"Take the sword!"
As Qi Baiyan finished speaking, a spiritual sword flashing with cold light shot through the air and appeared before Li Xuan.
Li Xuan's expression turned solemn. He understood the meaning behind Qi Baiyan's actions. If he accepted this sword, he would not merely inherit the Holy Sect's legacy. From then on, he would have to pass down that legacy, bearing a greater responsibility and obligation.
Qi Baiyan watched Li Xuan quietly, the choice resting entirely on Li Xuan's will.
"It's just a human sword, what's there to ponder so much?" After a few breaths, Li Xuan grinned and grasped the sword in his hand.
*Boom!*
The moment Li Xuan held it, Jinghun (惊魂) let out a resonant hum. Li Xuan's mind stirred, and his sword intent enveloped Jinghun before he directly tossed it into the Zhenyu (镇狱).
"Young friend, the Holy Sect is entrusted to you. Jinghun has followed me for a long time; I hope you will treat it kindly," Qi Baiyan said with a hint of relief upon seeing Li Xuan accept Jinghun.
"Alright," Li Xuan nodded.
"To see my Holy Sect have a successor, I can now rest in peace. Young friend, allow me to exert one last bit of effort before I vanish," Qi Baiyan said with a smile, his body gradually becoming illusory. In the next instant, he transformed into a ball of spiritual energy and surged towards Li Xuan.
*Boom!*
The terrifying spiritual energy poured into Li Xuan's dantian, causing his body to swell instantly. Li Xuan's mind moved, and he guided this spiritual energy into the Qingxiao Sword (青霄剑).
Li Xuan's cultivation path differed from that of a spirit master. While a spirit master would experience a surge in power from Qi Baiyan's spiritual body, for Li Xuan, it was a burden. Fortunately, Qingxiao needed spiritual energy, and after absorbing such abundant power, its aura began to change.
"I wonder if this Qingxiao can recover to its former level," Li Xuan mused with anticipation. After all, Qi Baiyan was a sect leader. Although this was merely a spiritual body, it possessed all of the original body's spiritual cultivation.
"You shouldn't hold out such hope. Your Qingxiao was once a Heavenly Sword. To recover to its peak would require at least a hundred spiritual bodies like the one you just received," Yi Qin's (伊沁) voice echoed. Li Xuan felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, leaving him stunned.
A hundred?
Were experts of that caliber as common as cabbage?
Li Xuan chuckled wryly. As expected, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
"But you don't need to be disheartened. While this spiritual body cannot restore Qingxiao to its Heavenly Sword status, it should be enough to bring it back to a Human Sword. At least, you won't have to worry about Qingxiao's spiritual energy dissipating and dying for the next hundred years," Yi Qin's voice sounded again. Li Xuan's eyes lit up; that was still good.
A Human Sword!
Coupled with Jinghun, he now possessed two Human Swords. One was for internal use, and the other was perfect for deployment.
"This remnant land will dissipate in another half a month. Are you prepared for how you will handle things once you leave?" Yi Qin inquired.
Li Xuan smiled and looked into the distance, speaking slowly, "I never wished to compete with anyone. All I want is to find Yao'er (夭儿), bring her home, and let her live the life she desires. If anyone stands in my way, I will kill. I will kill until no one dares to stand before me!"
Li Xuan's expression was solemn, his aura undergoing a qualitative change at that moment.
"This guy, as soon as he thinks of his sister, his entire demeanor changes," Yi Qin murmured softly, her voice fading.
*Buzz!*
An hour passed, and Qingxiao had completely absorbed the spiritual energy of Qi Baiyan's spiritual body. Sensing the change in Qingxiao's aura, Li Xuan's face showed a hint of a smile.
"Half a month's time..." Li Xuan withdrew his thoughts and began to analyze. "Bu Jing Lei (步惊雷) and Kun Peng (昆鹏) will definitely not give up. We must be wary of the Tianlei Sect (天雷宗) and the Lihuo Sect (离火宗). As for other sects, although we have no existing grievances, the ruins of this Holy Sect will likely make many people envious."
"Given this, it seems that venturing outside will be fraught with peril."
Li Xuan chuckled wryly. Several times he had felt the urge to impulsively absorb the remaining mid-grade and high-grade spiritual swords to enhance his strength. However, he ultimately suppressed it, as doing so would destabilize his foundation. Faced with a choice, Li Xuan would rather confront Bu Jing Lei and his ilk.
As early as when Li Xuan broke through to the Martial King realm, Yi Qin had told him that each realm required a natural progression to its extreme. Rushing to increase strength would lead to an unstable foundation, hindering further progress. This was why Li Xuan had hesitated to advance further after breaking through to the Martial Emperor realm.
Because Li Xuan knew that his potential had not yet been fully unleashed. The early stage of the Martial Emperor realm was already his current limit.
"Currently, the sword techniques I possess, aside from 'One Sword Breaks All Laws' (一剑破万法), seem to be my only option. In future battles, I can't possibly rely on just this one technique," Li Xuan thought with some helplessness.
The 'Nine Revolutions of the Demonic God' (魔神九转) was unfortunately for cultivating the soul and divine sense.
However, Li Xuan's eyes soon brightened. He had yet to examine the Holy Sect's inheritance obtained during the third trial. Given it was a sect's legacy, there should be several sword techniques, right?
With that thought, Li Xuan's mind stirred, and he entered the Zhenyu. Gazing at the starlight cluster before him, Li Xuan reached out and touched it. The cluster burst forth with light, and instantly, a flood of information surged into Li Xuan's mind.
As Li Xuan absorbed all the information, he slowly opened his eyes, a clear expression of joy on his face.
The Holy Sect's inheritance contained countless cultivation techniques. Among them, there were three techniques of the Human grade and eleven of the Earth grade.
Cultivation techniques, like spiritual weapons, were also classified into Mysterious, Yellow, Earth, Human, and Heaven grades. A Human-grade cultivation technique could lead to the Martial God realm, and the Holy Sect possessed three such techniques.
Li Xuan was now curious how the Holy Sect, with at least three Martial God realm experts, had managed to be destroyed.
Among the three Human-grade techniques, one was named 'Sky Severing Three Swords' (斩天三剑). Li Xuan's interest was piqued upon reading its description.
"'Sky Severing Three Swords' comprises three sword forms. The swords are interlinked, with each subsequent sword possessing ten times the power of the previous one. Mastery of one sword leads to the culmination of three. Upon culmination, a single sword can sever the heavens!"
Li Xuan recited the cultivation mantra in his mind, then his mind shifted as he looked at another sword technique, merely of the Mysterious grade.
"'Layered Sword Technique' (叠剑术), where each strand of sword qi is superimposed to form a single, potent strike. When stacked to the extreme, it can deliver a fatal blow!"
Simple, direct, yet incredibly powerful.
After reading the information on the 'Layered Sword Technique,' Li Xuan had only one thought.
According to the subsequent explanation, Li Xuan understood that although 'Layered Sword Technique' was a Mysterious grade sword technique, it could even be considered a sword move. However, if the layers could be stacked to a terrifying extent, the power unleashed by a single strike could rival Earth grade or even Heaven grade sword techniques.
At this moment, Li Xuan's eyes suddenly brightened. If he were to apply the 'Layered Sword Technique' to the 'Sky Severing Three Swords,' could its power be further enhanced?
With this thought, Li Xuan summoned his spiritual sword and began to practice.