In Zhu Xian, people start to rise from plundering entries

A hint of surprise flashed in Yun Qingzi's eyes: "You have already inherited the Tianya Sword, do you still need other sword techniques?"

"The Heavenly Sword Manual is profound and extensive, and my cultivation is still shallow, making it difficult for me to comprehend its advanced parts. I wish to find a basic sword technique as a transition," Su Han said respectfully.

This was, of course, an excuse. The real reason was that his senior sister told him that the Nine Swords of Tianya were enough for him to cultivate to the Star Venerable realm, and that he shouldn't try to do too much at once. But if he directly refused the sect leader's kindness, it would seem like he didn't know what was good for him.

Yun Qingzi pondered for a moment, then took out another jade slip: "This is the 'Azure Cloud Sword Manual.' Although it is a mid-grade Earth-rank sword manual, it is the general outline of our sect's swordsmanship, containing three thousand basic sword techniques and seventy-two advanced sword methods. It will definitely benefit you in laying a solid foundation. Would you like it?"

"This disciple is willing." Su Han accepted the jade slip.

"Alright, the cultivation method has been chosen. Now, let's open the secret realm." Yun Qingzi stood up, formed a hand seal, and sent a profound rune into a certain place in the hall.

Rumbling--

The floor in the center of the main hall slowly cracked open, revealing a staircase leading downwards to an ancient stone door. The surface of the stone door was covered with the marks of time, and a huge "青" (qing, meaning green) character was carved in the center.

"The Azure Cloud Secret Realm can only be open for one hour each time. Once the time is up, you will be teleported out no matter where you are." Yun Qingzi solemnly instructed, "There are both opportunities and dangers in the secret realm, so act according to your abilities. Remember, only by living can you have a future."

"Your disciple will remember this."

The three of them ascended the steps one by one and arrived at the stone gate. Yun Qingzi formed a hand seal again, and the character "青" on the stone gate lit up with a dazzling blue light, slowly opening.

Behind the door was a chaotic vortex, obscuring the view inside.

Ye Wuhen was the first to step in, his figure disappearing instantly. Mu Qingxue glanced at Su Han, then followed him inside.

Su Han took a deep breath, gripped the Tianya Sword tightly, and stepped into the vortex.

A dizzying sensation washed over him, as if he had passed through a long tunnel. He didn't know how much time had passed before his feet found solid ground, and Su Han realized he was standing on a grassy field.

The scene before him shocked him—

The sky was not the familiar blue, but a pale cyan. Three bright moons of different sizes hung high in the sky, casting a cool, clear light. In the distance, mountains rose and fell, covered with towering trees. Many of the plants were species never seen before, some as clear as crystal, others with star-like sparkles among their branches and leaves.

The most striking feature is the dense star power in the air, which is almost solidified. With each breath, a large amount of star power surges into the body, more than ten times faster than outside!
"This is the Azure Cloud Secret Realm." Su Han felt the active circulation of star power within his body and was filled with excitement.

"Don't be too happy yet," her senior sister's voice rang out. "The secret realm is wonderful, but it also harbors hidden dangers. Look at the area three hundred paces to your left."

Following the direction, Su Han saw faint silver patterns shimmering on the seemingly ordinary patch of grass. He wouldn't have noticed it at all if his senior sister hadn't pointed it out.

“That’s ‘Sky-Splitting Grass.’ It looks ordinary, but once you get within three zhang, it will cause spatial rifts that are difficult for anyone below the Star King level to withstand.”

Su Han felt a chill run down her spine and quickly memorized the location.

"Keep going forward. I sense a strong surge of sword intent from the northeast; it should be the Sword Dao Stele Forest left by our patriarch," his senior sister guided him. Su Han unleashed his movement technique and sped off towards the northeast. Along the way, he witnessed many wondrous sights—glowing rivers, floating mountains, and even a forest where each tree seemed to be playing a different melody.
Half an hour later, he arrived at a valley.

At the entrance of the valley stood a stone tablet inscribed with the words "Sword Tomb." The characters were vigorous and powerful, each stroke seemingly embodying a sharp sword intent. Just looking at these two characters, Su Han felt his own sword intent stirred.

As he entered the valley, the sight before him made him hold his breath—

Thousands of stone tablets stand in the valley, each inscribed with different sword techniques, sword intents, or insights into the way of the sword. Some tablets exude soaring sword energy, some are as serene as water, some are as fiery as fire, and some are as cold as frost.
At the center of all the stone tablets, nine colossal tablets, each ten feet tall, were arranged in a ring, radiating a chilling aura of power.

"This is the Azure Cloud Sword Stele Forest." Senior Sister's voice was filled with nostalgia. "For four thousand years, countless sword cultivators have sought enlightenment here. The nine giant steles in the center are said to have been erected by the patriarch himself, containing nine supreme sword intents."

Su Han approached the first giant stele, which bore only one word: "Fast".

A single, simple word, yet it seemed to contain all the truths about speed. Su Han glanced at it and felt countless sword shadows flash before his eyes, each sword moving with extreme speed, faster than a fleeting light, faster than thought, faster than time itself.
He quickly closed his eyes; cold sweat had already seeped from his forehead.

"What terrifying sword intent! Just one word almost made me lose my composure."

“That’s ‘Extreme Speed ​​Sword Intent,’ one of the Nine Swords of the Ancestral Master,” Senior Sister said. “With your current cultivation level, you’re already at your limit just to understand one character. Go and study the ordinary sword tablets around you first.”

Su Han nodded and walked to a stone tablet next to him, which was engraved with a flowing water pattern. The sword intent on this stone tablet was much gentler, depicting the "flowing water sword intent," which emphasizes using softness to overcome hardness and continuous flow.

He sat cross-legged in front of the monument, immersing himself in its contents.

Time flew by as he pondered the Dao. Su Han studied each stele one by one, his swordsmanship improving at a visible pace. His understanding of sword intent was no longer limited to "life" and "destruction," but began to touch upon more dimensions—speed, power, illusion and reality, hardness and softness, yin and yang.
With each inscription he studied, his sword mind became clearer and his sword intent became more solid.

After an unknown amount of time, when he comprehended the seventy-third stone tablet, the star wheel within his body suddenly trembled violently!
"I'm about to break through!" Su Han was overjoyed, but he dared not be careless. He quickly activated the mental technique in the Azure Cloud Sword Manual, guiding the surging star power to break through the bottleneck.

The transition from the Star Wheel Realm to the Star Palace Realm is a crucial hurdle on the path of Star Cultivation. The Star Wheel is the condensation of Star Power, while the Star Palace is the sublimation of Star Power—it requires creating an independent space within the dantian to nurture the Star Soul and support a higher level of Star Power.

The process of opening a star palace is extremely dangerous; the slightest mistake can shatter one's dantian and destroy all one's cultivation.

Su Han held his breath and concentrated, compressing all his star power to the extreme, transforming it into an invisible sword, and thrusting it fiercely towards a certain spot in his dantian!

boom!
A deafening roar erupted in his mind, as if the heavens and earth had been created. A point of light shone in his dantian, rapidly expanding into the nascent form of a phantom palace. The palace was entirely azure, with three levels, each corresponding to a minor realm within the Star Palace Realm.

The Star Palace is complete!
Vast stellar energy surged in from all directions, pouring into the newly formed star palace. The palace gradually solidified from its illusory state, eventually becoming completely stable.

Su Han opened his eyes, two beams of light flashing and disappearing in an instant. He felt the surging power within his body, at least five times stronger than before! More importantly, he could clearly sense the flow of stellar energy between heaven and earth, and his understanding of the laws had reached a new level.

"I've finally broken through to the early stage of the Star Palace Realm." He let out a long sigh of relief. (End of Chapter)