When he had companions, he did not feel bored. Now, left utterly alone in this vast space, he felt lonely, empty, desolate, and cold…
He should focus on cultivating his mental power; all his regrets were useless.
He began to chant incantations towards the ice bed.
Heart and mind as one, thoughts myriad.
He felt a peculiar power within him, different from the grand and forceful spiritual energy. This was a tranquil power, a silent force, without sound, without form.
If you tried to grasp it, it would slither away like a spiritual snake. If you ignored it, it would remain as still as a boulder. It was incredibly frustrating.
After several attempts, Mo Qi finally gave up and stopped cultivating.
The next day was the same.
The third day, still the same.
After an unknown period, Mo Qi was almost in despair.
Then, one day, the spiritual snake within him, worn out by Mo Qi's daily torment, seemed to relent and chose to compromise. Mo Qi finally managed to capture it.
Once captured, it surged out of his body, and the ice bed split down the middle, breaking into two halves.
He had finally made a breakthrough. He felt a power flowing quietly within him like a small stream.
The scroll vanished silently, as if its task was complete.
After the initial breakthrough, cultivation became much faster. He quickly advanced through the first, second, and third stages.
He went out to test it then, but the barrier remained as solid as ever.
This frustrated him, so he returned to continue his advancement.
Besides cultivating his mental power, he also diligently strengthened his Earth Arrow spiritual energy and the Sun-Chasing Star-Plucking Art.
The Myriad Blade Saber technique was, after all, a low-level art, and it had its limits. He had already hit a ceiling!
Therefore, no matter how much he practiced it, he wouldn't achieve much more.
So, he decided to abandon this technique.
The Earth Arrow, however, was different. It had merged with him. As long as he lived, the Earth Arrow would continue to break through and improve.
He could feel that as his spiritual energy grew, the Earth Arrow would inevitably strengthen, eventually surpassing the Sun-Chasing Star-Plucking Art in destructive power.
However, he also vaguely sensed that the Earth Arrow's progression had reached a bottleneck. He recalled what Mr. Feng had said, and perhaps it was time to seek the Heavenly Bow.
The Sun-Chasing Star-Plucking Art still had room for improvement. At his current level, he could only destroy a sect with it, but its ultimate goal was to obliterate the heavens and destroy the earth!
For some reason, within this confined space, the Sun-Chasing Star-Plucking Art seemed to flourish as if planted in fertile soil. He only needed to meditate daily, and its progress was remarkably rapid.
As for cultivation, without external aid, it still relied on cultivating Earth Arrow spiritual energy. He nourished his soul sea daily with spiritual energy pills. The increase in spiritual energy continuously strengthened the Earth Arrow, and the Earth Arrow's power, in turn, promoted his cultivation.
After a considerable amount of time, his cultivation had broken through to the middle stage of the Mahayana realm. He pushed the Witch Godly Heaven-Reaching Mental Power Art to the eighth level and reached the barrier again.
As he chanted the incantation, the barrier light screen parted like a door, separating to the sides until it was wide enough for one person to pass. Mo Qi strode through with his head held high.
Upon returning to the academy, he learned that a full two years had passed.
The academy was a different place. Wang Lu, Chang Yuhuan, Zhong Hua, and others had completed their classroom credits and gone out for trials.
Lu Xiaoyue, Ming Yueye, and Jing Lei had finished their trials and taken up positions in the Stairway.
Tong Wuqi was still diligently studying at the academy, striving to accumulate credits.
Xue Nu and Dugu Jun had completed their classroom credits and were awaiting opportunities for trials.
As for Fen Tian, Murong Jing, and Le Yu, they had returned home after failing to complete their missions during multiple trials.
Mo Qi found Tong Wuqi and asked him about the changes in the Dome Realm during his absence.
Tong Wuqi was overjoyed to see Mo Qi. After a brief reunion, he recounted everything.
The power dynamics of the four great families had shifted. Nangong Zhendong had suffered a severe blow in the Tongtian Secret Realm, causing his cultivation to plummet. After repeatedly failing to complete seventh-tier missions, he was demoted to a hall master in the fourth tier.
The Nangong family, having lost its powerful backing, gradually declined.
After the Chao family and the Dugu family formed an alliance, the Chao family was showing a trend towards replacing the Nangong family as one of the four great families.
The Chao family was not satisfied and was preparing to form an alliance with the Nangong family.
"An alliance? What alliance?" Mo Qi felt a bad premonition and immediately asked.
Tong Wuqi looked at Mo Qi with sympathy, sighed, and said, "It's Chao Xixue and Murong Jing. I heard they are getting married today. You've returned at just the right time."
Mo Qi felt as if struck by five thunderbolts, his mind instantly buzzing.
After a long while, he left the academy and sped towards the Chao family.
On the way, he saw a procession with gongs and drums, escorting a bridal sedan chair with great fanfare.
Beside the sedan chair, Murong Jing rode a tall horse, dressed in a bright red robe, beaming with a smile, looking exceptionally pleased with himself.
He had run into them so easily.
Inside the sedan chair must be Xue Nu. Mo Qi felt a flicker of excitement. What would Xue Nu look like in her phoenix coronet, ceremonial robes, and bright red wedding attire?
Now was not the time to be concerned about that.
Mo Qi leaped forward, landing in front of the sedan chair. His body, imbued with wind and fire, blasted a large pit into the ground.
The procession came to a halt. Those in the back craned their necks forward, "What's happening?"
"Someone's blocking the way."
Murong Jing immediately reined in his horse, looking at Mo Qi with shock. "You, you're not dead?"
"I can't die that easily, you're not dead either," Mo Qi said coldly.
Xue Nu, inside the sedan chair, couldn't help but shed silent tears upon hearing the voice outside.
Murong Jing calmed himself and chuckled, "So what if you're not dead? From today onwards, Chao Xixue is my wife. We're married legitimately. You can't openly try to snatch the bride, can you?"
Mo Qi stared into his eyes, making him shiver. "We'll see. If she's willing, I'll ask and leave. If she's being forced, then I'm here to snatch the bride."
"You..." Murong Jing, well aware of whether she was being forced or not, trembled and shouted, "Guards!"
No one came!
Instead, the wedding procession collectively took a few steps back.
Murong Jing's heart began to panic. However, he couldn't back down in such a situation. He had to press on, even if it was difficult. Otherwise, how could he establish his authority in front of his wife in the future?
He dismounted, formed a hand seal, and a wave of black energy surged towards Mo Qi.
"Overestimating yourself!" Mo Qi summoned the Qiankun Ring. The Qiankun Ring emitted a brilliant radiance, meeting the black energy. Upon contact, it immediately tore the black energy apart fragment by fragment. The black energy dissipated rapidly at a visible rate.
From a distance, Murong Jing felt an immense tearing pressure sweeping towards him. He couldn't imagine the terrifying consequences if the Qiankun Ring caught up and hit him directly.
Murong Jing, already terrified, hastily fled at top speed.
Mo Qi had no intention of taking his life. He slightly deflected the Qiankun Ring, merely brushing the fleeing Murong Jing with its spiritual energy. This sent Murong Jing reeling, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The wedding procession descended into chaos, scattering in all directions.
Mo Qi declared loudly, "I'm only here to deal with Murong Jing. It has nothing to do with anyone else. Those who continue the procession will receive one hundred taels of silver per person."
A moment later, the crowd reformed into an orderly line.
Xue Nu, from within the sedan chair, asked hesitantly through the veil, "What are you doing? Aren't you here to snatch the bride?"
Mo Qi looked at the sedan door and said, "A person can be snatched away, but what about the heart? That cannot be snatched."
Xue Nu said softly, "I've already told you my feelings."
"With your cultivation, escaping would be easy. Yet you allowed them to carry you away. Aren't you doing so willingly?"
"Once in the martial world, one's life is not one's own. In this life, there are always too many regrets, too many dissatisfactions," Xue Nu sighed, her voice filled with endless melancholy. "We don't live just for ourselves."
"Are you saying you're sacrificing yourself for your father's insatiable desire for power?" Mo Qi sneered.
Xue Nu's uncle, Chao Li, who was also in the procession, stepped forward. "I've seen you at the Chao family, and I quite agree with you. But Xue'er, she actually has her reasons. The Murong family poisoned her elder brother, Chao Xiyun. If she doesn't marry, her brother will surely die."
Xue Nu said slowly, "I had already decided. As soon as my brother receives the antidote, I will commit suicide."
Mo Qi exclaimed indignantly, "In broad daylight, under the heavens, they dare to be so audacious!"
"Stop spouting nonsense and quickly snatch me away!" Xue Nu said.
"Then what about your brother? Won't you save him?" Mo Qi asked, astonished.
"Haven't you refined any Myriad Poison Pills?" Xue Nu asked.
"Uh, well, I do have some, but who knows if they'll be effective," Mo Qi's eyes glinted. "Let's go to the Murong family and demand the antidote directly."
Saying this, Mo Qi stepped forward, removed Murong Jing's wedding attire, and squeezed into the sedan chair.
Xue Nu lifted her red veil, looked at him, tears shimmering in her eyes, and a smile radiating across her face. "I knew you wouldn't die."
Then, with a look of confusion, she asked, "What are you doing in here?"
Mo Qi smiled. "I need to infiltrate the Chao family." His eyes darted. "To avoid unnecessary trouble, you shouldn't go. Find a maid to come up, and you go home first. I'll get the antidote and deliver it to your house directly."
Xue Nu looked worried. "Will this work?"
Mo Qi said without hesitation, "Don't worry, I will definitely get the antidote. If I really can't get it, we still have a second option: my Myriad Poison Pills."
Xue Nu hesitated and stepped down.
A moment later, Chao Li's hesitant voice was heard from outside, "Xue'er, should we really do this? This goes against your father's wishes. It will cause great conflict between the two families and could bring crisis to the Chao family. Moreover, can he really get the antidote by going like this? I'm a bit uneasy!"
After a moment, Xue Nu seemed to hesitate. "I believe he can handle it."
The maid, Xiao Wen, was pushed forward, dressed in the wedding attire, with the red veil covering her head. The wedding procession, with gongs and drums, set off towards the Murong family.
Upon arriving at the Murong family, Mo Qi handed out silver to each member of the wedding party. Everyone left happily, or rather, fled.
Chao Li also scurried back to report, fearing that Mo Qi would cause trouble beforehand and implicate him.
The Murong family members eagerly awaited their arrival. To their surprise, two figures with veils entered.
"What's going on? What is Murong Jing doing?" the relatives and friends said.
Murong Shui and his wife, Madam Qi, sat on the main seat. They frowned at the strange behavior of this "Murong Jing."