Divine Wilderness Dragon Emperor

Shangguan Yurou told her sister the news about Ling Fei.

Initially, she just wanted to see her sister's reaction.

But she hadn't expected that after a few words of guidance from Shangguan Wan'er, she would be left with a profound sense of just how formidable her sister was.

Her sister's Light of Sword Intent reaching ninety-nine feet in the Sword Tomb might have just been an outward display; her attainments in the Sword Dao had long surpassed those of many powerful experts.

'I hope Young Master Ling Fei can reach my sister's level soon.' Shangguan Yurou could only hope for Ling Fei to make progress in his Sword Dao. Otherwise, if he wanted to compete with her sister, it wouldn't just be a gap in their cultivation Realms—his Sword Dao mastery would also become a massive chasm between them.

...

The battle at the Celestial Wind River Mouth turned Ling Fei into one of the academy's most talked-about figures, once again the subject of everyone's discussions.

He, however, had returned to his Cultivation Cave in the Cold Vein long ago.

This battle had drained too much of his True Qi. Upon reaching the Cold Cave, Ling Fei immediately began circulating the True Dragon Body Refining Technique to absorb the Cold Essence Qi.

WHOOSH!

As Ling Fei circulated the technique, Light Patterns flickered along his spine, forming a Qi Vortex that frantically absorbed the Essence Qi from the Cold Vein.

As more Cold Chi True Qi was generated, Ling Fei's reserves of it were gradually replenished.

'At the Innate Realm, my True Qi reserves are still too low. In a prolonged battle, my True Qi will be depleted, and I won't be able to use the Celestial River Nine Swords.' Ling Fei mused to himself while refining his Blood Qi. 'Only by reaching the Perfect Innate Realm, when my True Qi is as vast as the ocean, will I be able to sustain continuous combat.'

His insufficient True Qi was currently his greatest weakness.

After all, an offensive that unleashed Sword Qi like a surging river required an amount of True Qi far beyond what ordinary Martial Arts could compare to.

However, Ling Fei's speed of absorbing Heaven and Earth Essence Qi was dozens of times faster than others, and his recovery rate was similarly incomparable to that of an ordinary person.

He managed to recover from the exhaustion of his past few battles in just a single night.

'My understanding of the Sword Dao has improved, and I'm about to reach the Late Innate Stage. Next, I need to enhance my Soul Power.' With a thought, Ling Fei began circulating the True Dragon Refining God Technique to temper his soul. After the battle at the Celestial River Windy Pass, his Swordsmanship had improved, bringing him to the verge of the Late Innate Stage.

This would require a period of consolidation.

During this time, it was the perfect opportunity to cultivate the True Dragon Refining God Technique and continue comprehending the Mystical of the True Dragon Visualization Image.

...

Time passed quietly.

As the current number one on the Human List who had also defeated a genius from the Earth List, Ling Fei was now fully qualified to be directly promoted to a Mid Level Student.

He no longer had any obligations at the academy; he only needed to focus on his cultivation, and the academy would even provide him with a regular supply of resources.

As for Celestial Martial Arts, he could now receive five manuals for free every month.

He was even given a Profound Eagle to use for transportation, free of charge.

Such treatment placed him in a class of his own.

During this time, Ling Fei also found a moment to write a letter to Longtan Town, informing his adoptive father of his current situation.

Elder Ling wrote back, expressing his pride in Ling Fei's achievements while also urging him to keep working hard and not grow arrogant, reminding him that no matter how good he became, there was always someone better.

Reading his adoptive father's words of guidance, it was as if the man were right there beside him, filling Ling Fei with the motivation to keep moving forward.

「In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since the battle at the Celestial River Windy Pass.」

It had now been five months since Ling Fei arrived at Celestial River Academy.

This month of diligent cultivation allowed Ling Fei's Cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds, showing clear improvement.

First, his Soul Power had grown much stronger. This, in turn, allowed him to control his True Qi with much greater ease and proficiency.

Furthermore, this stronger Soul Power also sharpened his Judgment in battle.

Only he could truly appreciate the benefits this brought.

Once Ling Fei had more or less finished integrating his Sword Intent, he headed to the Celestial River Sword Tomb again.

Liu Ming and the others went with him.

This time, Ling Fei entered the Celestial River Sword Tomb to comprehend a higher level of Sword Dao Mystical. He wanted to reach the Realm of the Unity of Heaven, Man, and Sword.

Before the Sword Wall, several geniuses sat cross-legged, comprehending Sword Intent.

Ling Fei's Heart Spirit sank into the Celestial River Sword Wall via the Sword Tower. Before his eyes, a great river surged, and a man stood tall within it.

The man brandished his sword. With a single move, the great river resonated with it; when the sword rose, the river moved.

In that instant, it was as if he had become the great river, and the great river had been integrated into his Sword Form.

The Sword Momentum of that single strike was suffocating.

Inside the Sword Wall World, Ling Fei was completely stunned by the might of this strike.

'So this is the power that comes from the Unity of Heaven, Man, and Sword?' Waves of shock crashed through Ling Fei's mind, and it was a long time before he could calm himself.

Afterward, he began to continuously try and comprehend this Realm within the Sword Wall World.

'Unity of Heaven, Man, and Sword... does it mean merging completely with the heavens and the earth, or merging with the sword?' Ling Fei pondered, then rose to practice with his sword.

His Long Sword moved, and the Celestial River surged in response.

Yet, Ling Fei felt that something was still missing.

'Man must merge into the river, the body becoming like the river, and also like the sword!'

Ling Fei struck out again. The great river churned, and his Sword Momentum was immense.

But still, he shook his head, feeling that something was missing.

'Man must merge into the heavens and earth, with the world as the center. Wherever the intent reaches, the sword rises, the river surges, and momentum follows!'

'Yes, that's it! The heavens and the earth are the foundation!'

...

As Ling Fei continued to seek enlightenment, his understanding of the Sword Dao deepened.

At the same time, this was also an enlightenment regarding the heavens and the earth. If he could take one step further, he would be able to break through to the Late Innate Stage.

'I need to continue seeking enlightenment in the real world.' Finally, after half a month, Ling Fei had a breakthrough. With a single strike, the heavens and earth moved in unison, the great river churning as its momentum fused with his sword. The might of this strike was incomparably greater than before; even he was thrilled by such Sword Momentum.

However, he still needed to perfect all of this before he could truly take that final step.

With that, his consciousness withdrew from the Sword Wall World, and he walked out of the Sword Tomb.

"Not bad. Keep up the hard work. The future of Celestial River Academy will be in your hands," Vice Dean Zhou encouraged as Ling Fei walked out.

He, too, could sense the change in Ling Fei's aura.

The Ling Fei of today now possessed the kind of aura one would only expect from a cultivator at the Late Innate Stage.

With every step he took, Ling Fei seemed to be on the verge of merging with the rhythm of the heavens and the earth.

"Yes," Ling Fei replied with a nod.

He didn't linger, however. After leaving the Sword Tomb, he mounted his Profound Eagle and headed for the Celestial River Windy Pass.

Since he had gained new enlightenment, he had to strike while the iron was hot and break through to the Late Innate Stage in one fell swoop.

...

「Celestial River Windy Pass.」

At the mouth of the pass, the gales were at their most ferocious.

This was exactly where Ling Fei headed.

With a flash, his body plunged into the raging wind. He was instantly swallowed by the hurricane, his figure completely invisible from the outside.

The gales here were terrifying; an ordinary person would be unable to even keep their footing.

Only those who had reached the Late Innate Stage could set foot in this place.

Yet, Ling Fei now began to Move with the Wind, comprehending the Mystical of the Wind at the heart of the pass.

After a moment of comprehension, a glint suddenly flashed in his eyes, and his Long Sword moved in response.

The sword moved, and the wind followed!

As Ling Fei moved his Long Sword, the wildly raging hurricane suddenly began to flow along with his Sword Momentum.

The sword was like a frantic python!

Ling Fei struck again. With a single slash, the colossal waves of wind reversed their course, following his Sword Momentum.

This was clear proof that he had truly reached the Realm of the Unity of Heaven, Man, and Sword.

And with that, Ling Fei had officially stepped into the Late Innate Stage.