The Great Ruler: Starting from the Lower Plane

If he backs down today, wouldn't that be admitting that he doesn't dare? How will he stand firm on Lihuo Peak in the future, and hold his head high in front of Su Qingxue?

"Pretending to be something you're not, a thousand high-grade sword spirit stones it is!"

"I'd like to see what you're really capable of, so you don't end up begging for mercy on your knees!"

Cheng Yue coldly agreed, his eyes fierce. He was already planning how to humiliate Ye Feng on the dueling stage. This time, he not only wanted to win, but to win beautifully, so that everyone would know that becoming a true disciple was not something anyone could do.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just prepare the sword essence stone."

Ye Feng's tone remained calm, as if the thousand high-grade sword essence stones were already his.

"Three days later, at the Sword Debate Arena!"

"I hope you don't run away at the last minute!"

Cheng Yue uttered harsh words, then glanced subtly at Su Qingxue, whose face was as cold as ice, flicked his sleeves, turned around, and strode away.

The disciples around him exchanged glances, their eyes fixed on Ye Feng with unusual expressions, but mostly with a mocking anticipation of a good show.

"Let's go up."

Ye Feng said something to Su Qingxue, not taking the earlier conflict to heart.

Su Qingxue nodded silently, and the two continued to walk towards the higher levels of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion. The previous conflict seemed to have been temporarily left behind, but the subtle atmosphere in the air still lingered and had not completely dissipated.

On the first floor of the attic, the middle-aged man whom Su Qingxue called Fifth Uncle opened his eyes wide, a glint of shrewdness flashing in them.

"At the early stage of the Sword Soul Realm, to be so confident and calm in the face of Cheng Yue's provocation... it seems he has something to rely on."

"Someone valued by a Sword Emperor realm expert like my uncle is no ordinary person. This time, Cheng Yue might not have it so easy..."

The middle-aged man muttered to himself, then slowly closed his eyes, a curious smile curving his lips.

……

The fourth floor of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion is vastly different from the first three floors. The environment is serene, and there are significantly fewer jade slips and books stored there. However, the aura emanating from each scroll is extremely profound, exuding a sense of antiquity and weight.

At this moment, only Su Qingxue and Ye Feng were on this floor.

"You...really need sword essence stones?"

Recalling Ye Feng's decisiveness when he proposed the bet, Su Qingxue paused, then asked a question, breaking the silence between them.

She could tell that Ye Feng's agreement with Cheng Yue was not just for the sake of saving face.

"Yes, this thing is very useful to me right now; it can quickly improve my strength."

Ye Feng's gaze swept over the rows of jade shelves, then slowly returned to Su Qingxue, and he answered frankly.

Compared to the abundant natural energy of the Burning Heaven Sword Sect, the energy within the Sword Essence Stone is not only purer but also easier to absorb quickly, saving a lot of time in terms of improving strength.

"The sect allocates one hundred high-grade sword essence stones to its true disciples every month. Is that not enough for your cultivation?"

Su Qingxue was slightly surprised. One hundred high-grade sword essence stones was more than enough for someone in the Sword Transformation Realm or even the Sword Soul Realm.

The energy of heaven and earth in the Sword Continent has a sharp edge, making it quite difficult for the human body to absorb and refine. Without special talent or physique, it is considered quite good if one can enter the Sword Condensation Realm before the age of twenty.

Sword Essence Stones, energy crystals produced from mountains and ridges, naturally filter out that sharpness. For people of their level, they are extremely precious cultivation resources. However, even so, it still takes a certain amount of time to absorb and refine the sword energy within them.

"not enough."

Ye Feng shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"One hundred high-grade sword essence stones will only last me three days at my current absorption rate."

"Three days...?"

Su Qingxue's voice rose slightly, filled with obvious disbelief.

"Even someone at the late stage of the Sword Soul Realm would probably find it difficult to fully absorb and refine the energy from a hundred high-grade sword essence stones within three days. Won't your body... feel any swelling or pain in your meridians, or any blockage of sword energy?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Feng was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized what was happening.

This should be an advantage brought about by his special physique. His innate sword body, also known as the chaotic sword body, has an extremely high affinity for the energy of this world. He is born with all his meridians open and does not need any guidance. His absorption and conversion efficiency is far superior to that of ordinary people.

It was precisely because of this that he was able to cultivate a sword spirit at the age of sixteen, and thus be entrusted with high hopes by Su Zhen.

"Perhaps it's due to my innate physical constitution..."

Ye Feng didn't elaborate, but smiled.

Su Qingxue's clear eyes flickered as she gazed at Ye Feng, not mentioning his physique again. A hint of worry flickered in her eyes as she changed the subject, saying, "If you really need these cultivation resources, you...you could just ask my grandfather for some, wouldn't that be enough?"

"Why be so reckless as to accept Cheng Yue's challenge? No matter what kind of person he is, he is still a true disciple of the Burning Heaven Sword Sect, and his cultivation has reached the late stage of the Sword Soul Realm. He has quite a few tricks up his sleeve."

Upon hearing this, Ye Feng paused slightly, met Su Qingxue's gaze, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Are you worried about me?

Upon hearing this, Su Qingxue's pretty face flushed slightly, then she straightened her face, turned her head away, and her voice returned to its usual coldness.

"I'm just being presumptuous. I'm just afraid... afraid that if you lose, I'll lose face too."

Before long, news of her affair with the man before her will surely spread throughout the Burning Heaven Sword Sect. If she loses this battle, even if Cheng Yue is old and his victory is not honorable, she will still lose face.

"How do you know I won't win before it even starts?"

Ye Feng raised his eyebrows slightly, his dark eyes filled with a determined look.

The late stage of the Sword Soul Realm is troublesome, but it's not that he can't handle it. Besides, there are still three days left. His realm may not be able to improve quickly, but his strength and methods are still possible.

Within the jade pendant space, since he broke through to the Sword Soul Realm, he still had one more opportunity to study the sword dao secrets within, which would be more than enough to deal with Cheng Yue.

This jade pendant, which accompanied him through two lifetimes, was mysterious and unpredictable. Even though he had broken through to the Sword Soul Realm and his divine sense had been greatly enhanced, he only had a slight understanding of it.

"Fine, whatever you say."

Su Qingxue was taken aback by Ye Feng's confidence and turned her head away.

"Hurry up and choose a sword technique; I don't want to keep up with an arrogant person like you."

"Then your wish is unlikely to come true."

Ye Feng chuckled lightly, then stopped looking at Su Qingxue and began to peruse the sword manuals on the fourth floor.

As a true disciple of the Burning Heaven Sword Sect, you can choose one sword manual or sword technique to practice each month.

His goal this time was very clear: to find sword techniques that could accelerate the absorption and refinement of the energy of heaven and earth.

As for sword skills, he had various sword manuals in the jade pendant space to study, so the sword skills of the Burning Heaven Sword Sect were not very attractive to him and could be considered dispensable.

"Wind and Thunder Sword Technique, a supreme-grade sword technique, enhances Wind and Thunder Sword Intent by 30%. When combined with supreme-grade Wind and Thunder Sword Skills, it can unleash the power of a spirit-grade sword skill!"

"..."