Instant Life and Death!
This move, naturally, couldn’t compare to the ultimate technique of One Sword Decides Life and Death. But right now, he was far from reaching that realm.
What was One Sword Decides Life and Death?
A single sword strike that determined another’s fate!
Strictly speaking, this technique relied on overpowering the weak—only when the strong faced the weak could it achieve such an effect.
When Qing’er created this sword technique, she was already invincible!
But he, at this moment, was nowhere near Qing’er’s level of mastery or strength. Of course, Qing’er hadn’t taught him this technique with the expectation that he’d use it to slay foes above his level. This sword technique was, in essence, a belief in the way of the sword!
It aligned perfectly with the path he was currently walking!
Momentum!
*With this sword, I decide your life or death!*
In the days that followed, Ye Xuan continued to hone this sword momentum and aura.
He aimed to push himself to his absolute limit!
Both the momentum and aura of his sword had immense room for growth—especially when amplified by his bloodline power. Activating that power elevated his aura and sword momentum to a sublime level.
Inside the small tower, time trick*’s passage was relentless. Ye Xuan trained tirelessly, day and night, pushing himself to the brink.
To perfect his momentum and aura, he experimented in every way imaginable!
Beyond that, he discovered something intriguing: the moment he struck with his sword, the state of mind in that instant was critical.
Invincibility!
If, in that fleeting moment of striking, he truly believed himself invincible, the power of that sword would surge dramatically!
Self-deception?
Not quite.
It was like a street brawl—oftentimes, the fiercer fighter wins. If you falter before the fight even begins, convinced you’ll lose, you’re likely to get pummeled half to death!
But if you’re fearless and daring, even if you don’t win, at least you won’t go down without a fight.
Back in Qing City, those days taught him a harsh truth: in a dog-eat-dog world, you can’t afford to be timid. The more you cower, the more you get beaten.
Plenty of people are just bullies—pushovers when you’re weak, but they back off when you stand firm.
It was the same with his swordsmanship now: the stronger his momentum, the weaker his opponent’s became.
Inside the small tower, time lost meaning. A hundred years passed in a blink—though outside, it was merely ten days!
One day, Ye Xuan abruptly left the tower.
In the starry expanse, he glanced around, a flicker of disorientation in his eyes.
At that moment, he felt as if he’d been gone for lifetimes.
He’d stayed in the tower far too long!
He’d emerged because he’d hit a limit—he’d refined his sword momentum and aura to their peak. Truthfully, he’d reached that limit fifty years ago! The following fifty years were spent probing for a breakthrough, but despite five decades, that bottleneck remained unbroken!
And now, the path ahead left him uncertain once more!
He didn’t choose to keep training—continuing such monotonous practice might drive him mad!
Ye Xuan gazed into the distance. The next moment, he vanished from where he stood.
*Swish!*
A streak of sword light tore through the depths of the starry void.
In the boundless cosmos of rivers and stars, Ye Xuan roamed aimlessly, with no set destination—just forward, always forward!
As for returning, he wasn’t worried. With the Qingxuan Sword, he could instantly teleport to any place he’d been.
Three days later, Ye Xuan halted in the star-strewn void. Far off, in the depths of the cosmos, he spotted a massive black vortex spanning an entire star domain. Within it, an abyss of darkness pulsed with a terrifying energy.
After a moment’s thought, Ye Xuan approached the vortex!
He knew it was likely a teleportation array, and beyond it might lie a dazzling cosmic civilization.
Soon, he stood before the black vortex. A powerful suction enveloped him.
Ye Xuan frowned slightly, flicking his sleeve. A surge of momentum roared forth!
*Boom!*
The fearsome vortex shuddered violently, and all its pull vanished!
Ye Xuan stepped calmly into the vortex. Inside was a spacetime tunnel. As he entered, he began to traverse through space and time. Before long, a white light appeared ahead, and in the next moment, he found himself amid clouds.
Turning back, the tunnel had vanished.
He surveyed his surroundings—this was an entirely new world.
After a brief pause, Ye Xuan suddenly asked, “Little Tower, with my current strength, can I show off here?”
Little Tower: “…”
Truth be told, Little Tower was a bit nervous. This little master loved to flaunt, but his strength wasn’t on par with the Three Swords’ level!
It was genuinely worried!
Just then, the distant clouds ripped apart, and a colossal black dragon charged toward him!
The dragon was enormous—tens of thousands of feet long. Its arrival blotted out the sky.
Atop its head stood a woman, hands clasped behind her back. She wore a flowing black gown, her ink-dark hair cascading down, her deep purple eyes striking.
The dragon barreled forward without slowing!
Ye Xuan didn’t provoke trouble. With a flicker, he dropped below.
At that moment, the woman atop the dragon glanced down at him—not with disdain, but with indifference.
Ye Xuan offered a slight smile, a casual greeting.
Seeing him smile at her, the woman paused, caught off guard. The next moment, she tapped her right foot lightly. The dragon halted, and with a single step, she appeared before Ye Xuan.
Ye Xuan looked at her, unsure of her intent.
The woman stared at him. “Who gave you the courage to look at me directly?”
Ye Xuan’s expression froze.
She repeated, “Who gave you the courage to look at me directly?”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then said, “Miss—you’re as beautiful as a celestial fairy. I… I couldn’t help but steal a glance. If anyone’s to blame, it’s you for being too lovely!”
Little Tower: “…”
The woman blinked, clearly not expecting that response. For a moment, she was at a loss for words.
Ye Xuan hesitated, then added, “Are you upset, miss? If so, it’s my fault—I shouldn’t have stared just because you’re so beautiful…”
The woman fell silent.
*Am I being too petty?*
With that thought, she glanced at Ye Xuan, her expression softening. “What’s your name?”
“Ye Xuan,” he replied.
She sized him up. “A lone cultivator?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
After a moment’s thought, she said, “Come with me!”
With a gentle wave of her right hand, a soft force pulled Ye Xuan onto the black dragon’s back.
Ye Xuan: “…”
The woman returned to her spot on the dragon. With a light tap of her foot, the dragon roared and shot off, a streak of black light vanishing at the horizon’s end.
On the journey, Ye Xuan curiously surveyed his surroundings. He noticed the spiritual energy here was unique—tinged with a dark purple hue, exceptionally pure. Beyond that, he realized this world had multiple types of spiritual energy!
A world of diverse energies!
What kind of place was this?
Ye Xuan’s heart brimmed with curiosity.
Suddenly, the woman turned to him. “You seem very curious!”
Ye Xuan smiled lightly. “It’s my first time standing on something this massive… I’m a bit nervous!”
She looked at him. “That’s not what I asked!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
At that moment, the dragon stopped. Ye Xuan peered below—beneath them stretched an endless range of mountains. Atop many peaks stood ancient palaces!
An ancient sect!
The dragon swooped down, soon hovering above one such palace. The woman glanced at Ye Xuan. “Let’s go!”
With that, she brought him down to a vast plaza. It was truly immense—tens of thousands of feet across, breathtakingly expansive. Scattered across it were people meditating in cultivation.
Ye Xuan glanced at them—mostly Circle Breakers.
Good—not every random person here was a Circle Drawer!
The woman led him to a grand hall. An elderly man appeared before her, bowing slightly. “Mu Shen!”
She nodded, then glanced at Ye Xuan beside her. “Make him an outer… no, an inner disciple!”
With that, she vanished into the distance.
The old man turned to Ye Xuan, sizing him up. “Circle Breaker?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
He was technically a Circle Enterer, but to outsiders, he appeared as a Circle Breaker.
The old man hesitated, then asked, “You and Mu Shen are…?”
Ye Xuan blinked. “Guess!”
The old man’s expression stiffened.
*Guess?*
How was he supposed to guess?
For a moment, he was speechless.
Then Ye Xuan added, “Didn’t Sister Mu tell you about my relationship with her?”
*Sister Mu!*
The old man paused, then said, “Little friend… Mu Shen didn’t mention it!”
“Oh…” Ye Xuan dragged out the sound, then added, “She probably wants me to keep a low profile! So, I’ll keep it low-key!”
Old man: “…”
Ye Xuan continued, “Senior…”
The old man quickly interrupted, “Just call me Gu Yi—‘senior’ is too much!”
Ye Xuan grinned. “Elder Gu Yi, I love reading. Could you arrange a place for me?”
Gu Yi hesitated, then asked, “What kind of books?”
Ye Xuan looked surprised. “There are different kinds?”
Gu Yi nodded. “Some chivalrous classics, and some… uh, you know, *those* ones. Do you want those?”
Ye Xuan paused, then asked, “What are those ones?”
Gu Yi glanced at him. “You know… the nudge-nudge kind!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
