What a load of rubbish!

Linglong Holy Land.

Elsewhere.

Inside the guest hall.

Qin Lingxue rested her sword across her knees, her back straight as a pine or bamboo. Wisps of vast, majestic Sword Intent drifted from the mingshuang sword, twisting the surrounding Void Realm.

At this moment, her expression was solemn, her eyes slightly closed. Countless strands of Sword Qi swirled around her, humming incessantly.

She seemed like a peerless divine weapon herself—cold, unrestrained, and incomparably sharp—forming a striking contrast with her clear, otherworldly beauty.

Just then, a respectful report came from outside the guest hall.

“Young Sword Master, Elder Ke requests an audience.”

Hearing this, Qin Lingxue slowly opened her eyes. Frost and snow swirled within her beautiful eyes, their icy chill yet to fade.

She remained silent for a moment. Once the turbulence of her Sword Intent subsided, she responded in a calm tone:

“Let him in.”

Creak—

Soon, an old man with a long sword on his back entered. His hair and beard were completely white, and he exuded a cold, sharp aura. He was actually a powerful Sword Cultivator in the Spirit Transformation Realm.

Looking at the stunning woman sitting before the low table, her entire being radiating an icy temperament, Elder Ke's eyes flickered with a hint of surprise.

Having not seen her for only half a day, her Sword Intent had actually become even more pure, as if she could Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Mid-stage at any moment.

One must know that Qin Lingxue had entered the Dao at fourteen. Now, only six years later, she was already about to reach the Nascent Soul Mid-stage. For a Sword Cultivator, such speed was simply staggering!

Unlike other Cultivators who frequently changed Magical Artifacts and Magic Treasures, Sword Cultivators focused on 'one person, one sword.' They cultivated their lives in tandem with their natal Flying Swords, requiring immense time and energy to nurture the sword and comprehend the Sword Dao.

Thus, while a Sword Cultivator could break ten thousand techniques with a single sword and possessed combat power far exceeding those of the same rank, there were gains and losses. A Sword Cultivator's cultivation speed was often very slow, and even the difficulty of breaking through Realms significantly surpassed that of ordinary Cultivators.

With her monstrous talent in the Sword Dao and the mingshuang sword having acknowledged her as its master, Elder Ke could already imagine that as long as Qin Lingxue did not perish prematurely, the position of the next Sect Master of the Holy Land of Liyuan Holy Land would undoubtedly be hers!

At this thought, his expression became even more respectful. He stepped forward and bowed formally:

“This Subordinate greets the Young Sword Master.”

Qin Lingxue looked up slightly. “Elder Ke, why have you come?”

Elder Ke hesitated for a moment before saying:

“Young Sword Master, news arrived from the Holy Land not long ago. A young man came to the door requesting to see you, claiming to be your fiancé.”

“What?!”

Hearing this, even the ice-cold Qin Lingxue couldn't help but change her expression. Her slender hand subconsciously tightened around her sword hilt, her voice carrying a hint of tension:

“What did he say his name was?”

Seeing her care so much about this news, Elder Ke's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly replied:

“The man said his name is Qi Yuan, and he reportedly hails from the Qi Family of Wangchu City...”

“Qi Yuan!” Qin Lingxue stood up abruptly, her plain white dress fluttering. The mingshuang sword emitted a clear ring. “No, I must return to Liyuan now to confirm this!”

“Elder Ke, you shall attend tomorrow's Celebration Ceremony in my stead!”

With that, without waiting for the old man's response, she tapped her feet lightly and transformed into a streak of sword light that soared into the sky, vanishing in an instant.

Watching Qin Lingxue leave, Elder Ke couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile, muttering to himself:

“To think the rumors were actually true. A talent like the Young Sword Master is actually pining for a waste from a small Family... I thought it was just a rumor before...”

Halfway through, he had a second thought and murmured:

“Being a waste with a Miscellaneous Spiritual Root is actually fine. A Miscellaneous Spiritual Root can't achieve Foundation Establishment. At most, we can bring him to the Holy Land and keep him for eighty or a hundred years until he dies of old age.”

“By then, the Young Sword Master will be free of attachments and can focus entirely on the sword. Perhaps she could even reach a higher level...”

...Meanwhile.

Qi Yuan calmed his turbulent emotions and said to Cheng Feihuang, who was standing quietly nearby:

“Senior, I heard you come from an Immemorial Desolate Ruin. Do you know the specific location of that ruin?”

Besides completing System tasks, the creation mending heaven pill was what he cared about most right now. This pill was crucial to whether he could walk the path of the heavenly dao again in the future.

Even though Immortal Ascension was still far away, Qi Yuan had already experienced the benefits of forming a Heavenly Dao Nascent Soul.

Now, even without using the fourth layer of the Four Refinements of the Blood God, he was confident he could suppress Ji Tianpeng, who was at the Spirit Transformation Realm Early Stage, within a hundred moves.

One must know that the Dao Child of Ziyang, Ji Tianpeng, was also a top Prodigy of this world, possessing the strength to cross two or three minor Realms.

Being able to defeat the Dao Child of Ziyang proved that ordinary Spirit Transformation Cultivators were no longer a significant threat to him. To fight across an entire major Realm was simply unheard of.

If he could also complete the previous Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment and Heavenly Dao Golden Core, Qi Yuan's already terrifying foundation would skyrocket once more.

At that time, he believed that even without relying on the blood-burning state, he would be enough to sweep through all Cultivators below the Void Refining Realm.

Furthermore, he had a vague feeling that the innate talent of the [Four Refinements of the Blood God] was definitely not limited to this effect.

If his own foundation continued to grow, perhaps it could evolve into the Five Refinements of the Blood God, the Six Refinements of the Blood God, or even... the Nine Refinements of the Blood God!

Just thinking about it was exhilarating.

In this world, ultimately, the strong eat the weak, and strength is respected. As long as one has enough strength, resources, power, beauties, and even eternal life are all within reach!

As the Dao Child of Taixuan Holy Land, Qi Yuan held a high status, but this identity represented more of future potential than actual strength.

For the sake of the future, a Sect would do everything in its power to nurture geniuses, waiting for the day their potential was realized.

But a Genius who hasn't grown up yet isn't really anything, let alone having a seat at the table.

For Qi Yuan, having been reborn into this life with great difficulty, wouldn't it be a waste if he didn't see the scenery from the highest peak of this world?

On the other side, hearing this question, Cheng Feihuang frowned slightly and said in a heavy voice:

“The Immemorial Desolate Ruin you mentioned is actually a massive Spatial Fragment. The periphery of that Spatial Fragment is filled with terrifying Spatial Storms. Without strength at the Hedao Realm or above, going there is just seeking death.”

“Moreover, for tens of thousands of years, our Linglong Holy Land has been exploring it. We've basically scavenged almost all the treasures inside...”

Old Man Shi, screw your ancestors!

Hearing this, Qi Yuan's expression turned quite ugly.

The effect of the Command Seal that old fellow gave him was delayed by a lot. If he hadn't reacted quickly enough, he would be dead by now. Not only that, the promised benefits were just a poisonous pie in the sky.

Even if he could survive passing through the Spatial Storm, the inside had already been scavenged clean, not even a single hair left... At this thought, Qi Yuan immediately made up his mind.

After all that, he still expects me to return the Mythical Beast? Does he really think I'm a simple-minded fool like Lin Zhen?

Return a hammer!

Even if I set the Mythical Beast free, I won't give it back to you, you Old Schemer!

Qi Yuan took a deep breath, suppressed the surging anger in his heart, and asked expressionlessly:

“In that case, did your Linglong Holy Land ever discover the creation mending heaven pill in that ruin?”

“You actually know about the creation mending heaven pill?”

Cheng Feihuang raised an eyebrow slightly, looked at him with some surprise, and then nodded:

“Although there were no completed pills, we did collect quite a few Materials for refining the creation mending heaven pill.”

“However, refining the creation mending heaven pill requires a Pill Saint. Currently, there is no Pill Saint in our Linglong Holy Land, only a few Heaven-rank Alchemists.”

“You can take the Materials. As long as you can find a living Pill Saint, you can have the creation mending heaven pill refined.”

Having the Materials is good enough!

Qi Yuan breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, that old fellow didn't lie to him about this; there really were Materials to refine the creation mending heaven pill in that ruin. Otherwise, he really would have been a Total Sucker.