Chapter 532 530: Half a Year's Improvement

"What's happening?"

Several Main Peak Disciples who were meditating before the True Martial Wall were startled by the sudden appearance of an astonishing Sword Intent.

The elegant man and the delicate woman stared at Luo Tian, dumbfounded, their minds in chaos.

Luo Tian opened his eyes, a dark, chilling Sword Light glinting within them.

'I've finally comprehended... Void Yin Sword Intent!'

Luo Tian marveled inwardly.

For the past six months, he had spent all his time on Cultivation.

He focused on two Cultivation Techniques, the Celestial Furnace Treasure Body and the Celestial Essence Water Condensation Technique, followed by his Body Technique and Swordsmanship!

Previously, Luo Tian had found cultivating the King Level Void Yin Sword Technique to be incredibly difficult, and his progress was slow.

But now that his Cultivation had reached the High Tier Earth Element Realm, coupled with his Sword Intent and the supportive effects of the Celestial Sword Technique, cultivating it became much easier.

His Cultivation of the Void Yin Sword Technique went smoothly, and Luo Tian successfully comprehended Void Yin Sword Intent!

Sword Intent is born from the flashes of insight and inspiration gained while practicing a Martial Skill, which eventually accumulate until they trigger a qualitative transformation, resulting in its comprehension!

In other words,

a Martial Artist is capable of comprehending multiple types of True Intent.

It's just that for most Martial Artists, cultivating a single powerful Martial Skill already requires an immense amount of effort and focus.

Comprehending even one type of True Intent is difficult enough. They simply don't have the spare energy to delve into additional Martial Skills.

Lesser Martial Artists might therefore believe they can only comprehend one type of True Intent, but that is not actually the case.

Luo Tian was only able to achieve this because of his own excellent aptitude, the massive boost to his Comprehension from cultivating the Creation Technique, and the supportive effects of the Celestial Sword Technique.

WHOOSH!

The moment Luo Tian opened his eyes, the strange phenomena around him completely dissipated. The entire event lasted no more than two breaths of time.

It was as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion.

The disciples farther away from Luo Tian couldn't clearly determine that the Sword Intent had emanated from him.

After all, they had all been immersed in their own meditation just moments before.

Luo Tian didn't want to be too conspicuous either.

The Void Yin Sword Technique and Void Yin Sword Intent were his trump cards!

He got up, preparing to leave the True Martial Wall.

But just then, a man and a woman approached him.

"Junior Luo, congratulations on your successful cultivation."

The elegant man wore an eager, fawning smile.

Luo Tian gave a faint nod and prepared to leave.

The elegant man, however, assumed Luo Tian was still holding a grudge and was instantly filled with panic and worry.

"Junior Luo, I was in the wrong about what happened before. I was blind and failed to recognize your greatness. Please don't hold it against me!"

The elegant man bowed his head and apologized.

"Hm? What was that about?"

Luo Tian was confused.

The elegant man's face grew even more panicked.

'He's not accepting my apology! He's pretending not to know on purpose!'

"Junior Brother, please accept this humble gift." The elegant man took out a bottle of Spirit Pills and offered it to Luo Tian.

"I really shouldn't," Luo Tian said.

Seeing Luo Tian's reluctance to accept, the elegant man assumed he thought it was too little and panicked even more.

"You must accept it. This is my apology gift. If you feel it's not enough, Junior Brother, I can go and prepare more..."

"Fine."

Luo Tian accepted it and then walked away.

Suddenly, Luo Tian remembered. He had a vague impression of the two. "Have we met here before?"

He had seen them a few times when he first came to the True Martial Wall to cultivate.

"...Yes!"

The elegant man nodded blankly.

After Luo Tian had left,

the delicate woman said, "Senior Brother, it seems Luo Tian didn't care about what happened at all. He only just now remembered us."

They had been living in fear because of Luo Tian's rise to prominence.

But in reality, Luo Tian hadn't given them a second thought.

...

After cultivating at the True Martial Wall, Luo Tian went to a Martial Arts Cultivation Room, where a person was already waiting for him: the True Disciple, He Yuan.

The minor conflict between the two had long been resolved.

Furthermore, He Yuan had come to Luo Tian to trade for the Purifying Moon Lotus and other treasures, and Luo Tian had agreed.

Luo Tian had also proposed another condition:

He Yuan had to serve as his sparring partner, unconditionally, for one year.

"Junior Luo, you're too diligent. We must have sparred at least ten times in the last six months."

He Yuan said with a hint of resignation.

Luo Tian was a complete cultivation fanatic, but his progress also astonished He Yuan.

"Enough nonsense. Let's fight!"

Luo Tian took out the [Ice Nether Sword] and unleashed an elegant, formless Gale Sword Qi.

He Yuan's expression immediately turned serious!

Since it was just a spar, neither of them would use their trump cards. In the beginning, He Yuan hadn't thought much of it.

But soon after, he paid the price for his carelessness, getting injured by Luo Tian several times!

By now, Luo Tian had improved immensely. His Cultivation had reached the Peak of the Seventh Layer of the Earth Element Realm, and he was just a small step away from the Eighth Layer.

Experience had taught him that even when Luo Tian wasn't using his trump cards, he had to be on high alert; otherwise, he'd be sent home to lie in bed.

CLANG! CLANG! HISS! HISS!

Inside the Martial Arts Cultivation Room, Sword Qi and blade lights crisscrossed.

He Yuan could feel Luo Tian's significant improvement.

'This kid, how in the world does he cultivate?!'

He Yuan grumbled inwardly.

Flying Stream Blade Slash!

He Yuan seized an opportunity. His Golden Saber danced wildly, unleashing wave after wave of surging golden blade light that rushed ferociously toward Luo Tian.

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Luo Tian's figure blurred, becoming indistinct. He was using the Moon Shadow Step Technique from the Moon Shadow Escape Heaven.

This Step Technique was extremely agile in combat and had a bonus effect on moonlit nights.

Currently, the agility and speed of Luo Tian's Moon Shadow Step Technique had already surpassed his Wind Manipulation Technique at the Perfect Realm.

"What the hell is this Body Technique?"

All of He Yuan's attacks struck Luo Tian's afterimages, leaving Luo Tian himself completely unharmed!

It wasn't his first time encountering Luo Tian's bizarre Body Technique, but he still couldn't figure out a countermeasure.

Wind Rises!

The [Ice Nether Sword] flicked upward, unleashing a continuous, unending whirlwind of Sword Qi that put immense pressure on He Yuan.

CLANG! CLANG! BOOM!

He Yuan swung his Golden Saber defensively.

"Junior Luo, is that really our Sect's Sky Wind Divine Sword?"

He Yuan couldn't help but ask.

The Saber Technique he cultivated was a slightly higher Tier than the Sky Wind Divine Sword.

But in his spars with Luo Tian, he was always the one being suppressed.

This wasn't just because of Luo Tian's Sword Intent; it also seemed to be related to the Swordsmanship itself.

"Still daring to get distracted?"

Luo Tian's Sword Technique changed, emitting a deep, cold, and dark glow that sent a chill through He Yuan's body.

HISS!

A dark, formless Sword Light swept over silently, grazing his arm and leaving behind a bloody gash!

With Luo Tian's current understanding of the Void Yin Sword Technique, he could now utilize a small fraction of the technique's profound mysteries, which still possessed considerable killing power.

He Yuan retreated several steps, a look of shock on his face.

'What the hell is this Swordsmanship?'

He Yuan felt he couldn't see through Luo Tian at all.

He was a dignified Half-step Celestial Pool Realm expert, with hopes of breaking through to the Celestial Pool Realm within six months, yet in a spar with Luo Tian, he was suppressed and even injured.

After exchanging a hundred moves, the two stopped.

Luo Tian's current Cultivation was at the Peak of the Seventh Layer of the Earth Element Realm.

His Swordsmanship and Body Technique had improved even further.

In addition, his Celestial Furnace Treasure Body had also improved tremendously, reaching the Sixth-Layer Great Success Realm!

It could now reduce the damage from a Half-step Celestial Pool Realm expert's attacks by fifty to sixty percent.

Without using some of his powerful trump cards, Luo Tian's combat strength was on par with a Half-step Celestial Pool Realm expert from the Tai Yuan Sect.

If he used his other trump cards, he could win!

If Luo Tian were to face an incomplete Celestial Pool Realm expert now, he could achieve victory without too much risk.

'My Cultivation is also very close to the Earth Element Realm Eighth Layer. Once I break through, my strength will increase again.'

Luo Tian murmured to himself.

Hearing this, He Yuan, who was standing nearby, looked rather embarrassed.

'If Luo Tian breaks through to the Earth Element Realm Eighth Layer and we spar again, I'll be completely on the defensive, just taking a beating, won't I?'

He Yuan felt immense pressure; he had to break through to the Celestial Pool Realm as soon as possible.

After the spar was over, Luo Tian returned to his residence, took out the Nine Yang Strong Wine, and had a drink.

Only a small jar of the Nine Yang Strong Wine remained.

Luo Tian's resistance to the wine was growing stronger, and its effect on tempering his physique was gradually weakening.

Even so, the tempering effect of the Nine Yang Strong Wine was still superior to that of ordinary Fire-type Spiritual Materials.

「A few days of cultivation later.」

'It's time to take on a mission. I'll make a trip to the Martial City Spirit Hall while I'm at it.'

Luo Tian walked out of his room.

The Sect required Main Peak Disciples to complete one mission every year.

This was to encourage disciples to go out and gain experience, rather than just cultivating behind closed doors.

Furthermore, three months ago, when Yan Xiaoxia had gone out on a mission, Luo Tian had entrusted her with a task.

He had asked her to go to the Celestial Net Organization in the Martial City Spirit Hall and inquire about the whereabouts of two people!

There should be some results by now.

Luo Tian arrived at the Sect Affairs Hall and began looking through all the available missions.

'I can also make a trip back to the Celestial Mountain Realm and tell Master about the five-year agreement...'

Before long, Luo Tian selected a mission that was relatively close to the Celestial Mountain Realm.

Afterward, he left the Tai Yuan Sect and headed for the nearest Martial City Spirit Hall.

...

In the pitch-black Outer Void, a faint light suddenly flickered, and a metallic Void Ship materialized.

"That kid has left the Sect!"

"I thought the little brat would stay in the Tai Yuan Sect for the rest of his life. He's finally out!"

Onboard the ship were five people.

Three of them were at the Half-step Celestial Pool Realm, and two were Celestial Pool Realm experts!

"Let's move!"

The leader, shrouded in a green robe, had eerie green eyes and exuded a powerful, intimidating aura.

A few days later, a Half-step Celestial Pool Realm expert knelt on the ground and said, "Elder, we're almost there!"

Following this, everyone on the ship gathered at the bow, ready to capture Luo Tian at a moment's notice!

But suddenly, a cold and majestic voice rang out, "You've finally shown yourselves!"

In the distance, two beams of auroral light tore through the void. They wore white robes adorned with a golden sun pattern—they were Tai Yuan Sect Elders!

"Damn it, it's the Tai Yuan Sect Elders!"

"The Tai Yuan Sect actually sent two Elders to protect this guy in secret!"

"Turn around, quickly! Retreat!"

Panicked shouts erupted from the Void Ship.

"Trying to run?"

One of the Tai Yuan Sect Elders waved his hand, casting out a large blue net. Lightning flashed across its surface as it enveloped the entire Void Ship, instantly destroying it.

The two Tai Yuan Sect Elders were immensely powerful and had come prepared. They captured all the enemies on the Void Ship in one fell swoop!

"It really is the Sea Demon Palace!" the two high-ranking members of the Tai Yuan Sect conversed.

"After the last gambling battle between the Three Sects, they left some people behind to hide near the Tai Yuan Realm. We've finally rooted them out!"

The Tai Yuan Sect was naturally on guard against the Sea Demon Palace.

Furthermore, the Sea Demon Palace had placed an astronomical bounty on Luo Tian, and their behavior during the Three Sects' gambling battle had been highly unusual.

The Tai Yuan Sect, worried for Luo Tian's safety, had sent two Elders to follow him in secret. Unexpectedly, they had reeled in a big fish.

...

'The sense of crisis has vanished?'

Luo Tian, who was inside his own Void Ship, suddenly had a feeling.

In fact, before leaving the Sect, he had divined some clues.

He would face danger on his trip, but it wouldn't be significant.

「One month later.」

Luo Tian arrived at the Martial City Spirit Hall.

He went to the Celestial Net Organization and was led by an attendant down a long, dark corridor to a dimly lit room.

A mysterious, masked old man appeared at a window inside the room.

"What information are you looking for?"

A hoarse voice came from beneath the mask.

"I already commissioned a request several months ago."

"Are there any results regarding the whereabouts of two people: Ning Xueyao and Luo Xiao?"

Luo Tian asked calmly.