26: Shock from Su Li

At this moment, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the door.

"Grand Elder!" A dozen guards with swords rushed into the courtyard. The captain leading them shouted, "Subordinates sensed spiritual energy fluctuations here. Has some accident occurred?"

Without needing Steward Cao to instruct him, the Grand Elder said with a calm expression, "What is there to panic about! This old man is merely testing a newly acquired Cultivation Technique; it was just a momentary leakage of Qi."

The guard captain was half-believing and half-doubting, his gaze sweeping across the hall: "Steward Cao, what is this?"

"Steward Cao has come to discuss important matters; is that something you can question?" The Grand Elder coldly snorted, and the pressure of a Realm Sovereign was suddenly released: "Retreat at once!"

"This subordinate knows his wrong!" The guards' expressions changed, and they hurriedly saluted and retreated.

Steward Cao looked at the Grand Elder with satisfaction: "Your reaction is quite fast."

"Sharing the Master's worries is this servant's duty." The Grand Elder respectfully lowered his head, the slave mark on his brow flickering faintly.

Steward Cao nodded and asked: "Before Gu Qingtian's Ascension, was there…"

Half an hour later, Steward Cao left.

After inquiring for a long time, not a single piece of useful information was found. It seemed the key figures were still Gu Yun and Luo Qingcheng.

With a thought, his attribute panel appeared before his eyes.

Host: Cao Bu

System: villain inheritance lottery system

Inheritance Target: son of destiny Gu Qingtian

Inheritance Progress: 16%

Lottery Chances: 3

Cultivation: Dharma Body Realm Fourth Layer (True Self Dharma Body — 12 Zhang)

Physique: Primal Yin-Yang Demonic Body

Cultivation Technique: Primal Yin-Yang Scripture, Thousand Illusions Formless Art

Weapon: Taiyi Sword

Martial Skill: One Sword Separates Worlds

Movement Technique: Traceless Sword Evasion

System Space: Primal Yin-Yang Art, 10 Billion Spirit Stones, Thousand Illusions Formless Art, Taiyi Sword, Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art...

After returning to Cangfeng Residence, Cao Bu stepped directly into the cultivation room and began to Cultivate "One Sword Separates Worlds" and "Traceless Sword Evasion".

He sat cross-legged, his fingertips gently stroking the body of the Taiyi Sword, a wisp of Sword Qi flickering on the blade.

Recalling the essence of the sword technique in his mind, he slowly closed his eyes, his internal spiritual energy circulating along a specific route, and Sword Intent gradually condensed.

The first day. He swung his sword thirty thousand times, striving to compress the Sword Qi to the extreme with every strike.

At first, the sword light was scattered, unable to even shatter a wooden chair three feet away. By dusk, his blade could already carve out a faint ripple in space.

Although it only existed for an instant, it already possessed the initial might of an Emperor Art.

The second day. Cao Bu no longer pursued power, but focused on "speed" and "accuracy".

The sword struck silently, yet it could sever space ten zhang away in an instant, maintaining it for a moment before it closed again.

"This sword strike can barely be considered as having entered the threshold." Cao Bu's lips curled upward, looking at the spatial ripple ten zhang away that existed for an instant before closing, and nodded with satisfaction.

This was the terror of an Emperor Art; to be able to sever space just by entering the threshold was something other Martial Skills could not reach.

Martial Skill proficiency is divided into: Entry, Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, Perfection, and Supreme.

It is rumored that Gu Yun has already cultivated "One Sword Separates Worlds" to Major Achievement, where one strike can sever space a thousand zhang away, maintaining it for ten breaths.

At the time, Gu Yun spent a year cultivating "One Sword Separates Worlds" to the entry level. He took only two days, which was enough to show how large the gap in talent was between them.

He had confidence that within three years, he would be able to Cultivate "One Sword Separates Worlds" to the Major Achievement stage.

Whether it is a Cultivation Technique or a Martial Skill, the further one goes, the more difficult it becomes. Three years was just a conservative estimate; it would not differ by more than five months.

The third day. Cao Bu began to Cultivate "Traceless Sword Evasion".

As soon as his figure turned into sword light, he crashed into the wall with a "bang", a large bump swelling on his forehead.

"This Quasi-Emperor Art is even more brain-draining than an Emperor Art!" Cao Bu rubbed his forehead, wincing in pain.

He had always been ruthless; not only ruthless to enemies, but even more so to himself. Thus, he began to try again and again, never resting even if his Meridians burned and his spiritual energy was exhausted.

At sunset. "Swish!" Cao Bu's figure turned into sword light and disappeared.

The next moment, he crashed directly into a warm and fragrant embrace. He looked up and met Su Li's shocked gaze.

"You scared me to death, I thought I ran into someone else." Cao Bu let out a sigh of relief, then naturally wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

Su Li was a bit dumbfounded, and she suddenly realized: "My place is at least ten miles away from yours, you… you have mastered 'Traceless Sword Evasion'."

"Barely entered the threshold, that's all." Cao Bu said nonchalantly.

Su Li was full of astonishment: "It's only been five days, and you've already entered the threshold!"

Cao Bu shook his head: "No, actually I only practiced it for one day."

"One day?!" Su Li's beautiful eyes widened, her heart deeply shocked.

Su Li stared at him blankly, as if looking at a monster. When Gu Qingtian learned "Traceless Sword Evasion", it took him a month to enter the threshold.

This guy entered the threshold in one day; he really is a pervert.

She suddenly thought of something and asked nervously: "Then how many days did you take for 'One Sword Separates Worlds'?"

Cao Bu said vaguely: "Two days."

Su Li pushed Cao Bu away and asked seriously: "Say it again, how many days did it take to Cultivate 'One Sword Separates Worlds'."

"Just two days." Cao Bu's tone seemed particularly indifferent.

Su Li was stunned, and it took a while for her to recover. This cultivation speed was simply shocking!

She sighed with a complex look in her eyes: "I really have picked up a treasure."

Just at this moment, light footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the hall.

"Mother, I brought some Spirit Medicine; soaking in it is good for the skin." Gu Yingying's crisp voice came from far to near.

Su Li's pupils constricted, and in a flash, she pressed Cao Bu into the bath.

She forced herself to remain calm and casually pulled a gauze robe over her shoulders.

The hall door pushed open, and Gu Yingying hopped and skipped over.

She was wearing an extremely thin pink gauze robe, the scenery underneath faintly visible, and in her hand, she carried a basket filled with Spirit Medicine.

"Mother, try it and see how the effect is; if it's good, we'll use it again next time." Saying this, she threw the Spirit Medicine from the basket into the pool.

Soon, a more intense fragrance wafted out. Su Li sniffed gently, her face full of intoxication.

Gu Yingying put down the basket, shed her pink gauze robe, and slid into the pool. As the water rippled, she did not notice anything unusual at all.

"Mother, isn't this Spirit Medicine bath comfortable?" She leaned against the edge of the pool, closing her eyes to rest.

Su Li bit her red lips tightly, nodding with a flushed face: "Hmm, not bad."

Gu Yingying noticed Su Li's abnormality and asked suspiciously: "Mother, what's wrong with you?"

"No… nothing!" Su Li took a deep breath and forced a smile: "Yingying, you soak first; Mother suddenly remembered there are still some things to deal with."

After speaking, she fled in a panic, leaving only Gu Yingying confused in the pool.

Outside the bathroom, Su Li held onto the wall, her legs so weak she could barely stand. She hurriedly returned to her room, chanting the Heart-Cleansing Mantra.

Under the water, Cao Bu's lips curled, his figure turning into an imperceptible sword light, disappearing silently.

Gu Yingying suddenly opened her eyes, looking around vigilantly: "Who? Come out!"

She hurriedly released her Divine Sense to scan the area, but found nothing unusual.

"Strange, could I have been hallucinating?"

"I clearly felt someone just now."

"Forget it, I've been too tired lately, I'll just have a good soak."

Saying this, she closed her eyes, a comfortable expression appearing on her face. "This Spirit Medicine bath is truly comfortable."

...

Cao Bu appeared again in the cultivation room. He let out a breath of satisfaction, his face full of excitement.

"As expected of an Emperor Art, it is truly formidable." After sighing with emotion, Cao Bu used spiritual energy to evaporate the water vapor from his body.

Suddenly. Thinking of something, he took out a communication jade pendant from his bosom.

"I've left her hanging for three days; it's time to close the net." Cao Bu smirked, looking toward Yingke Peak, and activated the jade pendant.

On the other side, in a courtyard on Yingke Peak. Lin Rou rested her chin in her hands, watching Lin Dong and Gu Lingshuang laughing and talking in the distance, her small mouth pouting high.

"Sigh, Big Brother is getting married, and I'm still a single dog."

Suddenly. The handsome face of Gu Yun flashed through her mind.

"You can't, Lin Rou; he is already a married man, you cannot snatch love away."

She hurriedly shook her head, her long black hair swaying along with it.

"How about I become Gu Yun's mistress." Lin Rou suddenly thought again.

"No, no! He's already married, I cannot be a mistress!" She shook her head again.

But in the blink of an eye, she bit her lip and thought: "Mistress won't do, but a concubine should be fine."

As soon as this thought emerged, she shook her head vigorously: "Pah, pah, pah! I am a dignified daughter of a Great Emperor, how can I be a concubine for someone else."

She paused for a moment and muttered to herself: "Gu Yun is the son of a Sword Immortal, what's wrong with me, a daughter of a Great Emperor, being his concubine."

Thinking of this, she clapped her hands excitedly.

But she was happy for only a few breaths before her face drooped, and she slumped onto the stone table.

"It still won't work; that woman Li Xinxue definitely won't agree."

These past few days, she hadn't stopped inquiring about Gu Yun, and along the way, she had also learned about Li Xinxue.

Knowing that the woman who wanted to be Gu Yun's concubine died for no reason, she couldn't help but shrink her neck.

"This path is blocked; that woman is a Realm Sovereign, and I am only at the Divine Ability Realm; we are two major Realms apart."

"By the time I could defeat her, it would probably be too late."

As she spoke, she took out the communication jade pendant from her bosom, twirling it on her fingertips: "It's been three days, why hasn't he contacted me yet?"