126: Chapter 126 The Showdown! 29-Year-Old Golden Core Sword Bone, I'll Be the Player!

Twenty-nine years old, February 15th.

Tianxuan Sect, Mountain Gate.

A golden rainbow split the sea of clouds and crashed in front of the archway.

Two shallow sword marks appeared on the bluestone, and Shen Ji stood in the middle of them.

The Grade 5 Qiankun Yin-Yang Sword flew back into its scabbard with a faint click.

In front of the mountain gate, two green-robed disciples instinctively lifted their halberds, their gazes sweeping over.

The moment one of them saw the person, his lower leg began to tremble uncontrollably.

The young man in front of him stood casually, without releasing any spiritual pressure.

But the flying insects and dust within three feet of him were all shredded by invisible Sword Intent!

This was the absolute suppression of a high-level cultivator.

"M-may I ask, Senior..."

The disciple bit the bullet and spoke, his tongue tied.

"What brings you to our sect?"

Shen Ji tucked his hands into his sleeves.

"An old friend wishes to see True Person Chiyang. Please report it."

The two disciples were relieved, and one turned and ran into the mountain gate.

The other remained frozen in place, sweat dripping down his chin; he didn't even have the courage to get a chair and could only stand there stiffly to accompany him.

A moment later, the disciple who went to report came running back.

"Senior, unfortunately, True Person Chiyang is out."

He chose his words very carefully. "However, the sect has already sent someone to receive you. Please come in and wait for a moment."

"Fine."

Shen Ji stepped across the archway.

The person who came to receive him was an old man in grey robes.

With his hands behind his back, his steps were not large, but every step was extremely steady.

The Formation Hall Master, Hall Master Lei Zhen.

Hall Master Lei Zhen sized up Shen Ji.

A bone age of less than thirty, Golden Core Realm cultivation, and the sword at his waist exuded an irrepressible, peerless ferocity.

"I am Hall Master Lei Zhen."

He spoke first, his tone casual. "Chiyang is away, so the sect asked me to host you. This isn't too disappointing, right?"

"Sorry to trouble you, Elder." Shen Ji bowed. "Shen Ji."

Hall Master Lei Zhen replied, then turned to lead the way.

After walking a dozen steps, he tilted his head to look over.

"Are you and Chiyang old acquaintances?"

Shen Ji did not stop walking.

"No."

Hall Master Lei Zhen's steps paused.

"I have a piece of intelligence," Shen Ji said in a steady tone.

"It concerns the secrets of the subordinates of Demon Emperor Lietian. I heard that only True Person Chiyang patrols the border against the demon race year-round, so this is best given to him."

Hall Master Lei Zhen turned around completely to face the young man in front of him.

"That is not news you can just pick up on the roadside. Where did you get it? Why give it to our Tianxuan Sect for free?"

News about Demon Emperor Lietian was a top-secret file even in Tianxuan Sect.

A young Golden Core of unknown origin specifically coming to deliver such deadly intelligence—the whole matter reeked of something sinister.

"I have already paid the price for the intelligence," Shen Ji said, looking at him with eyes that didn't flicker in the slightest.

"As for why I am giving it to your sect—the demon race has been dormant for a long time. If they launch a massive invasion to the south one day, no one will be able to escape. Keeping this in my hands is just a memory. If it is delivered to True Person Chiyang, he can practice countermeasures in advance."

He paused, pointing out the crux of the matter.

"If I go through the sect's official procedures, the Sect Master would have to weigh and verify it. By the time it goes back and forth, the opportunity will have passed. True Person Chiyang is a war maniac; give him tactical intelligence, and he can cut off the tentacles the demon race has laid out in secret."

Hall Master Lei Zhen stared at Shen Ji.

"What a good use of a blade..."

The casual look on his face vanished completely, replaced by the solemnity of an equal.

"You kid, you're interesting."

He shook his head and chuckled, starting to walk again, but noticeably slower.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-nine."

Hall Master Lei Zhen's pace slowed by another half-beat.

A 63-year-old in the Golden Core Late Stage was already a top genius in the Eastern Region.

Twenty-nine...

"What kind of spiritual root?"

"Supreme Sword Bone."

Hall Master Lei Zhen stopped dead in his tracks this time.

He turned abruptly and stared at Shen Ji for several breaths before squeezing out a sentence.

"A monster raised by the heavens."

Shen Ji bowed: "Thanks for the compliment."

"It was a compliment!"

Hall Master Lei Zhen walked with his hands behind his back, leading him toward the backyard of the Formation Hall.

Ling Bo happened to be outside the courtyard and politely led Shen Ji to a small courtyard near the back mountain.

It was still that old locust tree, still that stone well.

Shen Ji's fingertips brushed over the rough wood grain of the courtyard gate.

"This will do."

Just as Ling Bo was about to take his leave, Shen Ji stopped him.

"Brother Ling Bo."

Ling Bo turned, puzzled by the familiarity of the address.

"I see that your aura is quite compatible with the Formation Hall here," Shen Ji said, pushing the boat with the current. "I wonder if I might have the honor of getting to know you?"

Ling Bo didn't ask further and nodded in agreement.

That night.

Shen Ji knocked on Hall Master Lei Zhen's courtyard gate.

Without any beating around the bush, he directly handed over a primitive white jade ring.

"I happened to obtain a Grade 4 spiritual tool, the 'mind-condensing ring'. It is useless to me, and I would like to use it to trade for some knowledge on formations from you, Elder."

Hall Master Lei Zhen took the jade ring and probed it with his spiritual power.

His fingers, which were twisting the jade ring, stiffened instantly.

An extremely pure, cooling energy surged into his consciousness, bringing long-lost relief to his divine sense, which had been aching from years of deducing formations.

To a formation master, this was a priceless treasure.

The look in his eyes when he looked at Shen Ji again changed completely.

"Good kid, you don't play those pretentious games."

Hall Master Lei Zhen tucked the mind-condensing ring into his sleeve, extremely straightforward.

"In the future, if you have any questions about formations that you can't figure out, come find me anytime. Those formation things—I will personally break them down and teach you!"

Shen Ji bowed and exited the courtyard gate.

The first move of this trip was a success.

February 16th, sect canteen.

Ling Bo led Shen Ji toward a table in the corner.

Eldest Senior Brother Mu Qing's back was straight, quietly shoveling rice into his bowl.

Second Senior Sister Qin Yu sat opposite him, boredly poking at her greens with chopsticks.

Third Senior Brother Chu Feng had one leg on an empty chair at the next table, staring blankly out the window.

"Let me introduce you, a distinguished guest of the sect, Shen Ji," Ling Bo said.

Mu Qing raised his head and nodded honestly: "Mu Qing."

Qin Yu glanced at Shen Ji: "Golden Core Realm? You look quite young, how old are you?"

"Twenty-nine."

"Clatter."

Qin Yu's chopsticks smashed into her porcelain bowl.

Her action of poking at the rice froze, her lips moved, and she spat out three words.

"Stronger than me."

Chu Feng also turned his face, the leg that had been resting on the chair was quickly pulled back, and he sat up straight.

Shen Ji sat down next to Ling Bo.

He poured himself a cup of tea, blew on the steam, and his gaze swept casually over Qin Yu.

"Some techniques focus on the flow of the five elements. If the Earth-type spiritual energy in the Kun position stagnates, forcing a breakthrough will only clash with the Sharp Metal energy in your body, leading to a weak foundation."

He took a sip of tea.

"It would be better to do the opposite: disperse the Sharp Metal first, then gather the Thick Earth."

Mu Qing put down his bowl.

The chopsticks Chu Feng had just picked up hovered in mid-air.

Qin Yu raised her head abruptly, staring fixedly at Shen Ji's face.

She had been stuck at the peak of Foundation Establishment Level 7 for a whole year, and the deadlock was exactly because of the disharmony of spiritual energy in the Kun position!

This matter, she hadn't even told her master!

Shen Ji picked up his teacup and gently tapped it against the cup by Mu Qing's hand.

A crisp sound.

He drank it all in one go.

Looking at Mu Qing's honest face, Shen Ji's vision overlapped with the back that had been torn apart by countless demonic beasts outside Yunzhong City, yet had not retreated a single step.

Looking at Qin Yu again, he felt as if he could still smell the scorched, bloody stench from the sea of fire at Chiyan Pass.

Looking at Chu Feng, the broken spatial barrier in the center of Baichuan City was vivid in his memory.

Shen Ji put down the teacup, his fingers gently stroking the warm porcelain wall.

February 18th, early morning.

The courtyard gate was knocked on heavily.

Shen Ji opened the door; Hall Master Lei Zhen stood outside, his expression more grave than ever before.

"Chiyang is back."

Hall Master Lei Zhen stared at him, enunciating each word clearly.

"He heard that a 29-year-old Golden Core sword cultivator with a Supreme Sword Bone has arrived in the sect."

"He specifically asked to see you."