I don't know how long it took. Ye Xuan opened his eyes slowly, as if he felt something. He sat up suddenly and said in disbelief:Have I reached the Qi Transformation Realm?"
Qi Transformation Realm!
At this moment, he could feel the flow of energy inside his body, but it wasn't just any energy, it was sword energy! Not only that, he could also sense a small silver sword suspended in his lower abdomen.
Suddenly, the voice of the mysterious woman rang out, "You have reached the Qi Transformation Realm."
He had indeed reached the Qi Transformation Realm!
Clenching his fists tightly, his whole body trembled slightly, not from anger, but from excitement. At this moment, it was as if he had suddenly seen a ray of light in the pitch-black abyss. After seeing hope in despair, how could he not be excited?
Most importantly, he now had the opportunity to reach the Qi Refining Realm, and then take his sister to the Imperial Capital's Cangmu Academy to seek medical treatment.
"What are you so excited about?"
The mysterious woman suddenly said, "But you've just begun."
Yuan Ye smiled awkwardly, "I'm sorry for being presumptuous in front of you."
The mysterious woman said, "Using a sword as your dantian compensates for your lack of a dantian, but there are also some drawbacks. Swords are divided into ordinary swords, spiritual swords, enlightened swords, true swords, heavenly swords, and immortal swords. The sword inside your body was once a true sword, but after being eroded by 1,200 years, its original 'truth' has dissipated. Not only that, even its sword heart has disappeared without a trace. It is now just a spiritual sword."
At this point, the mysterious woman paused slightly, then continued, "The spirit of a sword will one day disappear, and once it does, the sword will shatter, and the first one to die will be you!"
Yuan Ye's expression froze.
The mysterious woman said, "You have two ways to solve this problem. The first is to constantly search for new spiritual swords to devour. After devouring them, the sword's spiritual energy will not only enhance your own strength, but also replenish the spiritual power of the sword in your body. The second is to find a new sword to replace the one in your body. The better the sword, the better your dantian, and the better your strength. Of course, it seems that you are a poor devil who doesn't even have an ordinary sword!"
Ye Xuan seemed to have thought of something, and he quicklyDao: "There are three swords on the top of the tower. What level are they?"
Mysterious woman: "There is no level."
Ye Xuan: "..."
The mysterious woman continued, "Kid, I advise you not to think too much. If it weren't for the existence of these three swords, your world would have already perished. You don't need to worry about the swords for now. The most important thing is to practice your swordsmanship."
"Swordsmanship?" Ye Xuan asked.
"The sword is a deadly weapon. As a beginner, you need to focus on speed and strength. Use the sword technique that I have taught you to summon the sword within you," the mysterious woman said.
Ye Xuan was taken aback, then slowly closed his eyes. Soon, he opened his palms and a glimmer of sword light appeared, followed by a sword floating in the center of his palm. It was the silver Lingxiao sword inside his body.
"Senior, I can summon this sword?" Ye Xuan asked in surprise.
"Yes, but you should not use it for fighting. Once the sword is destroyed, you're done for. Now, you need an opponent. I'll find one for you," the mysterious woman said.
With the woman's voice, an illusory shadow appeared in front of Ye Xuan. The woman said, "This shadow is at the same level as you. Begin!"
As soon as the woman finished speaking, the shadow disappeared in front of Ye Xuan. His pupils contracted, and with instinctual reaction, he dodged to the side.However, the sword seemed to know he was going to dodge, and at the moment he dodged, it suddenly changed its attack.
As soon as Ye Xuan's feet landed, the sword directly pierced his chest!
Blood spilled out!
Ye Xuan was stunned for a moment, then said, "Senior, aren't we just practicing swordplay? Why are you really attacking me? Also, you haven't taught me any sword techniques or moves!"
The mysterious woman's voice suddenly turned cold, "Practicing swordplay? The most powerful sword techniques of a swordsman are never just learned through practice. The shadow in front of you is both your enemy and your teacher. If you're smart, it will teach you all the basic swordsmanship. Injuries are the best teachers, do you understand? As for sword techniques and moves, don't rush, building a strong foundation is the most important thing!"
Ye Xuan pondered for a moment, then nodded, "I understand."
After speaking, he suddenly pushed off with his right foot and charged out.
Inside the tower, Ye Xuan's injuries continued to mount, but he fought on courageously.
Fighting?
He was never afraid of it. He used to be the young master of the Ye family, often representing the family in life-and-death battles for its benefit, which is why he could withstand the elder of the Ye family who was at the Unyielding Realm.
His realm was not cultivated, it was fought for.
Gradually, Ye Xuan began to learn some of the shadow's sword techniques. Not only that, every time he was injured, he understood why he was injured and how he could avoid being injured again!
So, after three days of hard fighting, Ye Xuan's injuries gradually began to decrease.
Of course, he didn't learn any sword techniques, but he learned when to attack, when not to attack, when to block, when to dodge... but it was all at the cost of his own blood.
This kind of sparring, although cruel, was the most effective.
Two more days passed.
Now, Ye Xuan had begun to slowly counterattack. And when he did, he found that the shadow's defense was exceptionally good, much better than his previous defense.
For him, the shadow's defense was flawless. No matter how he attacked, the shadow could perfectly neutralize his attacks. Of course, for him, this was a good thing, because the shadow was essentially teaching him how to defend.As time passed, inside the tower, Ye Xuan almost forgot to eat and sleep while practicing with his shadow. During this period, his strength, speed, and reaction ability had improved tremendously compared to before. This discovery made Ye Xuan ecstatic, and he became even more obsessed with his training.
Outside, at Ye Mansion, Ye Ku walked into the room of the elder, with an excited smile on his face, "Elder, I have found out about the incident at Nanshan earlier. Although the assassin we sent was unable to kill Ye Xuan, a survivor from the Li family saw that his dantian was destroyed!"
Upon hearing this, the elder's eyes widened, "Are you sure?"
Ye Ku nodded, "Absolutely no mistake. I personally asked the survivor, and Ye Xuan's dantian was indeed destroyed."
"This is heaven's will to destroy Ye Xuan, haha..." The elder sneered in the room.
A shattered dantian!
If a person loses their dantian, they become a mere martial artist. Only with a dantian can one be considered a true warrior. Ye Xuan's shattered dantian could be said to have turned him into a cripple. Even if he had formidable combat power, he only had brute strength. Only by mastering qi could he be considered a truly powerful warrior.
After a moment, the elder spoke in a cold voice, "Ye Ku, gather everyone and eliminate him to prevent future troubles!"
However, the elder named Ye Ku shook his head and said, "We cannot do that!"The elder looked at Ye Ku, who solemnly said, "Elder, Ye Xuan has made many contributions to the Ye family. If we kill him now, it will make many people in the Ye clan feel uneasy. Moreover, Ye Lang has just become the heir, and he has a life-and-death pact with Ye Xuan. If we eliminate him now, what will outsiders think? They will surely believe that we were responsible for his death. Not only outsiders, but if the news spreads, the Li family will also make a big fuss about it!"
The elder furrowed his brow and asked, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Ye Ku smiled and said, "Doesn't Ye Lang have a life-and-death pact with him? When the time comes, Ye Lang can kill him, which will be justifiable. No one will say anything, and Ye Lang can establish his authority and gain fame in the Qingcheng area. Furthermore, even if the clan leader comes out of seclusion, he cannot say anything, right?"
The elder thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's a good idea. Besides, he has already shattered his dantian, so he's not much of a threat anymore."
At this point, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "However, don't let him have it too easy during this time. Spread the word that his monthly allowance and meals are suspended from now on. All the privileges and benefits of the heir are cancelled. He cannot enter the Ye family's martial arts hall and cannot leave the Ye mansion without permission. Also, stop his sister's medicine. Hmph, his sister's cold illness has cost us countless elixirs and herbs over the years. If it weren't for her past usefulness, I would have kicked her out of the Ye mansion long ago!"
Ye Ku smiled slightly and said, "He's now a cripple with a shattered dantian. It's not an exaggeration to call him a useless person."
The elder nodded and said, "Ye Lang has just awakened. If he needs anything, the Ye family will satisfy all his needs. Also, he can go to the martial arts hall anytime and observe everything inside."
Ye Ku nodded and said, "Understood. By the way, Ye Ling is not young anymore. Why not betroth her to one of the servants in the mansion?"The elder slowly closed his eyes, "You handle it!"
...
Inside the Boundless Prison Tower.
Ye Xuan lay on the ground, gasping for breath. He was covered in sword wounds, but fortunately, after reaching the Qi Transformation stage, he could use spiritual energy to heal these scars. However, the pain was unavoidable. Although he suffered some physical pain, his gains in these few days were really abundant.
He originally had decent strength, ranking among the top of the younger generation in Qingcheng. Now, after these few days of training, his strength has reached a new level!
"How do you feel?" The voice of a mysterious woman suddenly sounded.
Ye Xuan grinned, "Feels great."
The mysterious woman said, "You have just begun. The road ahead will be even more difficult. Of course, the path of martial arts is like walking on the edge of a cliff, and the path of the sword is even more difficult. Moreover, you don't have a dantian, so you are not taking the usual path. There will be a lot of hardships ahead."
Ye Xuan slowly closed his eyes, "I am not afraid of hardship."
He had been dependent on his younger sister since childhood and had experienced all kinds of hardships. He had no background, but he could become a prince through hard work. And now that he has the opportunity to reach the Qi Refinement stage, there is hope for his sister's illness. Even if he has to suffer all the hardships in the world, he is willing to do so.
After resting for a while, Ye Xuan left the Boundless Prison Tower.
He hadn't reached the level of fasting, so he still had to eat.
Not long after Ye Xuan returned to his room, Ye Ling walked in. She walked up to Ye Xuan, lowered her head, and handed him two white steamed buns. She whispered, "Brother, eat..."
Ye Xuan frowned, "What's wrong? Look up."
Ye Ling lifted her little head, and Ye Xuan's expression changed immediately. There was a red palm print on the right side of Ye Ling's face!
"What happened?" Ye Xuan's eyes instantly turned cold.
Ye Ling shook her little head, "Nothing, I accidentally bumped into something myself!"
Ye Xuan pulled Ye Ling in front of him, "Tell me the truth. Brother is still alive, and I am in charge of everything for you."Ye Ling's tears welled up, and she wiped the tears on her cheeks, "Brother, the kitchen didn't send us food today, so I went to the kitchen in person. The kitchen king took charge of him. He brought me some food for dogs. How can I eat those food? It's already gone. There are maggots. I can't be angry, so I asked him to argue. He said that you are not the son of the world. Our brother and sister only deserve dog food. Then he said, if you want food, I must sleep with him for a night... I scolded him, and he hit me."
Ye Xuan's face was cold, his right hand was tightly pressed, and his fingernails were deeply stabbed into his palm. "Once lost, people are not as good as dogs!"
After that, he took Ye Ling's hand and walked out of the room and went straight to the kitchen of Ye Mansion.