Chapter 3: Lone Peak Thirteen Swords

  The past three months have passed quickly.

  Outside the cliff, the sea of clouds was still rolling and surging. On the cliff, a young man wearing a uniform tunic held a fine steel sword, moving and shifting with flashing sword light.

  Perhaps it was an illusion, perhaps it was the environment's influence, but the young man's swordsmanship seemed to reveal a hint of being at the pinnacle, with a lonely and proud temperament that made him seem small amidst the mountains. He stood right in front of you, yet he seemed to be on a distant peak, his unattainable distance making one want to spit blood.

  The Linked Thirteen Swords of the past, the young man's gaze was like lightning, piercing through the void, his body suddenly leapt up, as if he had flown down from a high peak to make a surprise attack. Only a flash of sword light was seen, and on the giant stone in front of him, a terrifying sword mark three inches deep and three feet long was cut out, clean and ruthless, merciless and unfeeling.

  Sheathing his sword, the young man muttered to himself: "No wonder the elder of the Guardian Pavilion wanted me to choose another sword technique. It turns out that this Lone Peak Thirteen Swords is not a simple human-level mid-tier martial skill, but rather contains profound and abstruse meanings that have already surpassed its original scope."

  The young man was indeed a leaf dust, and in the past three months, he had completed the cultivation of the Lone Peak Thirteen Swords with his super strong comprehension. However, recently, he discovered that the Lone Peak Thirteen Swords were far from being so simple, seemingly lacking something, which meant that the Lone Peak Thirteen Swords were incomplete, and the true secret book had already been lost, so its grade had dropped to human middle rank.

  Fortunately, the one who cultivated it was Ye Chen. After a period of hard work and research, not only did he comprehend the original intention of Gufeng Thirteen Swords that didn't exist before, but also greatly improved his technique of manipulating internal energy. It's believed that in no time, he will be able to cultivate his own unique Gufeng Thirteen Swords.

  Additionally, due to three months of secluded cultivation without asking about worldly affairs, Ye Chen's internal energy had entered the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, and his progress was indeed rapid.

  "It's time to return the secret book." Remembering the rules of Liuyun Sect, Ye Chen didn't dare to be slow.

  On the way back, Ye Chen's ears moved slightly, and he heard a series of soft cries coming from afar, at least a mile away, but still clear and audible, as if the entire sound was condensed together, bursting out in an instant.

  "What a powerful internal energy! What kind of strong physique can produce this? Judging from the sound, it seems to be a woman." Unable to resist his curiosity, Ye Chen cautiously approached her.

  After crossing a few patches of thorny grassland, Ye Chen arrived behind a huge boulder.

  Leaning forward, what comes into view is a small grove of trees. Next to the grove stands a wooden house, in front of which lies a small pond with several lotus leaves floating on its surface, creating an atmosphere of great elegance.

  At the edge of a small forest, a 16-year-old girl in a snow-white martial arts uniform was practicing her fist techniques, letting out a mesmerizing battle cry.

  She is slender in build, seemingly weak and vulnerable, but every punch and kick is bold and powerful, with a sharp piercing force.

  "Is it Shifu Jiejie Xu Jing? This is a forbidden place?"

  When he saw his opponent, Ye Chen finally understood.

  Apart from the sect leader and inner door elders having their own mountain peaks, others who want to cultivate martial arts must find a suitable place. However, although Qingfeng Mountain is vast, excellent cultivation spots are limited. Usually, outer door elders and core disciples will occupy the best locations first, declaring them off-limits. Ordinary people who try to force their way in will not get along with them; at best, they will be scolded, and at worst, severely punished.

  Ye Chen's eyes were on Xu Shi Jie, who was one of the core disciples of Liu Yun Zong, ranked twenty-third, with a cultivation level in the middle stage of Condensing Reality, and had an extremely good innate talent.

  Xu Jing treads on the step method, with fists and feet coming and going, her tongue pressed against her teeth, her abdomen operating her breath, continuously making sounds to increase the power of her fist method.

  Several consecutive punches were thrown, and Xu Jing's momentum reached its peak. She suddenly leaped into the air, her hands moving as fast as lightning, like a tiger pouncing on its prey, and one punch struck a tree trunk as thick as a water bucket.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  A stunning scene unfolded, as Xu Jing's fists and palms burst forth with dazzling golden light, which then condensed into a tangible form, shattering three large trees in a row with a deafening crash.

  It's true energy being released! Ye Chen's eyes narrowed.

  When a cultivator of the Qi Refining stage transforms their internal energy into True Energy, it represents formally entering the Congenital Realm. Cultivators in the Congenital Realm not only have greatly increased combat strength, but their True Energy can also leave their body and harm people from a distance.

  "Not yet out." Xu Jing had already sensed Ye Chen's arrival, her eyes were sharp and staring tightly at the position where Ye Chen was.

  Ye Chen swallowed a mouthful of water and obediently revealed his figure.

  "You're an outer disciple."

  "Yes."

  "Why are you peeking at me practicing boxing?"

  "Your voice carries too far, so I came over to take a look out of curiosity."

  Xu Jing carefully sized up Ye Chen, whose calm and composed attitude made her somewhat curious. To be sure, other outer sect disciples would usually stutter in front of her, unable to get a word out, but he spoke with reason and logic, dignified and elegant, making it impossible for people to feel disgusted.

  "I didn't plan on bothering Yechen," Xu Jing said calmly: "You can go! Don't come again next time."

  "Yes."

  Leaving this place, Ye Chen slightly exhaled a breath.

  Xu Jing was calm in demeanor, but the momentum of the impending storm was truly astonishing. He dared to make a bet that even if he encountered core disciples ranked above him, they wouldn't have such pressure. It seems that this year's core disciple ranking is going to change.

  Suddenly, Ye Chen smiled slightly.

  If it were in the past, I probably wouldn't be able to say a word in front of Xu Jing, but now I can answer calmly, which should be due to the growth of my soul.

  But what caught Ye Chen's attention was still Xu Jing's personality, which was indeed cold and aloof, making it difficult for ordinary people to get close to her, and coupled with that fierce and overbearing martial arts skills, it was impossible not to leave a deep impression.

  Arrived at Wuji Building.

  The elder of the Guardian Pavilion raised his head, and at a glance, he recognized Ye Chen. He said meaningfully, "How is it? The Thirteen Swords of Lonely Peak shouldn't have been mastered yet! It's still possible to choose another sword technique now."

  Yexuan smiled faintly, "No need, I'm here to return the secret manual."

  "Alright, let's register here."

  After signing his name, Ye Chen turned around and was about to leave.

  Seeing this, the elder of the Guardian's Pavilion said strangely: "There are still two months before you charge into the Wooden Man Lane, don't you want to make a final effort?"

  Mù Rén Háng is a traditional trial project of Liú Yún Zōng, open half a year once, participants are generally outer door disciples, if can rush past, indicating high actual combat ability, can't rush past then still need to continue efforts, remember half a year ago Ye Chén was beaten to spit blood with just three breaths, becoming everyone's laughing stock.

  "I think the Thirteen Swords of Lonely Peak should be enough to handle the trial." Ye Chen thought that with two months' time, he could raise his internal energy to the sixth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, and by then, even if he couldn't enter the top ten, his ranking wouldn't be too far behind. Of course, he hadn't been in actual combat yet, so it wasn't clear what level his actual strength had reached.

  The elder of the Guardian Pavilion nodded subconsciously and then looked shocked. "You're saying that you've mastered the Lone Peak Thirteen Swords? How is that possible?"

  "Close enough!"

  If the other party knew that they had not only mastered the Lone Peak Thirteen Swords, but also grasped the inner meaning and deeper level of Qi manipulation, I wonder what they would think!

  Not wanting to reveal too much, Ye Chen lifted his feet and walked out.

  After the other party left, the elder of the Guardian Pavilion still couldn't believe it. The isolated peak's thirteen swords were incomplete, he was clear about that. This sword technique was created by the third master of the Flowing Cloud Sect and its level reached the top of the human rank, but for some reason, the true manual had inexplicably disappeared, leaving behind only a handwritten copy.

  Despite this, Gu Feng's Thirteen Swords were still difficult to cultivate, after all, its foundation was at the pinnacle of human level, how could an outer sect disciple comprehend it.

  "Nowadays, outer sect disciples are too arrogant." The Guardian Elder shook his head, clearly disbelieving Ye Chen's words.