Ding Ning walked over the swaying rope bridge to the three grass huts hidden in the fracture.

Before killing Song Shenshu, he once said to Zhangsun Qianxue “anyone under realm four is the same.”

Yet even if he could defeat opponents of realms above his, he feared he would pay a considerable price.

Today was sunny, and the sky was clear when he looked in Changling’s direction.

When he looked back at Changling from the road, the vast city seemed calm and peaceful. Yet under this seeming calm, countless schemes and bloodless battles twisted together here like the primal energies of the universe.

Once someone entered this situation, even if they were just the smallest pawn, they could not avoid it, and could not leave.

This was why in his plan, he had to reach realm three, Vital Energy Realm, before he showed some special attributes. This was why he planned and schemed to qualify and join Min Mountain Sword Sect.

Even though he cultivated the strongest “Nine Deaths Silkworm”, he was like the infant worms in their cocoon, too weak, and could not be exposed to sunlight.

In his plan, he needed more patience.

Yet Zhangsun Qianxue was correct. After killing Song Shenshu, and learning so much from him, he felt anxious.

Since he had taken the first step, he had no other choice but to think of the dangers and difficulties.

He could only manage what was in front of him.

He silently clenched his fists and then relaxed. His mood once again became calm. He walked across the rope bridge, and then pushed open the wooden door to the leftmost hut to sit on the special meditation mat.

He closed his eyes. Threads of spirit energy slowly entering his body through the meditation mat underneath him.

He entered a state of internal vision with a speed that ordinary cultivators could not understand.

The energies in his body slowed flowed into his energy sea under the control of his mental power.

Deep below the energy sea was a crystal clear space like an underwater palace made out of jade.

This was the jade palace that cultivators spoke of.

If one could sink their energies into the jade palace, they would have second-class Profound Understanding cultivation.

For Ding Ning, if he was willing, he could sink his energies into the jade palace in half a day and reach the second class of realm one.

This was because his jade palace already existed so he did not have to feel it again. He only had to follow the paths the energies flowed, and slowly let the energies transformed by this method slowly permeate his energy sea and jade palace so they would also transform.

But it would be too fast, and too shocking to the world. So when he had been talking with Nangong Caishu, he decided to use one month to go from realm one to realm two.

He took a deep breath.

His calm body suddenly had a change. Countless small infant worms appeared inside his body and started to consume the spirit energy that entered his body.

In a flash, his body turned into dry earth.

He carefully kept control.

He could not let his body produce the sound of silkworms chewing. Under his control, a small portion of spirit energy, not consumed by the infant silkworms, slowly merged into the energies of his body.

Li Daoji”s figure appeared at the door of this grass hut.

He stood coldly and let his perception pass through the thin door to land around Ding Ning.

Ding Ning had deliberately slowed the progress of his cultivation but even so, his energies would occasionally give off some presence as they sank into the energy sea. Li Daoji’s eyebrows shook slightly.

Thinking about the sword essence that the ridiculous tree branch had displayed, his eyes shone with fire.

He turned and travelled towards the gates of White Goat Cave.

A carriage was already waiting outside the gates of White Goat Cave, a carriage that could go very fast.

Li Daoji’s sword was very long. When entering the carriage, he held it in his hand and then placed it across his body.

The sword hilt gave off weak red light in front of him. He leaned back against the cushions, his eyes closed as though he was sleeping.

The carriage flew on the paths towards a place Ding Ning was very familiar with — the Fish Market in the east part of the city.

The carriage finally stopped at the entrance to Fish Market.

Li Daoji silently got off the carriage and walked slowly into Fish Market.

While the weather was good, most of Fish Market was shadowed and damp under the layers of canopies. The lanterns burned like ghost fire.

Li Daoji clearly was unfamiliar with the paths of Fish Market. He walked for an hour in the damp and shadowed streets, and asked numerous shopkeepers before finally entering the deepest part of Fish Market and walking into a tower without any signs or lanterns.

Li Daoji’s eyes had adjusted to this kind of darkness so when he walked into the tower and saw the loose-haired man sitting on a mattress, he knew he had found the correct place This person was still living well in Fish Market.

“I want to buy a sword.”

Li Daoji looked at the man whose eyes shone in the darkness. He said, “I remember you have a remnant sword here.”

The man looked coldly at Li Daoji and said, “You are lucky. This sword is still here.”

After saying this, the man’s body slowly moved backwards.

This man’s lower half was covered with a blanket. Only now would someone entering the tower see that he had no feet.

His leg had been cut off at the knees.

Li Daoji seemed to know this so his gaze did not linger on this man’s legs, and went towards the place below the blanket.

Underneath the blanket was a very large black iron sword box.

The man opened the sword box, flipped around in it, and then took out a dark green broken sword. He threw it at Li Daoji.

Li Daoji reached out and held the broken sword firmly.

This was truly a broken sword, only two feet long, and just two fingers wide. The tip of the sword had been cut off by a terrifying force, and even the two feet length left was covered in dozens of long thin cracks.

But this sword was made from a special material. The sword was made from a kind of metal with natural patterns. So the cracks were never horizontal and travelled towards the sword hilt along the blade.

Li Daoji nodded and saw several cloth strips on the table in front of the man used to tie things. He pulled off several, wrapped the sword, and tied it on his back. Then he took out a money bag and threw it to the man.

The man closed the sword box and looked at Li Daoji who walked away. He suddenly had a strange smirk. “You’re lucky that no one else wanted this sword. But I do not understand what made you suddenly think of a remnant sword which has no use to you. Is it worthwhile to lose your life for a sword like this?”

Li Daoji did not speak. He silently walked out of the tower, and headed towards the carriage.

A man dressed in dark red brocade robes appeared at some unknown time behind him.

This man and Li Daoji appeared to be similar in age. He had a long sword scar on the left side of his face. He carried an exceptionally broad sword behind him, the black sword scabbard three times the width of a normal sword. the simple copper sword hilt at least three times wider than normal.

This man continued to follow Li Daoji and stayed several meters away. As he followed at this kind of distance, Li Daoji could not avoid discovering him.

Yet both Li Daoji and this man did not show any indications. The two stopped in unspoken agreement when Li Daoji walked out of Fish Market.

“I said to you long ago if you dare to leave White Goat Cave, I will kill you.” The man dressed in crimson brocade robes said icily as he looked at Li Daoji who slowly turned from the carriage.

Li Daoji glanced at the man. He did not speak, but his right hand landed on the shining sword hilt.

The robed man’s slips curled slightly. He had a mocking expression.

Fish Market had Fish Market’s rules. Even he did not dare disobey them. But they were out of Fish Market now, and he had nothing to consider.

So the moment his lips curved, he attacked.

His body did not move in any obvious manner. He did not pull out the thick sword on his back. Yet in an instant, a terrifying presence appeared by his side. A wave of vital energy gathered with astounding amounts of primal energies of the universe that flooded into the sleeve of his right arm.

A whistling howl sounded in the calm air.

A thin small silver sword tore the air as it came out of his sleeve with dozens of white vortexes.

Many people who had been nearby discovered the abnormality of the robed man and Li Daoji. Some people were even coming closer in excitement but when they heard the howl, these people immediately shot back.

Because this was a flying sword!

Only cultivators who reached realm five, Spirit Thought, could cultivate flying swords.

The mental power, vital energy, and primal energies of the universe gathered on the flying sword gave the seemingly thin swords terrifying speed, but also destructive power.

In a battle of cultivators of this rank, an out of control flying sword could pierce through dozens of brick walls instantly. A person unfortunate to be harmed would at least have something cut off if they didn’t die.

Li Daoji’s pupils contracted violently. The white small sword and the air flows behind it took over his sight. However, his expression was still calm.

Facing the flying sword heading for his forehead, his right hand swung out. With a clear hum, the red sword hilt and the connecting thin black blade left its scabbard with great force. It turned into a streak that accurately cut towards the silver flying sword.