Translator: CinderTL
Jiang Wanyu watched as Li Chunjun immediately began to "inspect" the Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture without taking a break, her expression filled with concern.
A flood of information into the mind could impose a significant burden on the brain.
True learning should be a gradual process.
Fortunately, Li Chunjun didn't seem to be forcing himself, and there was no sign of distress as he absorbed the information. Her tense mood relaxed slightly.
And as she relaxed...
An invisible ripple emanated from Li Chunjun.
What kind of fluctuation was this?
Jiang Wanyu was slightly stunned, almost thinking she had misperceived it.
After carefully discerning it for several breaths, she couldn't help but widen her eyes, opening her mouth to say something.
But the next moment, as if afraid of disturbing Li Chunjun's current state, she hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand, not daring to make a sound.
She stared intently at Li Chunjun, her eyes sparkling like stars, her face filled with astonishment.
...
"So, this is Divine Sense?"
Li Chunjun felt a sense of wonder.
It was like closing one's eyes, yet the brain still retained the afterimage of what was just seen.
These afterimages, somewhat blurred, added an element of "fantasy," becoming bizarre and unrealistic.
But the perception brought by Divine Sense was different from the visual remnants mixed with fantasy. It truly allowed one to "see" things that were otherwise invisible.
It was like an extension of both vision and imagination.
A perfect collaboration of perception and spirit, ultimately feeding information beyond "vision" back to his brain.
He maintained this state, trying to "see" as far as possible.
Soon, this peculiar state allowed him to "see" beyond the courtyard.
He saw the distant mountains, even looking beneath them.
The farther the distance, the blurrier it became.
By the time it encompassed the mountain peaks, it was no longer clear.
This distance...
"Nine li?"
Nine li, equivalent to four thousand five hundred meters.
TL/N: 1 li = 0.5km.
A bit short.
But considering that this "perception" could be used in complex terrain, and nine li in such terrain... was already a considerable range, he somewhat eased the regret brought by the distance.
Divine Sense retracted.
At this moment, he seemed to "see" Jiang Wanyu covering her mouth in surprise.
Divine Sense...
The first step into the Spirit Refining Realm—the gateway to Core Formation.
Li Chunjun opened his eyes.
Just as he retracted his Divine Sense and calmly opened his eyes, Jiang Wanyu could no longer contain her joy: "Junior Brother, you... you've developed Divine Sense?"
"Mn."
Li Chunjun acknowledged.
He had felt the presence of "Divine Sense" ever since his life level reached 18.
But without a proper technique, he couldn't find the key, thus stuck at the threshold of Divine Sense.
Now, not only had his life level improved again, but he also obtained the Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture, which detailed the entire process of condensing Divine Sense, making it a natural progression.
Jiang Wanyu had sensed the Divine Sense emanating from Li Chunjun as he "inspected" his surroundings.
But...
She was shocked, finding it hard to believe.
Now, hearing Li Chunjun admit it himself, she felt an unreal sense of wonder.
"You've really developed Divine Sense!?"
She couldn't help but say: "But... for sword cultivators, shouldn't Divine Sense be developed by refining sword qi into threads, continuously dividing and precisely controlling the sword qi until it reaches the diameter of a single thread, thereby tempering the spirit until it's strong enough, and then using a secret method to condense the essence into one, refining qi into spirit, and thus developing Divine Sense?"
She looked at Li Chunjun.
Without refining sword qi into threads, without refining qi into spirit...
And yet, he developed Divine Sense just like that?
"Refining sword qi into threads..."
Li Chunjun recalled the process of the Profound Phoenix Devouring Sun Sword Qi as Jiang Wanyu spoke.
Soon, a strand of sword qi condensed and rapidly divided.
One into two, two into four, four into eight...
As the sword qi divided, it became thinner and thinner...
Soon, it was as fine as a thread, weaving through the void.
"Sword... sword qi refined into threads?"
Jiang Wanyu watched the sword qi Li Chunjun had condensed.
"Mn."
Li Chunjun said, glancing at her: "Does refining sword qi into threads represent the ninth level of sword cultivation?"
"Yes."
Jiang Wanyu responded, feeling dazed.
But then, it seemed only natural.
If Li Chunjun had developed Divine Sense, wouldn't refining sword qi into threads be child's play?
Li Chunjun maintained this state for a moment before dispersing the thread of sword qi.
It wasn't that he couldn't control it.
On one hand, he wasn't proficient.
On the other hand, his cultivation was still shallow.
No matter how high the quality of the Solar Essence, Li Chunjun had only absorbed it for a dozen or so days. How much Profound Phoenix Sword Qi could he have stored?
In terms of the amount of Profound Phoenix Sword Qi, he might not be much stronger than those at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining.
It's just that every time he killed an enemy, he did so extremely quickly, so there was never a lack of follow-up power.
But with the Sun True Crystal, his cultivation would soon catch up.
"Ninth level of Qi Refining."
Li Chunjun felt a sense of wonder.
Not long ago, cultivators seemed lofty and incredibly powerful to him.
Not to mention top-tier Qi Refining cultivators, even high-level Qi Refining cultivators were like rulers of a province, able to decide the life and death of millions with a single thought.
But now, in a blink of an eye, the ninth level of Qi Refining was within reach.
"Developing Divine Sense..."
Jiang Wanyu looked at Li Chunjun, her eyes filled with brilliance: "Ordinary ninth level Qi Refining cultivators, after developing Divine Sense, can already try to unify their essence, qi, and spirit, condensing them into a core, and attempt to break through to the Core Formation Realm."
"It's still early."
Li Chunjun said: "Isn't it said that to become the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, one must develop Sword Intent in terms of Divine Sense?"
Sword Intent.
For those with limitless potential, who have unlocked the fourth level of the Flaming Phoenix Bloodline, it's easy.
The Flaming Phoenix Brand can take shape.
But him...
His Flaming Phoenix Bloodline is only at the first level.
He can only rely on his own comprehension.
"Sword Intent doesn't necessarily have to be comprehended during the Qi Refining Realm; it's also possible to comprehend it during the Core Formation Realm. Moreover, I believe it won't be difficult for you."
Jiang Wanyu said: "Your real focus now should be on filling the gaps in your cultivation knowledge and combat techniques, as well as quickly refining the Taiyi Essence Gold and Black Flame Diamond into your Lifebound Flying Sword, as this is related to whether you can successfully refine your sword into a core."
"Mn."
Li Chunjun acknowledged.
"Divine Sense... the most difficult step before achieving Core Formation, and it's already been crossed. Is it because of the mental barrier?"
Jiang Wanyu said: "No wonder Senior Brother Qin Zhou is so confident that you can become the future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy."
As she spoke, she couldn't help but stand up: "Junior Brother, let's go and share this good news with the Peak Master."
"You go ahead, I'll stabilize this state a bit more."
Li Chunjun said.
He didn't refuse Jiang Wanyu's suggestion.
He clearly understood why the Taixu Sword Sect valued him so much.
Top-tier resources like Taiyi Essence Gold, Black Flame Diamond, and Sun True Crystal were given without hesitation.
Upon entering the sect, he was granted the treatment of a future "Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy" by Sect Leader Huan Ming.
Scriptures like the Taixu Sword Scripture and Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture, which theoretically required a significant amount of sect contribution points to access, were freely available for him to peruse.
All these reasons boiled down to the Taixu Sword Sect's high hopes for his future.
An early investment.
And with heavy investment, the investing institution naturally faces certain pressures.
Huan Ming and Jiang Yuqiu hadn't said anything, but Li Chunjun could guess.
So, at this moment, as the invested party, showing some results would boost the confidence of the investing institution and also alleviate the pressures faced by Huan Ming and Jiang Yuqiu.
"You consolidate your realm, I'll protect you!"
Jiang Wanyu said.
"It's fine, it's a small matter."
Li Chunjun said calmly.
"No! This is important!"
At this moment, Jiang Wanyu showed a rare display of assertiveness: "Your success is important to us, to Flaming Phoenix Peak, and to the entire Taixu Sword Sect!"
Seeing this, Li Chunjun didn't say anything more.
He familiarized himself with the wonders of Divine Sense while digesting the information from the Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture.
"Divine Sense can be divided into two types of external perception: one is the precise inspection range, where everything is clear as if in the palm of one's hand, and the other is the extreme range where Divine Sense can reach..."
Li Chunjun "saw" this description and paused.
His precise inspection range was less than one li.
The extreme range was nine li.
Thus, the precise inspection range was only one-tenth of the extreme range.
"Qi Refining cultivators who develop Divine Sense only have an extreme range of three to four li? Only upon reaching the Core Formation Realm can one break through the ten li barrier."
Li Chunjun's nine li...
Was already at the threshold of Core Formation.
Several hours later, Li Chunjun opened his eyes.
He glanced at Jiang Wanyu beside him and said: "Thank you, Senior Sister."
"No need to be polite."
Jiang Wanyu smiled slightly, then added: "Let's go meet the Peak Master and the Elders."
Li Chunjun nodded.
He had just condensed Divine Sense and was still inexperienced in its use, so it was difficult to remain undetected when probing the Core Formation cultivators of Flaming Phoenix Peak.
At this moment, Peak Master Jiang Yuqiu and Elders Jiang Yuliu, Jiang Renwang, Jiang Xianzhi, Qin Zhou, and others had gathered outside his courtyard, but none of them entered to disturb him.
However, Li Chunjun couldn't keep them waiting for long.
He and Jiang Wanyu left the courtyard.
As soon as he appeared, everyone instinctively surrounded him.
"It's Sword Prodigy Li!"
"He's here, he's here!"
"Our earlier perception..."
Qin Zhou and the others couldn't help but ask.
"Yes."
Li Chunjun didn't hide anything and actively released his Divine Sense, sweeping it over everyone.
Using Divine Sense to probe others was a taboo among cultivators, but now, as Li Chunjun's Divine Sense swept over the Elders, each of them showed joy and excitement.
"Good, good! It really is Divine Sense!"
"This... this is the development of Divine Sense!? Divine Sense is the biggest hurdle for Qi Refining cultivators to break through into the Spirit Refining Realm! And it's already been crossed?"
"Hahaha! Sword Prodigy Li is the future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy of our Flaming Phoenix Peak, of our Taixu Sword Sect. How can we judge his growth by ordinary standards? Good! This is truly great!"
One by one, the Elders spoke.
Some even clapped and laughed, as if they were more delighted than when they themselves had developed Divine Sense.
"Good."
Jiang Yuqiu said the word "good" emphatically.
Then she turned to the Elders: "It's confirmed, disperse now. Do you all have nothing to do? With this free time, go teach more disciples, take on more missions, and enhance the prestige of our Flaming Phoenix Peak."
"Going, going."
"Haha, with peace of mind, let's go kill a few Divine Race Believers to celebrate."
"Let's go together."
One by one, the Elders called their friends and quickly left on their flying swords.
Qin Zhou also secretly gave Li Chunjun a thumbs up before turning into a sword light and departing.
After the Elders dispersed, Jiang Yuqiu offered some words of encouragement before leaving.
However, she didn't return to her own courtyard but headed straight for the administrative peak.
She had to go brag to Huan Ming.
(End of the Chapter)
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