Volume 1 Chapter 9 Spirit Gathering and Breaking the Limit

An invisible sword aura shot toward him, carrying a familiar yet destructive aura. Qin Feng instinctively sidestepped to avoid it.

However, the aura seemed to lock onto him, forcing him to dodge again. As he moved, his mind raced to understand what was happening. Based on the familiar energy signature, he was certain this was the very same aura he had just unleashed himself. It seemed that upon its return, it had been tainted by some invisible force.

After narrowly evading the attack once more, Qin Feng realized he could not continue like this. "This damn place! It doesn't even provide the rules for the trial!"

He had no choice but to experiment. Watching the sword aura streak toward him again, Qin Feng chose not to dodge this time. Instead, he raised his weapon. The aura seemed even more potent than before.

He swung his blade!

The two sword auras collided in mid-air and dissipated with a boom.

"Did it work?" Qin Feng stood there, holding his weapon, stunned. Just as he thought it was over, the sword aura he had just projected suddenly turned and struck the wall!

As a suspicion began to form in his mind, another sword aura emerged from the wall—this one stronger and more destructive than the last. Understanding the pattern, Qin Feng stopped dodging and met it with another strike of his own. The cycle continued.

Half an hour passed. Qin Feng was exhausted; his internal spiritual energy was nearly depleted, and his meridians began to ache with a stinging sensation. He was no longer thinking about training, but only about how to escape the room. The stone door had sealed shut the moment he entered, and to open it, he had to find a way to survive the relentless onslaught.

"Damn it!" Qin Feng leaned on his sword, gasping for breath, before steeling his resolve. He had survived so much already; he would not fail here. If the world learned that a prodigy with the Divine Devil Sword Bone had been defeated by his own trump card, how could he ever face his master again?

With that thought, he gripped his sword tightly. "Come again!" He refused to believe he couldn't overcome this.

After several more rounds, he had completely drained every last drop of his spiritual energy. "Is this the end?"

Qin Feng slumped against his sword, kneeling on the ground. His eyes burned with frustration as he watched the destructive aura approaching, having no strength left to dodge. Yet, just as he braced for death, the killing blow never came.

Qin Feng opened his eyes, unable to fathom what had happened. He looked up to see that the training chamber door had quietly opened. As his senses returned, he understood: this was a protective mechanism of the Pagoda of the Floating Slaughter. Once it detected that its master could no longer continue the training, it halted immediately.

As he realized this, a wave of invisible energy surged from within him. His cultivation base climbed—Spirit Gathering Stage, eighth level! Ninth level! Peak!

In a flash, Qin Feng reached the peak of the Spirit Gathering Stage at a pace others could only dream of. He was just one step away from breaking into the Qi Sea Realm. Yet, at this critical juncture, he forced himself to stop.

"Why?" A cold, clear voice echoed in his mind.

Qin Feng froze, realizing it was the voice of the Nine Nether Empress. "Senior? You can speak to me outside? I thought you were—"

"Thought I was what? Imprisoned here?" The Empress’s voice held a hint of amusement.

Qin Feng dared not respond. He dared not ask how a being as powerful as the Nine Nether Empress had been imprisoned in the first place, nor did he dare to ponder whether she was his ally or his enemy.

As cold sweat beaded on his back, the Empress let out a soft laugh, so faint he wondered if he had imagined it. "Very well, I shall stop teasing you." The tension in the air vanished. "Tell me, why did you stop yourself from breaking through to the Qi Sea Realm when you had the momentum?"

"Are you afraid of drawing attention? If so, worry not. The Great Desolate Sword Pagoda has a built-in concealment ability that surpasses any breath-hiding technique."

Qin Feng shook his head. "No, I suppressed it because I want to strive for the legendary eleventh, or even twelfth, level of the Spirit Gathering Stage."

"Since I have been given a second chance, I will do everything to the best of my ability!" Qin Feng’s tone was filled with unwavering resolve.

During his three years as a tomb guardian, he had meticulously studied every text in the Yuhua Peak library. He had read about the existence of the eleventh and twelfth levels in various travelogues. Those who achieved such heights were true prodigies, destined to ascend to the higher realms. If they could do it, why couldn't he?

After answering, Qin Feng resumed his cultivation, focusing on compressing his spiritual energy further until it became substantial.

The voice in his mind fell silent. Through the light screen, the Nine Nether Empress watched him, a glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes. "Perhaps... you will succeed where we failed..." Her whisper vanished into the wind.

After finishing his meditation, Qin Feng’s cultivation stabilized at the ninth level. Remembering the Empress's words about the pagoda’s concealment, he chose to suppress his aura to the seventh level as a precaution.

He stepped out of the cave dwelling and took a deep breath. For the first time, Qin Feng felt he had truly been reborn. Just as he was about to set off, he heard a commotion at the peak gate.

He descended to see several men dressed in the attire of the Mission Hall waiting for him.

"May I ask why you are here..." Before Qin Feng could finish, he was interrupted.

"So, you must be Chief Disciple Qin. Tell me, how long has it been since Yuhua Peak accepted a mission?" the man sneered. "Let me tell you, just because you are an inner disciple doesn't mean you can be this arrogant."