With that, Li Hao got up and stepped out of his small room. Downstairs, cultivators were already leaving the inn in groups.
All of them were above the First Turn. Li Hao blended in and walked outside with the crowd, breathing in the fresh morning air.
He glanced toward the direction of the central city and walked calmly with the others. His spiritual power was completely hidden, converging quietly within his inner core. There it would stay, compressed and dormant—until the next breakthrough.
Of course, when that happened, his cultivation would surge explosively, and he might struggle to withstand the sudden influx of spiritual power. But that was a concern for later.
With that thought, Li Hao continued toward the Sword Palace.
When he arrived, he was met with a vast sea of cultivators—more than 2,000 of them, all above the Second Turn.
At the entrance stood a large board listing names. Each entrant registered their name, age, and cultivation realm.
Li Hao, unbothered by the crowd, calmly skipped ahead to the front of the line. As he did, someone reprimanded him.
But Li Hao simply glanced at the cultivator, releasing a sliver of killing intent from his Fourth Turn cultivation and pressing his spiritual will forward. The cultivator instantly backed down, unaware of what had happened. He simply felt an overwhelming pressure and assumed the man before him was not to be trifled with.
Li Hao quietly wrote his name in the 468th slot and proceeded inside. This was just the preliminary phase—the true test was the Sword Intent evaluation.
Inside the grounds, 467 had already been tested. Only 106 remained. Li Hao stood at the back, the 107th.
Every time a test sheet was completed or no one remained from the current batch, a new list would be brought out.
Li Hao, with his Fourth Turn power, knew better than to act rashly here. If he released too much of his killing intent, it would surely alert the elders. And if they sensed his true power, it could raise suspicions or provoke unwanted attention.
So he remained still.
Time passed, and cultivator after cultivator was tested. Eventually, only two remained. Li Hao was next.
Standing before the platform was a young man named Wu Siu, a peak Second Turn cultivator. He stepped onto the martial platform with steady confidence.
At the center stood a large black stone slab, two meters in diameter, with several elders observing from around the arena.
"You may begin," one elder said.
Wu Siu stepped forward and, with a single slash of his sword, released his sword intent. A glowing line marked the stone, which shimmered as words appeared:
"Sword Intent: Entry Proficiency Stage, Rare Quality."
The elders nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad! That's the third good talent today," one said.
"Yes. A few more like this and we'll have enough for the inner area selection."
Behind Wu Siu, Li Hao watched silently.
"This kid has some talent," he thought. "He's even managed to mask his intent somewhat. Rare quality… not bad. But this level of spiritual power can be risky without proper guidance."
Then it was Li Hao's turn.
He stepped calmly onto the platform, facing the black stone. A sword identical to the others lay ready beside it—standardized to ensure fairness.
Li Hao picked it up. With a single step forward, he made a small cut on the stone with a simple swing—not because of any lack of strength, but because he restrained himself. After all, his Fourth Turn body alone could break the platform if he didn't hold back.
The stone glowed.
"Sword Intent: Entry Late Stage, Profound Quality."
Li Hao looked at the words and sighed.
"Tch. I thought I'd reached the threshold. Seems I still fall short." he muttered as he turned to leave.
But before he could step away, an elder called out.
"Hey, kid—Li Hao, you passed."
Li Hao turned around, puzzled.
"Did I? I thought only Entry Proficiency Stage or higher qualified?"
The elder chuckled as he walked over and clapped a hand on Li Hao's shoulder.
"That's true—for those with ordinary sword intent. But with your quality, you don't need to worry about that."
He looked Li Hao in the eyes. "So, kid—are you willing to join this humble sect of mine?"
Li Hao smiled lightly and bowed. "Thank you, Elder. I'm willing."
"Good, good!" The elder laughed heartily. "Let me take you to meet the high elders of the Sword Palace."
On the main peak—the core of the Sword Palace, where the sect master and his personal disciples resided—Li Hao appeared alongside the elder.
Before them stood the Grand Hall, white and blue in color, exuding a sense of immense sharpness and serenity.
As they approached, the elder knocked gently.
A deep voice replied, "Come in."
Li Hao stepped inside with the elder, looking up to see the one known as the Sword Palace Master.
[Name: Ji Eun-woo
Age: 982 years
Realm: Fourth Turn, Ninth Level Peak
Position: Sect Master of the Sword Palace]
He appeared to be in his late twenties or early thirties, with a short goatee and an aura so sharp it seemed to cut through the air. His sword intent was immeasurable.
But Li Hao's attention quickly shifted—his eyes widened.
A girl stood beside the sect master. She looked back at him, her face stunning, her white martial robe accentuating her graceful figure. Her blue eyes shimmered with a hint of white. In Li Hao's Cosmic Dao Eyes, her aura radiated like a constellation.
[Name: Zhu Xing Xing
Physique: Starlight Physique
Age: 89
Realm: Fourth Turn, Third Level
Relation: Disciple of the Sword Palace Master]
"Starlight Physique," Li Hao noted. "It reflects the stars themselves—not the most powerful, but definitely among the top 500. Her spiritual power… profound white. She's already completed the first stage of physique cultivation."
He could tell she was nearing the threshold of the second transformation—a rebirth of the body that would require not common herbs or pills, but legendary treasures.
Like the Heart of the Star—a rare, high-earth-realm treasure with near-mythical qualities.
Zhu Xing Xing looked at Li Hao. From her view, he was merely a Second Turn, Fifth Level cultivator.
The elder who had brought Li Hao bowed and nudged him to do the same, but Li Hao remained upright. With his power, bowing here would only raise questions.
The elder spoke up. "Palace Master, this disciple possesses Profound-Quality Sword Intent and immense talent. I hope he may be accepted."
Ji Eun-woo raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How old is he?"
Li Hao answered, "Replying to the Palace Master—I turned 20 today."
"Mm. So young, yet already at that level. Tell me, junior—what's your name?"
"Li Hao."
Ji Eun-woo smiled. "Then, Li Hao, would you like to become the disciple of my little disciple here?"
Li Hao blinked. "Her?"
Zhu Xing Xing frowned. "Master, I told you—I don't want a disciple. I'm only 89. I still lack the experience to teach someone."
Ji Eun-woo replied, his tone half-pleading, half-firm. "Then learn. This might be the key to breaking your bottleneck."
"But Master—!"
"You've been stuck at this level for ten years. With your talent, you should be at the Fifth Level already. This is final."
Frustrated, Xing Xing clenched her fists and stormed out.
The palace master turned to Li Hao. "Well? Aren't you going to follow your master?"
Li Hao gave a shallow nod, turned, and followed after her.
Ji Eun-woo looked at the elder and said, "You may leave."
"Thank you, Palace Master," the elder said, bowing respectfully before leaving.
Outside, Li Hao followed his new master as she made her way to her courtyard. She opened the door and stepped inside. Li Hao followed, stepping in behind her. As master and disciple, it wasn't uncommon to move together—nothing would seem out of place.
She gave Li Hao a room within a seven-room hall, each with its own bedroom. Li Hao stepped inside, sensing the layout was no ordinary design. Through a formation, the room was stretched a hundred miles apart in spatial layering. The space from the floor alone was stretched endlessly.
Anyone beneath a certain cultivation level couldn't even approach him. And even if one could travel that distance, with spatial infinity at play, no ordinary weapon could reach him—unless it could cut through the void itself.
…
Several minutes later, Li Hao stood before his master.
She looked him over and asked, "So, what type of sword do you use?"
Li Hao replied calmly, "I prefer swords that are flexible and sharp—balanced in both speed and strength."
"A balanced type, then. Speed and strength in harmony. If you master both, you'll be equal in all aspects," she nodded.
Li Hao gave a faint smile. That was indeed true—his sword's edge was swift, yet it struck with immense power. That was his truth. The truth of his sword.
He asked, "Master, what kind of sword do you use?"
"I use the gentle sword," she said softly. "A sword that cuts purely—with no need for brute force."
Li Hao paused. His own sword also leaned toward cutting power, though not yet at the atomic precision her words implied. Still, if he focused, perhaps he could reach that level.
Xing Xing looked at him and said, "Since your swordplay is balanced in speed and power, I know a technique that might suit you."
She vanished in a blur and returned with a sword technique manual.
Li Hao flipped through the pages in a moment, absorbing the knowledge. "Master, I don't think this technique fits me."
"Oh?" she tilted her head, then disappeared again. She returned twice more, each time with another fourth-turn sword technique. Even though Li Hao already knew they weren't suitable, he accepted them out of respect.
He read through them one by one, returning them after each glance. Finally, he said, "Master, perhaps it's better to give me a second-turn technique rather than a fourth-turn one."
Xing Xing blinked. Then, as she glanced through the book in her hands, realization hit her.
She felt a little embarrassed.
Leaving once more, she came back with a new book—a second-turn sword technique called Piercing Sky Art. A mid-human-grade technique, it focused on sharp, refined movements. With Li Hao's perception, he instantly reached the final stage and comprehended it to the perfect realm.
Xing Xing said, "Now that you're my disciple, you'll stay here and cultivate for some time."
She added, "You're a talented swordsman, but you need to reach the third turn. That's when the real competition between inner disciples begins."
With that, she left to focus on her own cultivation. It had been a while since her last breakthrough, and she felt that her master no longer took her as seriously as before.
Before leaving, she said, "Practice that technique well. Since it's lower level than your sword intent, it should come easily to you."
She walked off toward her own cultivation chambers.
Li Hao watched her go. He leaned back, resting his arm over his knee and holding up his chin, a smile playing at his lips. "This little master… still young, still doesn't know how to teach a disciple."
He chuckled.
"Well then, Master… let your disciple teach you how to be a proper teacher," he whispered as he began practicing the art of infinity.
…
Months passed quickly. Before long, a full year had gone by.
Li Hao now sat calmly in front of his master as she demonstrated a movement technique.
"Disciple," she said, "just as your swordsmanship is important, so too is your movement."
"With every step, if your footwork is off, you'll lose power in your strikes."
"Without proper footwork, your movements will be predictable. An experienced opponent could easily take advantage," she explained, her tone firm.
"My technique is the Hundred Cloud Steps, a low-earth-grade movement art," she added.
Li Hao nodded seriously… then smiled slyly.
"Master," he said, tilting his head with charm, "why do you look so beautiful when you demonstrate? I fear I'll get lost in your bright eyes before I even find the light of day."
Smack!
Xing Xing's punch landed straight on his head.
"Master, what's the problem? Did your disciple say something wrong?" Li Hao asked innocently, rubbing his head.
"You… Stop with the flirting!" she snapped, cheeks tinged with red. "I'm your master. There's no way I'd like you that way."
"Ah, but Master," Li Hao said dramatically, "it's not my fault you burn with beauty. My mother once told me to cherish beauty when I see it. And you, Master… you're the very image of beauty."
Her cheeks turned a deeper red. Even with all his teasing, he was still her best disciple. His sword talent outshined the rest, leaving her unsure how to deal with him.
She sighed. "Why not go flirt with one of the other female disciples? There are plenty of beautiful girls in the sect."
"But Master," Li Hao said, serious now, "you're the most beautiful of them all."
Xing Xing looked away.
"…I'm going into seclusion for a while," she said quickly. "Just focus on your cultivation. If you reach the third turn while I'm gone, you can go to the Secret Scriptures Pavilion and choose a technique from the third floor."
"Alright, Master. I'll see you when you come out," Li Hao said with a smile.