At dawn, when Yue Ru went to deliver Chu Li his meal, she found that he was not in his room.

　　Instead, Chu Li had recovered his real face and he was seen in Tianshu Courtyard at King An’s Imperial Residence.

　　When he had seen how much Yue Ru liked Lu Xiaofeng, he felt upset as that made him miss Xiao Qi even more. Hence, he could not wait to return to Tianshu Courtyard at dawn.

　　After all the fights and desperate struggles he had gone through lately, he had a feeling that his Nature Restoration Manifestation had improved significantly. With that being said, he wanted to test and see how powerful it was now.

　　Moreover, breaking through Xiao Qi’s inner state was not something that could be accomplished in one go. Having a persevering spirit was key and on top of that, he had to take things one step at a time. Hence, he should come back more often.

　　In Tianshu Courtyard, as a gentle breeze blew past, Xiao Shi and Xiao Qi were seated at the stone table in the middle of the courtyard. They were getting ready to have their breakfast.

　　Out of the blue, Chu Li appeared and smiled at them.

　　“You’re finally willing to come back.” Xiao Shi waved a hand and swept her eyes over him.

　　Dressed in a moon-white gown, it gave her a gorgeously innocent look that accentuated her limpid eyes.

　　Meanwhile, Xiao Qi was dressed in a snowy white gown which made her look like a jade statuette. As she cast him an indifferent glance, there was a cold glint in her eyes.

　　Chu Li smiled and asked, “Have things been peaceful here recently?”

　　“With Younger Sister keeping watch here, no one dares to come,” Xiao Shi replied with a laugh.

　　Chu Li nodded and glanced at Xiao Qi. “It seems like my Lady hasn’t achieved any significant advancement in your martial arts skills.”

　　Xiao Qi threw him a sidelong glance. She did not respond as she knew that he was merely trying to irritate her.

　　Chu Li smiled and spoke again, “How about we have a round of battle?”

　　“No thanks,” Xiao Qi replied.

　　“My Lady is no match for me now,” Chu Li said. “I’m going to become an inner mountain disciple of the Holy Church of Light very soon. I’ve learned quite a number of antique studies recently, including a Musical Assassination Technique and the White Tiger Killing Skill. Would you like to have a look at them?”

　　“No thanks,” Xiao Qi replied indifferently.

　　“Younger Sister, are you capable of defeating Chu Li now?”

　　“No, I’m not,” Xiao Qi muttered.

　　Chu Li chuckled and said, “How would you know that when you haven’t even tried?”

　　There was a purple flash between his fingers.

　　Before Xiao Qi could unsheath her sword, she felt a slight sting in her precordium. When she lowered her gaze, she found a small purple blade stuck to where her precordium was.

　　She frowned and looked at Chu Li coldly.

　　Chu Li had a faint smile on his face as he said, “This is the Light Blade. What do you think of its destructive force?”

　　Now that he had reached a higher boundary in his Nature Restoration Manifestation, he had a clearer grasp of Xiao Qi’s inner state. With that, he knew that he should not treat her too gently or obediently towards her if he wished to break through her inner state. Instead, he should oppose her whenever he could.

　　After irritating her a few times and subsequently cause her inner state to lose balance in front of him, he would then be able to create a crack in her inner state and have the opportunity to enter her heart.

　　Xiao Qi took the small purple blade into her hand. It was a very delicate blade carved out of sandalwood, and it felt slightly heavy in her hand. However, the blade had not been sharpened yet, so its destructive force was not very great. Nonetheless, it still hurt when it had hit her just now.

　　Chu Li said, “Since I’ve cultivated the Eternity Blade, I was able to cultivate the Light Blade effectively without wasting much effort. Now, I’ve already perfected my mastery of the technique.”

　　“Perfect mastery?” Xiao Shi said curiously. “Is there such a thing as a perfect mastery of the Light Blade?”

　　Chu Li nodded. “The Light Blade has nine levels in total, and its destructive force increases with every level. The ninth level of Light Blade contains an unbelievable destructive force.”

　　“Let’s give it a try then.” Xiao Shi was excited to have a look. “Younger Sister, come and give it a try!”

　　Chu Li turned to Xiao Qi with a smile. “Is my Lady bold enough to try it?”

　　“What should I do?” Even Xiao Qi was also curious to see how powerful the ninth level of the Light Blade was.

　　“My Lady should put on whatever treasured clothing and armor you have,” Chu Li replied. “It’ll be best to wear a few layers.”

　　“Is it that powerful?” Xiao Shi asked. “Even the snakeskin we have can’t block its force?”

　　“No, it can’t,” Chu Li replied.

　　Instantly, a thought occurred to him. Since the snakeskin could not withstand its force, this meant that he was capable of killing a flying snake now.

　　For him, this was great news. The gallbladder and flesh of those flying snakes were extremely rare and valuable food items that could bring endless benefits to those who ate them. He felt a sudden urge to go and explore the Hundred-Thousand Hills. Now that he had mastered the Light Blade, perhaps he would be more capable of protecting himself.

　　Xiao Shi gasped in admiration and said, “Well then, just wear two layers of armor. I doubt it can break through both layers.”

　　Chu Li smiled and nodded. “Sure.”

　　After having heard Chu Li’s words, Xiao Qi too became intrigued and said, “I’ll give it a try.”

　　Xiao Shi brought her sister into the house and very quickly, Xiao Qi came out with a change of clothes. She was wearing two layers of snakeskin armor underneath a white tunic.

　　The armors were not visible from the outside since Xiao Qi had a slender figure. On top of that, the tunic was also loose and comfortable while the snakeskin material was as thin as silk cloth.

　　Chu Li said, “Pay close attention now.”

　　After he finished speaking, Xiao Qi was sent flying backward before she crashed into the wall.

　　As Xiao Qi slid off the wall and landed steadily on her feet, she looked at Chu Li in amazement.

　　She lowered her gaze to her chest and saw a hole in her clothing. However, the flying blade was nowhere to be found.

　　Chu Li smiled faintly. “Can you handle another round?”

　　“Sure,” Xiao Qi replied with a scoff.

　　Right after she spoke, there was a loud “bang” as she was sent flying off and crashing into the wall again.

　　She felt a throb in her precordium as she had suffered some minor injuries.

　　Chu Li smiled and said, “This isn’t at full power yet. How are you feeling?”

　　“Where’s the blade?”

　　“It’s an invisible blade,” Chu Li replied, still smiling. “It’s formed out of inner energy.”

　　He swung his hand and a blade mark appeared in the wall with another “bang”. The blade mark was a finger deep, resembling the kind of mark a treasured knife would leave behind after it was swung forcefully against the wall.

　　Xiao Qi knitted her brows together as she examined the blade mark. Then, she slowly nodded. “It’s extraordinary indeed.”

　　The force contained within the blade she had endured earlier had been surprisingly powerful. If she did not wear those two layers of snakeskin armor, she would not have been able to block it. More importantly, this blade was incredibly fast. By the time one could sense the blade coming, it would have already struck the person, leaving the person no chance to react to it.

　　“It seems like your skills have improved then,” Xiao Shi said with a smile. “You really should go out and explore the world. It would be a waste of your talent if you were to stay in the residence for too long.”

　　Chu Li chuckled and asked, “Has King An been behaving well?”

　　“He’s been in isolated cultivation for some time now,” Xiao Shi replied. “According to Younger Sister, he’s been advancing rapidly in his martial arts skills.”

　　Xiao Qi nodded. “His Royal Highness is a genius at cultivation, and that means his rate of advancement is way faster than most people. You have to be careful.”

　　“Of course.” Chu Li grinned and nodded.

　　If the situation became unfavorable, he could just cripple the man’s cultivation again. He could try and see if King An could cultivate faster than Chu Li crippling his cultivation.

　　Chu Li felt rather happy to discover that Xiao Qi’s inner state had been damaged slightly this time. His plan of impressing her and irritating her at the same time had produced quite a good result.

　　As long as he remained persistent, he would eventually be able to completely break through her inner state and regain her heart!

　　…

　　When Lu Xiaofeng gradually opened his eyes and saw Zhang Junrui standing before him, he hurriedly bowed and greeted him. “Master.”

　　“Who did this to you?” Zhang Junrui asked with a huff.

　　Lu Xiaofeng hesitated for a moment.

　　Zhang Junrui said, “Is it Zhao Dahe?”

　　Lu Xiaofeng reluctantly nodded.

　　He felt ashamed that he had not been able to strike back at all after receiving that blow. It was too big a humiliation for him, especially since it had happened in front of Miss Yue Ru.

　　“Why did you get into a fight with Zhao Dahe?” Zhang Junrui asked with a frown. “Didn’t you know that he has killed off five elders from White Tiger Sect? Did you think it was by luck that he had managed to do that? No matter how lucky you are, can you kill off one of White Tiger Sect’s elders?”

　　Lu Xiaofeng replied, “He said that Master’s Junior Pang was trying to help Tan Jin kill him but was accidentally injured by Tan Jin in the end. He then took that opportunity to kill Master’s Junior Pang before taking Tan Jin’s life as well. So Master’s Junior Pang had been wrongly accused after all!”

　　Zhang Junrui, too, had thought that it was because Pang Jinshui had been trying to take advantage of the situation to kill the two men that he was then killed by both of them. It had never occurred to him that Pang Jinshui could have been helping Tan Jin.

　　“In any case, dead men tell no tales. Whatever Zhao Dahe said makes no difference now,” Zhang Junrui muttered coldly. “Anyway, you were unconvinced by his reputation, so you were just trying to find an excuse to fight him, weren’t you?”

　　Lu Xiaofeng knew that he could never hide his thoughts from his master. So, he slowly nodded.

　　Before Zhao Dahe had shown up, he had been the top genius at cultivation in Gale City. The moment Zhao Dahe appeared, that guy had been in the limelight since then. Lu Xiaofeng paled in comparison like a star beside a bright moon.

　　Zhang Junrui said, “Do you know how big of a gap there is between you and Zhao Dahe now?”

　　“Yes,” Lu Xiaofeng replied. “Don’t worry, Master. I won’t be so muddle-headed anymore. I’ll start my isolated cultivation immediately.”