Beauty and Might: Heavenly Flames

After an unknown amount of time, Li Yan slowly opened his eyes.

The endless Sword Realm remained unchanged. The crimson sky still stretched overhead. The countless swords still rested within the earth. Yet the entire world somehow felt clearer than before.

A faint smile appeared on his face. ”I see…”

”So this is why Jian Ling told me to return.” He slowly lowered his gaze toward his own hand. ”My Sword Intent hasn’t advanced. But its foundation has become considerably more stable.”

He could clearly sense the difference.

Although the realm itself remained unchanged, every future Sword Intent he unleashed would become more precise, more efficient, and more natural.

What would normally require several months of continuous sword practice had been naturally condensed into this single session of enlightenment.

Li Yan slowly stood.

He cupped his hands respectfully toward the endless sea of swords. ”Thank you.”

The Sword Realm remained silent. Yet, as though responding to his gesture, a soft chorus of sword hums echoed across the boundless world.

Then, the crimson sky gradually faded. The Sword Realm dissolved into countless strands of light.

****

Li Yan’s consciousness returned to the Ancient Techniques Hall.

He lowered his gaze toward the bracelet on his wrist.

Remaining Time: 12:23:11

A faint smile appeared on his face.

”If the Inscribed Word ’Sword’ can be comprehended more than once… then the Inscribed Word ’Spirit’ should be no different.”

He remained seated upon the raised platform. Instead of standing, he simply shifted his body slightly, turning from the parchment bearing the word Sword toward the one inscribed with Spirit.

His Spiritual Sense currently extended seventy-five meters, more than enough to envelop the entire platform and all five inscribed parchments.

There was no need to change places.

Li Yan slowly closed his eyes.

His Spiritual Sense flowed gently toward the ancient parchment.

The instant it touched the glowing inscription—

The world dissolved.

****

When Li Yan opened his eyes again, he found himself standing within the familiar spiritual forest. Towering ancient trees stretched endlessly beneath a vast celestial sky, while countless golden motes drifted through the air like rivers of tiny stars.

Every leaf shimmered with quiet vitality, and every breeze carried pure Spiritual Essence.

The forest appeared exactly as he remembered it, yet the moment he took in his surroundings, he sensed a subtle difference.

During his previous visit, he had entered this realm as an observer seeking understanding. This time, however, the forest seemed to recognize him. The surrounding Spiritual Essence no longer remained distant.

Instead, it drifted toward him naturally, gathering around him with quiet familiarity, as though welcoming an old friend who had finally returned.

Li Yan neither spoke nor moved. He simply stood beneath the ancient trees, allowing his breathing to settle into a calm rhythm. As his heartbeat gradually slowed, his Spiritual Consciousness naturally began to resonate with the entire forest, and that quiet resonance spread gently through the surrounding world.

It carried no force and demanded nothing in return. Instead, countless strands of Spiritual Essence drifting throughout the forest connected with his Spiritual Consciousness. None resisted his presence, nor did they reject him. They accepted him naturally, as though he had always belonged within this realm.

Li Yan slowly closed his eyes.

He no longer searched for answers, nor did he seek another revelation. During his previous visit, the Spirit Realm had already shown him the essence of Spirit—awareness, harmony, and connection. Those truths had long since become part of his own path.

This time, he simply allowed himself to become part of them once again.

Nor did he attempt to circulate his Soul Cultivation technique. Although this realm overflowed with incomparably pure Spiritual Essence, he had no intention of drawing it into himself through force.

The Spiritual Essence had welcomed him of its own accord. Attempting to absorb it deliberately would only disturb the harmony that existed between them.

This was never a place meant for cultivation.

It was a place where one received only what the realm itself was willing to give.

Time passed silently.

The forest remained silent, yet beneath that silence, the entire realm continued to breathe with its own rhythm.

A gentle breeze brushed across Li Yan’s face. He no longer merely sensed the wind’s movement. He perceived how it flowed around every towering tree, how it carried pollen from one flower to another, and how countless tiny lives instinctively adjusted to its passing.

His awareness expanded without resistance.

A small rabbit emerged from beneath a nearby bush. Before it had taken its first step, its faint Spiritual Presence had already entered Li Yan’s perception.

Moments later, a bird descended from the heavens. Long before its wings disturbed the air, Li Yan had already sensed its arrival. Soon another appeared, followed by another, until the entire forest gradually unfolded within his awareness.

He sensed insects hidden beneath the soil, fish gliding silently through distant streams, roots extending ever deeper into the earth, and leaves drifting gently toward the ground.

Nothing escaped his perception.

His Spiritual Consciousness continued expanding, not violently or forcefully, but with the same quiet naturalness as ripples spreading across the surface of a tranquil lake.

After an unknown period, the surrounding Spiritual Essence began flowing toward him.

It did not surge like a flood, nor did it descend in overwhelming torrents. Instead, countless delicate strands quietly entered his Spiritual Consciousness, tempering it, nourishing it, and gradually removing the final imperfections hidden deep within it.

Li Yan immediately understood what the Spirit Realm was offering.

It was not strengthening his soul through borrowed power.

Rather, it was refining what already belonged to him.

The process resembled polishing an already flawless mirror until even the faintest blemish disappeared from its surface.

Minute after minute, his Spiritual Consciousness became increasingly stable, increasingly pure, and increasingly complete.

Eventually, a familiar sensation arose deep within his upper dantian.

His Soul Core began vibrating softly.

The vibrations gradually strengthened before settling into a steady rhythm, while brilliant silver radiance spread across its surface. At the same time, his entire Spiritual Sea trembled gently—not from instability, but from growth.

A quiet spiritual pressure spread throughout the forest.

The countless strands of Spiritual Essence immediately responded. Golden motes drifting through the air slowly gathered around Li Yan, while the towering ancient trees rustled softly despite the complete absence of wind.

The entire realm seemed to acknowledge the transformation taking place within him.

Then, without warning, the final barrier restraining his soul shattered.

The change did not occur within the forest.

It occurred within Li Yan himself.

A deep vibration echoed throughout his Spiritual Sea before everything gradually returned to perfect stillness.

Li Yan slowly opened his eyes.

The forest before him appeared clearer than ever before.

Or perhaps the forest had never changed.

He had.

His perception reached farther than before, while every detail appeared sharper and more complete. Countless subtle changes that had once escaped his awareness now naturally entered his perception.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

His Soul Cultivation had successfully advanced from the Advanced Stage to the Peak Stage of the Spiritual Awakening Realm.

At the same time, his Spiritual Sense expanded naturally.

Seventy-five meters became eighty.

Eighty became ninety.

Ninety became one hundred.

Moments later, it finally stabilized at a full one-hundred-twenty-five-meter radius.

Li Yan silently experienced the transformation before slowly nodding to himself. ”Spiritual Awakening Realm (Peak-Stage).”

His cultivation had not advanced by relying upon external power.

Rather, the Spirit Realm had refined the foundation he already possessed, allowing his Spiritual Consciousness to reach a level that previously would have required months of patient cultivation.

Only after the transformation had completely stabilized did Li Yan’s Spiritual Consciousness settle upon its new foundation.

He quietly experienced the changes within himself. The improvement was not limited to the increase in range. His Spiritual Sense had become noticeably denser and more refined. Every perception appeared clearer than before, while controlling it consumed far less Spiritual Energy.

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

The second visit to the Spirit Realm had yielded exactly the result he had hoped for.

Li Yan slowly cupped his hands toward the endless forest. ”Thank you.”

The ancient forest remained silent.

Yet, as though in response to his gratitude, countless golden motes drifting through the sky gradually gathered, forming a magnificent river of stars above the towering trees. Their gentle radiance illuminated the entire forest before the world itself slowly dissolved into light.

The towering trees gradually faded from view, the endless forest disappeared, and even the celestial sky shattered into countless fragments of brilliance.

****

When Li Yan opened his eyes once more, he found himself seated upon the raised platform within the Ancient Techniques Hall.

Everything remained exactly as before.

Ji Hong was still immersed in comprehending the Spirit inscription, while the other three champions remained seated before their chosen Divine Techniques. None of them had noticed Li Yan’s breakthrough.

He lowered his gaze toward the bracelet on his wrist.

Remaining Time: 06:39:08

A faint smile appeared on his face. ”There are still more than six hours remaining.”

His eyes slowly swept across the three remaining inscribed parchments.

Restoration.

Strength.

Light.

Li Yan studied them quietly before his gaze settled upon the final inscription.

”If my assumption is correct, the Inscribed Word Light corresponds to the Light Element,” he thought calmly. ”Without possessing a Light Element affinity, comprehending it now would likely give no benefit.”

He shifted his gaze away from the final parchment.

That left only two choices.

The inscription of Restoration radiated a peaceful and harmonious aura. It conveyed the feeling of healing, recovery, and renewal. Whether it represented the restoration of the body, the soul, or something even more profound, Li Yan could not yet determine.

It was undoubtedly a valuable opportunity.

However, after a brief moment of consideration, he gently shook his head.

Although Restoration possessed countless potential applications, he had no urgent need for it.

His attention naturally shifted toward the remaining parchment.

Strength.

Unlike Restoration, this single word carried an entirely different presence. It was calm, unwavering, and steadfast. It possessed neither the sharpness of the Sword inscription nor the harmony of Spirit. Instead, it conveyed the feeling of a foundation capable of supporting everything without ever yielding.

Li Yan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

”Cultivation has never been solely about increasing stages and realms,” he thought. ”Without sufficient strength to support it, even the most profound technique cannot display its true power.”

His thoughts naturally drifted toward the Divine Blade Art.

Although he had already comprehended the first form, his current cultivation was still insufficient to unleash its true might. No matter how profound the technique, it ultimately required an equally solid foundation.

A faint smile appeared on his face. ”Let’s see…”

”What kind of strength does this realm wish to teach?”

Remaining seated upon the raised platform, Li Yan slowly turned toward the ancient parchment bearing the single inscribed word.

Strength.

He gradually closed his eyes.

His Spiritual Sense flowed steadily toward the ancient inscription.

The instant his consciousness touched the character, the Ancient Techniques Hall slowly faded from existence, and a completely new world unfolded before him.

****

When Li Yan opened his eyes again, he found himself standing before an immeasurable mountain. It rose beyond the clouds, its summit disappearing into the heavens, while countless ancient stone steps spiraled upward around its enormous body.

Time seemed to have left no mark upon it. The mountain stood silently beneath the endless sky, ancient, steady, and immovable, as though it had existed since the birth of heaven and earth.

Merely standing before it filled Li Yan with an indescribable sense of pressure. It was neither fear nor hostility. Instead, it resembled the quiet reverence one naturally felt before something far greater than oneself.

Li Yan calmly observed his surroundings. There was nothing else within this realm besides the towering mountain stretching endlessly into the heavens.

A moment later, the inscribed word Strength gradually appeared above the summit.

Unlike the inscriptions inside the Ancient Techniques Hall, this word radiated a dazzling, ancient, and unwavering brilliance, quietly overlooking the world below. Yet its presence alone seemed capable of supporting heaven and earth.

Li Yan studied it silently before shifting his gaze toward the stone staircase winding around the mountain.

”So this is the Strength Realm.”