Yuan Imperial Palace.
"National Master, have you retrieved the Elixir of Immortality for me?"
The moment he saw National Master Phagpa return, Temujin became extremely excited and couldn't wait to ask.
"Khan, we failed. A God Demon Realm cultivator appeared during the operation, causing heavy casualties. Nameless has already consumed the Dragon Essence, and it is impossible to retrieve it."
"I only managed to capture two individuals who are very important to Nameless."
"Perhaps we can use them as leverage."
Phagpa shook his head helplessly.
Temujin's face darkened.
His heart bled with regret.
That was the Dragon Essence, the Elixir of Immortality.
And it remained out of reach.
The frustration was unbearable.
He had longed for immortality no less than Ying Zheng.
He had even sent people multiple times to various Dao School sects, seeking the path to eternal life.
But every time, he returned empty-handed.
Now, with the Heaven Dao Ranking guaranteeing the power of the Dragon Essence, it was an extremely rare opportunity.
And it had been lost.
Nie Feng and Bu Jingyun!
If they were important to Nameless, then he would use them for an exchange.
Though he knew the chances were slim, he still refused to give up.
"National Master, you know what to do next."
"Yes, Khan. I will begin converting them now."
==========
Ming Imperial Palace.
Zhu Houzhao was not surprised at all when he saw Li Hanyi rank 4th on the Sword Immortal Ranking.
He knew her strength very well.
If not for her realm being slightly lower, she would have broken through long ago.
But that was precisely why she could receive such a great fortune.
It was her destiny.
The Innate Sword Physique could be considered a fusion of the Innate Dao Physique and Sword Physique.
It brought immense benefits to both martial and sword cultivation.
In Zhu Houzhao's view, this reward was far superior to those received by Dugu Qiubai and Nameless.
Even if the Dragon Essence granted immortality, so what?
Maybe Nameless could rapidly advance to the God Demon Realm.
But in the long run, he absolutely could not match Li Hanyi's potential.
Surpassing Nameless, or even utterly crushing him, would be no challenge for her.
Zhu Houzhao's eyes gleamed with thought.
Then, he moved quietly.
Without alerting anyone, he left the palace and flew toward Snow Moon City.
This was the advantage of strength.
Even if he secretly went to meet his lover, no one would notice.
Not even Empress Wu Zhao of the God Demon Realm sensed anything.
With Sage Realm cultivation, his speed was terrifying.
Within just a few minutes.
He had arrived across a vast distance.
"Hanyi!"
Seeing the now even more graceful and refined Li Hanyi, Zhu Houzhao's heart stirred.
Such beauty, simply being by her side, was a feast for the eyes.
It lifted his spirits.
With her Innate Sword Physique now fully transformed, Zhu Houzhao could clearly sense it.
Her sword aura had become even more refined and pure.
In terms of swordsmanship alone, few God Demon Realm cultivators could compare to her.
When Li Hanyi saw Zhu Houzhao coming to visit, she was overjoyed.
In such a moment of happiness, she longed for someone to share it with.
And clearly, Zhu Houzhao was that person.
Without a trace of shyness, she stepped forward and fell into his arms.
Zhu Houzhao was pleased.
She no longer resisted him.
Another great step forward.
As they embraced, Li Hanyi excitedly described the benefits brought by her newly acquired Innate Sword Physique.
Her face radiated with joy.
It wasn't just the happiness of becoming stronger.
It was also the thrill of no longer being left behind by Zhu Houzhao.
"How long do you think it will take for you to reach the God Demon Realm?"
"I'm confident I can break through within three years, and without any instability in my foundation."
Zhu Houzhao nodded in admiration.
Then he shook his head.
"That's too slow. If this were before the appearance of the Golden Ranking, that speed would be fast, even excellent."
"But now that the Golden Ranking has appeared, opportunities are more frequent, and the entire Nine Provinces has become more dangerous."
"Even someone like you, if you're not careful, could lose your life."
"I just received news that Nameless from the Han Dynasty nearly died."
"If he hadn't been lucky and rescued, the legend of the Martial World would have been completely erased."
"Hanyi, until you reach the God Demon Realm, you must not let your guard down."
To aid her cultivation, Zhu Houzhao also taught her a top-tier Sword Technique perfectly suited to her.
It would help her improve faster.
But having come all this way, only talking about training would be too boring.
He decided to first strengthen their relationship.
He wrapped his arms around her and walked directly into Li Hanyi's private chambers.
Two hours later.
Their bond had deepened once again.
Li Hanyi was now completely his, with even the last bit of hesitation in her heart fully gone.
They laughed and talked as they sat together at the top floor of Snow Moon City's tallest tower.
They looked toward the arena floating in the sky, eyes full of interest.
The Sword Immortal Ranking had already revealed the Heavenly Human Realm and Mythical Realms.
Next would be the Grandmaster Realm Sword Ancestor Ranking.
In the arena now.
Two Great Grandmaster Realm sword cultivators were fiercely battling it out.
"Hanyi, who do you think is stronger? Xiao Meng of the Qin Dynasty, or Yan Nantian of our Ming Dynasty?"
Zhu Houzhao asked with a smile.
His tone was casual, as if he had almost forgotten Xiao Meng was one of his intended targets.
A misstep indeed.
But nowadays, he was no longer as obsessed as he was in his youth.
He already had more beautiful women than he could handle.
He didn't intend to pursue more.
"I've heard of this Master Xiao Meng."
"She is the head of the Dao School Heaven Sect of the Qin Dynasty, with outstanding talent."
"Before I met you, I wouldn't even be able to compare to her."
"Yan Nantian, on the other hand, is a renowned Great Grandmaster in the Ming Martial World."
"Not only is his swordsmanship impressive, but he also has a righteous heart."
"I heard he died in the Evil Valley. I never expected to see him again."
"Seems I was wrong. The Evil Valley is strong, but not enough to kill Yan Nantian."
"In the future, Xiao Meng may surpass him, but for now, I believe Yan Nantian holds the upper hand."
"In terms of sword momentum, he far exceeds Xiao Meng."
At her current realm, Great Grandmaster Realm sword cultivators were easy for Li Hanyi to read.
Though both were famed in the Nine Provinces and formidable, they couldn't escape her eyes.
"True. Daoist Xiao Meng from the Heaven Sect will certainly reach the Heavenly Human Realm in the future, and maybe even the Mythical Realm."
"But as for Yan Nantian, the Heavenly Human Realm is possible, but the Mythical Realm is nearly impossible without a great opportunity."
"It's not that he lacks talent. He simply wasted the most crucial ten years."
"It's a pity."
Zhu Houzhao shook his head.
He did respect Yan Nantian's character.
But that was all.
Zhu Houzhao had no intention of mentoring him.
Yan Nantian's individualism was too strong.
His personality was firm, stubborn, and unyielding.
Even if massive resources were spent on him, there was no guarantee he could be fully controlled.
Those resources would be better used on someone loyal.
However, for now.
Yan Nantian's strength was still superior.
As expected.
With the combined power of the Wedding Robes Divine Exercise and the Divine Sword Art, Yan Nantian ultimately defeated Xiao Meng.
Next up on the stage was Fu Nian from the Confucian School Little Sage Manor of the Qin Dynasty versus Xue Xiaoren from the Ming Dynasty.
To everyone's surprise.
Fu Nian won decisively.
Many in the Ming Martial World who knew Xue Xiaoren were stunned.
Then came Xue Yiren of the Ming Dynasty against Xiao Yaozi from the Dao School Human Sect of the Qin Dynasty.
Xiao Yaozi was more skilled.
Xue Yiren lost by a single move.
Then Gao Jianli from the Qin Dynasty's Mohist School faced off against Shen Lang, a heroic figure from the Ming Dynasty.
Shen Lang won and Gao Jianli lost.
The Great Grandmaster Sword Ancestor Ranking's top ten was nearly dominated by Qin Dynasty and Ming Dynasty sword cultivators.
This left the other dynasties' sword cultivators rather embarrassed.
Of course, many Great Grandmaster Realm sword cultivators across the Nine Provinces didn't participate at all.
None of the previous Hidden Dragon Ranking fighters joined this time either.
This disappointed many.
Even so, people across the Nine Provinces were deeply impressed by the strength of Great Grandmaster Realm sword cultivators.
The final duel featured the Sword Saint of the Han Dynasty and Daoist Mu from the Ming Dynasty.
Sword Saint Dugu Jian held unmatched fame in the Han Martial World, even overshadowing Xiong Ba from the Under Heaven Society, and was once considered equal to Nameless.
Of course, now everyone knew Nameless had reached the Mythical Realm and was far beyond the Sword Saint's reach.
They were only once peers because Nameless had kept a low profile.
Still, the Sword Saint's strength was undeniable.
"Hanyi, who do you think is stronger, the Sword Saint or Daoist Mu?"
"No question. It has to be the Sword Saint."
"Though both are Half-Step Land Immortal Realms, their sword paths are miles apart."
"The Sword Saint has already grasped the Forming of the Second Cycle of the Sword Dao Comprehension. There's no comparison."
"If not for his realm being a bottleneck, he would already qualify for the Mythical Realm."
"What a pity."
Looking at the Sword Saint in the arena, Li Hanyi also felt regret.
He was someone with an extremely unbalanced cultivation.
"His sword heart seems incomplete."
Li Hanyi suddenly commented.
Zhu Houzhao naturally knew why.
"Yes, his sword heart is flawed. Until he completes it, he can never reach the Heavenly Human Realm."
"No matter how deep his Sword Dao Comprehension is, it is all a house built on sand."
"But again, it depends who you compare him with."
"Compared to Nameless, he is insignificant."
"But compared to other Great Grandmasters, he is utterly dominant."
"No one can stop him from taking the top spot on the Great Grandmaster Sword Ancestor Ranking."
Zhu Houzhao nodded, then sighed.
It was both praise and pity.
Sword Saint Dugu Jian's entanglement with Miyamoto Yukirei had affected his entire life.
As expected, in the final arena match.
With just three sword strikes.
Daoist Mu was defeated decisively.
Especially when he used the Holy Spirit Sword Method, Sword Twenty-Three, he was instantly overwhelmed.
On the stage, Daoist Mu was unwilling to accept defeat.
But there was nothing he could do.
Even so, he need not feel inferior.
It likely would not take long before he achieved a breakthrough.
In this light, Daoist Mu might actually have more potential than the Sword Saint.
So what if Dugu Jian was strong?
Without a complete sword heart, he would never break through.
He would only have to watch as one defeated junior after another surpassed him.
That was its own kind of sorrow.