C8 Spirit Martial Stage

Jiang Yan and Su Ziyu had set out to find the injured Lin Xi but had not yet returned. Unable to sit idly by, Jiang Yimeng, Jiang Yan's younger sister, grew restless.

"I must go find my brother," she declared.

Leaping from her perch on a rock, Jiang Yimeng began to track her brother's Spiritual Force vibrations.

Wang Qimeng, standing nearby, tried to reassure her, "Yimeng, don't rush. It's only Lin Xi. Your brother is more than capable of handling him. There's no need to worry. Let's just wait for their return."

Despite the reassurance, Jiang Yimeng felt the direction of her brother's Spiritual Force and insisted, "I have faith in my brother's abilities, but I can't shake off my concern. I'll go check on him and be right back."

With those words, she dashed off.

A quarter of an hour passed with no sign of Jiang Yimeng's return. Suddenly, Wang Qimeng heard Jiang Yan's roar, followed by a surge of potent Spiritual Force.

Glancing at the two girls beside her, they all swiftly pursued the origin of the Spiritual Force burst.

Upon arrival, Wang Qimeng was met with a horrifying sight: Jiang Yan was laughing maniacally, brandishing his sabers and hacking at the lifeless body of Jiang Yimeng.

"Yimeng!" Wang Qimeng was in shock, unable to comprehend the scene before her, as Jiang Yan continued his gruesome task.

Without hesitation, Wang Qimeng charged forward, kicking Jiang Yan away and approaching the grisly scene of Jiang Yimeng's corpse, now a vision of blood and torn flesh.

Jiang Yan was sent flying, crashing through several trees before coming to a halt and losing consciousness.

...

After dealing with Su Ziyu, Lin Xi vanished from sight once more. Yet, he refrained from acting, instead quietly observing Jiang Yan from a nearby tree.

Lin Xi was well aware of Jiang Yan's cautious nature, but it was this very caution that had sealed his fate.

Watching the tense Jiang Yan, Lin Xi realized there was no need for his intervention. He turned and walked away.

In a cave, Lin Xi sat in meditation, absorbing the Beast Soul of the Flowing Bright Fire Spirit Elephant, pushing forward to reach the Spirit Martial Stage.

After slipping into a meditative state, Lin Xi was unaware that Jiang Yan was enduring agony far worse than death.

Hovering above Lin Xi's head was an immense flame, within which resided the colossal Beast Soul of the Flowing Bright Fire Spirit Elephant.

"You insignificant insect dare to covet the soul of a king!"

The flames engulfed Lin Xi, incinerating his clothes to ashes. Yet, Lin Xi's body remained completely unscathed.

"What is this power?"

Enveloping Lin Xi was the soul of the Flowing Bright Fire Spirit Elephant. Just as it believed it would reduce the human before it to cinders, it felt an overwhelmingly terrifying force beginning to shatter its soul piece by piece.

Lin Xi, now bare, betrayed no sign of discomfort on his face.

A layer of Myriad Dao Sword Intent protected his body. The formidable flames of the Flowing Bright Fire Spirit Elephant were futile against it, as ineffective as an egg striking a rock.

With time, the flames encasing Lin Xi dwindled until they vanished, leaving behind a golden radiance that swirled around him—a hallmark of the Spirit Martial Stage.

"Bad boy, now that you've attained the Spirit Martial Stage, I'll impart to you the first technique of Myriad Dao Sword Intent—Shocking Cloud!"

A streak of blue light burst forth from Lin Xi's body, the presence of Loong Yuv. Lin Xi's head throbbed for a moment.

The next instant, details about the sword skill Shocking Cloud, as mentioned by Loong Yuv, materialized in his mind.

Lin Xi acted on the mental cues, channeling the Myriad Dao Sword Intent within him.

The golden glow that had been enveloping him began to coalesce, slowly taking the shape of a long sword behind him.

Loong Yuv was taken aback, internally remarking, "This kid is impressive. He's managed to form the sword shape so swiftly, just by following the technique's guidance."

The golden long sword behind Lin Xi, though faint, was visible. The ambient Spiritual Force was being drawn into his body, transforming into golden light that further augmented the sword.

"Lin Xi, do you know why there's no sword in the Myriad Dao Sword Case?"

Lin Xi replied, "Because you're stingy."

Loong Yuv was visibly irritated. "How am I stingy? I..."

She was on the verge of rebuking Lin Xi but caught herself, adopting a serious tone, "That's because the swords within the Myriad Dao Sword Case must be personally forged by the cultivator. The Myriad Dao Sword Case can be inherited, but the Myriad Dao Swords themselves cannot."

Lin Xi was perplexed. Loong Yuv went on, "Right now, the shape of the first Myriad Dao Sword has begun to coalesce behind you. Next, I'll show you how to forge this intangible sword into a tangible one."

Meanwhile, as Lin Xi delved into her cultivation, Wang Qimeng was elsewhere.

Wang Qimeng had regained her composure and placed the bodies of Jiang Yimeng and Su Ziyu into her Storage Ring. She then hoisted the unconscious Jiang Yan onto her shoulders and turned to a young girl accompanying her, saying, "Princess, I'll take him back for treatment first and also relay the news of Lin Xi's alleged murder of a noble's son."

The young girl countered, "Why are you so sure it was Lin Xi?"

Wang Qimeng was at a loss for words. She had no proof, but Jiang Yan and Su Ziyu had been pursuing Lin Xi before their mishap. Yet, they hadn't encountered Lin Xi at all, leading Wang Qimeng to conclude that Lin Xi must have fled after committing the murder.

Still, this was merely her conjecture.

"The bodies can be brought back, but I've already sent the message," the girl stated.

Suddenly, a shadow darted from the nearby woods, and in an instant, dozens of figures clad in tight black attire emerged.

They approached the girl, knelt down, and bowed their heads, awaiting her command.

"Princess, the message has been delivered to the palace," one of the men in black reported, his head still bowed.

The girl before them was none other than Ye Yuen, the princess of the Celestial Azure Dynasty.

Wang Qimeng, watching the sudden appearance of the group, had a moment of shock. She then covertly shot a glare at Ye Yuen, though her look of resentment quickly vanished.

Ye Yuen quietly posed a few questions to the man in black, who responded in hushed tones. With a wave of her hand, Ye Yuen sent the black-clad figures vanishing back into the forest.

"You're free to go now."

Wang Qimeng nodded her thanks, then hoisted Jiang Yan's body onto her shoulders and quickly made her way to the exit.

Meanwhile, Ye Yuen gazed into the forest's depths. An older girl approached her from behind and inquired, "Princess, are you certain you wish to meet with him?"

"Of course, I do. Why should my mother annul my engagement? I'm quite intrigued by him."

"Listen, Qinglian, you go back first. I want to go by myself."

Qinglian attempted to dissuade her, "Your Highness, it's not safe. What if he...?"

But Ye Yuen paid no heed to her concerns and dashed off in a flash.

"Don't follow me!"

All Qinglian could do was stamp her foot in frustration. Ye Yuen was notorious for her willful and domineering nature within the palace, and despite Qinglian's worries, there was nothing she could do.