Chapter 243: Xu Yan Breaks Through the Heart Sword State

Chapter 243: Xu Yan Breaks Through the Heart Sword State

Li Xuan sipped the spiritual tea that Xu Yan had procured from the Dai family treasury, feeling his entire being refreshed.

No wonder the Dai family had kept this spiritual tea hidden in their treasury. It was not only of high quality but also had the effect of nourishing one's divine soul.

Although the effect was subtle, drinking it made one feel more clear-headed and energized.

If a peak Grand Master were to drink this tea, they would slowly break through the half-step Transcendent state and enter the Gathering Spirit stage.

Xu Yan sat atop the mountain peak, cultivating his martial way, and his strength continued to increase daily. At one point, his inner world seemed to be filled with rows of sword lights.

The sword lights formed a certain pattern or sequence.

Li Xuan watched with growing excitement. "Could Xu Yan be about to comprehend a sword formation?"

Given Xu Yan's talent, it wouldn't surprise Li Xuan if he were to study a formation chart and then comprehend a sword formation.

Sulingxiu began refining pills to aid Xu Junhe, Shi Er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu in their breakthroughs to the Insight Spirit Realm. She used third-grade spiritual herbs as the main ingredients for the pills.

Kou Ruozhi had also recently broken through to the Innate Full Circle.

However, he was still somewhat away from the Insight Spirit Realm and needed more time to consolidate his cultivation.

Among the pill-refining apprentices, two had already broken through to the Innate Realm.

The rest had reached the Full Circle of Qi and Blood.

This rate of improvement couldn't be considered slow, especially since they had the aid of pills.

Even among the Martial Grand Scholars, there were some preparing to break through to the Insight Spirit Realm.

The strength of Canglan Island was rapidly increasing—everyone except Xu Yan's mother!

Li Xuan studied the heavenly laws on the third page of the Grand Book of Tai Cang, pondering the martial arts realm beyond the Divine Might realm.

"Divine Might refines the primordial spirit, giving birth to divine might. But what comes after Divine Might? One must then delve into the heavenly laws and the mighty power of heaven and earth. How does one utilize these heavenly laws and harness the power of the world?"

Li Xuan fell into deep thought.

"To continue advancing in martial arts, one must transcend the heavens. Thus, the realm beyond Divine Might, while utilizing the heavenly laws and the power of the world, must not be constrained by them.

"One can use the laws, but must not be limited by them."

Li Xuan's heart stirred with a newfound understanding.

The realm beyond Divine Might was gradually taking shape in his mind.

Time passed peacefully.

Meng Chong was not far from perfecting his foundation, which meant he was also close to breaking through the Immortal Golden Body of the Great Sun.

The same was true for Sulingxiu.

Ziyun had also broken through to the peak Grand Master realm, but instead of pushing further, she occasionally sought guidance from Meng Chong on the martial path.

Although they cultivated different martial arts, Meng Chong's guidance was effortless.

Yuxiao finally began to approach the Red Cat to learn the ways of the great beasts. To that end, he started to curry favor with Xu Yan's mother, although she didn't seem too fond of snakes.

However, since it was her beloved son's pet snake, she allowed Yuxiao and the Red Cat to interact.

At the peak of Canglan Island, Xu Yan sat quietly with his legs crossed, seemingly fused with the heavens and the earth. His figure even seemed to shift and change.

His Harmonious Unity skill had improved further, and even if he changed his appearance, no one would be able to detect it.

"Your disciple Xu Yan has perfected his Harmonious Unity skill, and your Harmonious Unity skill has evolved into the Reincarnation Technique."

The Grand Book of Dao opened, emitting a golden light.

Reincarnation Technique, all is true!

Li Xuan marveled at the power of the Reincarnation Technique. When one's qi merged with stones, they became as real as the stones themselves.

Not even a Transcendent would be able to detect any flaws or sense anything amiss.

Xu Yan continued to consolidate his cultivation, and sword intent swirled around him as if he had entered some kind of profound state.

On this day, Li Xuan was in the process of memorizing the heavenly laws from the third page of the Grand Book of Tai Cang, intending to transcribe them into the Grand Book of Dao to aid in the creation of new martial arts techniques.

Suddenly, he looked up at the mountain peak, a smile curving his lips. Xu Yan's sword path was about to break through.

Meng Chong, who was in the process of perfecting his foundation, suddenly looked up at the mountain peak where his senior brother was located, his eyes widening in surprise.

Sulingxiu also looked up, a curious expression on her face.

Slowly, everyone on Canglan Island turned their gazes to the mountain peak, some filled with astonishment and others with confusion.

"When did a sword appear on the mountain?"

"I thought there was a tree there?"

Someone asked, puzzled.

"Shi Er, do you see a sword there?"

Zhou Ying furrowed her brows as she stared at the peak.

She remembered there being a large tree there.

"It's a sword," Shi Er nodded, but his confusion remained.

Why would someone place a sword there? The lower their cultivation level, the more they perceived it as a sword!

But in Meng Chong's eyes, it was both a tree and a sword!

Sword intent was condensed within, emitting a sharp sword aura, yet it was also a tree!

In this moment, Meng Chong gained a new insight.

"Has Senior Brother comprehended the Heart Sword State? Is this the Heart Sword State? Using all things in heaven and earth as a sword, encountering mountains as swords, and rivers as swords... The second state of the knife is the Hidden Knife State, which is similar to the Heart Sword State. The knife is hidden in the heavens and the earth; where in the heavens and the earth is there no knife? What in the world is not a knife..."

Meng Chong observed the tree, his mind flashing with insight. In this moment, his knife soul was perfected, and he gained a direction for cultivating and comprehending the second state of the Hidden Knife State.

"Your disciple Meng Chong has perfected his knife soul and comprehended the cultivation direction of the Hidden Knife State. You have broken through the Hidden Knife State."

Li Xuan looked up at Meng Chong, his heart filled with joy.

"So this is the Hidden Knife State."

The knife intent was invisible, its edge concealed. With a move, it could cleave the heavens!

His strength had increased once more.

"Your disciple Xu Yan has broken through the second state of the sword path, the Heart Sword State. Your Heart Sword State has been perfected."

Xu Yan had broken through the Heart Sword State.

In an instant, the grass on the mountain peak shot up, blade-like, and sliced into the Cangjiang River.

The river was severed!

In that moment, everyone on Canglan Island knew that Xu Yan had broken through once more.

The humble grass had become sharp as a sword, severing the river!

What a profound sword path! Sulingxiu's eyes shone as she witnessed the tree transforming into a sword, and even the grass taking on a sword-like quality. It seemed as if all things in heaven and earth could become swords.

Senior Brother's sword path was indeed profound and powerful.

"Grass and wood can become swords. As for my cultivation of the Martial Way of Alchemy..."

In this moment, Sulingxiu gained enlightenment. She carefully savored the insight, and her pill fire emerged.

Li Xuan turned to look at her, his heart filled with delight. Not only had Xu Yan's breakthrough helped Meng Chong and Sulingxiu gain insights, but it seemed like Sulingxiu was about to comprehend a new state as well.

"Meng Chong has exceptional talent, and so does Sulingxiu. It's only natural that they would gain insights during Xu Yan's breakthrough to the Heart Sword State."

Li Xuan thought to himself.

"Your disciple Sulingxiu has comprehended the Dan Yan, and your Dan Yan has been perfected."

Dan Yan, the fire of alchemy, enabled one to refine pills faster and with a higher success rate. The pills refined were purer, of a higher grade, and even displayed pill halos.

Moreover, the fire was exceptionally powerful, far surpassing ordinary flames.

Xu Yan's breakthrough had not only benefited Meng Chong and Sulingxiu but had also led to this unexpected harvest.

Yuxiao was shocked by Xu Yan's increasing strength.

"I must master the Great Demon's technique. This is my opportunity; I cannot let it slip away!"

Yu Xiaolong's eyes shone with determination.

He turned his gaze to Chi Cat, the greedy fat tiger who should be relatively easy to deceive. With the reserves he had on hand, he could offer some of them in exchange for the Great Demon's cultivation method.

Yu Xiaolong fell into deep thought.

Xu Yan had broken through to the second state of the Sword Path, the Heart Sword State.

"I should also come up with the third state of the Sword Path," Li Xuan thought to himself, feeling a sense of pressure.

He had just gained a preliminary understanding of the martial arts realm beyond the Divine Might realm, and now he had to add the creation of the third state of the Sword Path to his agenda.

Despite the pressure, Li Xuan felt motivated and energized. After all, the greatest joy in life came from the enhancement of one's strength.

Not long after Xu Yan's breakthrough to the Heart Sword State, the Dragon Subduing Palm also underwent a breakthrough.

"Your disciple, Xu Yan, has broken through to the fifth level of the Dragon Subduing Palm. Your Dragon Subduing Palm has reached the fifth level of perfection."

At the fifth level, the Dragon Subduing Palm exuded an even stronger Dragon Might True Intent. The dragon-shaped palm strike was almost indistinguishable from a real dragon, vivid and lifelike.

Moreover, it seemed to possess a subtle yet overwhelming might.

The fifth level of the Dragon Subduing Palm seemed to possess the power to part the clouds and ride the mist, enabling the user to battle in the water. Li Xuan had a feeling that the birth of the Golden Dragon's divine ability was not far off.

Perhaps, when he broke through to the Divine Might realm, the golden dragon manifested by the Dragon Subduing Palm would possess divine abilities, becoming as powerful as a true dragon.

On the Cliff of the Sword Monarch...

Xie Lingfeng sat cross-legged, quietly contemplating the words of guidance Xu Yan had given him. At one moment, a flash of insight struck him, and he entered a profound state of enlightenment.

He felt a bit dejected as he thought to himself, "I started cultivating the true Sword Path earlier than him, and I began my contemplations earlier as well. Yet, my father was the first to achieve Sword Heart Clarity and comprehend Sword Intent."

He even began to doubt his own talent.

As Xie Lingfeng continued his contemplations, the sword techniques he had learned suddenly appeared in his mind, and he was able to discern their flaws and weaknesses.

In his eyes, the sword techniques seemed insignificant.

He had achieved Sword Heart Clarity!

On Canglan Island, Li Xuan was pondering the third state of the Sword Path.

He opened the Grand Book of Tai Cang.

"Your disciple Xie Lingfeng, who cultivates the Sword Path, has broken through to Sword Heart Clarity. Your understanding of the Heart Sword State has deepened."

Xie Lingfeng had achieved Sword Heart Clarity.

"Comprehending Sword Intent shouldn't be too far off now," Li Xuan thought to himself, eager to see what kind of Sword Intent Xie Lingfeng would be able to comprehend.

A few days later, Xie Lingfeng arrived.

Although he had achieved Sword Heart Clarity and entered the door of the Sword Path, he was still a step away from comprehending Sword Intent.

He had come to seek guidance from his senior.

However, he was surprised and delighted to find that Xu Yan had returned from the Spirit Realm.

"Congratulations, Brother Xie, on entering the Sword Path!" Xu Yan said with a smile.

"I'm still a bit away," Xie Lingfeng sighed. "Sword Intent is truly difficult to comprehend."

"Sword Intent is not that difficult to grasp. Brother Xie already has a good foundation. With the right direction, you'll be able to comprehend Sword Intent soon," Xu Yan said as he patted him on the shoulder.

Xie Lingfeng was speechless. In Xu Yan's eyes, comprehending Sword Intent seemed like a walk in the park.

"But I haven't found the right direction to comprehend Sword Intent," Xie Lingfeng said, sounding a bit dejected.

Xu Yan pointed at the Cangjiang River and said, "Look at the endless flow of the Cangjiang River. Does the Ten Thousand Rivers Sword Technique that you cultivate embody this concept? You can use this as a direction to comprehend its intent."

Xie Lingfeng was taken aback and gazed at the river thoughtfully.

Gradually, he began to gain some insights, as if he had found the direction to comprehend Sword Intent.

"Thank you, Brother Xu, for your guidance," Xie Lingfeng said. He found a spot, sat down cross-legged, and began his contemplations.

With Xu Yan's guidance, Xie Lingfeng quickly found the right direction. A sword will gradually emerged from his body, and it resembled the endless flow of a mighty river, unceasing and relentless.

As his contemplations deepened, the sword will began to transform.

The sound of the flowing river resonated with Xie Lingfeng, and Sword Intent emerged, encircling him like a mighty river.

Gradually, the mighty river split into smaller streams, intertwining with each other before transforming back into a grand river.

"Your disciple Xie Lingfeng, a cultivator of the Sword Path, has comprehended the Ten Thousand Rivers Sword Intent. Your Ten Thousand Rivers Sword Intent has reached perfection," Li Xuan said as he nodded in approval.

Another person on Canglan Island had comprehended Sword Intent.

Not long after comprehending Sword Intent, Xie Lingfeng prepared to break through to the Insight Spirit Realm.

He had already reached the peak of the Innate Realm and had only been biding his time to enter the Sword Path.

Xie Lingfeng's talent surpassed that of Xu Junhe and the others. He had not encountered any bottlenecks in the Innate Realm, and after receiving guidance from Xu Yan on breaking through to the Insight Spirit Realm, he began his attempt.

When Xie Lingfeng broke through to the Insight Spirit Realm, the Grand Book of Tai Cang did not provide any feedback, which was within Li Xuan's expectations. After all, Xie Lingfeng had already reached the Divine Might realm, and breaking through to the Insight Spirit Realm was not a significant event.

Moreover, since he was not his disciple, it was normal for the Grand Book of Tai Cang to remain silent.

However, among the Martial God Shadows, one of them now possessed Sword Intent and could exhibit the Ten Thousand Rivers Sword Intent. This could be considered feedback regarding Xie Lingfeng's breakthrough.

After Xie Lingfeng's breakthrough, Xu Junhe and the others also began their attempts to break through to the Insight Spirit Realm.

Following Xu Junhe, Meng Shushu, Shi Er, and Zhou Ying's breakthroughs, several Martial Grand Scholars also broke through to the Insight Spirit Realm.

Upon entering the Insight Spirit Realm, their strength became comparable to that of peak Grand Masters.

They had reached the pinnacle of inner domain martial arts.

After all, there weren't many Half-step Transcendents left in the inner domain.

Xu Yan began teaching Xu Junhe and the others martial arts and even tried to guide them in comprehending their own martial arts states.

However, due to their limited talent, it was extremely difficult for them to comprehend a state in a short period.

Nonetheless, after breaking through to the Insight Spirit Realm, they had gained the ability to protect themselves.

Xu Yan took the time to visit the Great Wilderness Cabinet and guide Guo Rongshan and the others in their martial arts cultivation. He also brought some pills refined by Su Lingxiu, which would ensure their cultivation up to the Insight Spirit Realm.

"It's about time to return to the Spirit Realm," Li Xuan exhaled.

With Xu Junhe and the others' breakthroughs, he could leave his Godly Soul incarnation jade talisman with them to ensure their safety. Then, he could venture into the Spirit Realm without worries.

Xu Yan looked forward to returning to the Spirit Realm and exploring its vast martial world, clashing with the proud geniuses of the Superlative Spirit Sects.

As for Li Xuan, he was eager to find his fourth disciple and cultivate the extraordinary martial arts of the Strange Gate.

On this day, Meng Chong's body glowed with golden light, indicating that he had perfected his foundation and was ready to break through the Immortal Golden Body of the Great Sun, undergoing a transformation and sublimation.

Li Xuan's eyes lit up with anticipation. "What kind of divine bone will Meng Chong transform into?"

The Divine Bone Spirit Body was a special physique that enhanced one's strength and made the path of martial arts smoother.

Perhaps even in the Spirit Realm, it would be difficult to find such a talented genius with a special physique.

In the Spirit Realm...

In the royal palace of the Zheng Kingdom's capital, the Zheng Emperor led a group of royal family members and several important ministers as they bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Your Excellency!" they said in unison.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end