What is the Limitless Realm?
What does “Limitless” mean?
As the name suggests, it’s the absence of boundaries.
A heart aligned with the Dao, free from all constraints—that’s the Limitless Realm.
But for a person to achieve such a liberated heart, how difficult is that?
To reach Limitless, it’s not enough to merely cultivate—you must also comprehend!
In truth, the key lies in that “comprehension.”
In the days that followed, Ye Xuan began a deep, unbroken seclusion. He knew this was his chance—no enemies hounded him now, no one would target him without cause!
His next destination was the Other World, but before he went, he had to reach Limitless!
He was fed up with arriving at new places as the underdog!
In cultivation, time slips away unnoticed.
A century passed.
One day, Yan Ban Shan, seated cross-legged, suddenly opened her eyes. She rose slowly, and as she stood, the world within the Little Tower shimmered into illusion—only to stabilise moments later.
She glanced around, a trace of weariness flickering in her eyes. After a long pause, she took a step forward—and appeared before Ye Xuan, now deep in meditation. She watched him in silence.
After a while, Yan Ban Shan turned and stepped out. With that single stride, she left the Little Tower.
In the starry void, she looked up. King Zhongshan appeared before her.
Seeing her, his pupils shrank. He bowed deeply. “Master Yan!”
He knew she’d reached Limitless!
Yan Ban Shan’s face remained impassive. “What of the Law Enforcement Sect and Cloud Realm?”
King Zhongshan quickly replied, “Young Ye wiped them out!”
Yan Ban Shan’s brow creased. “Alone?”
King Zhongshan nodded.
She fell silent.
After a long pause, she gazed at the horizon and murmured, “I see.”
King Zhongshan lowered his head slightly, saying nothing.
Yan Ban Shan spoke again. “I’ll guard him now.”
King Zhongshan bowed once more, then withdrew quietly.
Yan Ban Shan closed her eyes, lost in thought.
Inside the Little Tower
Ye Xuan continued his contemplation.
Cultivation was tedious, no doubt. For a hundred years, he hadn’t moved an inch.
But this loneliness? He could endure it!
To rise above others, you must suffer what others won’t!
Another century passed.
One day, Ye Xuan’s eyes snapped open. He stood and took a step forward—appearing instantly at the Women’s Academy.
The academy founded by Sister Nian!
He didn’t enter. From the clouds above, he gazed down. In a courtyard below, he spotted a woman.
Ye Ling!
She was meticulously carving a wooden figure, pausing now and then to blow off the shavings before resuming.
She worked with focus.
After a while, the wooden figure took on Ye Xuan’s likeness!
Seeing it, a smile spread across Ye Ling’s face.
In the clouds, watching this, Ye Xuan smiled too.
The moment he did, the clouds around him churned, and soon the entire sky—and the Divine Dao Nation—trembled!
Countless people looked up in alarm toward Ye Xuan’s position.
Ye Ling seemed to sense something. She jerked her head up—and Ye Xuan appeared before her.
Seeing him, she froze, then threw herself into his arms. “Brother…”
*Brother!*
Ye Xuan held her gently, smiling.
In the Little Tower, he’d hit a bottleneck—an invisible wall he couldn’t define. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break through.
Finally, he’d decided to step out and wander.
The moment he saw Ye Ling, he understood what that barrier had been.
It was his original intent in cultivating the sword!
What was that intent?
To show off?
Clearly not.
His true reason for taking up the sword was to protect—protect his little sister.
Ye Ling was his original intent, his everything!
But over time, beyond guarding her, he’d developed other ambitions and desires—like invincibility, like showing off…
Was that wrong?
No!
But a person mustn’t forget their roots!
He recalled Qing’er’s words: *Hold fast to your original intent, and you’ll be invincible!*
*Never forget your roots!*
Holding Ye Ling, Ye Xuan laughed again.
In that instant, he’d reached Limitless!
*My heart is free!*
A free heart didn’t mean casting everything aside or becoming cold and detached—it meant staying true to one’s original intent!
Ye Ling murmured, “Brother, it’s been so long since I last saw you!”
Ye Xuan chuckled. “But you’re seeing me now, aren’t you?”
She looked up at him. “I want to go with you!”
He nodded. “I’ll take you along!”
Her eyes sparkled. “Really?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Really! Now I’ve got the strength to keep you safe!”
Ye Ling hesitated, as if wanting to say more.
Before Ye Xuan could speak, a woman appeared nearby.
Mu Niannian!
Seeing her, Ye Xuan blinked, then grinned. “Sister Nian!”
Mu Niannian sized him up. “Limitless, eh?”
Ye Xuan’s voice grew serious. “Sister Nian, you know about Limitless?”
She blinked. “Do you think I’m weak in your eyes?”
Ye Xuan gave a wry smile. “Of course not…”
He paused, then asked, “Sister Nian, what realm are you at now?”
Mu Niannian grinned. “Fancy a spar?”
Ye Xuan jumped at it. “Yes!”
Freshly Limitless, he was itching to test himself!
Mu Niannian smiled, opened her palm, and swept it lightly. In an instant, she and Ye Xuan vanished into a mysterious spacetime.
Ye Xuan glanced around, then chuckled. “Sister Nian, I’m drawing my sword!”
She nodded. “Go ahead!”
He opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword flew out. The moment it did, the spacetime around them disintegrated!
*Limitless!*
Having reached it, his swordplay flowed freer than ever!
A simple strike—but it carried the might to shatter heavens and earth!
Then, Mu Niannian’s form flickered. A sword pierced Ye Xuan’s forehead!
*Boom!*
His body jolted, countless sword lights bursting from within!
Ye Xuan froze, then laughed. “Sister Nian, I’ve got the Invincible Sword Body, I—”
His voice cut off.
His body was dissolving—at a terrifying speed!
Ye Xuan was dumbfounded!
Sister Nian’s sword could kill a Limitless him?
Mu Niannian opened her palm, and a wisp of sword light flew out of him. Only then did his body stabilise.
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Sister Nian…”
She countered, “Did you think reaching Limitless made you invincible?”
He fell silent.
She chuckled. “Little guy, you’ve got a long way to go!”
Ye Xuan gave a wry smile. “I didn’t realise you were *this* strong!”
Mu Niannian laughed heartily. “First under the Three Swords—think that’s a jest?”
Ye Xuan said nothing.
She walked over, patted his shoulder, and said, “Walk with me!”
She headed off, and Ye Xuan hurried after her.
Along the way, she suddenly asked, “Know what’s beyond Limitless?”
Ye Xuan’s face stiffened. *Bloody hell, I just hit Limitless, and now there’s something beyond it? Give me a break!*
Seeing his expression, Mu Niannian burst out laughing. “You little rascal! Let’s not talk about what’s beyond—let’s talk Limitless!”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Go on, Sister Nian!”
She smiled. “How much do you understand about Limitless?”
He gave a wry smile. “Just reached it—not much yet!”
She nodded, then said, “You must know your sister, Destiny, is also ‘without boundary.’ But do you know how her lack of boundary differs from ours?”
Ye Xuan shook his head. “No idea!”
Mu Niannian grinned. “Hers is *truly* without boundary!”
He frowned. “What’s that mean?”
She chuckled lightly. “It means her lack of boundary comes from being invincible—no rivals. She’s leapt beyond all rules. More than that, she’s created her own—but it doesn’t stop there. Every time she crafts a rule, she breaks it herself soon after! Simply put, her only enemy now is herself—constantly creating, constantly shattering!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
She smiled. “These days, she’s been her own foe! Her ‘no boundary’ isn’t like ours—it *means* invincible!”
Ye Xuan asked gravely, “And ours?”
Mu Niannian said softly, “Having none doesn’t mean you’ve fully transcended! At least, you’d need to create a wholly new realm, bind yourself in it, then break free…”
Ye Xuan frowned. “A cycle?”
She nodded. “Craft your own realm, then surpass it! Each creation is a new you—each breakthrough, a transformation…”
She traced a circle in the air. “At first, we leapt from one circle to another. Now, we draw our own circles and jump out ourselves… Simply put, our greatest obstacle, our true enemy, isn’t anyone else—it’s us!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Mu Niannian smiled. “Reaching Limitless just means you’ve stepped into someone else’s circle. You’re still a circle-breaker. Me? I’m a circle-drawer now.”
She opened her palm, and the Qingxuan Sword appeared. With a casual swing—
*Whoosh!*
The sword quivered, and a chorus of sword hums echoed around them.
Ye Xuan gaped. “Sister Nian… you can wield the Qingxuan Sword?”
She tapped his head with it, laughing. “Don’t underestimate your Sister Nian! I was invincible before you were even born!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
