Myriad Dragon Divine Sovereign

In the days that followed, numerous students from the Outer Courtyard came to ask Wen Qingye for guidance on their Swordsmanship. For one, everyone knew his Swordsmanship was superb; for another, they knew he was amicable.

Xiaxia was very unhappy watching from the sidelines. ’My master still needs to cultivate,’ she thought. ’Where would he find the time to teach them?’ Afterward, whenever people came looking for Wen Qingye to ask for guidance on their Swordsmanship, she would directly send them away.

But no one dared to offend Xiaxia. In the Outer Courtyard of Qig Mountain Academy, who didn’t know that this little attendant from the Alchemy Pavilion was Wen Qingye’s apprentice? For her sake, Wen Qingye had once blocked off all of East Mountain.

On this day, Wen Qingye successfully refined seven Seventh-Grade Qianyuan Pills. Qianyuan Pills were designed to help one break through in their cultivation, making them several times more valuable than ordinary Seventh-Grade Pills.

”Big Brother, this pill is too precious,” Luo Tang said, his voice trembling as he stared at the pill in his hand.

Guu Lei and Guu Xiong never imagined that Wen Qingye would so casually give each of them such a precious Seventh-Grade Pill. They stared at the pills in their hands, then at each other, momentarily at a loss for words.

Wen Qingye smiled. ”There’s no use in taking too many of these. You should just accept them.”

Guu Xiong shot to his feet, excitedly pounding his chest. ”Brother Ye, I’ll take this pill! From now on, if you ever need me, Guu Xiong, for anything, just say the word. I won’t hesitate for a moment!”

Guu Lei took a deep breath. He hadn’t expected Wen Qingye to be so generous. He truly couldn’t see any hint of greed or self-interest in Wen Qingye’s eyes. He couldn’t help but say, ”I’ll accept this pill as well.”

Wen Qingye felt the three were people worth befriending, so he had casually given them three pills. He never imagined that in the future, because of the promises made today, these three would nearly lose their lives for his sake.

Luo Tang raised his cup and laughed heartily. ”Come, Big Brother, let’s drink! This Monkey Wine is truly excellent. I’ll drain my cup first, as a sign of respect!”

Xiaxia shot Luo Tang a harsh glare and said angrily, ”Do you have any idea how precious this Monkey Wine is? And you’re just going to down it all? Let me tell you, you’re not getting another drop!”

Luo Tang froze, his cup still raised. His face flushed red, unsure whether he should drain the cup or not.

”Don’t listen to her. Drink if you want to,” Wen Qingye said with a smile.

In the end, under Xiaxia’s sharp gaze, Luo Tang only took a small sip.

...

The moonlight was as cool as water. Wen Qingye sat on the grass, with Xiaxia and Yunshan sitting beside him, listening quietly.

”The realm of Swordsmanship can be roughly divided into three levels. The first level is the Human Sword Technique, which is also divided into three stages. The first stage is ’sword in hand, sword in heart.’ The blade exudes sharpness and killing intent, capable of defeating an enemy within ten paces. The second stage is ’no sword in hand, but sword in heart.’ The sword becomes qi, a perfect blend of hard and soft that can be wielded at will, capable of defeating an enemy within a hundred paces. The third stage is ’no sword in hand, no sword in heart.’ You see the enemy as formless, allowing you to defeat them from an infinite distance. Because of this, your heart contains only the world—this is the state of ’not killing.’ This is the highest attainment in the Human Sword Technique.”

Wen Qingye paused, then continued, ”Most students at Qig Mountain Academy haven’t even grasped the first stage of the Human Sword Technique. Only a few have barely crossed the threshold. As for some of the Mountain Masters and other leaders, I estimate they’ve only just entered the second stage.”

Xiaxia asked curiously, ”Master, what about the other two levels?”

Wen Qingye replied irritably, ”Tunnel Swordsmanship... I doubt anyone in the Celestial Martial Country—no, in all the surrounding Sixteen Countries—has comprehended it. Tunnel Swordsmanship is on a completely different level than the Human Sword Technique. Knowing about it now won’t do you any good; it will only cause you needless anxiety. You should just focus on practicing your Swordsmanship.”

”Oh,” Xiaxia nodded and asked, ”Master, you’re going home in a few days. What about Yunshan? Is she going back with you?”

Wen Qingye nodded. ”Yes, of course we’re going back together.”

”Then Master, how about I go back with you to take a look?” Xiaxia asked, looking at Wen Qingye with wide, pleading eyes.

Wen Qingye tapped Xiaxia on the head and said sternly, ”You should use this time on the mountain to practice your Alchemy techniques and your Swordsmanship, and also to temper your personality. Besides, the Inner Courtyard assessment is coming up soon. I’ll be back at Qig Mountain Academy before you know it.”

Xiaxia rubbed her head and nodded. ”That’s true. But I’ve heard there are many experts in the Inner Courtyard. I wonder if it’s true. And they say the resources they distribute are much more plentiful.”

Wen Qingye just smiled. ’So what if the Inner Courtyard is full of experts?’

Wen Qingye said with a smile, ”Alright, it’s getting late. You two should go back and get some sleep.”

After Xiaxia led Yunshan back to the thatched hut, Wen Qingye took a deep breath and slowly took out a Qianyuan Pill.

”After taking this Qianyuan Pill, my cultivation will reach the Refining Essence Fifth Layer Heaven,” Wen Qingye said slowly to himself.

Wen Qingye picked up the pill with two fingers and placed it in his mouth. A sweet sensation spread from his mouth, traveling through his limbs and seeping into his very bones.

A stream of pure Primordial Qi began to slowly nourish Wen Qingye’s body. He instantly felt his mind enter a hazy, ethereal state, his whole body feeling as if it were bathed in fire.

As Wen Qingye fully entered a state of cultivation, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi surging in the surroundings grew more and more violent. In the end, his body became like a black hole, endlessly absorbing the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi that frantically poured into him.

Sinking his Heart Spirit into his body, Wen Qingye hurriedly began to guide the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi that was drilling in through his pores. Although this Primordial Qi was immense in quantity, it contained too many impurities. It had to be refined and purified through his meridians before it could be completely absorbed. Otherwise, if he wasn’t careful, it might even contaminate the Primordial Qi from the Qianyuan Pill itself.

The immense Primordial Qi began to slowly converge within Wen Qingye’s body. His Qi Sea, which had been like a calm lake, suddenly began to boil violently.

Wen Qingye repeatedly assaulted the barrier to the Refining Essence Fifth Layer Heaven!

WHOOSH!

Again and again, vast amounts of Primordial Qi Essence surged forth. As if he didn’t know fatigue, Wen Qingye continuously mobilized the Primordial Qi from every part of his body to continue the assault.

Suddenly, Wen Qingye’s mind went blank, and his consciousness seemed to grow hazy. An unknown amount of time passed before his eyes suddenly snapped open.

In the dark night, they shone with a strange light, more brilliant and dazzling than the stars in the night sky.

He had broken through to the Refining Essence Fifth Layer Heaven.

Wen Qingye had taken it one step at a time. In just four or five short months, his cultivation had risen from the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer Heaven to the Refining Essence Fifth Layer Heaven. His progress had been steady and sure, cultivated slowly. He had even undergone the baptism of the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer Heaven. At this moment, the density of the Primordial Qi in his body was no less than that of someone at the peak of the Sixth Level of Refining Essence.