The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

In Shu, at the Jade Purity Sword Ruins.

The "Broken Sword Cliff" on the back mountain is a secluded and forbidden area.

Yuqing Sword Ruins, one of the most famous sword-cultivation holy lands in the era of swordsmanship, was once renowned throughout the world for its "Yuqing Sword Intent".

After the spiritual energy was restored, this place was also among the first ancient secret realms to be revived. The mountain gate reappeared, the sword stele was restored, and although the number of disciples was not as great as in ancient times, the area was gradually recovering.

Broken Sword Cliff is the core secluded training ground of Sword Ruins. The cliff face is steep as if cut by a sword, barren of any vegetation, with only countless remnants of sword intent, some ancient, some sharp, and some incomplete, forming a natural sword field.

Ordinary monks would find even breathing painful here.

It was noon on this day.

Deep within Broken Sword Cliff, the stone gate of the cave, which had been silent for several years and sealed by countless ancient sword talismans, suddenly began to shake violently!

"Buzz!"

A deep yet penetrating sword cry emanated from within the stone gate. Initially faint, it instantly rose in pitch, transforming into a clear and resonant cry like the roar of a dragon and the howl of a tiger, echoing throughout the entire Jade Purity Sword Ruins!

Immediately afterwards, a pure, refined, silver-white sword aura, seemingly capable of severing all illusions and obstacles in the world, burst forth from the crack in the cave and soared straight into the sky!

Sword energy soared into the sky, stirring up the wind and clouds!

Above Broken Sword Cliff, the once clear sky instantly changed color, and the clouds were cut and reassembled by the invisible sword energy, turning into countless fine, fish-scale-like sword-shaped clouds!

Sunlight shines on it, reflecting thousands of cold rays, chilling and intimidating!

The intense sword intent pressure poured down from the cliff top like a tide, enveloping the entire Sword Ruins Mountain Gate!

All the disciples who carried swords, regardless of their cultivation level, had their swords—whether at their waists, on their backs, or in their storage spaces—humming and trembling under the strain, as if they were surrendering to that soaring sword energy!

Some disciples with shallow cultivation were so overwhelmed by this pure sword intent that their faces turned pale and they almost couldn't stand up!

"It's Grandmaster Pei! Grandmaster Pei has emerged from seclusion!"

One of the core disciples shouted excitedly.

"Such powerful sword intent! It's purer and more refined than before my seclusion!"

"It seems we've already reached the Nascent Soul stage!"

An elder at the Golden Core stage looked up at the sword energy, his old face filled with excitement and shock.

"Sword energy soared into the sky, stirring up the heavens! Is this a sign that I'm about to break through to the 'Nascent Soul' stage?"

"Grandmaster Pei truly deserves to be called the first genius of the Sword Dao era to break through to the Nascent Soul stage!"

"Reincarnated and returning, still leading the era!" Another elder's voice trembled.

The entire Jade Purity Sword Ruins, from elders to outer disciples, was in an uproar!

Pei Hanchuan, a legendary ancestor from the ancient Jade Purity Sword Ruins, was the first peerless sword immortal to step into the Divine Transformation Realm in the Sword Dao Era. He once led righteous sword cultivators single-handedly to withstand the allied forces of the Demonic Sect for three years in the "Sword Burial Valley" without being defeated.

Its "Cold River Sword Intent" freezes thousands of miles, making the demonic path tremble with fear!

His reincarnation, since awakening after the revival of spiritual energy, has been in seclusion at Broken Sword Cliff, striving to reach a higher realm. He is the greatest hope and source of confidence for everyone in Sword Ruins!

Now, after years of seclusion, his sword energy soars to the heavens, and he is about to break through the barriers, possibly even triggering a heavenly tribulation and stepping into the Nascent Soul realm.

In modern times, the half-step Nascent Soul stage is the peak. If one can break through it, it will be a magnificent feat of breaking the shackles of heaven and earth. How can one not be extremely excited?

Soon, led by the current sect leader of Sword Ruins, the late-stage Golden Core cultivator "True Man Yuheng," dozens of core elders and true disciples arrived at the foot of Broken Sword Cliff, waiting with excited and respectful expressions.

Even Ye Li, who was on a mission in southern Xinjiang and received an urgent message, watched this scene with tension and anticipation through remote video.

Pei Hanchuan is not only the founder of Yuqing Sword Ruins, but also her mentor in this life!

If Master can break through, it will be of great significance to the entire Sword Ruins and to her own life!

Amidst the continuous clanging of swords and the tremors, the stone door of the cave slowly opened inward.

A purer, colder sword intent, seemingly capable of freezing the soul, mixed with a long-sealed, ancient aura, emanated from the cave.

A figure slowly emerged from the depths of the cave.

He looked to be around thirty years old, with a stern face, sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose, and lips pressed into a cold, hard line.

He wore a faded blue sword robe with an antique style, and a long sword with a sheath casually hung at his waist. The sheath was made of ordinary ebony and had no decoration.

It was Pei Hanchuan.

He stood at the entrance of the cave, bathed in the light and shadow of soaring sword energy and countless sword-shaped clouds. His cold and handsome face seemed even more angular than before he went into seclusion.

His eyes were deep and cold like a pool, and his aura was harmonious and restrained, yet it also faintly revealed a sharpness that was about to emerge from its cocoon.

Although he deliberately concealed the pressure emanating from the half-step Nascent Soul cultivator, it still caused the Golden Core cultivators, including True Person Yuheng, below the cliff to feel a sense of unease.

"Congratulations, Grandmaster Pei, on breaking through your cultivation barrier!"

The people below the cliff, along with Ye Li who was watching from a distance, bowed in unison, their voices filled with excitement and reverence.

Pei Hanchuan's gaze slowly swept over the crowd below the cliff, and he nodded slightly in response.

His eyes were calm and still, revealing little joy at his departure from seclusion. Instead, they carried a detached indifference as if he had seen through the ways of the world, and a faint, almost imperceptible, inquiry as if he were searching for something.

"Li'er".

He spoke, his voice like ice water striking stone, clear and magnetic, "Come closer."

Ye Li, who was in the remote video, perked up. Her master was the first to call her!

She quickly transmitted her real-time high-definition video and audio to a large jade disc that had been set up in front of Broken Sword Cliff via encrypted communication.

"Disciple Ye Li greets Master! Congratulations on your great progress in cultivation!"

Ye Li's image bowed respectfully.

Pei Hanchuan looked at the disciple's still aloof face on the jade wall, a barely perceptible hint of tenderness flashing in his eyes, but his tone remained calm: "I am already aware of the matter in the Southern Frontier."

"You did well. The path of cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation; one cannot be constantly tense."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master," Ye Li replied.

Pei Hanchuan seemed to want to ask something else, about the current situation in the outside world, the depth of the spiritual energy revival, and some unusual "existence" that he vaguely sensed.

Just then, a mountain breeze blew by, accidentally illuminating the screen of a portable e-reader that a young disciple below the cliff hadn't yet put away.

The disciple was using the waiting time to read the latest chapter of "The Autobiography of Empress Wu Minghuang," with the screen frozen on the illustration of Chen Xiang drawing a golden line and guarding the national gate.

A figure in a green robe, with pale gold borders, turned his back to the mortal realm and faced the immortal sect directly.

The scene, the atmosphere, even from a distance, even just a fleeting glimpse, carried an indescribable impact.

Pei Hanchuan's gaze inadvertently swept over the screen.

His body suddenly froze!

The indifference on his face, the depth in his eyes, the refined yet subtly sharp aura emanating from him...

In that instant, it felt as if I was completely frozen by an invisible, ancient, primordial cold current!

Time seemed to stand still for a few seconds at that moment.

The excited crowd below the cliff and Ye Li, who was waiting for her master's questioning on the jade wall, all keenly noticed Pei Hanchuan's sudden and extremely abnormal stiffness.

"Grandmaster?"

Master Yuheng called out softly, puzzled.

Pei Hanchuan did not react.