Started out getting scumbags, but then invested in the invincible Empress.

Jiang Churan walked ahead with her head down, her pace quickening.

Li Wudao followed silently behind, not daring to say anything, for fear of running into trouble.

Not long after.

The two arrived at an open area in a courtyard.

The surrounding area is relatively open and the scenery is quite nice, with artificial hills, stone bridges, ponds, and a tranquil environment.

"As usual, we'll only test swordsmanship, without using true energy, and stop when we've made a point."

Jiang Churan stopped, flipped her hand and took out a light blue longsword, her expression somewhat indifferent.

"clear."

Li Wudao nodded and gripped the Dragon Abyss Sword in his right hand.

With their strength, if they were to use their true energy, this courtyard would surely be left in ruins.

"Om-"

Jiang Churan drew her sword, and the blade hummed softly.

In the next instant, the girl transformed into a white shadow, took a few quick steps to close the distance, and thrust out a sword.

"So fast."

Li Wudao was somewhat surprised.

A hundred paces away, Jiang Churan pressed down on him like a ghost in the blink of an eye.

Such movement techniques surpass even those of the low-grade Heaven-rank movement techniques he cultivated.

He reacted quickly and drew his sword to meet the attack.

With this sword strike, Jiang Churan did not aim for vital organs, but only for the abdomen, which was somewhat of a test and a sign of underestimation.

"Xiao Jiang, let's increase the intensity, I can handle it."

Li Wudao's eyes held a smile.

"You said it yourself, so don't try to play the victim later."

Jiang Churan snorted coldly, turned her sword, and charged forward again.

The sound of swords rang out.

The girl was like a sharp sword, exuding a bone-chilling coldness. Her white clothes were like a painting, and every sword strike was precise and meticulous, without the slightest unnecessary movement.

It's as if they've been practicing swordsmanship for a long time; it's simple and pure, and their skill is so proficient it's heartbreaking.

Li Wudao was not to be outdone.

In the blink of an eye, the Dragon Abyss Sword was swung more than ten times, each strike perfectly thwarting Jiang Churan's attack.

"What kind of swordsmanship is this?"

Jiang Churan's beautiful eyes flashed with surprise.

She had explored all the sword techniques within the Xuantian Sect, but had never seen this particular style before; it was both ethereal and vast.

Most importantly, Li Wudao had unknowingly developed considerable swordsmanship skills, and was by no means a novice swordsman.

"Seven Star Sword Technique"

Li Wudao responded.

I have to say, the martial arts manual the system gave me is quite useful.

Although it was only a high-grade Earth-rank martial skill, he felt it was no less powerful than a typical low-grade Heaven-rank martial skill.

Jiang Churan murmured, somewhat suspicious.

The sword technique sounded unfamiliar; she had no recollection of it at all. It shouldn't be a martial art from the Scripture Pavilion.

She stared at Li Wudao's eyes and brows, lost in thought.

This martial arts manual either originated from the mysterious Peak Master Xia, or the latter had some extraordinary encounter with it.

Recalling the boy's physical strength, she was more inclined to believe the second possibility.

Indeed, Li Wudao's transformation must have been due to some extraordinary encounter.

"Your swordsmanship is quite good. If you were to cultivate the way of the sword in seclusion, with your comprehension, you might be able to comprehend the essence of the sword within three years."

Jiang Churan's phoenix eyes flashed with a strange light, but she didn't press the matter further.

After all, everyone has secrets and trump cards.

She was genuinely happy that Li Wudao had shown positive changes.

"continue."

Jiang Churan gave a soft shout, and the two resumed their battle.

The courtyard was instantly filled with the shadows of swords.

An hour later, the courtyard became quiet.

Jiang Churan's breathing was calm, her watery eyes falling on the slightly disheveled boy, revealing a complex and shocked expression.

She discovered that Li Wudao possessed extremely high swordsmanship skills, requiring almost no guidance from her; he grasped the concepts almost instantly.

During the performance, she increased the difficulty level more than once, tearing the boy's robes several times.

However, Li Wudao quickly discovered her weakness and directly countered her, demonstrating his ability to apply the same principle to other situations.

Jiang Churan looked at the boy's handsome face, overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

In his previous life, Li Wudao was just a menial disciple, no different from the rest of the common people.

Now, the other party seems to have undergone a complete transformation. The change is so great that even she, as the reincarnated empress, is somewhat dazed and finds it hard to believe.

"What...do you think a 'sword' is?"

Jiang Churan remained silent for a while, then suddenly uttered a sentence.

This question stumped Li Wudao.

He scratched his head, frowned deeply, and muttered, "A sword is a sword, a sharp weapon, a killing machine, what else could it be?"

He had only been practicing swordsmanship for two months, and his theoretical knowledge was still that of a novice; he had no idea about those profound concepts.

All he knew was that swords were for killing.

"A sword is a sword... a sharp weapon... a killing machine..."

Jiang Churan kept repeating it, her eyes growing clearer, and she was somewhat moved.

Li Wudao's answer was not profound; it was something almost everyone would know. But she sensed something different in it.

Simple, pure, and direct, it subtly embodies the idea that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

After counting the interest.

She stared straight at Li Wudao and said seriously, "I underestimated you. It seems your talent in swordsmanship is even higher than I expected."

Li Wudao was stunned, his face full of question marks.

What happened?

He had only said it casually, so why was Jiang Churan's reaction so strong?

"I take back what I said not long ago. You will have the opportunity to comprehend sword intent in less than three years, or even as little as one year."

Jiang Churan's eyes sparkled with a strange light.

Being able to comprehend sword intent before the age of twenty-five already qualifies one as a sword genius, and becoming a sword king is almost a certainty.

Li Wudao is only sixteen years old, but his swordsmanship talent has caught her attention.

Within the Xuantian Sect, no one can surpass her; even in the entire Eastern Wilderness, few can rival her.

"To comprehend sword intent in a year..."

Li Wudao was stunned for a moment, then blinked.

He felt something was amiss.

If Jiang Churan knew that he had already comprehended sword intent, and even pure Yang sword intent, I wonder what she would think.

After thinking about it, he still didn't say anything.

Seeing how serious Xiao Jiang is, I'm really afraid that saying something will discourage her.

"You don't need to come tomorrow. Right now, the only thing you lack is a higher level of understanding."

With her longsword sheathed, Jiang Churan's tone softened considerably as she softly said:

"I forgot to tell you last time that besides the Xuantian Sect, two other top-tier sects will also send disciples to that secret realm. It's unpredictable how dangerous it is. If you are killed and robbed inside, the sects won't do anything about it."

Speaking of which,

She looked intently at Li Wudao, "Your strength is no weaker than the mid-stage of the True Yuan Realm, but to be on the safe side, I still hope you can break through to the True Yuan Realm before the competition."

"I try my best."

Li Wudao nodded.

Looking at the girl's serious expression, he understood that the journey to the secret realm would probably not go so smoothly.

Chatted for a few more words.

Li Wudao took his leave.

He first went to the Inner Palace and purchased several sets of authentic robes.

The clothes she was wearing had been completely ruined by Jiang Churan, with more than twenty cuts and strips of cloth hanging down, a pitiful sight.

If the clothes were changed to a grayish-brown color, it would look exactly like beggar's clothes.

Li Wudao couldn't remember how he left the Inner Affairs Hall.

All he knew was that the disciples looked at him with strange and mocking eyes, pointing and whispering all the way, making him feel like he wanted to die.

I never imagined he would die in this way.

To be honest, Li Wudao was very depressed.

He originally thought he could crush Jiang Churan in swordsmanship and find some sense of accomplishment.

As it turned out, this girl's swordsmanship was far more advanced than his, and her moves were cunning, swift, and decisive.

Before he could even get a hundred moves, his clothes were already torn to shreds, and his scalp tingled with fear.

In short, in a pure swordsmanship contest, he was completely outmatched by Jiang Churan, with little chance of fighting back.

However, Li Wudao did not use the killing moves of the Gengjin Sword Manual, nor did he use the Pure Yang Sword Intent, otherwise he would not have been in such a sorry state.

"Next time, we'll definitely teach Xiao Jiang a lesson!"

Li Wudao clenched his fists and walked back to Misty Peak with his head down.

In the days that followed, he planned to go into seclusion and cultivate diligently, striving to break through to the True Essence Realm before the Grand Competition.

.......

Time flies, and a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

These days, Li Wudao hasn't left Misty Peak even for a moment, spending all his time cultivating.

The threshold for the Pure Yang Holy Body to break through to the Blood Transformation Realm is ridiculously high, enough to support ten people to break through to the True Essence Realm from scratch, yet he simply cannot break through even a small realm.

Li Wudao walked out of the house, his feelings a mixture of complex emotions and joy.

Two hundred bottles of Replenishing Essence Pills, five hundred spirit stones, and some other miscellaneous spiritual herbs were consumed. After a month of hard work, I finally broke through.

However, the benefits are also enormous.

He clearly felt that the energy and blood in his body had increased several times over, like a mobile furnace, as hot as the blazing sun, much stronger than before.

A slight clench of the fist produces a whistling sound, the sound of blood and energy exploding.

Li Wudao arrived at the seemingly endless cliff face, intending to test his current strength.

He slammed down with all his might.

Suddenly, a dragon-shaped phantom formed from condensed blood energy burst forth from above Li Wudao's head, hovering in mid-air and shining brightly against the midday sun before dissipating after a long time.

"Boom——"

A dull rumble suddenly erupted, making people's eardrums ache.

As if a giant had stomped down, the ground shook violently, rocks tumbled and fell, dust filled the air, and countless stones trembled incessantly.

Needless to say, the cliff face, which was directly hit, instantly developed several terrible cracks that quickly spread to hundreds of meters away.

"Click——"

The next instant, the thousand-meter-high cliff collapsed, as if an avalanche had erupted, with rocks flying through the air, like an insurmountable wall falling backward, which was extremely shocking.

Li Wudao stood amidst the dust and smoke, as insignificant as an ant, facing this divine punishment-like calamity, as if he could be crushed to death by falling rocks at any moment.

This is a very strange scene.

But the one who caused this result was a harmless, handsome young man, creating a stark contrast between the two.

It's like an ant stepping on a giant elephant with its tentacles; you would never believe it unless you saw it with your own eyes.

"My current blood energy is at least 100,000 jin when I punch with all my might!"

Li Wudao walked out of the smog zone, gazing at the distant "ruins," feeling both wistful and excited.

The arduous training over the past month far exceeded my expectations.

"I never imagined that I would actually be lucky enough to set foot in the legendary 'extreme realm'!"

Historical records indicate that when a martial artist reaches the Blood Transformation Realm, their maximum strength can reach 90,000 jin.

Beyond this extreme number, surpassing all taboos, is what is called the "ultimate realm".

The power of the ultimate realm has reached another level, making it truly invincible among its peers.

It has more value than the invincible status among those of the same level that is passed down by the Holy Body.

But very few people can actually get to this point.

The Holy Body is one in a billion, hailed as the top physique on the continent.

Those who reach the pinnacle are rare, appearing only once every tens of thousands of years. They walk an invincible path and are unparalleled geniuses whose stories are rarely even recorded in secret archives!

"Judging by the time, the newcomer competition is in three days. I was looking forward to it, but now I suddenly feel bored."

Li Wudao immediately lost interest.

If he hadn't controlled his strength, one punch would have probably turned these newcomers into mincemeat on the spot.

The distant cliff was still collapsing. Li Wudao turned and left, a cold smile on his lips.

"Ruan Fei, Sun Qian, pray you don't run into me, or I'll beat you to a pulp."

Three months later, he is no longer the same person he was before, and it is time for him to pay back the humiliation he suffered back then.