From Five Animal Exercises to being hailed as a saint and ancestor

As dawn broke, the last vestiges of night dispelled the darkness over the royal city.

Qinglu Villa awakens in the morning glow, the air filled with the fresh scent of newly blooming flowers.

Xuan Yuanpo pushed open the door, took a deep breath, and felt a rare sense of comfort in his chest.

Since having a long talk with Yao Mengkang last night and clearing up his mind, he unusually did not meditate all night, but instead truly relaxed his mind and fell into a deep sleep.

I woke up feeling refreshed and invigorated.

The fatigue and anxiety of the past few days vanished, and even the obsession with that unattainable Chaos Chakra faded considerably.

He stood in the courtyard, feeling the flawless, boundless power of his own twelfth-level peak cultivation flowing quietly within his body.

At this moment, he was at peace and his eyes were clear. Although he had not made a breakthrough, he felt as if he had been relieved of a heavy burden and had a feeling of being refreshed.

However, this morning tranquility did not last long.

A slightly noisy argument came from the direction of Yao Mengkang's residence.

Xuanyuan Po frowned slightly and walked over.

Outside Yao Mengkang's courtyard gate, led by Li Xiang, an inner court disciple, and accompanied by two or three other inner court disciples with considerable auras, they were blocking Yao Mengkang at the entrance, creating a tense atmosphere.

"Yao Mengkang, don't push your luck!" Li Xiang crossed his arms, raised his chin high, and spoke with obvious impatience.

"Vice Dean Xiao has already informed us that you will be participating in the Spirit Sea Realm assessment with our Inner Academy!"

Do you know what this means?

This means you're going to drag our entire inner court team down!

A tall, thin inner court disciple chimed in:

"Exactly! Although Vice Dean Xiao explained that your encounter with danger at Baiwei City was understandable."

"But that's no excuse for you to show off!"

"How dare a newbie like you, who has just broken through to the Spirit Sea Realm, interfere in the assessment?"

"If you know what's good for you, go to the vice dean and tell him you're giving up this assessment and will have to wait another three years! Don't tarnish the reputation of our inner academy!"

It turned out that early this morning, Xiao Yunhai had summoned the inner disciples and announced the decision that Yao Mengkang would participate in the Spirit Sea Realm assessment with them.

It also briefly mentioned the experiences of the outer court disciples in Baiwei City.

However, this explanation not only failed to quell the dissatisfaction of the inner court disciples, but instead aroused even stronger resistance.

They couldn't accept an outer court disciple who had just broken through by sheer luck standing shoulder to shoulder with them, the geniuses who had honed their skills in the Spirit Sea Realm for many years. They were even more worried that the disciple would drag down the overall performance.

Yao Mengkang looked at them calmly, without getting angry, and simply said:

"The matter of the assessment will be decided by the academy and the vice dean."

"Now that I have made a breakthrough, I should naturally participate in the corresponding assessment. How can you say I'm a burden?"

"Hmph! Sharp-tongued!"

Seeing that Yao Mengkang was unyielding, Li Xiang became furious and was about to utter more harsh words when he caught sight of Xuan Yuanpo walking over and immediately turned his attention to him.

"Oh? Isn't this the so-called former top student of the Foreign Languages ​​Department? What, are you here to back up your 'good junior brother'?"

"Two ignorant fools, do they really think they can turn the world upside down?"

Xuan Yuanpo walked closer, his gaze sweeping over Li Xiang and the others. His eyes were calm and unwavering, yet they exuded an undeniable certainty.

"I am well aware of Senior Brother Yao's strength."

"If he participates, he won't hold anyone back. It's you guys who are..."

He looked at Li Xiang, his tone slightly cold.

"If you are strong enough, why fear others joining you?"

Li Xiang was speechless at his words, and immediately became furious and retorted with a sarcastic remark:

"Xuanyuan Po! Who do you think you are? A piece of trash at the Qi Opening Realm, you dare to point fingers here?"

"Are all you outer disciples as narrow-minded as you, like a frog in a well?"

Xuan Yuanpo's eyes suddenly turned cold.

If it had been before yesterday, upon hearing such an insult, he probably would have already unleashed his sword energy.

But at this moment, though he was furious, he remained unusually calm, staring coldly at Li Xiang and saying, word by word:

"With your level of inner disciple skills, you probably wouldn't last more than a few moves against Senior Brother Yao."

"I really don't know where your sense of superiority comes from."

"You're asking for it!"

Li Xiang was completely enraged. The aura of the fourth level of the spiritual sea suddenly erupted from his body, and a sharp metal spiritual power pierced towards Xuan Yuanpo like a needle!

"A piece of trash at the Opening Meridian Realm dares to presume to comment on the Spirit Sea Battle?"

"Today, on behalf of your teachers, I'll teach you a lesson about the proper order of respect!"

Just as a conflict was about to erupt, several powerful auras rapidly approached from afar.

"stop!"

"presumptuous!"

A reprimand rang out at the same time.

Vice Deans Shangguan Hong and Xiao Yunhai, along with Elder Yao Qin and several deacons, had already arrived at the scene.

Clearly, the commotion here had already alerted them.

Xiao Yunhai glared at Li Xiang with displeasure:

"What kind of behavior is this!"

Shangguan Hong's gaze fell on Xuan Yuanpo, with a hint of inquiry.

Xuanyuan Po nodded almost imperceptibly to him, his eyes firm, indicating that he had no problem.

Upon seeing the elders arrive, Li Xiang's arrogance subsided slightly, but he remained unconvinced and pointed at Xuan Yuanpo, saying to Xiao Yunhai:

"Vice Dean, you saw it too! This Xuan Yuanpo is arrogant and conceited, daring to look down on the senior brothers of the inner courtyard. This disciple humbly requests permission to spar with him."

"Let him know his place!"

Before Xiao Yunhai could speak, Xuan Yuanpo stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to the two vice deans, and spoke in a clear and melodious voice that resonated throughout the hall.

"Disciple Xuan Yuanpo requests to challenge Senior Brother Li Xiang of the Inner Court!"

"With his abilities, let alone Senior Brother Yao, he probably couldn't even defeat me, a cultivator at the Opening Meridian Realm. What right does he have to criticize others?"

These words shocked everyone present! A cultivator at the Opening Meridian Realm actively challenging a cultivator at the mid-stage of the Spirit Sea Realm? This was simply unheard of!

Li Xiang was so angry that his face turned ashen and his whole body trembled.

"Good! Good! Good! You asked for this! Vice Dean Xiao, please allow this disciple to accept the challenge. He will surely pay the price for his arrogance today!"

Shangguan Hong and Xiao Yunhai exchanged a glance, their eyes conveying a mutual understanding and a decision.

Xiao Yunhai nodded slightly and said in a deep voice:

"If that's the case, then so be it. Stop when you've made your point; don't harm their very life."

The group immediately headed to the training ground.

Yao Mengkang and the other ten outer disciples who rushed to the scene stood outside the arena, watching the battle quietly.

Zhou Tiancan, Mu Qingqing, Wang Le, Huo Ling'er and the others all had a look of concern and a hint of doubt on their faces.

The duel begins!

Li Xiang could no longer contain himself. As soon as Xiao Yunhai finished speaking, he roared and moved like lightning. His palms gleamed with a metallic sheen and, with a sharp whistling sound that tore through the air, he aimed straight for Xuan Yuanpo's chest!

He immediately launched a ruthless killing move, clearly intending to end the battle quickly.

Faced with the fierce attack of a mid-stage Spirit Sea Realm cultivator, Xuan Yuanpo remained expressionless and did not even draw his sword immediately.

With a subtle movement of his feet, his figure moved like snowflakes in the wind, narrowly avoiding the sharp palms.

At the same time, with fingers pointing like a sword, an extremely condensed icy sword aura struck first, aiming at Li Xiang's wrist acupoint!

"Huh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Shangguan Hong's eyes as he watched the battle. Yao Mengkang also raised an eyebrow slightly.

Junior Brother Xuanyuan's sword intent... has changed.

It's no longer the "aloofness" that purely pursues extreme cold and sharpness, but rather has a touch more... roundness?

It's as if the earth itself supports the snow and ice.

The moves were still sharp, but they were less deliberate and more natural.

Shangguan Hong thought to himself, "This boy... has his mental state broken through?"

"The sword moves with the heart, the will and body are one; how could someone at the Opening Meridian realm handle a mid-stage Spirit Sea attack with such effortless ease?"

"This grasp of the battle situation and understanding of swordsmanship far surpasses that of ordinary cultivators at the Opening Meridian Realm!"

Xiao Yunhai's eyes narrowed slightly. "This Xuan Yuanpo certainly has the right to be arrogant."

"To fight a battle at the Spirit Sea level while having opened the Meridians, and yet not be at a disadvantage?"

"His foundation is so solid and his swordsmanship so exquisite that it is truly rare."

"It seems unlikely that Li Xiang will be able to take it easily."

Zhou Tiancan scratched his head: "Why do I feel like Xuanyuan Po's sword isn't as cold as it used to be? But it seems even more powerful?"

Mu Qingqing's beautiful eyes sparkled: "His sword is no longer so lonely, as if... it has found some kind of support."

Wang Le whispered, "Unburden yourself from your heart, and your sword will be clear and bright; naturally, you will become stronger."

On the field, Li Xiang became increasingly alarmed as the game progressed.

He discovered that his signature sharp metal palm strike was repeatedly neutralized or deflected by Xuan Yuanpo's seemingly effortless, icy sword energy.

The opponent's movements were unpredictable, and the trajectory of his sword finger was cunning and ruthless.

They can always attack when his old strength has just faded and his new strength has not yet emerged, so they can strike when he is about to be defended.

Despite being far superior to the opponent in terms of skill level, he felt a sense of frustration, as if he had no way to use his strength!

However, although Xuan Yuanpo's grasp of the battle situation and understanding of swordsmanship far surpassed Li Xiang's, the two were still a whole realm apart.

Xuanyuan Po's face paled, clearly indicating that he had consumed even more energy.

"asshole!"

Unable to gain the upper hand after a prolonged attack, Li Xiang lost face and roared angrily. His spiritual power surged wildly, and his palms shone brightly with golden light, clearly indicating that he was about to unleash an even stronger killing move.

However, just as his momentum reached its peak, a glint flashed in Xuan Yuanpo's eyes, and the Frostmark Sword, which had never been drawn, finally let out a clear and melodious hum!

"Zheng—!"

The sword light was like water, icy cold, yet it also possessed an unprecedented clarity and agility!

No longer a simple, cold, and lifeless scene, the sword light seemed to reflect mountains, rivers, and the warmth of human life, ultimately returning to the extreme cold and sharpness!

This sword strike is no longer the solitary "I am the sword," but rather the all-encompassing and sublimated "the sword is me, and I am all things!"

Li Xiang felt a blur before his eyes, and countless sword shadows enveloped his vital points. The chilling sword intent penetrated his soul, causing his surging spiritual power to stagnate!

"not good!"

He was horrified and hastily thrust out both palms, attempting to meet the attack head-on.

"Sizzle!"