The wooden hut was small, barely enough to accommodate one person, and even lying down was cramped.
However, as soon as Xiao Yi stepped into the small hut, a sword light floated in the center.
It hovered directly in front of Xiao Yi, less than half a foot from her forehead.
The intense sword aura gave her the illusion that her head had already been pierced through.
Xiao Yi internally screamed.
She had fallen into a trap.
Her second senior brother was just too despicable.
A "safe house"? More like a trap house.
He built this hut high in the trees, hidden among the dense foliage, making it appear as inconspicuous and safe as possible. So, without hesitation, Xiao Yi entered.
Even when she was being chased by the sword intent outside, she wasn't in as much danger as she was now.
Now, she couldn't even back out. She was locked in by the sword light.
Xiao Yi had no doubt that if she made any sudden movements, the next moment her head would be pierced through.
She could only stand frozen, confronting the sword light.
The sword light, composed of violent sword energy, was so terrifying that it paralyzed Xiao Yi.
At this moment, Xiao Yi felt a tremendous pressure coming from behind.
The sword intent outside had arrived.
It perched on a tree branch like a real bird.
It screeched at the hut.
The hair on the back of Xiao Yi's neck stood up, and she felt a chill run through her.
But she didn't dare to look back. She kept her eyes fixed on the sword light in front of her, not daring to be careless.
However, what terrified Xiao Yi even more was that the distance between her and the sword light had shortened.
At first, she thought it was just an illusion, but after half an hour, when the sword intent outside screeched again, the sword light moved a bit closer.
Xiao Yi confirmed that each time the sword intent called out, the sword light inched closer.
She calculated that if the interval remained half an hour each time, she had at most seven to eight hours.
Within that time, she had to figure out a way to neutralize the sword light, or her head would be pierced.
Xiao Yi silently cursed Lü Shaoqing in her heart.
Her despicable second senior brother.
But now, regardless of how she felt, she needed to find a way to deal with the sword light.
Xiao Yi racked her brain, but found herself at a loss.
Her magical treasures were gone—both had been destroyed.
As for relying on her own power to clash with the sword light, that would only result in a quicker death.
This sword light was something her second senior brother, Lü Shaoqing, had left behind.
Lü Shaoqing's cultivation was in the late Foundation Establishment stage, far stronger than Xiao Yi's eighth stage Qi Refining level—a gap so wide it was unthinkable to directly confront.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Xiao Yi kept pondering.
Her sharp mind told her that her second senior brother wouldn't have left a sword light here for no reason.
There must be a purpose behind it.
After racking her brain to the point of exhaustion, Xiao Yi focused her attention on the sword light.
Three hours had already passed, and the sword intent outside had screeched six times.
The sword light was now less than three inches from her forehead, uncomfortably close.
Xiao Yi decided to close her eyes and extend her spiritual sense to probe the sword light.
The moment her spiritual sense touched it, she gasped in shock.
It felt as if her spiritual sense had fallen into molten lava, rapidly melting away. She could even feel herself being burned by the intense heat.
Quickly, she withdrew her spiritual sense, drenched in sweat.
She realized her spiritual sense was damaged, causing a splitting headache.
"This is insane!"
Xiao Yi groaned in pain.
But soon, she noticed something that made her eyes light up with excitement.
The sword light seemed to have weakened slightly. Although the change was minimal, Xiao Yi could still sense it.
"Could this be a way to dissolve it?"
Xiao Yi was thrilled.
Even though it was painful, this method, at least, didn't put her life in immediate danger.
"Alright, bring it on."
Gazing at the sword light so close to her, Xiao Yi extended her spiritual sense again.
Time was running out, and she couldn't afford to waste any more.
This time, she spread her spiritual sense out fully, enveloping the sword light like a shroud.
She aimed to resolve it in one go.
This time, the sword light seemed to sense the danger, vibrating intensely as the heat emanating from it grew fiercer.
The violent, scorching sensation felt like she was confronting a raging sun.
An uncontrollable urge to withdraw her spiritual sense surged within her.
But she knew this was just an illusion—she couldn't pull back now.
"I won't give up!"
Xiao Yi gritted her teeth.
Enduring the pain, she wrapped the sword light with her spiritual sense, grinding it down like water smoothing a stone.
The sword light gradually weakened under the relentless erosion of her spiritual sense.
At the same time, a mysterious feeling rose within Xiao Yi.
Several more hours passed.
When the last trace of the sword light finally dissipated, Xiao Yi collapsed onto the wooden floor, drenched in sweat and pale.
She gasped for air, nearly depleted of spiritual energy.
Her spiritual sense was also severely damaged, causing a throbbing pain in her head.
Tears welled up in Xiao Yi's eyes.
The pain and exhaustion were unbearable—she had never endured such hardship in her life.
The physical and mental strain made her long for the comfort of her mother's arms.
Despite the tears in her eyes, Xiao Yi's gaze was filled with joy.
During the process of grinding down the sword light, her understanding of sword intent had deepened.
Though she couldn't quite articulate the feeling, Xiao Yi knew she had gained a few more insights into sword intent.
She believed that with a few more encounters like this, she might actually be able to comprehend sword intent.
After resting for half a day, Xiao Yi finally stood up, trembling. She retrieved a few pills from her storage to restore her spiritual energy.
Then, she took out a small notebook and flipped to the page with Lü Shaoqing's name.
With a trembling hand, she marked down today's date.
Several dates were already recorded on that page.
Xiao Yi, feeling indignant, muttered, "Just you wait, second senior brother. I'll repay you one day."
Once she had rested enough, Xiao Yi stepped out of the safe house.
She made a taunting gesture at the sword intent outside, "Come on, Xiaohong, let's see how I'll handle you this time."
Seeing Xiao Yi act so arrogantly, the sword intent screeched, its aura intensifying.
Xiao Yi once again fled in a panic.