While Tang Xiao Qi was on the Northwest front performing heroic deeds, receiving the title of Sky-Patrol Elder, and Qingxu Temple was honored by being promoted to First-Rank Superior Sect with guests flooding in and the sect celebrating, at Qingxu Temple's Back Mountain, on that usually sword-aura-dense, rarely-visited solitary sword peak's summit, a suppressed for a long time yet increasingly fierce and vast aura was like a dormant volcano, about to experience a complete eruption.
This place was Third Senior Sister Liu Yun's secluded cultivation location.
Since news of Xiao Qi forming his Golden Core first arrived, then the Northwest demonic disaster erupted, followed by continuous news of Xiao Qi's remarkable achievements until he became famous throughout the world, this Third Senior Sister known for her strict and fierce temperament, on the surface still calmly assisted Senior Brother with sect affairs and used iron methods to rectify the slightlyimpetuous'ssect atmosphere, but deep in her heart had alreadystirred up monstrous waves.
She and Xiao Qi had known each other when they were nobodies. She personally watched that seventh junior brother once teased as the "littletrash" how he surpassed his peers step by step, even leaving her, who once taught him sword techniques, far behind. She felt sincere happiness and pride for him, but that pride and unwillingness deeply rooted in her bones made her feel unprecedented urgency and... unwillingness to fall behind.
Not jealousy, but a strong belief that she did not want to be left behind by the tide of the era,longing to fight alongside his junior brother, to jointly support the sect's future!
If Xiao Qi could condense a Golden Core in mortal combat, why could not she, Liu Yun? If Xiao Qi could face the demonic entity's projection without retreating, why could not her sword shatter this Golden Core barrier?
This belief transformed into the purest, most resolute sword intent, supporting her during external noise and sect upheaval toresolutely sealed the Sword Peak, beginning the life-or-death trial of striking at Golden Core.
At the sword peak's summit, inside a simple cave dwelling.
Liu Yun sat cross-legged. Around her there were no elaborate spiritual energy auspicious signs, only countless dense, silk-like yet extremely refined transparent sword energies spontaneously flowing, colliding, annihilating, and regenerating. Her face still carried her usual heroic and cold spirit, but between her browscondensed with a force to cut through all obstacles'sresolute.
Striking at Golden Core wasdefying heaven, with nine deaths and one life. One had to extremely compress and refine their liquid spiritual power, combine it with the soul, and cast an eternally undying Golden Core Dao seed in the dantian sea. During this process, inner demons attacked, spiritual power rebelled. A slight mistake meant destruction of one's foundation anddeath and dao dissipation.
The path Liu Yun chose was the most difficult yet most fitting her sword cultivator nature: taking sword intent as the core, casting a Sword Heart Golden Core!
She fused her lifetime of sword dao insights, the killing intent accumulated from countless battles, and herwill to protect toward the sect, teachers, and fellow disciples (especially that seventh junior brother who had already walked ahead) into one furnace, transforming them into anformless and intangible, yet extremely sharp "heart sword," ruthlessly slashing toward the cultivation barrier hindering her progress!
"Boom!"
In the depths of consciousness,,as ifhaveheavenly thunder exploded! Countless distracting thoughts, past cowardice, fear of failure, even subtle self-doubt arising from Xiao Qi's achievements, like a tide surged, transforming into various ferocious inner demons trying to erode her sword heart.
"My path, only the sword! Where the heart points, the sword reaches! Slash!"
Liu Yun's mind was like iron. Her consciousness transformed into that pure heart sword, disregarding everything, only slashing forward relentlessly! All inner demon illusions, before such pure and resolute sword intent, shattered one after another!
Meanwhile, her vast liquid spiritual power, drawn and compressed by that heart sword, like hundreds of rivers returning to the sea, frantically rushed into the dantian. Around that "heart sword"phantom, they began rapidly rotating and collapsing! Extreme pain came from the dantian,as ifhis entire body was about to be torn apart by that violent'senergytear!
But she clenched her teeth tightly. Even a wisp of blood seeped from her lip corner, yet her eyes became even more dazzling bright, like a divine sword drawn from its sheath,would rather break than bend!
Time passed quietly during her seclusion.
Outside the sword peak, Senior Brother Mu Qingfeng had long ordered the surrounding area blocked, strictly prohibiting anyone from disturbing. Though busy handling guests and sect affairs, he always kept part of his mind focused on the sword peak direction, his face showing hard-to-conceal worry. Third Junior Sister's temperament was fierce, and the path she chose was most dangerous. He really feared...
On this particular day, it was dusk,sunset like blood.
At the sword peak's summit, those originally subtly flowing transparent sword energies suddenly became violent! Countless sword energies shot skyward, intertwining, killing each other, merging,emittedear-piercingly loud'sclanging! The entire sword peak seemed to come alive, transforming into a huge sword wanting to pierce the blue sky!
Asharp and fierceunparalleled,as ifcould cut through everything in the world's sword intent, like a storm, swept outward, instantlycovered the entire Qingxu View mountain gate!
All disciples, regardless of cultivation level, felt their skin grow cold,as ifhaveinvisible'ssharp sword hanging over his head, even breathing momentarily stopped! Disciples practicing swordplay at the martial field wereshocked to discover their held swords uncontrollably hummed and trembled,as ifsubmitting to some supreme existence!
"This is... Third Senior Sister's (Aunt's) sword intent?! How terrifying!"
"Could it be... success?!"
Exclamations sounded in various places.
Mu Qingfengsuddenly raised his head from paperwork, his form flashing to outside the hall, gazing toward the sword peak direction, his eyes filled with tension and expectation.
Inside the cave dwelling, in Liu Yun's dantian, at the center of the violent spiritual power vortex, a translucent, like glazed crystal-cast, small sword giving off the purest sword dao edge was slowly condensing! On the sword body, faint Dao patterns were visible. Those were manifestations of her own sword dao!
Golden Coreembryonic form: Sword Heart Golden Core!
At the moment the Golden Core was about to fully solidify, the greatest inner demon tribulation descended! In illusions, she saw Qingxu Temple destroyed in demonic fire, saw Senior Brother die heroically in battle, saw Xiao Qicovered in blood, being choked by the demonic entity... those were her deepest fears in heart!
"A sword for protection, why avoid it due to fortune or misfortune? Even if before me is a thousand-zhang abyss, I shall also slash it with one sword! For me... condense!"
Liu Yun let out a clearlong whistle, like a phoenix crying to nine heavens! That glazed heart sword erupted with unprecedented light, slashing through all fear illusions! Inside the dantian, spiritual power completely solidified. That glazed small sword fully condensed, stably suspended at the center of the qi sea, slowly rotating, breathing the incomparably pure sword heart core power that was countless times more refined than liquid spiritual power!
Golden Core, achieved!
"Boom!!!"
At the sword peak's summit, a light column purely composed of sword intent fiercely shot upward, piercing the clouds, tearing apart the evening sky! Within the light column, a huge sword silhouette faintly undulated,radiating an aura that made all things solemn'sbone-chillingsword might!
Vast Golden Core spiritual pressure mixed with supreme sword intent, like a tide, spread outward, declaring the birth of another sword dao True Lord!
"Success! Third Junior Sister succeeded!" Mu Qingfengtoo excited to control himself, laughing loudly. "Our Qingxu Temple gains another True Lord!"
The entire Qingxu Temple, firstdeathly silence, then erupted in thunderous cheers! All disciples and elders showedecstasy, feeling honored!
Inside the cave dwelling, Liu Yun slowly opened her eyes. Her pupilsseemedhavesword light flowing, sharp and piercing. She felt that different Sword Heart Golden Core in her body, and the powerful force rushing endlessly, like her arm directing it. Her cold lip corner finally hooked into ansoul-stirring'sarc.
She rose, took one step out of the cave dwelling, standing at the sword peak summit. Her clothes fluttered, sword intentreaching the clouds.
From now on, Qingxu Temple had not only Tang Xiao Qi.
Also her, Sword Lord: Liu Yun!
Qingxu Temple's twin stars had risen. They wouldin this magnificent'swhenera blooming even more brilliantly'sradiance!