentedly. ... Meanwhile. Li Hao was also absorbing the red shadow's energy, blissfully wondering whether he could successfully reach late Hundred-Breaker. If he did, he could be considered at Hundred-Breaker culmination, since he had already grasped the embryonic form of momentum. Hundred-Breaker culmination... what was the date today? The second! Li Hao then wondered when he had stepped into the Ten-Slayer realm. The middle of last month... Oh, it hadn't even been a month yet. Li Hao was in high spirits. As for that sword strike, he buried it deep in his heart. There was no point in comparing oneself to someone light-years ahead; comparing like that only led to despair and shattered confidence, and he refused to do that to himself. Li Hao's current benchmark was Liu Long. Next time, it might be his teacher. As for the swordsman in the Eight Trigrams, Li Hao felt that for at least the next ten years, he would never dare measure himself against him. The man was simply terrifying. Master and disciple fell silent once more. Yet this silence differed from before. As the red shadow energy permeated the air, rapidly absorbed by the two, a tiny fraction inevitably drifted outward... At that moment, Yuan Shuo felt a sudden tremor of dread. Li Hao felt it too, though his reaction was slightly slower. Before Li Hao could even open his eyes, Yuan Shuo grabbed him by the head—literally clamping his hand around his skull—and dragged him as he bolted toward the cave entrance. The instant they cleared their spot—*boom!* A deafening explosion rang out! A burst of ferocious energy violently detonated where they had been sitting. Having dashed several dozen meters away, Yuan Shuo roared like an enraged bear and hurled Li Hao far into the distance, sending him crashing into the rock wall. The impact nearly made Li Hao cough up blood, making him feel as though his bones were cracking. Meanwhile, Yuan Shuo unleashed the momentum of the Five Animals. Tiger, bear, deer, ape, and bird—the spirit intent of five distinct forms erupted simultaneously, merging into one to violently collide with the raging blast of energy. *Bang!* Yuan Shuo was thrown backward, suspended in midair as blood continually spilled from his mouth. His eyes went blank for a moment... *I need a blood transfusion. I've coughed up too much blood these past two days.* Fighting a Three Sols hadn't been this miserable. First, Li Hao had splattered him with blood, and now an energy explosion had battered him. He had lost track of how much blood he had shed. "Teacher..." Li Hao cried out in alarm. "Cough, cough, cough!" Yuan Shuo crashed to the ground and looked toward the distance, his expression shifting. "I'm not dead yet!" Li Hao hurried over to support his teacher. Yuan Shuo caught his breath, his expression flickering before he finally managed, "Red Moon!" "Huh?" "Red Moon might be connected to the Eight Great Families... The red shadows are created by the Red Moon organization, and their energy can be neutralized by sword energy. But once it comes into contact with the mixture of the eight energies, it triggers a violent energy conflict, causing an explosion." Just now, a bit of stray red shadow energy had merged with the eight blended energies, triggering a massive blast. It had nearly killed him, a Thousand-Battler. It was utterly terrifying. Li Hao was taken aback. "You mean the energy of the Eight Great Families conflicts with the red shadow energy?" Yuan Shuo nodded. "Very likely!" With that, he spat a mouthful of blood and suddenly grinned. "A good thing!" "Huh?" *Has Teacher coughed up so much blood lately that he's lost his mind? How is getting blown up a good thing?* The next instant, Li Hao seemed to realize something, and his eyes lit up. "A good thing indeed!" Yuan Shuo glanced at his student, surprised. "You think so too?" Li Hao nodded vigorously. "Teacher, collect the eight energies, then add some red shadow power—heavens, that's a super-bomb! If it can blow you away, wouldn't it kill a Three Sols?" "..." Li Hao looked at Yuan Shuo. "Teacher, you thought of that too, which is why you called it a good thing, right?" "..." Yuan Shuo stared at him in silence. He wanted to say that wasn't what he had meant at all. His mind hadn't worked that fast, nor was his heart that ruthless. *Good grief, kid, just how dark is your heart?* Yuan Shuo had called it a good thing because he realized the conflict meant that if they ever lured Red Moon experts here and destroyed their red shadows, an extreme reaction might occur—Red Moon's own people would be blown up by their own power. Well, the principle was similar. Yet he hadn't expected Li Hao to think of taking the energy outside to use as an active bomb. The master and disciple shared a similar train of thought, but Yuan Shuo felt he wasn't nearly as ruthless as Li Hao; he only thought of luring enemies in, while Li Hao wanted to go on the offensive. The kid was remarkably aggressive. Yuan Shuo said nothing more on the matter, quickly frowning instead. "That kind of energy won't be easy to collect!" The eight energies were blended together, and very little leaked out. At the moment, what leaked out was mostly sword and saber energy, likely because the two weapons were present. The Qiao family had probably tried to collect this energy for years with little success. Ice crystals were almost certainly useless; otherwise, Qiao Feilong would have gathered a vast supply long ago. Li Hao nodded and dropped the subject, saying, "Teacher, let's go outside to digest the red shadow energy first. Otherwise, if we trigger another blast, we'll be done for, and that would be a terrible loss." "Hahaha, true!" Yuan Shuo chuckled, but as he laughed, a twinge of sorrow hit him. Damn it all, today was truly unlucky. A dignified Thousand-Battler, nearly dying twice in this place in one night. These wretched ruins were far too dangerous. They felt even more dangerous than the ones discovered by the Night Watchers. It looked as though there was nothing here, yet a single misstep could bury someone on the spot. Neither master nor disciple dared continue cultivating here. Yuan Shuo retrieved the saber and sword, carefully leading Li Hao outside to digest the red shadow energy before returning. Otherwise, if they accidentally released that energy and caused another leakage, they would be written off right here tonight. Cultivating outside was fine anyway; the weapons seemed to have absorbed a considerable amount of energy, which should suffice for the time being. ... Leaving the great hall, they returned to the cavern. As Li Hao passed the relief carving, he took an extra look before saying, "Teacher, the person I saw might be this figure in the carving. Carrying a longsword on his back, one look tells you he was a peerless expert." "Stop looking. Staring won't help; it's too far beyond us." At that, Yuan Shuo smiled. "Work hard yourself, and strive for the day when you and I can step onto that path. Remember, this isn't an obstacle on your cultivation journey—it's your driving force!" "Understood!" After comforting each other for a moment, the two sat down in the cavern to absorb the red shadow energy. Li Hao felt inner force beginning to generate in his skull. It was a strange sensation, tingling and numbing. It felt as though his head were being licked by a dog... Well, that wasn't just a feeling. When Li Hao opened his eyes, he was struck speechless. Black Panther? *Fuck!* How had this dog gotten here? When he and Yuan Shuo had left tonight, they hadn't brought Black Panther. How had it tracked them down? He truly had been licked by a dog. "Woof, woof!" Black Panther gazed tearfully at Li Hao, as if saying, *How could you abandon your dog?* It had smelled the scent—the scent of energy. All night, it had sprinted frantically, nearly running itself to death before finally finding this place. It hadn't been easy at all. Yuan Shuo opened his eyes as well, glancing at Black Panther with a wry laugh. "Quite capable, aren't you? Tracking us over dozens of li... I underestimated you! I thought you were a dog on the verge of turning into a spirit, and making you too strong might not be a good thing... yet you actually followed us all the way here." He had intentionally left Black Panther behind. It was easy to say that since it was Li Hao's dog, making it stronger wouldn't hurt. Yet a dog was still a dog, a creature of a different species. In the central regions, it was said that great demons who had become spirits could swallow a Three Sols in one gulp, terrifying to the extreme. This dog knew quite a lot—weren't they afraid it might eventually turn on Li Hao? "Woof, woof, woof!" Black Panther barked ingratiatingly. Li Hao chuckled. "Since you're already here, it's fate! Looks like I can't shake you off. I won't give you anything directly, but whatever leaks out, you can absorb as much as you can." "Woof, woof!" Black Panther wagged its tail contentedly. It didn't mind just getting leftover broth; having broth to drink was already plenty. Li Hao closed his eyes again, continuing to absorb the red shadow power. A bit of energy still leaked out from both of them; otherwise, there wouldn't have been an explosion earlier. At this moment, Li Hao once again felt the tingling numbness in his skull. This time, it wasn't the dog licking him. It was genuine inner force surging, causing his skull to tingle. Eyes like lightning! The instant Li Hao opened his eyes, he experienced that sensation—a burst of inner force erupting around his eye sockets, making his gaze seem infused with arcs of electricity. Yuan Shuo kept his eyes closed, yet seemed to perceive everything. He said softly, "In late Hundred-Breaker, channeling inner force into the skull is dangerous! Of course, that danger is relative. As long as you don't act recklessly, there usually won't be issues..." Mid-sentence, he suddenly barked, "Stop!" Opening his eyes, he glared at Li Hao in fury. "Has water gotten into your brain? You dare surge inner force straight into your eyes? Aren't you afraid of blinding yourself?" Li Hao smiled sheepishly. "Didn't you say to release it outward?" "Get lost!" Yuan Shuo scolded, then sighed. "Fine, it's my fault for forgetting to warn you. You brat advance so fast that before I can finish speaking, you've already progressed, leaving me no time to teach you." He continued, "The eyes are extremely fragile. Though inner force is gentle compared to the domineering nature of mysterious energy, if it enters the eyes and damages the eyeballs, you'll still go blind. It requires a gradual process. First nourish other tissues, slowly integrating it along the body's systems before letting it flow into the eyes. Only then will you have entered the late stage. Don't rush; take it step-by-step..." Before he had even finished, Li Hao forcefully channeled inner force into his nose, causing nosebleeds to gush out. Yuan Shuo frowned. "Eager for quick success!" "Teacher's reprimand is just, but I am not acting rashly." With blood dripping from his nose and tears welling in his eyes, Li Hao said, "My thought is that I have sword energy. As long as an injury isn't incurable, it can heal, so I can afford to be a bit bolder. Teacher, I absorbed one of these Blood God Seeds today; if I don't finish absorbing it, it'll go to waste. When will I ever get another Solar Radiance Blood God Seed?" Li Hao looked at Yuan Shuo. "I can't remain under Teacher's protection forever. Teacher has your own matters to attend to. Furthermore, as Teacher's last-door disciple, traditional rules dictate that I should be the one dealing with powerful enemies on your behalf. For example, your enemy Ying Hongyue—under traditional martial rules, if he comes knocking when Teacher is elderly, I should step forward to kill or cripple him. In short, I cannot hide behind Teacher and enjoy peace!" Li Hao offered a bashful smile. "Teacher, do you think I'm right?" Yuan Shuo was struck speechless for a moment. A last-door disciple... He hadn't taken Li Hao in so the boy could prop up his reputation or face powerful foes; he had simply hoped someone would inherit his scholarship. Yet when Li Hao stepped onto the martial path, everything had changed. This was his martial arts disciple! Yuan Shuo remained silent for a while before breaking into a smile. "You're right! You resemble me when I was young. Back then, I was just like you. It was only the wasted years of middle age and the rise of supernaturals that left me dejected... I only hope your journey goes smoothly!" At this moment, he no longer held back Li Hao's aggression. Perhaps Li Hao was right. He couldn't protect him forever; the boy needed to shoulder his own burdens and grow on his own. Blood still dripped from Li Hao's nose. He was daring and resolute, though this courage was rooted in the backing of sword energy; otherwise, such violent impacts would have carried severe consequences. Martial arts, on the whole, remained a gradual process. Nose, ears, mouth... Gradually, Li Hao's inner force began erupting across various facial features. Handling it for the first time, he was somewhat unpracticed; the surge was too fierce, causing his soft tongue to bleed. It hurt the first time, but he grew accustomed to it soon after. Yuan Shuo watched quietly while absorbing the red shadow energy. The more he looked at his student, the more pleased he became. Low-profile, clever, daring, ruthless, insidious... That last one was just his personal assessment; to outsiders, he would claim Li Hao was kind-hearted. Yet how could a powerful martial master survive without being insidious? One had to be insidious, crafty, and even venomous! The naive and sweet all died young. Gradually, a faint haze seemed to envelop Li Hao's face. This was the sign that he was about to complete outward force projection across his entire body. Once full-body outward projection was achieved, inner force would form a unique defensive barrier, allowing a martial master to evade sneak attacks. At that point, a martial master's strikes could originate from any part of the body. Every part of the flesh became a lethal weapon. "Ugh..." A muffled groan escaped Li Hao, unable to completely suppress the intense pain. Tears streamed down his face, tinged with crimson. Frowning slightly, he endured the agony and asked, "Teacher, the eyes are too fragile. I'm not afraid of dying... but going blind terrifies me. Is there a better way to avoid that?" "So you little brat have things you fear too?" Yuan Shuo snorted, then smiled. "I told you to study literature, but you insisted on martial arts! Fine, martial arts it is—couldn't you read and understand a few more books? I told you earlier, you must use the body's own systems to strengthen the eyes. "Above your eyes, within the frontal bone, are the lacrimal glands. Do you know what lacrimal glands are for?" "For crying!" "If you know, why ask?" Yuan Shuo finally found a bit of solace and chuckled. "Cry more! Permeate the red shadow energy into your lacrimal glands, and do the same with your inner force. Don't strengthen the eyeballs directly; that's too dangerous. Just cry—keep crying! Don't worry about wasting tears. Every cry strengthens them!" Cry? Li Hao thought of something. "Can Li Meng's third eye be strengthened like this?" "Yes, but that girl is careless. You can't teach her this. If you do, tomorrow you might see a three-eyed blind girl." Li Hao laughed, and Yuan Shuo couldn't help smiling either. "She'd better strengthen herself honestly, taking it step-by-step. In truth, I wouldn't even advise you to do this. Cry too much, and I fear you won't be able to shed tears in the future." "Teacher, there's no scientific basis for that. Tear production isn't a fixed reserve; they are constantly generated..." "Get lost!" Yuan Shuo laughed and scolded. Did he not know that? It was just a joke. Meanwhile, Li Hao followed his teacher's advice, gently seeping inner force into his lacrimal glands. This was far safer than forcing it directly into the eyeballs, though still fraught with risk. However, a martial practitioner couldn't balk at every hint of danger. Even if his tear glands were ruined... at worst, he simply wouldn't cry in the future. Tears of blood gradually seeped from his eyes. The sight was eerie and harrowing! Yuan Shuo watched him in silence. How much blood you shed today determines how much you reap. *Li Hao, I hope you understand that no matter how good your teacher is, or how abundant the energy, none of it compares to the strength of your own inner resolve. And you... seem far stronger than I anticipated.* A true powerhouse was never defined by outward appearances or raw cultivation realms. Did those so-called Three Sols, or those above Three Sols, necessarily possess the heart of a true warrior? Yuan Shuo's mind wandered. He hadn't expected the usually courteous and humble Li Hao to endure such hardship and bear such agony. Only when Li Hao's vision blurred from crying did Yuan Shuo softly ask, "Have you thought about how you want to walk your path forward?" "I have." Li Hao smiled through his bloody tears. "Red Moon must be destroyed—that's the first major goal! Second, what the Eight Trigrams truly are; I want to see the people and things within them. Third, Teacher is getting old, and I want to care for you in your old age and see you off..." *Fuck!* Yuan Shuo wanted to curse. Who was he putting a hex on? "Forget the third one! Now that I've stepped into Thousand-Battler, living past a hundred is no problem at all. You survive until then before talking about seeing me off. I'm already thinking of finding you a martial mother." "..." "Cough, cough, cough!" Li Hao nearly choked. He had spoken from the bottom of his heart—as the last-door disciple, wasn't caring for his master in old age his duty? As master and disciple bantered, Li Hao forgot the pain. He knew his teacher was deliberately teasing him to take his mind off the suffering. Li Hao would never complain of hardship; he would only remember this pain, a pain brought upon him by Red Moon... Yes, Red Moon. He etched it deep into his mind. After an unknown amount of time, when the red shadow energy was nearly exhausted, Li Hao's tears finally stopped. They had nearly run dry anyway. The moisture in his body was severely depleted. At this moment, Li Hao's mouth felt parched. Yet that did nothing to dampen his soaring spirits. He felt his eyes brighten, his vision restored and clearer than ever, able to see farther and sharper. He closed his eyes. When he reopened them, a burst of killing intent seemed to flash across his gaze—no longer merely a felt aura, but a tangible murderous edge condensed from inner force! *Thump!* A wisp of inner force leaked out, striking Black Panther. Black Panther turned to look at Li Hao, wagging its tail. It didn't hurt. It felt like a massage, quite comfortable, even refreshing. *What was that?* Yuan Shuo, however, broke into a gratified smile. "Even if we gain nothing else tonight, this alone is enough!" His injuries were healed, and Li Hao had advanced. In fact, he had broken through multiple stages in a row! Mid Hundred-Breaker, late Hundred-Breaker... and with momentum in hand, Li Hao could already be considered at Hundred-Breaker culmination. This was far faster than Yuan Shuo had anticipated. He couldn't be more pleased. "Teacher, does this count as late stage?" Li Hao frowned slightly. "The lethality feels rather weak; I don't feel a massive leap. When I hit mid stage earlier, I felt a clearer boost..." "It's different!" Yuan Shuo smiled. "This is only the beginning. What you must do next is unify your inner force!" Pausing to consider, he added, "At this point, there is one crucial step you must undertake: unifying your inner force!" "Please instruct me, Teacher." "Visualizing forms with spirit intent!" Yuan Shuo's voice took on an authoritative cadence. "It is essentially the preparatory work for stepping into Thousand-Battler. Take me, for instance: my spirit intent resembles beasts, the momentum of the Five Animals. When I fight, you sometimes feel as though I am a tiger or a bear... That isn't something you imagined out of thin air; my spirit intent truly takes that form! "Take Liu Long, for another example. His spirit intent is like waves, like a tsunami. That isn't your guesswork either; it was forged through his own visualization. "Next, you must undergo this stage as well. You are still a short distance from Thousand-Battler and cannot step into it directly like Liu Long did. He hadn't grasped momentum before, but his inner force had already been unified, second nature to him, lacking only the final visualization to anchor it." Li Hao half-understood, asking, "Teacher, do you mean I need to visualize the form of the earth to unify my inner force before stepping into Thousand-Battler?" "Not necessarily." Li Hao paused. "Not necessarily?" "No one says momentum can only take one form. Take me, for example: only by uniting the momentum of five beasts do I form the Five Animals Art!" Yuan Shuo explained, "As for you, while you are currently comprehending the momentum of the earth, don't forget that your Li family might be a lineage of swordsmen. I believe you are better suited to visualizing a sword! Specifically, that sword you just saw... a sword of slaughter, cleaving heaven, cleaving earth, cleaving longevity! "Do you think that sword strike was more powerful, or the earth?" Li Hao fell into thought, then answered gravely, "That sword strike! I felt that sword could cleave through the earth itself. Anything in its path would be annihilated." Yuan Shuo pressed, "Then do you think the earth possesses greater offensive power, or that sword?" "The sword, without question!" "Then that settles it. If you seek overwhelming offense, visualize that sword first. Naturally, you can visualize the earth at the same time—the earth governs defense, while the sword governs offense, giving you both attack and protection." At this moment, Yuan Shuo displayed his profound depth of knowledge, unraveling every doubt for Li Hao. Finally, he added, "You had already grasped the embryonic form of the earth's momentum. I shouldn't have distracted you right now; you should have continued deepening that comprehension. But the opportunity is simply too rare. I didn't see that sword strike with my own eyes, yet I already sense its boundless lethality. Coupled with the fact that you possess this sword, I truly cannot bear to see you let such an opportunity slip by." Li Hao's eyes flickered. He wasn't one to follow his teacher blindly, but his teacher's words made absolute sense. The magnificence of that sword strike was beyond imagination. If he could unleash a strike like that, what would he have to fear from Ying Hongyue? "Teacher, where should I begin?" "The sword in your hands!" Yuan Shuo pointed at the wrapped weapon. "First comprehend the physical object, then contemplate the majesty of that strike, letting your inner force gradually merge into one, coalescing into a sword! Not just inner force, but momentum as well! "When your momentum is like a sword, you have succeeded. You will have completed all the foundational cultivation of the Hundred-Breaker realm. After that, you can strengthen these step-by-step and formally enter Thousand-Battler." He explained the entire cultivation path from Hundred-Breaker to Thousand-Battler in meticulous detail. He worried he might not have a second chance to teach Li Hao, given how terrifyingly fast the boy progressed. "A sword..." Li Hao caressed the small sword. It was all too familiar. Truly too familiar. He had worn it for over a decade, keeping it by his side throughout his life. He could picture every contour of it with his eyes closed. Comprehend? Comprehend what? Its shape? Clearly not. What his teacher wanted him to comprehend was the sword's killing intent, its power, its offensive bite. Yet this little sword... truly lacked any offensive might. Just as the thought crossed his mind, the sword in his hand vibrated faintly. Li Hao's thoughts stirred. Gripping the sword, he released his inner force outward, imagining the breathtaking elegance of that earlier strike. Cleaving heaven and earth! Sword strike! *Buzz!* The short sword seemed to slice through the void, releasing a faint wisp of sword qi. As the strike slashed forward, Black Panther had long since leaped away to parts unknown, while Yuan Shuo watched with glowing eyes. He knew his student could do it. Of course, this was only the beginning. With every subsequent swing, Li Hao unleashed varying degrees of power. The little sword was short, barely the length of a chopstick, yet in Li Hao's grasp, it gradually slashed out elongated sword glows. That was the result of inner force fusing with the small sword. Once, twice, three times... Li Hao swung again and again. He recalled the scene he had witnessed within the Eight Trigrams; instead of fading, that strike grew clearer and clearer in his mind. *Clang!* At that moment, a cheerful hum seemed to ring from the small sword, its blade vibrating faintly with a crisp metallic resonance. With a shift of intent, Li Hao suddenly lunged toward Yuan Shuo with the sword. True knowledge came from actual combat. Yuan Shuo smiled, rose to his feet, and threw a punch—a ferocious tiger pouncing. Master and disciple traded blows rapidly within the cavern. Yuan Shuo did not meet the blade head-on; the sword was far too sharp. While he had countless ways to handle Li Hao, this was a sparring session to feed moves to his disciple, and being too heavy-handed would ruin the purpose. A teacher skilled in instruction guided a student's strengths rather than stifling them. "The sword is the gentleman among weapons. That doesn't mean you should act like a gentleman; it means your strikes must be either blindingly fast or ruthlessly fierce—a single fatal blow that spares your foe prolonged agony, granting a clean, swift death. That is the act of a gentleman..." Li Hao nearly faltered mid-swing! He was dumbfounded. *Teacher, please don't mislead your student. Is that how you interpret 'the gentleman among weapons'? Striking fast, accurate, and ruthless, killing the enemy in one blow so they don't suffer—that's what makes it a gentleman?* Yuan Shuo knocked him back with a fist, frowning. "It's just an analogy! The point is that your strikes must be swift, accurate, and lethal! Hit the vitals with one blow, take down the enemy in a single strike. Interpreting it that way is correct. Sparing your enemy pain is also being a gentleman, isn't it? "Just think of it that way. Right now, your objective is to kill me with one strike... come at me quickly!" Li Hao said nothing, his sword strikes growing ever faster. Every thrust was silent. Swift, accurate, ruthless! Every strike aimed straight for Yuan Shuo's vitals. Inner force projected outward, sword qi erupting. Though the sword was merely the length of a chopstick, it unleashed sword glows a meter long. ... Neither knew how long they sparred. Li Hao grew increasingly composed, increasingly swift. Kill! There was no need to worry about his teacher's safety; he couldn't kill his teacher anyway. In his mind, that strike echoed relentlessly—that swordsman who claimed to cleave heaven and earth. As for the Divine Master Duantian who had been killed earlier... he wasn't worth a fart. As the memory of that strike resonated, inner force surged abruptly, and a faint wisp of sword intent erupted from within him. Strike! Inconceivably swift. With a soft hum, the air split open. Yuan Shuo pushed out a palm, deflecting the small sword, yet the sword glow lightly grazed his skin. Li Hao halted, looking at his teacher's palm. The skin was slightly broken, merging with the earlier puncture wound. Yuan Shuo also paused to examine his palm, then looked at Li Hao with a smile, nodding slightly. "Not fully accomplished yet, but immense progress nonetheless. As long as you persist, it won't be long before you reach true Hundred-Breaker culmination!" At this moment, Li Hao beamed with a radiant smile. It was worth it! Tonight had been thoroughly worth it. "Let's go. We've mostly digested the energy. Let's see if we can open that stone door. If not, we'll use the saber and sword to absorb some more energy before leaving." Yuan Shuo chuckled, not holding much hope of opening the stone door. He suspected that all eight families' weapons might need to be gathered together. Qiao Feilong had failed to open the door for years, showing that brute force was useless. ... The two returned to the great hall. The stone door stood motionless. Li Hao held the sword while Yuan Shuo held the stone saber. There was a small indentation on the stone door. Li Hao fitted the small sword into the indentation, but it didn't match. Likewise, the stone saber didn't fit either. Neither could slot in. Yuan Shuo examined it for a while, studying it meticulously, before suddenly laughing. "Fascinating!" "Huh?" "Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Li, Kan, Gen, Dui." Yuan Shuo murmured, "The Li family sword, the Zhang family saber, the Zhao family fist, the Liu family leg, the Wang family raised a giant tortoise..." He recited the lines under his breath. "This is the Li-fire position. Qiao Feilong and his men all obtained fire energy. Among the Eight Great Families, one family's weapon must be associated with fire energy! According to the folk ballad, it might be the Wang family's tortoise shell... but a tortoise shell sounds like defense, which points to the earth element." He frowned slightly. "Could that tortoise shell actually be a fire-attribute supernatural artifact?" If not a tortoise shell, could it be the Hong family hammer or the Zhou family spear? He studied the indentation closely for a while before asking, "Li Hao, what do you think this indentation looks like? A tortoise shell, or a hammer?" It had a rounded contour—either a tortoise shell or a hammer, unlikely to be a spear. "A hammer, perhaps?" Li Hao examined it carefully, then asked curiously, "Teacher, do you mean..." "There might be... eight such doors!" Yuan Shuo's eyes shone with a peculiar gleam. "All beneath Silver City! Eight stone doors, one corresponding to the sword, one to the saber. Perhaps all eight doors must be opened together to truly unseal the ruins." Eight doors! Li Hao was stunned. "There are eight locations like this?" "Yes. Originally, I thought there was only one, but it seems that isn't the case. Otherwise, the sword or saber should fit, yet they don't. That means this stone door isn't unique. Only when all eight doors assemble, or open simultaneously, can the true ruins of the Eight Great Families be unlocked! "I'll study the map of Silver City thoroughly later and investigate in secret to confirm." Yuan Shuo smiled. "For now... let's absorb some energy and leave quickly. We can't open this ruin anyway, so we can seal it off for now. Once our sword energy runs out, we can come back to absorb more. It doesn't look like much leaks out at a time." "Teacher, should I shed some blood first..." "Heh!" Yuan Shuo scoffed. "Give it a rest. Do you really think you're the sole heir? You bled earlier, and if there were going to be a reaction, it would have started long ago. Ninety-nine percent chance this place requires all eight weapons united to open." Eight doors! Li Hao's eyes suddenly darted. "Teacher, if the other locations haven't been excavated by the Qiao family, even if we can't open them, couldn't we reap massive benefits from them?" "Most likely!" Yuan Shuo grinned, his smile carrying a mischievous glint. Perhaps a fortune awaited them. Even if not a grand treasure, a sizable bounty was guaranteed. Of course, that was provided they could locate the other seven stone doors; for now, it remained merely a theory. "Hehehe..." Both master and disciple chuckled simultaneously. It didn't matter that they couldn't open this one; if they could discover the other seven, unexpected windfalls might await. Qiao Feilong had managed to become a Three Sols and nurture three Solar Radiances. If they found seven locations... could they nurture seven Three Sols and twenty-one Solar Radiances? *Damn, we could go to war with the Silver Moon Provincial Night Watchers.* "Hurry and absorb some. Once we're done, we leave. Too many eyes are on us lately. I'll just seal this place off completely to keep anyone from finding anything." "Alright!" Li Hao drew the small sword and circulated the Five Animals Breathing Art. Yuan Shuo did the same, eager to pack away as much energy as possible before departing. As for carrying away the blended energy, Li Hao had yet to find a suitable vessel, so that would have to wait. Combined with red shadow energy, that stuff was a devastating weapon. ... After a long time, Li Hao could absorb no more, and the energy seemed depleted anyway, leaking out in mere trickles insufficient to sustain them. The two decided to stop. Yuan Shuo led Li Hao out of the great hall. With a punch, he dislodged a massive boulder, hoisting it up to block the iron door. Even so, hiding it completely from determined searchers would be difficult. Yuan Shuo examined the blockage, gritting his teeth. "Later, I'll just blow up the whole surrounding area and collapse the entire mountain..." "Teacher, that would cause too much commotion, wouldn't it?" "True... forget it, I'll think of another way later. Otherwise, it'll easily be exposed—though even if it is, no one else can open it anyway." Without lingering, the two quickly departed the mining cave with Black Panther. Li Hao cast one last look back. This place... would inevitably belong to him. No one could steal it away! He was genuinely curious about what lay behind the door. From the relief carving, that swordsman might have stepped past it... Was it this stone door? Unfortunately, as he was now, he possessed neither the means nor the strength to explore it. *Red Moon... they might hold six of the eight families' weapons.* Thinking of this, Li Hao's hatred deepened. Not only did they want him dead, but they had also stolen his family's treasures... The eight families were one. With the others gone, the treasures of all eight naturally belonged to him. Red Moon stealing from the other families was the same as stealing from him. The more he thought about it, the more furious Li Hao became. *Sooner or later, I'll wipe you all out!* Seeing his disciple grinding his teeth, Yuan Shuo assumed he was simply reluctant to leave empty-handed. Feeling somewhat helpless, he wondered why the kid was getting greedy again. *You reached Hundred-Breaker culmination tonight—isn't that enough?* *What an insatiable brat!* *Still... I like it!*