673: Chapter 673 Lu Xueqi and Biyao (52)

Yun Qingzi's eyes flashed with surprise: "You have already received the tianya sword Legacy, do you still need other sword Cultivation Techniques?"

"The Tianya Sword Canon is profound and extensive. This Disciple's cultivation is still shallow, and it is difficult to comprehend the advanced parts. I wish to find a basic sword manual as a transition," Su Han said respectfully.

This was, of course, a pretext. The real reason was that Senior Sister told him that the Tianya Nine Swords was enough for him to Cultivate to the Star Venerable Realm, and that biting off more than he could chew would be counterproductive. But to directly refuse the Yun Qingzi's kindness would seem ungrateful.

Yun Qingzi pondered for a moment and took out another Jade Slip: "This is the Qingyun Sword Canon. Although it is Earth Rank Medium Grade, it is the general outline of our sect's sword dao, containing three thousand basic sword forms and seventy-two advanced sword techniques. It will indeed be beneficial for solidifying your Foundation. Are you willing to take it?"

"This Disciple is willing." Su Han took the Jade Slip.

"Alright, the Cultivation Technique has been chosen. Next, we shall open the Secret Realm." Yun Qingzi stood up, his hands forming seals, and struck a profound rune into a certain part of the hall.

Rumble—

The ground in the center of the hall slowly split open, revealing a staircase leading downwards. At the end of the staircase was a simple and ancient stone door. The surface of the stone door was covered with the marks of time, and a large character "Qing" was carved in the center.

"The Qingyun Secret Realm can only stay open for one hour each time. Once the time is up, no matter where you are, you will be teleported out," Yun Qingzi warned seriously. "There are opportunities as well as dangers in the Secret Realm; do everything within your power. Remember, only by staying alive is there a future."

"This Disciple will keep it in mind."

The three of them stepped onto the stairs in turn and came to the stone door. Yun Qingzi formed seals again, and the "Qing" character on the stone door lit up with a dazzling green light, slowly opening.

Behind the door was a chaotic vortex, the scene inside obscured.

Ye Wuhen was the first to step in, his figure vanishing instantly. Mu Qingxue glanced at Su Han and also walked inside.

Su Han took a deep breath, gripped the tianya sword tightly, and stepped into the vortex.

A sense of world-spinning dizziness hit him, as if he were passing through a long tunnel. After an unknown amount of time, his feet hit solid ground, and Su Han found himself standing on a grassy field.

The scene before him shocked him—

The sky was not the familiar blue, but a faint green. Three bright moons of different sizes hung high in the sky, casting a cold glow. In the distance, mountains rolled and trees towered. Many of the plants were species never seen in the outside world—some were crystal clear like glass, and some had star-like spots of light flickering between their branches and leaves.

Most striking was the dense Star Power in the air, almost condensing into substance. With every breath, a large amount of Star Power flooded into his body, more than ten times faster than in the outside world!

"So this is the Qingyun Secret Realm." Su Han felt the active circulation of Star Power within his body, his heart filled with excitement.

"Don't be happy too soon," Senior Sister's voice rang out. "The Secret Realm is good, but it also hides killing intent. Look three hundred paces to your front left."

Su Han looked in the direction she indicated and saw that on that seemingly ordinary patch of grass, there were faint silver patterns flickering. If it weren't for Senior Sister's reminder, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.

"That is 'Void-Rending Grass.' It looks ordinary, but once you get within three zhang, it will trigger space cracks that are difficult for anyone below the Star King level to resist."

Su Han's heart tightened, and he quickly memorized that location.

"Keep going forward. I sense strong Sword Intent fluctuations in the northeast. It should be the Sword Dao Stele Forest left by the Ancestral Master," Senior Sister guided.

Su Han used his movement technique and sped towards the northeast. Along the way, he saw many strange sights—glowing rivers, peaks floating in the air, and even a forest where every tree was playing a different piece of music.

Half an hour later, he arrived at a valley.

At the entrance of the valley stood a stone tablet with the words "Sword Tomb" written on it. The handwriting was vigorous and powerful, every stroke seemingly a sharp Sword Intent. Just by looking at these two characters, Su Han felt his own Sword Intent being stirred.

Stepping into the valley, the scene before him made him hold his breath—

Thousands of stone tablets stood in the valley, each carved with different sword moves, Sword Intent, or insights into the sword dao. Some stone tablets had Sword Qi soaring to the sky, some were as calm as water, some were as hot as fire, and some were as cold as frost...

In the center of all the stone tablets, nine giant steles, each ten zhang high, were arranged in a circle, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

"This is the Qingyun Sword Stele Forest," Senior Sister's voice carried a hint of nostalgia. "For four thousand years, countless Sword Cultivators have sought the Dao here. Those nine giant steles in the center are said to have been personally erected by the Ancestral Master, containing nine types of supreme Sword Intent."

Su Han approached the first giant stele. There was only one word on the stele—Fast.

A simple word, yet it seemed to contain all the truths of the world regarding speed. With just one glance, Su Han felt countless sword shadows flashing before his eyes. Every sword was fast to the extreme, faster than flowing light, faster than thought, faster than time.

He quickly closed his eyes, cold sweat already seeping from his forehead.

"What terrifying Sword Intent... just one word nearly made me lose my mind."

"That is the 'Extreme Speed Sword Intent,' one of the Ancestral Master's Nine Swords," Senior Sister said. "With your current cultivation, looking at one word is already your limit. Go and comprehend the ordinary sword steles around first."

Su Han nodded and walked towards a stone tablet carved with a flowing water pattern. The Sword Intent of this stone tablet was much softer, depicting the "Flowing Water Sword Intent," which emphasized overcoming hardness with softness and being continuous and unending.

He sat cross-legged in front of the stele, his mind sinking into it.

Time passed quickly during his meditation. Su Han comprehended the steles one by one, and his sword dao cultivation improved at a visible speed. His understanding of Sword Intent was no longer limited to "Life" and "Destruction"; he began to touch upon more dimensions—speed, strength, reality and illusion, hardness and softness, Yin and Yang.

With every stele he comprehended, his sword heart became a bit clearer, and his Sword Intent became a bit more solid.

After an unknown amount of time, when he reached the seventy-third stone tablet, the Star Wheel in his body suddenly vibrated violently!

"I'm about to break through!" Su Han was delighted but did not dare to be careless. He quickly circulated the Mind-Cultivation Technique from the Qingyun Sword Canon, guiding the surging Star Power to strike at the Bottleneck.

The transition from the Star Wheel Realm to the Star Palace Realm is an important hurdle on the path of a star cultivator. The Star Wheel is the condensation of Star Power, while the Star Palace is its sublimation—one needs to open an independent space in the Dantian to nurture the Star Soul and carry a higher level of Star Power.

The process of opening a Star Palace is extremely dangerous. A slight mistake could lead to the Dantian shattering and one's cultivation being completely lost.

Su Han held his breath and concentrated, compressing all his Star Power to the extreme, turning it into an invisible sword, and stabbing fiercely at a certain spot in his Dantian!

Boom!

A loud bang echoed in his mind, as if the world were being created. In the Dantian, a speck of light lit up and then rapidly expanded, turning into the phantom of a palace. The palace was entirely green and had three levels, each corresponding to a minor Realm of the Star Palace Realm.

The Star Palace was formed!

Majestic Star Power surged from all directions, pouring into the newborn Star Palace. The palace gradually solidified from its phantom state, finally becoming completely stable.

Su Han opened his eyes, and two flashes of brilliant light passed through them. He felt the surging power within his body, at least five times stronger than before! More importantly, he could clearly feel the flow of Star Power in the world, and his understanding of the Law had also reached a higher level.

"The Early Stage of the Star Palace Realm... I've finally broken through." He let out a long breath. (End of Chapter)