Chapter Thirty-Four: The Final Seclusion!

  "Heterogeneous sword energy?" Yu Ji Hua said with some surprise, "This is a rare opportunity that comes once in a hundred years. Come on, let's exchange blows and let me see the power of your so-called Purple Electric Sword Energy."

  Yu finished speaking and transformed his sword, pointing it upwards. Instantly, a three-inch-long solar sword energy appeared above him. Lu Qing's gaze condensed, and on the opponent's sword energy, he felt a faint gust of wind. Although it was not intense, under Lu Qing's gradually clarifying mind, it seemed to have expanded and became clearer.

  Similarly, the sword finger stretched out, and the purple electric sword energy flashed by in an instant. However, the sword energy on Yu Jihua's fingers trembled slightly, and he withdrew his sword energy with a look of surprise: "Huh? Your purple electric sword energy is so strong and pure, my suppressed Xuanri Sword Energy, which has reached the peak of the Small Heavenly Realm, almost got dispersed. That's my Xuanri Sword Energy that has been refined to its purest form through First Heaven Refining!"

  Lu Qing was also taken aback by the words, he hadn't expected that he had still underestimated the power of this alien sword energy. However, he soon let it go, if the things he had risked his life for were not worth it, then he wouldn't have made up his mind to do so in the first place. After all, he didn't have much time left, and he would try any method that could help him improve his cultivation, even if it meant betting his life on it.

  He paused, and Yu Ji continued: "Although the sword cultivator connects with the heaven and earth's primordial energy after refining their innate abilities, and a hint of natural five elements or other strange powers will gradually appear in their sword energy as they choose a deeper sword technique, this power also needs to be accumulated and practiced constantly. Only when they reach the level of Sword Master will it finally condense into their own unique sword type, and only then will this strange power truly be fully revealed."

  "So, Lu Qing, if Master asks about it in the future, you should think of a good excuse. This Purple Thunder Sword Aura can be said to have given you that power ahead of time, and even cleared some obstacles for your future understanding of the Sword Guest Stage. It's inevitable that Master will have some thoughts, so you must grasp it well."

  He nodded silently and Lu Qing said, "I know this, I'll be careful."

  Lu Qing

  "Huh?" Lu Qing was taken aback by the words and turned to look at Zhao Qianye, as if it was the first time he had called his name. As for Zhao Qianye, since Lu Qing's near-death experience, his mindset had changed, and the previous resentment in his heart had long since dissipated.

  "After you advance to Sword Guest stage, don't go to the second floor of the Book Pavilion's Martial Pavilion to choose sword techniques."

  "What?" Lu Qing was taken aback.

  "You're saying——" Yu Ji Hua looked at Zhao Qian Ye with some surprise, but then smiled and said, "You're right, actually, he's the most suitable person for that sword technique."

  "Are you saying that..." Duan Qingyun's mouth still had the oil and water from the roast chicken on it. Fortunately, sword cultivators didn't have dietary restrictions, otherwise there wouldn't be so many meat dishes on this bamboo table now.

  He nodded and Yu Jihua said to Lu Qing, "You'll know when the time comes. Your current cultivation is still early, laying a good foundation is key, don't be too impatient."

  Yu and Hua said so, Lu Qing didn't ask much either. The four of them drank until dawn before parting ways. Yu, Hua, and the other two went to practice in the morning, while Lu Qing entered the library alone. This time he didn't stay on the first floor but instead showed his identity token to the two outer disciples guarding the second floor and went straight up to the martial arts hall on the second floor.

  Compared to the first floor, the guardian of the second floor is much stricter. At the entrance of the second floor, a protector sits quietly beside a cedar wood table, his eyes scanning the disciples coming and going from time to time.

  Protectors, along with various daily affairs, are the third and fourth ranks in the Zixia Sect, excluding the sect master and elders. Protectors are usually appointed from among the disciples of the five main peaks, with a minimum cultivation requirement of Sword Master stage. Except for some who stay on their own peak, most are dispatched to guard other peaks outside the main peak of the Zixia Sect. In the outside world, they are often respectfully referred to as Peak Guardians.

  The attendants are also held by the inner disciples of each peak, but the requirement for cultivation is only to reach the Sword Guest stage. They are usually responsible for the daily law enforcement on the peaks and the management of various things. It is a position that the new generation of inner disciples of each peak compete for.

  The one guarding the second floor of Wu Ge is now a guardian, with a silver guardian sword pattern on his chest. In Lu Qing's view, he has already passed the age of sixty and is obviously a generation older than his master Xuanqing, so he respectfully came forward to pay his respects and handed over his identity card again.

  "Are you Lu Qing?" Seeing the two words "Lu Qing" engraved on the back of the waist plate, this guardian couldn't help but look up at Lu Qing.

  "I am," Lu Qing replied calmly, but he was somewhat puzzled in his heart, did he know himself?

  He bowed his head and wrote down Lu Qing's name on the record book, the old man handed over the token without lifting his head and said: "Alright, alright, I'm old, go."

  Although he was somewhat puzzled, Lu Qing soon threw it to the back of his mind. The bookshelves on the second floor of the Wu Ge were not many, only a few dozen. In addition to the fixed two sets of foundation swordsmanship, Chaoyang Qi Shi and Tengyun Jiu Jian, there were also the profound swordsmanship that swordsmen must study, Xuri Thirteen Swords. The rest were more than ten sets of profound swordsmanship that could only be selected after entering the Sword Yuan realm. However, because these profound swordsmanship were extremely precious, the bookshelves where they were stored were all wrapped in unknown sword arrays. This was to prevent theft and also to prevent disciples from trying to comprehend them with insufficient cultivation and going crazy, losing themselves.

  Looking at the sword inserted into the ground, the faintly visible sharp edges and points, Lu Qing didn't doubt that the power they possessed could instantly tear her current self into a pile of shredded flesh, not even leaving behind any scraps.

  And on the other bookshelves are some classics left by predecessors of all dynasties about swordsmanship or swordsmanship, which can be said to be extremely precious. Those that record the profound understanding of swordsmanship are also protected by many sword arrays.

  At this time, Wu Ge's disciples were not many. Except for a few inner sect disciples, the other four or five were about thirty years old outer sect disciples. Under Lu Qing's spiritual awareness, they all had the cultivation of swordsmen, possibly due to insufficient innate talent and not being included in the inner sect.

  Lu Qing then took a handwritten copy of the Thirteen Swords of the Rising Sun and a detailed explanation of sword techniques, registered with the Nameless Guardian, and headed straight to the Chao Yang Palace behind the Chao Yang Palace. The Chao Yang Cave, as Yu Ji Hua said, was a place where the ancestors of the Chao Yang Peak discovered a spiritual vein of heaven and earth, which had a good attraction to the original energy of heaven and earth, so that place became an excellent place for closed-door cultivation, only available to inner sect disciples.

  As he passed by the sword casting house, Lu Qing thought for a moment and went back again, taking out the piece of Xuan Tie ore that Duan Yun had given him. He entered the house, and it was still the same purple-colored casting furnace. At this moment, Huang Lao was obviously casting a sword. Seeing Lu Qing come in, the old man's large hammer struck the sword embryo on the furnace fire a few more times before he used tongs to dip it into a bucket of icy spring water from Bihuan Pond.

  A loud whoosh, a large amount of white smoke rose, quickly condensing into two milky-white sword lotus flowers. After a moment, the sword lotus dispersed, and the old man subsequently threw it into a sword basket filled with identical swords. Then he turned around to face Lu Qing, laughing: "Good kid, you came here and my originally first-rate black iron sword unexpectedly condensed into two sword lotus flowers. Could it be that you're my lucky charm? Speak up, what brings you here to cast a sword again?"

  "Hold on—" The old man's eyes suddenly focused, scanning Lu Qing from head to toe. "Tsk—tsk, good kid, you've actually established your foundation already. What great talent! At such a young age, your future prospects are boundless."

  "Senior, you're overpraising me, Lu Qing doesn't dare to accept it. This time I came, is to ask senior to re-cast the Lian Xin for me." After finishing speaking, Lu Qing took out the Lian Xin and that piece of Xuan Tie.

  "En, the thing is not bad, but it needs to be refined to remove impurities." The old man stared at the Xuan Tie ore in Lu Qing's hand for a moment before suddenly changing the subject, "However, do you know that even outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples who come to me to forge swords usually exchange them with accumulated points from the Outer Affairs Hall?"

  Lu Qing was taken aback, last time he forged the sword himself, so Duan Qingyun didn't remind him at that time. Now it's obvious that he doesn't have any points, and he's about to close his cultivation for two days to re-forge the sword. He didn't want to waste his cultivation time like this, especially now when he was in a critical period of breaking through to the Middle Heaven stage, needing to focus all his energy without any distraction.

  However, Huang Lao seemed to have seen through Lu Qing's thoughts. "Cough, cough, let's do this: I'll make an exception and help you out once, but only if you bring me something from the capital city when you return home for the annual festival."

  "Alright," Lu Qing thought for a moment before agreeing.

  Chaoyang Cave is not far from the back door of Chaoyang Palace. It's a large cave attached to the mountain. Lu Qing arrived soon after leaving the Sword Casting House. At the entrance of the cave, there were sword marks left by senior cultivators. Perhaps because the person who inscribed them had a much higher cultivation level than Lu Qing, he only took a few glances before his mind was shaken, his eyes dazed, as if he was about to fall into it.

  Guarding the Chaoyang Palace was also a guardian, but compared to the one in Wu Ge, he looked younger, with a middle-aged appearance. His aura was majestic and stern, but when he saw Lu Qing's youthful face, he was slightly puzzled. However, after taking a closer look, his expression changed to one of surprise.

  After flipping over Lu Qing's waist card, the middle-aged guardian didn't say much, but handed a green jade card with the number 36 written on it to Lu Qing and waved his hand to let him in.

  As soon as he entered the Imperial Palace, Lu Qing felt a surge of heavenly energy enveloping him, far denser than what was outside. As the sword yuan slowly entered his body, his entire being was filled with a comfortable sensation.

  The Chaoyang Cave is almost deep into the belly of the mountain, with a very large space, divided into dozens of small caves, which are specially opened for one person. When I arrived at that moment, there were thirty-six stone caves beside me. Stretching out my hand to press down on the mechanism on one side, the stone gate slowly opened with a creaking sound.

  As Lu Qing pressed the stone ball again to close it, the stone gate closed with a loud bang. From then on, Lu Qing's first closed-door training after arriving at Chaoyang Peak began. (Ten Steps to New Heights, urgently seeking recommendation votes and collection, hoping everyone will generously assist, let Ten Steps truly take ten steps to kill one person, a thousand miles without leaving a trail, killing all the way to the top ten!)