Chapter 55: The Early Bird Catches the Worm

“Brat, don’t celebrate too soon.” Li Tianyuan ruffled Ye Chen’s hair and explained, “The Juntian Fist is indeed formidable, but your cultivation is far too low to unleash its full power.”

“To truly harness the might of the Overlord Divine Fist, you must reach the Golden Core Realm.”

“These heavenly spirit fruits can cleanse and refine your essence, significantly enhancing your aptitude. As for when you break through to the Golden Core Realm, that depends entirely on your own efforts.”

With that, he placed the six heavenly spirit fruits before Ye Chen.

“Master, rest assured, I will cultivate diligently and reach the Golden Core Realm as soon as possible!” Ye Chen nodded excitedly and carefully stored the fruits away.

His innate talent had long been the bottleneck in his cultivation speed, but now, with the aid of these essence-refining fruits, his aptitude would improve considerably, accelerating his progress. Coupled with his own hard work, he was confident he would soon ascend to the Golden Core Realm.

“Hmm.” Li Tianyuan nodded with satisfaction. “It’s good to see you so determined.”

After searching the area but finding no other treasures, Li Tianyuan led Ye Chen away toward Lin’an City.

Not long after they departed, a group of more than twenty cultivators hurriedly descended onto the mountaintop. Their leader was an elder whose cultivation had reached the Nascent Soul stage.

“Damn it! We’re too late—the celestial fruits have already been taken!”

“Not just the fruits, it seems there were also celestial artifacts!”

“This is infuriating! Who could have moved so fast?”

Staring at the dissipating strange phenomena before them, they roared in anger and frustration. After all their efforts, they had come away empty-handed, not even a scrap to show for it.

***

At Lingxiao Sanctuary, Murong Mingyue returned once more to Lingyun Sword Peak, hoping to catch sight of Li Tianyuan, but despite three days of waiting, he still had not appeared, leaving her disappointed.

Though she hadn’t met Li Tianyuan, she hadn’t come away empty-handed. During this time, she had grown close to Jiang Yueli. Their shared dedication to the sword path had forged a deep friendship.

One day, within the Lingyun Sword Peak’s training ground, Murong Mingyue and Jiang Yueli sparred gracefully, their swordplay a dance of exquisite beauty.

“Senior Sister Murong, take this—My Radiant Sword!” Jiang Yueli called out playfully, swinging her sword with a majestic radiance that carried a terrifying sword intent aimed at Murong Mingyue.

“Excellent sword!” Murong Mingyue praised, lightly stepping to the side with effortless grace while countering with a swift thrust. The sharp, icy sword light instantly shattered Jiang Yueli’s Radiant Sword.

After blocking Jiang Yueli’s fierce strike, Murong Mingyue shifted to offense, launching several sword attacks imbued with piercing sword intent and gleaming cold light, pressing hard against Jiang Yueli.

Despite the onslaught, Jiang Yueli remained calm, wielding her sword with powerful moves to parry and counter.

Clang! Clang!

The clear sounds of their blades striking echoed through Lingyun Sword Peak. Every one of Murong Mingyue’s strikes was saturated with sword intent, razor-sharp and unyielding.

Though Jiang Yueli was a novice in the sword path, her grasp of swordsmanship rivaled that of many seasoned masters. Especially since she cultivated the Extreme Path Immortal Technique, her power was immense.

The two women exchanged blows with increasing enthusiasm, neither yielding.

After some time, Jiang Yueli’s stamina began to wane, sweat beading on her brow, yet Murong Mingyue appeared serene and composed, her cheeks flushed with vitality.

They paused to rest and shared a glance.

“Senior Sister Murong, you’re too strong—I’ve lost again,” Jiang Yueli said with a playful pout, wiping sweat from her face. She felt no shame in defeat.

“You’ve improved incredibly fast. Were it not for my years of experience, I might not have won,” Murong Mingyue admitted.

“Hehe, that’s thanks to your guidance these past few days. Without you, I wouldn’t have made such progress!” Jiang Yueli smiled.

They had spent many hours discussing swordsmanship and refining their techniques together, greatly enhancing Jiang Yueli’s practical skills.

“That’s mainly due to your own talent. You grasp everything I teach almost instantly. Given time and further cultivation, you may well surpass me,” Murong Mingyue remarked with admiration.

She herself had reached the pinnacle of the Nascent Soul Realm, and even if she suppressed her cultivation to match Jiang Yueli’s, she still held a significant advantage. Yet in just three days, Jiang Yueli had gone from barely holding her own to fighting on equal footing—a testament to her extraordinary talent.

Of course, the power of the Extreme Path Immortal Technique she practiced also contributed greatly to her ability to contend with Murong Mingyue.

Thinking of this technique, Murong Mingyue’s curiosity deepened.

“What kind of person must your master be to have taught you such a formidable Extreme Path Immortal Technique?” she asked, eyes bright with interest.

“My master?” Jiang Yueli’s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. “He is incredibly powerful—my idol, my faith. Everything I have now is thanks to him.”

Her reverence was palpable.

“He not only possesses profound cultivation but also an understanding of swordsmanship beyond what I can comprehend.”

“Oh? Can you tell me just how far his understanding of the sword has reached?” Murong Mingyue pressed.

Jiang Yueli fell silent for a moment, unsure how to describe her master’s true level. She only knew he was unimaginably strong, beyond words.

Yet seeing Murong Mingyue’s eager expression, she gathered her thoughts and slowly said, “He taught me that a single blade of grass can sever the sun, moon, and stars; a single leaf can cut through the Three Thousand Great Dao. That is the ultimate sword path he imparts. Even now, I cannot achieve one ten-thousandth of that. It shows just how incredible my master truly is.”

Murong Mingyue was thunderstruck by these words.

“A blade of grass cutting the sun, moon, and stars; a leaf severing the Three Thousand Great Dao...” she murmured, awestruck by the grandeur of the expression.

What level of sword mastery must one attain to speak with such unparalleled boldness?

Not even the Sword Emperor would dare utter such proud words.

Yet, Murong Mingyue felt a surge of inspiration and excitement, her entire being trembling with a sudden enlightenment. She imagined herself reaching such a pinnacle of the sword path, standing atop the Ninth Heaven, gazing proudly over the myriad beings below.

The vision was intoxicating, filled with boundless longing.

“Junior Sister Jiang, hearing you speak like this makes me all the more eager to meet your master,” Murong Mingyue said earnestly, her eyes shining with anticipation.

She could hardly wait to pay respects to Jiang Yueli’s mysterious master and seek his guidance.