190: Chapter 190: A Year of Diligent Cultivation Hone His Sharpness; The Sword Ruins Secret Realm Finally Opens

After leaving the Immortal Cave of Elder Sword Wuxin, Ye Qing's life entered a simple and fulfilling rhythm. He formulated a detailed Cultivation plan, dividing the year into several stages with precision.

In the first stage, he spent about three months skimming through all the books related to sword Dao that he deemed valuable on the first six floors of the Scripture Pavilion. He did not force himself to understand everything immediately, but rather established a macroscopic framework of knowledge, imprinting the vast sea of sword Dao theories, techniques, and insights into his mind, leaving them to be digested slowly in the future.

In the second stage, he spent five months beginning to organize, summarize, and undergo Fusion of this massive amount of knowledge. He sat cross-legged beside the waterfall at Tingjian Cliff for days, or even over ten days at a time, verifying the sword Dao insights he had absorbed from the classics against his own combat experience and that sliver of sword Dao truth he had obtained while resonating with the heavenly sword stele, repeatedly deliberating upon them.

He was like a piece of raw jade being meticulously carved by an invisible chisel. The Qi on his body became increasingly restrained and steady, as if he were a peerless precious sword hidden in its sheath; although its edge was not yet revealed, it already made people feel a potential threat.

In the third stage, he used the remaining four months to begin combat drills. He did not seek out his Senior Brother or other Disciple peers of the Sect for sparring, but instead ventured deep into the vast primeval forest behind the Heavenly Sword Sect, where various powerful Yao Beasts lived, using those Yao Beasts as whetstones to test the results of his Cultivation during this period.

His fighting style had undergone significant changes compared to before. He no longer relied solely on the vastness of his Chaos Infant Essence and the sharpness of his chaos sword, but added an indescribable agility and variability. His sword technique was at times like the Nine Heavens Milky Way crashing down, vast and mighty, suppressing others with momentum; at times like spring rain nourishing things, silent and soundless, yet pervasive; and at other times like a ghost appearing, tricky and ruthless, delivering a fatal blow.

He was like a sponge, frantically absorbing the experience gained in actual combat, constantly perfecting his own sword Dao.

A year passed in the blink of an eye.

When the news that the Sword Ruins Secret Realm was about to open officially spread throughout the Heavenly Sword Sect, Ye Qing also finished his training in the back mountains and returned to Tingjian Cliff.

His temperament had undergone a transformative change compared to a year ago. If he had been a newly forged, sharp-edged sword a year ago, he was now a peerless divine weapon that had been tempered a thousand times, with a restrained edge but one that was even more dangerous and fatal.

He sat cross-legged in his Immortal Cave, adjusting his state to the Peak.

He did not deliberately try to Breakthrough to the Lianxu Middle Stage, but instead made his foundation even more solid, elevating the degree of compatibility between his chaos sword and his own Dao to a higher level.

He had a premonition that this trip to the Sword Ruins Secret Realm would be an important opportunity for him to Breakthrough his current Realm and reach a higher level.

Just as he was waiting quietly, a melodious bell rang from the top of Wenjian Peak, spreading throughout the entire Heavenly Sword Sect mountain range.

That was the bell summoning all Disciples participating in the Sword Ruins Secret Realm trial.

Ye Qing opened his eyes, his gaze calm. He stood up, straightened his robes, and then transformed into a streak of light, speeding toward the direction where the bell had rung.