Ten Directions Sword Master

Chapter 69 The Strongest Monster in the Secret Realm

Lu Li remained silent, pondering the vast difference in fortune between people.

These two mandarin duck short swords are exquisitely crafted, with two jade rabbits flying to the moon engraved on the hilts, making them excellent and high-quality weapons.

It's rare to find a pair of swords together, so their value would be even higher.

"Stay close behind me. Something has changed in the secret realm. Yingtian Academy must have other purposes. When you are teleported out, remember to stay away from Zhai Xiao and find Dean Yu's location first."

Lu Li briefly described Kong Zhao's situation, lamenting that he hadn't met Nan Henshui, and hoping that he could have the same luck as Junior Sister Song.

"There's such a twist—Senior Brother Lu, are you saying that Kong Zhao launched a sneak attack first, but you still managed to kill him?"

Song Yuming realized what was going on, saw the problem, and stared with her clear black and white eyes, shouting with a hint of excitement.

Kong Zhao was only slightly weaker than Jiang Linhai back then, and after several months, his strength will only increase.

"Not long after entering the secret realm, I suddenly had an epiphany and directly advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage."

This level of cultivation couldn't be hidden, nor was there any need to conceal it; Lu Li simply rearranged the time sequence.

First, Jin established his foundation, then he beheaded Kong Zhao. It doesn't sound so terrifying.

"Senior Brother Lu's talent is outstanding; even those at the top of the rankings are no better than him—"

Song Yuming exclaimed in amazement, saying that she had traveled all over the country with her parents since she was a child and had seen the customs and scenery of several counties.

"Among all the people I have met, apart from the only son of that Lingnan charlatan, there should be no one who can rival him."

Seeing Lu Li's blank expression, knowing that this senior brother was devoted to the sword path and had no knowledge of the younger generation of masters in the world, he quickly added a sentence.

"I was once ranked ninth on the list, but I was removed from the list two years ago due to age. That time, my father was invited to fight against the pirates and took me with him. I met him once."

Seeing that Song Yuming was in low spirits, fearing that she was recalling painful memories, Lu Li quickly changed the subject: "Junior Sister Song, do you know the two strongest demons in the Crimson Fire Secret Realm?"

"The Northern White Dragon, the Southern Old Ape—the academy instructors repeated this to themselves five or six times before we set off; my ears were practically calloused from hearing it so much!"

"Song Yuming said crisply."

"Why did you suddenly bring this up, Senior Brother Lu? We live quite close to the old ape, but it's docile and never attacks us unprovoked."

"You want to challenge that old ape?"

Lu Li nodded. A disciple of the academy might not get to experience the opening of a secret realm even once in their lifetime.

Just like the time thirty years ago, Gu Jingyu happened to miss it.

Those who are fortunate enough to enter only obtain one body-strengthening technique before leaving; what others think is unknown.

But he didn't want to leave this regret behind, and every time he was alone at night, he would ask himself if his life would have been different if he had taken one more step.

Human life is but a hundred years, and even the most accomplished masters live no more than two hundred years.

With the Nebula Compass, he faced many more tribulations than ordinary people, but at the same time, he also had more room for error.

If you want to reach the top, you still have to be fast, faster than the river of time chasing you.

"I heard from the dean that if there were no restrictions from the secret realm, Bai Qiu's strength might be even greater—but in this environment, the lower the cultivation ceiling, the more powerful the old ape becomes, and the more fully its martial arts skills can be displayed."

Song Yuming did not say it explicitly, but expressed her opinion through the dean's words.

"The dean said that the white ape has ten thousand years of martial arts experience, which he has honed to perfection. At the same level of cultivation, no one would dare to claim victory lightly."

Even the dean said that, despite both being at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he might not be able to defeat the white ape.

Lu Li had just broken through; to outsiders, it had only been a few days, and he hadn't even consolidated his realm yet.

It would be utterly unreasonable for them to win.

"It's alright. The white ape has never killed anyone. It's worth it to witness the skills of a martial arts master and observe the performance of various martial arts techniques after they have reached the pinnacle."

Lu Li didn't explain further and walked towards the library.

Stepping on the loose wooden planks, I climbed to the third floor of the attic and saw a white ape sitting cross-legged on the ground, with a long staff lying across its front.

His body was covered in white hair, and he held a scroll of scriptures in his hand. His eyes were raised, filled with a wise and divine light.

Upon seeing someone enter, he first put the scriptures back on the shelf before slowly raising the long stick.

With a tremor of his arms, the staff transformed into a pure white longsword.

The sword tip points to the ground, silently gazing at the opposite side.

Lu Li left Song Yuming outside, took a deep breath, and went inside.

As expected of the strongest demon spirit in the Crimson Fire Secret Realm, it has caused generations of academy disciples to return empty-handed.

It will use the martial art you are good at to defeat you.

Several proud and arrogant disciples of the four academies, watching the old ape go from clumsy imitation to surpassing them in just half an incense stick's time, became depressed and troubled afterward.

If it becomes a mental obstacle during a breakthrough, it will be difficult to achieve anything further.

At first glance, the white ape's aura was concealed, its strength unfathomable. It held the longsword as one with itself, without any flaws.

It was like facing a martial arts master, with extraordinary bearing.

Please advise.

Lu Li raised the cicada to eye level.

They abandoned their pursuit of the secret realm's treasures, forgot that there might be powerful figures from Yingtian Academy lying in ambush outside, and only their initial thoughts remained.

Observe the swordsmanship of a hundred schools, and hone your swordsmanship skills.

Only with passion for martial arts and a pursuit of the way of the sword.

A single sword strike, ever-changing, resembles a courtyard full of yellow leaves, a deep autumn scene.

The sword in the white ape's hand shimmered and swirled endlessly.

Both are extremely exquisite and complex sword techniques; when they clash, it's as if they are dancing and responding to each other.

The two sides reacted to each other's moves with lightning speed, exchanging countless sword techniques in a short period of time.

Apart from the true meaning of the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique, Lu Li had already used all the skills he had learned in his life.

Especially during the nine months spent in the world of the floating island, he browsed more than ten scrolls of sword techniques with different styles, and then calmed down to integrate them into his own.

His mastery of swordsmanship has more than doubled since he entered the secret realm.

Each time he changed his style, the white ape could immediately switch to a similar sword technique and gradually absorb it during the fight, making it his own.

You only realize how terrifying this learning ability is when you see it for yourself.

If it were him before, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the white ape's pace and would have to forcefully interrupt it with the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique.

In fact, purely from the perspective of winning, one should use the strongest sword move right from the start.

They didn't give the white apes any time to adapt; they dealt them a heavy blow to gain the upper hand.

But since the goal is to set aside external things and hone oneself by experiencing the pressure of a martial arts master from the white ape, one must naturally feel it carefully.

Despite the immense pressure from the white ape, Lu Li also made progress.

Those sword techniques that were only practiced a few times and briefly on the floating island were now mastered step by step.

It's not just about being able to control it, but about truly integrating it into the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique, making every sword strike as effortless and natural as a gazelle leaping over a cliff.

This is the true purpose of studying the swords of a hundred schools.

This is the fundamental reason why the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique can be called the most complex sword technique in the world.

Even though a sword manual has the alternation of the twenty-four solar terms, making people sigh in admiration, it is still not enough to surpass all other sword techniques without any suspense.

Only when it can absorb various sword techniques, incorporate them into the sword manual itself, and contribute to the formation of the twenty-four solar terms, will this work have no limit in terms of complexity.

This is the true meaning of "the art cannot be passed down personally, but can only be learned through the sword!"

As the situation became increasingly difficult and unfavorable, Lu Li's gaze grew even brighter, and his mind became completely absorbed.

Sword techniques from the Summer and Autumn branches have begun to be incorporated, not deliberately activated, but rather used spontaneously and perfectly integrated into the movements.

Often, when trailing by three points, a strategic move can bring them back to within two.

This cycle continues, and it seems they can keep going for a long time.

Song Yuming was overwhelmed by the sights, her eyes glazed over, completely absorbed in the moment.

She possesses family martial arts skills; her maternal grandfather was a master of Miao swordsmanship in Lingnan, while her mother abandoned the sword to learn the sword, and she and her husband were a famous pair of swordsmen in Guilin.

After arriving at Bailu Academy, the dean only guided her on problems in cultivation and questions about martial arts.

No changes were made to the original martial arts techniques.

"This swordsmanship... to possess such a swordsmanship at the Foundation Establishment stage! At this rate, if Senior Brother Lu were given a few more years, wouldn't he have a chance to break into the top ten of the Human Ranking!"

Song Yuming was quite knowledgeable and recognized the exquisite swordsmanship and profound meaning.

The old ape was the strongest demon spirit in the secret realm and a renowned martial arts master, so his performance was not surprising.

However, Lu Li has only been rising to prominence for a short time, and crucially, he has only been at the Foundation Establishment stage for less than two days. This has already surpassed the scope of ordinary geniuses.

It seems that the past few years were delayed due to some accident.

Otherwise, he should have already shone brightly, standing on the stage of the entire Great Chu, competing with all the young talents in the world for the most intense thirty-six positions.

The underground hall.

A scene of ruins and broken pillars, some of the stone pillars even cracked into several pieces, a testament to the devastating bombing they had endured.

It was plunged into complete darkness, with no light able to escape, all of it swallowed up completely.

Only the whistling sound of the bronze longsword piercing the air remained, just as steady and unhurried as it had been two days before.

The heavy breathing grew more and more rapid, interspersed with a few defiant roars. With a loud bang, a silvery-white light as thick as a bucket burst through the underground hall and began to fire wildly.

From one to ten, from ten to a hundred, the ground was blasted into countless holes.

Even the strongest fortress will melt under such an offensive.

The darkness was driven away, leaving only a corner, but a wisp of black line darted about, hiding at the edge of light and darkness.

Just as the silvery-white light was about to engulf everything, it suddenly lunged out, its sword strikes devoid of self, advancing without retreat.

despair!

With a soft sound, the black lotus, thick as a substance, exploded, and the entire underground hall was completely swallowed by death energy.

Silence fell again until a young man broke through the rocks and leaped out.

His outfit was tattered, and a few strands of white hair were visible at his temples, making him look much more mature.

His otherwise ordinary yet resolute face now exudes a charm born of experience.

"The lingering flames and qi, truly innate qi—haha, so what if the white dragon's spirit took human form? It still died before the secret realm closed!"

Zhai Xiao held a faint, almost imperceptible wisp of crimson light in his palm, which resembled either gas or mist.

It gives the feeling that it might go out at any moment, but it always manages to be reborn and reignite that little bit of light.

The most important treasure hidden in the Crimson Fire Secret Realm, of which only three portions of innate qi have been activated so far, was actually obtained by him.

"Only one last step remains. Once this item is brought back to the Great Zhou, our great undertaking will be accomplished!"

Even with his composure, he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion and was unable to control himself.

Take out a specially made box, which is neither gold, wood, nor jade, but is made of a very rare meteorite iron, specifically designed to store gas.

With a breath, the wisp of embers of calamity fire energy slowly drifted into the box and quietly settled.

Zhai Xiao put away the box, stopped moving, sat down, and waited for the closing point of the Crimson Fire Secret Realm to arrive.