In the forested mountains.
A white-haired youth and a black-dressed Saintess walked side by side.
A wolf-type exotic beast suddenly charged out, only to be effortlessly slain by the white-haired youth with a single finger.
A surge of aura burst forth, and several lurking beasts fled in panic.
Lan Yiyi glanced at Qin Yun and said,
"Looks like you've been doing quite well in the Ten Thousand Mountains lately. You're handling these beasts like a fish in water."
Qin Yun let out a bitter laugh.
"Saintess, please don't tease me. I'm no longer any kind of Saint Child. Just call me Qin Yun. I came here specifically to thank you in person. If not for your words, I probably wouldn't have regained my freedom."
His previous situation was indeed dire—stripped of his alternate Saint Child status and put under house arrest, unable to leave.
After arriving in the Ten Thousand Mountains, he struggled to establish himself. He eventually learned the details of the previous meeting between the Demonic Sect and the Southern Alliance high command, and finally found an opportunity to thank Lan Yiyi in person.
Lan Yiyi's gaze turned distant, her words tinged with self-mockery.
"Just call me Yiyi. Saintess? Heh… If I had a choice, I wouldn't want to be the Saintess."
Silence fell over the forest.
Qin Yun's eyes froze for a moment, then he softly said,
"Yiyi, are you feeling down?"
Lan Yiyi didn't reply.
The two continued walking in silence, unknowingly arriving at a mountaintop.
From the edge of the cliff, they could see the forest waves rolling and clouds rising. In the far distance, snowy peaks glistened—an incredibly beautiful sight.
Sitting on the summit, Lan Yiyi slowly rested her head on Qin Yun's shoulder.
Qin Yun's heart trembled. A faint fragrance tickled his nose. Before he could react, Lan Yiyi's quiet voice sounded beside him.
"Qin Yun… tell me, if someone's future is already set in stone, is there still any point in working hard?"
Qin Yun had a rough idea of what she meant.
He hadn't been in the Ten Thousand Mountains long, but he'd heard some things.
The Southern Alliance's Saintess was not like the Demonic Sect's Saint Child.
The latter, if successful, would become the heir to the Sect Master.
But the former… was said to be a sacrificial pawn.
Her current status and prestige existed solely for a future purpose—just a castle in the air.
He took a deep breath and lowered his head to look at Lan Yiyi's profile. He said seriously,
"There's no such thing as a predetermined future. Anything is possible."
Lan Yiyi gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Anything is possible? I've clearly worked so hard. I tried so hard to prove myself, to increase my value… but in the end, I still couldn't escape my fate. Qin Yun, do you know what I regret most in this life?"
"What is it?"
"I was born into a small tribe. That year, the Alliance held a selection for the Saintess. I was lucky enough to become one of the thirty-six candidates and was allowed to undergo the Divine Baptism at the temple. Back then, I thought I had found a chance to rise above, to lead my tribe to survive."
"But my grandmother, who was also an elder of our tribe, wasn't the least bit happy when she found out. Instead, she flew into a rage. I didn't understand and had a big argument with her. In the end, I sneaked off and accepted the Divine Baptism. Just as I hoped, I became the Southern Alliance Saintess. I wanted to prove to Grandma that I was right, that I could help our tribe."
"But sadly, I never saw her again. The very day I underwent the Divine Baptism, our tribe was attacked by beasts—no one survived."
Lan Yiyi's delicate body trembled slightly. Qin Yun's heart ached for her, and he gently wrapped his right arm around her shoulder in comfort.
Lan Yiyi went on.
"Later, I found out why Grandma had reacted so strongly. So this is what being a Saintess really meant. How laughable."
The ridicule on her face deepened.
Over the years,
She had risen to a position of high status within the Southern Alliance, becoming a central figure in the Lan clan from a minor offshoot.
But it still couldn't change her fate.
Qin Yun was momentarily speechless.
He thought of himself. Back then, a single impulse had led to a path of no return.
In a low voice, he said,
"Since things are already this way, giving up is pointless. All you can do is give it your all. Maybe your grandma wouldn't want to see you just accept your fate like this either. Yiyi, I'll help you."
Lan Yiyi suddenly turned her head and gave a dazzling smile.
Her body had somehow slipped away from him without him noticing, leaving Qin Yun feeling oddly empty. Lan Yiyi said with a grin,
"If you were the Demonic Sect Saint Child, maybe you really could help me. But as you are now… better just take care of yourself."
Qin Yun's face instantly showed a hint of embarrassment.
Lan Yiyi giggled.
"Just teasing. I appreciate the thought. But this isn't something you can get involved in."
As she spoke, her voice turned wistful again.
"Qin Yun, some things… don't wait until they're gone to regret. Cherish those in front of you."
Qin Yun didn't understand.
Lan Yiyi had already leapt into the sea of clouds, as ethereal as a celestial maiden. Qin Yun stood frozen, not chasing after her, only hearing her voice echo from afar.
"I'll give you some good news. The Southern Alliance has decided to temporarily suspend all actions against the Zhenwu Sect."
Qin Yun stood there stunned, watching the beauty disappear into the clouds.
His thoughts churned. He thought of many things—his master, his senior brother, his third senior sister, and his ninth junior brother.
His eyes were filled with confusion. He gave a bitter smile.
…
The Demonic Sect and the Southern Alliance had both independently decided to put a hold on their actions against the Zhenwu Sect.
Externally, this meant that the prying eyes around Zhenwu City suddenly decreased significantly.
Of course, the conflict with the imperial court remained irreconcilable. If they ran into Zhenwu disciples in between, they still wouldn't go easy on them.
The only difference was that they were no longer actively seeking weaknesses to wipe out the Zhenwu Sect.
The Heavenly Sword Daoist's strength had given them pause.
If they pushed this old monster too far, and he came for them with nothing left to lose, that would be a disaster.
In the General Yanwu's residence.
General Yanwu received a secret letter from General Shenyu.
He sat alone in the lakeside pavilion, silent for a long time. After a while, he let out a deep sigh.
"What a Blade Demon. What a Heavenly Sword Daoist." the old man murmured, shaken to his core.
He hadn't even noticed when his fishing rod dipped into the water.
The world knew General Yanwu ranked second on the Heaven-Man List, but few knew—he was also a blade cultivator.
Only a few old soldiers in the army knew that back in the day, General Yanwu's tyrant blade once shook the battlefield, painting it with rivers of blood.
Now, upon hearing that the Blade Demon had stepped into the Pinnacle of the Blade Path, a natural battle intent stirred in his heart.
Because he had also reached that realm.
Among blade cultivators, only the Blade Demon could likely be his equal in a life-or-death duel.
As for the Heavenly Sword Daoist…
"I'm probably not his match either."
General Yanwu sighed.
Maybe only that mysterious Elder Listening Wind could go toe-to-toe with the Heavenly Sword Daoist.
He repeatedly read over the letter, pondering every detail.
General Shenyu had left nothing out, narrating everything as if General Yanwu had seen the battle himself.
When he saw the part where the Blade Demon tried to break through by force using the Pinnacle of the Blade Path, he just shook his head—completely unsurprised.
General Yanwu's expression turned somewhat despondent.
"In the past, people like us stepping into the Martial Sage realm wasn't so rare. But now…"
"This Blade Demon probably has no hope of breaking through in this lifetime. But that Heavenly Sword Daoist… I wonder if he might create a miracle. Maybe… I should consult the Ancestor."
His gaze sharpened as he fell deep in thought.
Finally, he made up his mind and headed toward the imperial palace.
As he walked, everyone he passed bowed low in fear.
But General Yanwu only waved them off and casually told the head eunuch,
"Tell His Majesty, I'm going to the royal ancestral temple."
To the masses, the Great Yan Emperor was a supreme, godlike figure.
But only a few knew that the Emperor was merely an executor.
The true supreme being was the Martial Sage.
Within the court, only a select few could speak to the Emperor as equals.
General Yanwu made his way deep into the palace.
Finally, he stopped before the heavily guarded ancestral temple.
Though elite guards stood watch, they were merely there to deal with minor intrusions.
The real protectors were far more formidable.
General Yanwu's arrival startled the guards.
But he only waved his hand.
"I'm here to request an audience with the Ancestor."
This wasn't directed at the guards, but to certain figures hidden in the shadows.
He walked forward at a leisurely pace and stopped at the edge of the forbidden area.
Without a word, he dropped to his knees and prostrated himself reverently.
He knew—if the Ancestor wanted to see him, he would appear.
Time passed slowly.
The sun set and rose again, day after day.
Three days later.
General Yanwu stood up with a bitter look on his face.
He shook his head, wanting to say something, but finally swallowed it all and left in silence.
The few hidden observers also had complex expressions.
"If even someone like Li Yanwu, with his close ties to the Martial Sage, can't see him… then could it be…"
"Don't speak rashly about the Martial Sage. Remember your duty!"
"This isn't the first time in two thousand years. The Martial Sage has slept long before. It's just a bit longer this time. Don't worry."
Though they told themselves that,
Everyone's hearts were heavy.
In recent years, the Great Yan Dynasty had faced both internal and external crises.
Some couldn't help but feel a creeping unease.
…
As time went on,
The outcome of the battle between the Heavenly Sword Daoist and the Blade Demon spread far and wide.
Across the Thirteen Provinces of Great Yan, their names were known to all.
Many began to question the credibility of the Heaven-Man List.
After all, it was ridiculous—when the list was first updated, the Heavenly Sword Daoist had only been ranked thirty-sixth.
But now?
Even the third-ranked Blade Demon wasn't his match.
The discrepancy between ranking and real strength was just too great.
In response,
The Heaven's Authority Palace, which published the Heaven-Man List, was feeling quite wronged.
In all these years, they'd never encountered someone like the Heavenly Sword Daoist.
Clearly powerful beyond belief, but refusing to reveal it all at once—he had to "squeeze it out like toothpaste," bit by bit.
Of course, they didn't dare hold any resentment toward him.
Heaven's Authority Palace rushed to update the list.
The Heavenly Sword Daoist now ranked third, while the Blade Demon moved to fourth.
Everyone else shifted down accordingly.
Additionally, since the Heart-Seeking Sword had died at Ning Qi's hands, and the Heartblade Elder was slain by the Blade Demon,
Thunderblade Master was lucky enough to make the list again, landing at thirty-five.
The thirty-sixth spot was filled by another strong contender.
People all over the world were amazed.
Just these two alone had turned the Heaven-Man List upside down.
Worth mentioning—
After hearing that the Blade Demon lost to the Heavenly Sword Daoist, Luofu Sword Master turned pale with fright and immediately announced he was entering a hundred-year closed-door cultivation.
His previous offense against the Zhenwu Sect wasn't huge, but not small either.
Whether it would be let go all depended on the other party's mood.
This time, he was so nervous he didn't even dare to watch the battle, afraid the Heavenly Sword Daoist might cut him down on a whim.
Those who knew the inside story couldn't help but snicker.
And beyond the Thirteen Provinces of Great Yan—
Beyond the Great Yan Dynasty, many other forces heard of the matter as well.
The coastal sects, the northern barbarians of the grasslands, and the ancient clans of the desert all turned their eyes toward it.
Because this time, it wasn't just a clash between Heaven-Man List powerhouses—this involved secrets about the Martial Sage realm.
The Blade Demon's failure to break through stirred countless discussions, and fear of the unfathomable Heavenly Sword Daoist only deepened.
There were already whispers spreading: the Heavenly Sword Daoist might become the next Martial Sage.
However—
No matter how noisy the outside world was, it had nothing to do with Ning Qi.
Ever since the day he agreed to a ten-year pact with the Blade Demon, he returned to Zhenwu Mountain and resumed his former daily routine.
The Blade Demon was placed in the forbidden area behind the mountain, known only to Daoist Longshan and Luo Wentian.
Naturally—
The Blade Demon also didn't know that the so-called Heavenly Sword Daoist was actually an eleven-year-old boy.
Perhaps one day, Ning Qi would reveal his true identity to the Blade Demon, but not yet.
Within the Seeking Dao Courtyard—
Ning Qi was studying the silver page he had obtained from Wu Jianghe.
It contained Wu Jianghe's insights and conjectures on absorbing the power of heaven and earth for one's own use.
It was somewhat similar to the Blade Demon's approach.
Back then, after Wu Jianghe reached the Pinnacle of the Sword Dao, he too had attempted to break into the Martial Sage realm—and failed.
That's why Ning Qi didn't have high hopes for the Blade Demon. And sure enough, that's what happened.
"However, their methods of breaking through were a little different. The Blade Demon tried to use pinnacle blade intent to command the Three Flowers, thus drawing in the power of heaven and earth into the body. Wu Jianghe, on the other hand, fused his sword intent with the Three Flowers. The two methods share some resemblance but both failed at the next step."
"Just drawing in the power of heaven and earth is already incredibly difficult. So how exactly can one refine it?"
"If the body itself is to be used as a furnace, then the physique must be unimaginably strong. Even achieving perfection in the Flower of Essence isn't enough. If I hadn't stepped in that day, the Blade Demon might have perished. Maybe... other conditions are needed?"
Ning Qi pondered to himself, brows slightly furrowed.
He was deducing various possibilities, but in the end, he hadn't reached that step yet and couldn't test them in practice.
He let out a deep breath.
Regardless, the Martial Sage realm was no longer a complete mystery to him.
Suddenly—
His gaze shifted toward the back mountain.
He sensed a wave of intangible blade intent spreading outward—only someone whose martial intent had reached the pinnacle could perceive it.
The Blade Demon was summoning him.
Ning Qi stirred.
A black-robed Daoist appeared and headed toward the back mountain.
Before long—
The Blade Demon appeared before Ning Qi. He said calmly,
"Brother Blade Demon, why have you summoned me?"
The Blade Demon had been calm ever since arriving on the mountain.
His sudden movement today was unusual.
The Blade Demon turned, his gaze slightly surprised.
He had been attentively monitoring the surroundings, yet still couldn't detect where the Heavenly Sword Daoist had come from.
Only when the latter got close did he sense anything at all—he secretly admired the Daoist even more.
His voice was slightly hoarse.
"These past days I've been recovering from my wounds and purging inner demons. Now that it's done, I wanted to share some insights about my failed attempt to break into the Martial Sage realm."
Ning Qi looked over.
Though the Blade Demon's left arm was gone, his essence, energy, and spirit were even stronger than before.
At their level, missing an arm truly made little difference in terms of strength.
Hearing the Blade Demon's words, Ning Qi felt a surge of anticipation.
"I'd love to hear it," he replied with solemn respect.
The two didn't stand on ceremony.
They simply sat cross-legged on the ground.
An invisible aura spread outward.
The Blade Demon paused briefly in thought, then slowly began.
"That day, with your help, I stepped into the true essence of the Blade Path.
I then resolved to break through. For centuries, I had deduced that pinnacle-level martial intent could connect with the Three Flowers and draw in the power of heaven and earth into the body."
"Everything went according to my calculations—nothing was wrong. But… there's one point I still can't understand."
As he spoke, a barely noticeable trace of fear flickered in the Blade Demon's eyes.
Ning Qi's expression sharpened.
"What point is that?"
The Blade Demon adjusted his breathing and continued.
"That day, I used my blade intent to command the Three Flowers, and the power of heaven and earth I could control reached my lifetime's peak.
I faintly sensed a growing pressure, but once the power poured into my body, that sense of oppression multiplied—tenfold, a hundredfold.
An immense terror seemed to wrap around me, as if some great calamity was looming."
"If not for my obsession with reaching the Martial Sage realm, I might have given up right there.
Thinking back now, the heart demon that arose from my failure likely stemmed from this. Otherwise, it never would've taken hold."
His will was solid—he wouldn't succumb to heart demons so easily under normal circumstances.
Ning Qi's pupils contracted sharply.
"Could it be that you sensed some terrible danger hidden within the power of heaven and earth?"
The Blade Demon froze, then furrowed his brow tightly.
"I hadn't thought about it in detail before.
I assumed that pressure came from the heavens rejecting our ascension.
But now, hearing what you say...
Are you suggesting the terror came from the power itself?
Brother Heavenly Sword, could it be that you also..."
Ning Qi nodded slightly.
"To be honest, ever since I reached the Heaven-Man Realm, I've often sensed something terrifying within the power of heaven and earth.
I thought I was the only one who could feel it—maybe even imagined it.
But now that you've felt it too, it must be real."
Both of them instinctively looked up toward the sky.
A faint, dreadful feeling arose in their hearts.
"If that's the case, does it mean something is wrong with the power of heaven and earth itself?
Is that what's keeping us from ascending to Martial Sage?"
"Or perhaps... it's always been this way.
To become Martial Sages, we have to overcome this immense fear."
The Blade Demon said nothing.
With the Martial Sage lineage severed, everything had to be explored from scratch.
It was painfully difficult.
He knew he wouldn't be able to attempt another breakthrough anytime soon.
Right now, the Heavenly Sword Daoist had far more hope than he did.
The Blade Demon continued.
"That overwhelming fear is just one part.
The key to reaching the Martial Sage realm might be mastering the power of heaven and earth—not using it crudely like we did, but mastering it with precision, refining it like we do with Qi Force.
That would surely unleash an unmatched power!"
His eyes gleamed with longing, but then he shook his head.
"It's not easy.
When I took in the power of heaven and earth, I could feel its terrifying strength.
But I just swallowed it whole.
Essentially, even inside my body, it wasn't truly mine."
"These past few days, I've thought it through—there might be two key points."
"First, how to 'digest' this power. That'll take countless attempts.
Second, where to store it once it's digested.
If you just let it flood your body, you'll end up like I did that day—on the verge of exploding.
Even you couldn't have saved me."
Ning Qi listened carefully to the Blade Demon's breakdown of the breakthrough process.
Though he had been close that day, he couldn't sense everything happening inside the Blade Demon.
Now, hearing it directly and comparing it with his own observations, he felt as though a veil had been lifted.
Flashes of insight surged through his mind.
He was beginning to form a clear image of the Martial Sage realm.
This exchange had been immensely fruitful.
Ning Qi said sincerely,
"Thank you for generously sharing your insights, Brother Blade Demon."
The Blade Demon merely waved his hand.
"I owe you too much already. Sharing some failed insights is nothing."
Ning Qi thought for a moment, then said,
"I also have a few insights. You might find them helpful."
The Blade Demon's eyes lit up, and he assumed a listening posture.
Ning Qi began speaking slowly.
Though he hadn't personally attempted a breakthrough, he had gained plenty of inspiration from Wu Jianghe's notes.
With his level of comprehension, he could simulate the process as if he'd experienced it himself.
Listening to the Blade Demon just now had been like reliving the breakthrough attempt—and more.
He could run countless simulations and potentially learn even more than the Blade Demon himself.
Now—
He shared part of those distilled insights.
The Blade Demon was instantly entranced.
His dark pupils shone with light as he muttered,
"Martial intent not only commands the Three Flowers, it can merge with them too. That might make the incoming power more controllable… even 'tame'..."
"To contain the power, you could use your own body as a furnace—but strengthening that furnace is key.
It's not just about physical strength. It must be 'refined.'
Like a pill furnace—its base material is important, but so are the rune patterns etched into it."
"As for where to store the refined power…
Replacing the Origin Core might be a good option.
Converting refined power into Qi Force—what a bold and brilliant idea!"
"…"
"I see… I see!"
The Blade Demon became more and more elated, laughing aloud.
When he finally calmed down, he bowed deeply to Ning Qi, utterly convinced.
His eyes brimmed with admiration. Ning Qi's words had opened a new door to his understanding.
"Brother Heavenly Sword, I won't say thanks—just accept this bow!"
Ning Qi simply smiled, then said,
"No need for that, Brother Blade Demon. We're just exchanging thoughts.
What I shared is just my deduction.
Take what resonates, and leave the rest."
The Blade Demon nodded, beaming with energy.
At this moment—
He truly believed it.
If there was anyone in the world who could step into the Martial Sage realm—
It had to be the Heavenly Sword Daoist!