During the Qin Dynasty, he was in charge of the net.

Li Ji never expected that the Broken Water Sword, one of the Eight Swords of the King of Yue, would be placed in such a place.

A small sword niche, like a closed stone chamber, was extremely dark inside, with the faint sound of water dripping from the cracks in the rocks.

As soon as Li Ji entered the sword niche, he was drawn to a strangely shaped sword.

The sword was thick and ancient, its blade covered in cracks, and it stood upright in the ground.

One of the Eight Swords of Yue: Cutting Water!

Previously, when Li Ji approached the sword niches of Jing Ni and Han Chan, he did not choose to go in.

He chose to leave because he sensed that the aura of the Jingni Sword seemed to clash with the Yue She Hua Jiao technique he was cultivating.

The aura of the Frost Cicada Sword was too cold, seemingly containing the power of ice, which happened to somewhat counter Li Ji's Netherwater True Qi, so he gave up on it.

Finally, Li Ji arrived at the Broken Water Sword Shrine.

Just by getting close, Li Ji could feel that the Ming Shui Seed in his dantian was circulating three times faster than before.

Could the Water-Severing Sword accelerate his cultivation of the Transformation from Snake to Dragon Technique?

To verify this conjecture, Li Ji resolutely chose to enter the Broken Water Sword Niche.

Just as Li Ji was completely distracted by the water shortage, a figure emerged from the darkness.

The next moment, a long sword covered in rust pierced straight towards Li Ji's chest.

Fast, extremely fast!

Before Li Ji could react, the sword had already pierced through his chest.

Then Li Ji's body suddenly exploded, turning into a cloud of water mist.

Li Ji appeared about ten feet away.

Li Ji's face was somewhat gloomy. If he hadn't mastered the fourth stage of the Yue Snake Transformation Dragon Technique and dodged with a water elemental phantom, that sword would have already pierced him.

Li Ji looked into the darkness and saw an old man standing in the corner.

His clothes were tattered like a beggar's, he was emaciated, and his hair and beard were tangled like withered grass, covering most of his face.

He lowered his head, holding an unsheathed longsword in his arms.

Li Ji was surprised. No one would have thought that an old man was hidden in the Broken Water Sword Niche.

What is the relationship between this old man and the broken water sword stuck in the ground?

No one could answer the questions in Li Ji's mind.

At this moment, the old man slowly raised his head.

His eyes were sunken and cloudy, devoid of any fierce light or hatred, only a numbness and emptiness like stagnant water in an ancient well.

He looked at Li Ji, his voice hoarse and dry, like metal scraping together:

"You want to take this 'Water-Cutting Sword'?"

You can... kill me... or... leave your bones here with me...

As the old man finished speaking, the surrounding air suddenly shattered.

There was no roar, no howl, only a gaunt figure, faster than a shadow, hurtling along the ground.

Fast, so fast it's almost imperceptible to the naked eye!

The old man's speed was nothing like his aged appearance; his sword moved silently, its angle as cunning as a venomous snake biting at the heart, aimed straight at Li Ji's throat.

The essence of this sword strike is "cutting off water".

Cutting off the water flow silently, yet harboring deadly intent.

Li Ji's pupils suddenly contracted.

The long sword pierced straight into Li Ji's throat.

The next second, Li Ji's figure exploded again, turning into a puddle of water.

Li Ji then appeared about ten feet away from where he had been standing.

It was too fast, so fast that Li Ji couldn't even make a move.

He could conjure a water-shaped hand in less than a breath, but the blindfolded old man's sword could pierce him in a tenth of a breath.

The problem is that each time he uses the Water Elemental Avatar, it consumes one-tenth of his Netherworld True Qi.

Just as Li Ji was pondering how to deal with his opponent, the blindfolded old man moved again.

Almost as soon as Li Ji regained his footing, the blindfolded old man's longsword pierced into Li Ji's skull like a shadow.

A cloud of water vapor exploded again.

This time, Li Ji did not retreat, but instead looked at the Broken Water Sword stuck in the center of the sword niche.

The next instant, when Li Ji's figure reappeared, he was beside the Broken Water Sword.

Without any hesitation, Li Ji pulled out the Broken Water Sword stuck in the ground.

In an instant, the world in Li Ji's eyes changed.

The swaying figures, the dappled light, the dripping water—all were slowed down infinitely.

The trails of dust particles drifting in the air, and every texture of the surrounding stone walls, are all clearly visible.

Everything around us, from its vague appearance, is stripped away and broken down into its purest form.

"Ding!"

A very slight, crisp sound rang out in front of Li Ji.

For the first time, Li Ji captured the trajectory of the blindfolded old man's longsword.

The two swords, imbued with the true meaning of "severing water," clashed. There were no sparks flying, only a chilling, sharp feeling that seemed capable of cutting off life.

The next moment, both sides moved.

This small sword niche has now become a world filled only with the light of swords.

The two figures transformed into two blurry gray shadows.

In just a short while, the two had already unleashed hundreds or even thousands of sword strikes.

The old man's every move was deadly, his sword intent condensed to the extreme, each strike carrying the killing intent and despair accumulated over decades of sitting in meditation.

His swordsmanship is not fancy, only the purest "water-cutting" – severing life force without leaving a trace.

In the thousands of exchanges of blows, Li Ji's figure exploded five more times.

He only had the last 20% of his Netherworld True Qi left.

The blindfolded old man, however, remained unharmed.

Time seemed to be compressed and stretched at this moment, because in just a moment, both sides could unleash hundreds of sword lights at the same time.

Just as the blindfolded old man made a strange spin and thrust out a deadly sword, aiming for Li Ji's heart.

Li Ji made a completely illogical move: instead of retreating, he advanced!

Instead of using his water elemental avatar to evade the attack, he took the blindfolded old man's sword strike head-on with his physical form.

puff!

He narrowly escaped the fatal sword tip from grazing his heart and ribs.

A sharp pain shot through him, but he endured it, his left hand gripping the old man's sword-wielding wrist like an iron clamp.

A hint of surprise finally flashed in the old man's cloudy eyes.

In that fraction of a second of astonishment the old man felt, the longsword in Li Ji's hand erupted with a pure, chilling killing intent.

Cut off the water!

The longsword slashed upwards from beneath the old man's wide-open ribs before he could react.

"Sizzle!" A faint tearing sound rang out.

Li Jisong drew his sword, took a step back, and blood stained his black clothes.

The blindfolded old man stood frozen in place, his withered body swaying slightly.

A very thin line of blood spread from his lower abdomen to his right shoulder, running diagonally across his entire body.

The sword that had been broken through the water fell to the ground with a clang.

He looked down at his cracked body, and a hint of relief seemed to flash in his cloudy eyes.

His lips moved but no sound came out. Then they lost all their luster and collapsed backward like a rag doll.

Inside the stone chamber, only Li Ji's heavy breathing and the sound of dripping blood could be heard.

Li Ji slowly walked to the old man's body.

He reached out his uninjured hand and grasped the hilt of the Broken Water Sword, which was deeply embedded in the ground.

It feels icy to the touch, not the coldness of metal, but a chill that seems to sever life.

A faint yet extremely pure "Severing Water" sword intent flowed into his body through his arm. Instead of strongly repelling the Ming Shui True Qi in his dantian, it began to intertwine and merge with him.

No suppression was needed; the sword had already accepted him.