Time passed swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, a year and two months had passed.
After finishing his sword practice for the day, Li Hao stabbed his wooden sword into the ground and walked inside.
In the past year, he had been practicing this technique day in and day out, cultivating through the nights. With his spiritual will, he had become effectively nocturnal, no longer needing sleep for years.
His mastery of the Inliten Sword Art had improved greatly. In the beginning, he struggled just to initiate the technique, but now, after consistent practice, he had reached an extraordinary level.
Although it was a tier above high-human techniques and a step below divine quality, it was still incredibly demanding and powerful.
Li Hao's strength was now at the Master level, with unparalleled combat abilities. If he faced an opponent of the same realm, they would likely die before even realizing what had happened.
His sword intent was at the peak of the mid-stage, and with his swordsmanship and refined techniques, he was at the perfect realm. Only one final step remained before he could enter the Sword Heart realm.
He walked into his room and rested for a moment, but then he felt a surge of spiritual power nearby.
Turning his attention to the source, he saw Xing'er as her spiritual power condensed into a singular point. It exploded outward in a burst of energy, signaling that she had broken through to the fourth level of the Heavens Master realm.
Her Star Light Law had advanced to a higher stage, now at 40 percent completion of the first level.
Li Hao stood up and walked to her door, waiting patiently. Through his Dao Eyes, even without spiritual senses, he could clearly see inside the room.
He saw her rise from the lotus position, and suddenly, her clothes disintegrated into fine particles of dust.
Li Hao's eyes were inadvertently drawn to her pale skin and graceful form, the curves of her body more than enough to captivate any man.
Caught off guard, he quickly looked away, his face flushing in embarrassment. He forced his thoughts to focus elsewhere, trying to erase the image from his mind.
Just then, the door opened, and Xing'er stepped out, now dressed in her usual white robe.
Li Hao quickly bowed slightly. "Congratulations on your breakthrough, Master."
"Oh, you sensed it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," Li Hao replied, "I felt the spiritual power surge."
"Ah, I see. Come with me to the courtyard. I want to see how your training has progressed," Xing'er said, walking out of the room.
Li Hao followed her as they made their way to the courtyard. They took positions on opposite sides.
"Since you've just broken through," Xing'er said, "I'll take it easy on you. Attack me with everything you've got."
Li Hao nodded, and they both summoned wooden swords capable of withstanding their energy, each at the first level of the third turn.
Li Hao made the first move. "Sky Piercer Thrust!"
He thrust forward at incredible speed. Xing'er skillfully used the Swaying Branch Evasion to redirect the attack, countering with a thrust of her own.
Li Hao immediately retreated with the Wind Whisper Step, and from there, he launched the Cloud-Splitting Lunge, sending a burst of compressed air toward her.
Xing'er, in a surprising display of agility, performed a diagonal front flip to evade the attack and retaliated with the Falling Petal Stab, a flurry of compressed air stabs aimed at him.
Li Hao blocked with Azure Horizon Sweep, parrying her strikes and countering with a thrust as she landed.
She dodged with Drifting Leaf Lunge, sidestepping his attack and firing compressed air at his face.
Li Hao, with the Featherlight Riposte, redirected the attack and went for a piercing counter.
Xing'er, however, used Bending Tranquility Strike, meeting his attack and bending it with her superior swordplay. Before he could react, his thrust was cut in half.
Without hesitation, Li Hao used Wind Whisper Step again, moving at blinding speed, leaving afterimages behind.
Xing'er, knowing she had to act fast, retaliated with a Silent Willow Fang, launching a lethal strike of sword intent.
Li Hao jumped to avoid the attack, and as he landed, he followed up with his own devastating Soaring Sky Strike. He poured all his momentum into a decisive thrust aimed at Xing'er.
Xing'er, using Swaying Branch Evasion once more, avoided the strike and in a smooth motion, used Whispering Thorn to counter.
Li Hao responded quickly, using Heaven's Thread to deflect her attack. Their strikes canceled each other out, and as Li Hao closed the distance with Wind Whisper Step, Xing'er stepped back, unleashing a Gentle Breeze Piercer, a seemingly soft thrust imbued with immense power.
Li Hao parried with Azure Horizon Sweep, effortlessly placing his sword against her neck. She was caught off guard, never expecting someone of a lower realm to outmaneuver her.
She was impressed by his combat experience, realizing that Li Hao's sword techniques demanded far more practical application and mastery compared to her own.
"Impressive," she said, stepping back. "I'll go inform my master about my breakthrough. Stay here, I'll return shortly."
She released her cultivation and began healing at an astonishing speed before taking flight. Li Hao watched her go, his mind turning. "I need some fresh air."
Li Hao left a note behind and exited the house. Heading to the task hall, he reflected on his six years in this place. Though he hadn't seen everything, he had learned much.
The forbidden areas of the sect never piqued his interest. With his cultivation and system-given techniques, the external techniques from the sect seemed lacking.
Divine and profound techniques left others far behind, and even the sword palace's collection, though impressive, only held six techniques of profound, lower-earth quality—none of which reached the mid-earth stage.
Though technique quality didn't directly determine strength, divine and profound techniques pushed the upper limits of law comprehension.
They combined multiple laws, requiring one to master their understanding in order to truly unlock their potential.
Li Hao walked through the sect grounds, past disciples practicing sword techniques, and entered the mission hall.
The hall was bustling, filled with disciples of all ranks—inner, outer, and core. Li Hao's eyes were drawn to a stone pillar, where the top ten disciples were displayed, each with the highest number of completed missions and points.
Points were earned through missions, and each point was worth 10 low-quality spiritual stones.
The stones were graded from low to ultimate quality, with each higher tier being exponentially stronger than the last.
Li Hao approached the mission list and began scanning. Many missions didn't suit him—either too easy for his current realm or far too difficult.
Then one caught his eye: Hunt and kill Leonar (Lion-Folk). The mission required a third-turn first-level cultivator, and the reward was 10 points.
It seemed like the perfect fit for him. He took the paper, signed up at the service center, and after completing the formalities, he left the mission hall.
He walked down the mountain at a brisk pace, eager for the hunt ahead. The Leonar had been spotted several hundred miles away—about 200,000 miles, a vast distance for most, but with Li Hao's space law, he could cover it effortlessly.
One step, and he was a thousand miles closer to his goal. With each step, he traveled further, confident in his abilities as he ventured into the vast world beyond the sect.