Chen Donghe stroked his white beard. His aged face trembled slightly as he said in a hoarse voice, "He should have attempted it long ago. By now, it was far too late."
He tucked the letter into his sleeve, turned around, and hesitated for a moment before ultimately entering the grand formation.
Chen Donghe had been stationed here for quite some time, yet he had only entered the grand formation a handful of times. After all, the cultivators qualified to enter the inner formation could come and go on their own; they had no need of him. They would simply greet him whenever they passed, and he would quietly commit each face to memory, thinking to himself, Every one of them is a prodigy of my clan.
Now that he stepped inside, the first things to meet his eyes were the ceiling shrouded in hazy purple light and the brilliant golden formation patterns beneath his feet, a sight that filled him with instinctive awe. He made his way between dark-golden pavilions for quite some time, passing through three formations before finally coming upon a pool.
The pool was roughly thirty meters long. Its waters were clear and tranquil, appearing no deeper than the knee. Nine radiant lamps stood around its edge, giving off a pale white glow that seemed especially distant and ethereal amid the surrounding darkness. They inspired a quiet unease in anyone who looked upon them.
Chen Donghe raised his head and saw a vast waterfall like pale purple mist pouring down from the ceiling. Yet when it reached the pool below, it settled like layer upon layer of soft cotton, piling atop the water. The circular jade platform at the very center stood completely empty, with no one in sight.
Instead, a streak of sword light gleamed upon the platform.
This light drifted and flickered before his eyes, brightening and dimming by turns. At times it was full as a round moon, at times curved like a waning crescent, at times veiled by dark clouds, and at times nothing but brilliant light. Beneath the cold, radiant moonlight, the three streams of light merged together, darting in and out of sight like fish swimming through water before suddenly becoming one!
Clang!
The waterfall of purple qi was abruptly severed. Though it continued flowing above and below, the section in the middle had simply vanished, leaving only the crisp ringing of a sword that nearly left the old man dizzy.
"What is this?!"
Chen Donghe stared for a moment. He realized that the Li Family had risen so quickly that he could no longer understand what he was seeing.
Just then, a soft voice called from beside him, "Elder Chen!"
Chen Donghe hurriedly turned to find a young man standing behind him, a smile between his brows. He wore a long white feathered robe and green boots, with a sharp sword strapped across his back. The sight left Chen Donghe momentarily stunned.
Chen Donghe was suddenly overcome with alarm as a shuddering chill seeped deep into his bones. In an instant, it felt as though he had fallen into a rushing river, as though he were crouching beside dark soil with a rough arrowhead clutched in his hand, surrounded by the cold winds of early spring. A single glance from the Sword Immortal sent his mind into a daze.
"Elder Chen?"
Li Jiangchun hurriedly steadied him and called out again, instantly pulling Chen Donghe free from that rushing river.
Cold sweat streamed down the old man's face as he murmured dazedly, "I came to deliver a letter."
Li Jiangchun froze for a moment upon hearing this, then raised a hand and gently brushed it before the old man's face. In that instant, it was like a spring breeze turning into gentle rain, washing away all his lingering palpitations.
He said warmly, "Senior should get some medicine to soothe the heart and regulate qi..."
Chen Donghe nodded vaguely, while Li Jiangchun reassured him, "It is a common ailment among the elderly... There is no need to worry too much."
The old man finally steadied himself, bowed deeply to him, and handed over the letter before retreating somewhat flusteredly. After backing away several steps, he turned for one last look, and an ache rose in his heart, No wonder Xuanxuan is so fond of him!
Li Jiangchun, however, was somewhat puzzled. Holding the jade box in his hands, he stepped forward and came to a stop amid the drifting purple qi, then slowly let out a deep breath.
Only after he exhaled did the surging waterfall of purple qi begin flowing once more. It crashed down with a roar, transforming into dense purple clouds so thick they seemed impossible to disperse, whipping his feathered robe into a rustle.
Three lively strands of moonlight emerged from within, drifting around his robes. Each was slender at the front and rounded at the back like a bird's feather, rippling with green-white light. Together they turned in the air, transformed into three nimble little birds, and alighted upon his shoulders.
They were his Sword Essence, [Crescent Moon].
In terms of sword inheritance, Dao lineage, and mana, Li Jiangchun was perhaps the most similar to [Celestial Moon] among all the Li Family descendants. However, his mana was ultimately different. It belonged to Lesser Yin rather than Supreme Yin, giving it a more restrained quality, like a moon not yet full. Thus, he named it [Crescent Moon].
Li Jiangchun had mastered his Sword Essence quite some time ago. Over the past several years, he had not only continued refining it and learned [Autumn Moon's Harmonious Echo], but more importantly, he had advanced the [Lesser Yin Profound Monarch Water-Fire Record], whose foundations he had deliberately laid before the Foundation Establishment Realm, to the point where he could finally cast its arts!
Simply being able to put the [Lesser Yin Profound Monarch Water-Fire Record] into practice was no easy feat. A cultivation art of such profound and exalted mysteries was normally something one only began cultivating after reaching the Purple Mansion Realm!
Once the [Lesser Yin Profound Monarch Water-Fire Record] is mastered, the [Gathered Inferior Water] and [Long Marching Fire Essence] contained within it will circulate on their own, complementing and reinforcing each other while producing further mysteries. That alone is equivalent to cultivating automatically, to say nothing of the many wondrous effects they can display in battle!
There was a reason he had deliberately begun cultivating this path ahead of time. For one, the cultivation art he practiced was an ancient technique, leaving him at far too great a disadvantage when it came to secret techniques. He could only rely on the [Lesser Yin Profound Monarch Water-Fire Record] to make up for the gap in his Dao conduct.
At the same time, his ultimate goal was to comprehend Sword Intent, and he would likely remain in the Foundation Establishment Realm for quite some time. The sooner he mastered this art, the more time he would save in the long run!
Even more astonishing was the pool beneath his feet!
This pool had been refined from [Hidden Clarity Mystic Dew], and was even infused with [Supreme Yin Moonlight]. In other words, his [Lesser Yin Profound Monarch Water-Fire Record] was constantly benefiting from immersion in water refined from Lesser Yin Purple Mansion Realm spirit materials!
Even with Li Jiangchun's considerable experience, he could not help but marvel whenever he stood within it.
"Even a Golden Core Realm faction could hardly offer better than this... Qiushui and Qing Jifang probably receive treatment no better than mine! Being here is equivalent to cultivating in a secret realm at every waking moment. These past few years, I have focused entirely on arts and haven't spent even a moment cultivating, yet I've already reached the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm."
If he wished, he could take a Talisman Pill right now and immediately advance to the late-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm!
Even knowing that all of this was largely made possible by the Immortal Artifact and the Nine Mounds Dao Lineage, which was itself already close to the level of a Golden Core Realm faction, making such extravagance possible, Li Jiangchun still felt somewhat uneasy. "I only fear that I might fail to live up to the family's expectations!"
He quietly raised his sleeve, opened the jade box, and carefully read the letter. Delight immediately appeared on his face. "Good news... He has actually already broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. What astonishing cultivation speed..."
But as he continued reading, his expression quickly turned somewhat strange. The matter concerning Li Suining had been ordered by the Daoist Master himself. When trouble broke out on the island, Li Ximing had departed in a hurry, but afterward, the old lord Li Xuanxuan had also come to Li Jiangchun in great concern.
In truth, Li Jiangchun trusted Li Suining quite a bit. But trust was a fragile thing. He took out a brush as usual, pondered briefly, then smiled and began to write.
His letter was likewise filled with confusion. He wrote that he, too, had been confined within the inner formation and was unable to leave, suffering terribly without even a single attendant by his side. Toward the end, he even asked in a tactful manner, Suining, you still have people at your disposal. Please investigate the situation and let me know what you find!
He then put down his brush. One of the sword sparrows on his shoulder immediately flitted into the air, took the letter in its beak, and hurried away to deliver it. Li Jiangchun picked up his sword once more and practiced for a while before suddenly stopping as though something had struck him, realization dawning in his heart.
That's right... I never leave this place. No wonder my Sword Essence is progressing so slowly! Back then, my predecessor was either slaying powerful cultivators, pacifying the Southern Sea, or killing countless demonic creatures. I've been shutting myself away and cultivating in isolation, so I should already count myself extremely fortunate to have made any progress at all!
He immediately sheathed his sword and casually set it within the dense purple qi. Then he simply took out the [Lesser Yin Profound Monarch Water-Fire Record] and began cultivating it instead.
When it comes to the Sword Dao, I still need to spill some blood!