The Saint hummed. “Judging by your current advancement, it should be about one year.”

　　Chu Li remarked in disappointment, “One year…”

　　Li Ruolan let out a “hmph.””You think one year is too long?”

　　“How long does someone else need then?” Chu Li asked.

　　The Saint glanced at Li Ruolan.

　　Li Ruolan understood what the Saint meant and she could only reply wryly, “About one year too.”

　　“That means I’m no worse than others,” Chu Li said happily. “Good, I’ll try to use less than one year to reach Outland!”

　　The Saint spoke, “Cultivation has to take place naturally, especially when you’re cultivating in isolation. If you try to rush things, you’ll end up with slower progress. You must keep this in mind.”

　　“I’ll cultivate wholeheartedly.” Chu Li promised.

　　“Good.” The Saint nodded gently and vanished at once.

　　Chu Li sighed in admiration. “What sort of Light-body Technique is this?”

　　“If you can cultivate a Divine Light Body, you’ll also get this kind of ability,” Li Ruolan answered. “I won’t come here anymore. Do cultivate properly.”

　　“Okay, don’t worry.” Chu Li smiled. “You can look for me in one year. I’m prepared to cultivate for a whole year straight.”

　　“Remember the Saint’s words.” Li Ruolan reminded wryly then glided away.

　　…

　　Great Ji Fairy’s Capital, King An’s Imperial Residence.

　　The sky was pitch black and the moon was nowhere to be seen.

　　A subtle glow could be seen at King An’s Imperial Residence. It was silent and most people had gone to bed. It was the dead of night and people were sound asleep.

　　Ten silhouettes raced through the Imperial Residence. All of them were clad in black and had their faces veiled with black cloth. They crept towards Tianshu Courtyard stealthily.

　　“Boom!” A loud noise was heard. One of the men in black collapsed without warning and did not move a muscle.

　　The remaining nine men were stunned and quickly stopped to observe their surroundings cautiously.

　　They were supposed to be here to plot against someone, but now they were plotted against by someone else. They could sense the other party’s intention to toy with them. The other party did not cause a ruckus but carried out their plan sneakily and eliminated one of their targets.

　　“Whoosh!” A swoosh appeared from the shadows and a blow struck a man in black.

　　The man in black was already on guard and immediately counter-attacked with a blow.

　　“Whoosh…” Another blow came and almost struck the man in black at the same time.

　　The man in black had just resisted the first blow and used up most of his strength. He was incapable of resisting the second blow; his body jolted and slumped to the ground.

　　There were only eight men in black left.

　　“Who’s there?” They hissed and stared towards the darkness.

　　“A Master from Amethyst Mountain?” Someone asked.

　　There was no movement within the shadows. Someone threw a few hidden weapons towards the darkness but to no avail.

　　Despite knowing that the other person had left, they still felt nervous.

　　The Phantom Yin Skill used by Amethyst Mountain was really tricky and avoiding it was a challenge.

　　The men pressed on and became more alert. They had a hunch that this Imperial Residence was not as simple as they had expected.

　　The martial arts world of the Li Dynasty looked down upon the Ji Dynasty, thinking the latter was weak. Apart from the four major sects, the other sects were often negligible.

　　The Imperial Residence was even more ordinary. When the Holy Church of Light offered a mission, the High Officials felt that a big, fat reward had materialized and they could not wait to get their hands on it.

　　Everybody wanted a piece of this reward, yet the circumstances had to be studied. What if the defenses of King An’s Imperial Residence was very strong? It was in the Ji Dynasty after all and most people were unfamiliar with it.

　　However after some time, people could not contain their urges again.

　　Ten Grandmasters decided to work together on the strict understanding that they remained vigilant. For an Imperial Residence, the number was definitely sufficient.

　　Nevertheless, they did not expect to lose two men right after entering the area. The perpetrator was an Amethyst Mountain Master too. They still revered the four major sects.

　　“How about we retreat first?” Someone suggested in a low voice.

　　“How are we supposed to retreat at this point?!”

　　“The situation doesn’t look too good. There’s an Amethyst Mountain Master.”

　　“Since we’re already here, we can’t just scurry away. Let’s discuss after we kill him!”

　　Very quickly, they achieved a consensus and used the Light-body Technique to reach Tianshu Courtyard.

　　“Who’s there?!” Zhu Tianhua roared. “King An’s Imperial Residence won’t stand for this!”

　　“Boom!”

　　“Boom!”

　　“Boom!”

　　Zhu Tianhua, Jiang Kuai, and the gang got up and stopped the eight Grandmasters from advancing further. They fought violently in Tianshu Courtyard and it was hard to tell which side was winning.

　　The light shone brightly on the courtyard.

　　Xiao Qi and Xiao Shi were dressed in white and sat quietly by the stone table in the small courtyard like two white jade beauties.

　　“Second Eldest Sister, go inside,” Xiao Qi ordered.

　　Xiao Shi replied, “Can’t you handle them?”

　　“No problem.”

　　“I want to watch.”

　　“Don’t you think that’s too gruesome?”

　　“So what? Life and death are part and parcel of this world,” Xiao Shi said. “I’ve died so many times and there’s nothing terrifying about it.”

　　Xiao Qi laid a long sword on the stone table and said weakly, “Ten Grandmasters… The Holy Church of Light hates Chu Li to the core.”

　　“But of course.” Xiao Shi smiled. “He has killed more than ten Grandmasters from the Holy Church of Light. I heard that the Regal Sword Scripture of yours is extraordinarily powerful. Today, I want to witness for myself how powerful it is.”

　　A man in black used a secret skill and gained immense strength at once. He knocked away Liu Xing brutishly and instead of continuing the fight with him, he rushed inside Tianshu Courtyard and approached Xiao Shi.

　　Chu Li was nowhere to be seen. He was momentarily stunned and turned to regard Xiao Shi with furrowed brows.

　　Xiao Qi’s wrist made a slight movement.

　　“Ting…” Within the silence, the sound made from unsheathing and sheathing a sword seemed nearly identical.

　　The man in black clutched at his throat and stared at Xiao Qi with disbelief in his eyes. He slumped to the ground slowly and there was no blood flowing from his throat as if the wound had frozen.

　　“Let them in!” Xiao Qi’s voice resounded throughout the courtyard.

　　Liu Xing’s head was spinning and he was scared senseless.

　　If that fellow had really entered the courtyard and harmed Consort Xiao, he would have been dead meat. However, he did not expect the cold and aloof Third Lady to possess such astonishing swordsmanship!

　　Xiang Feixue took one step back and his opponent rushed towards Tianshu Courtyard.

　　The remaining six Grandmasters also headed towards the courtyard. All seven of them charged towards Xiao Qi.

　　They attacked simultaneously and believed that this would injure Xiao Qi for sure.

　　Xiao Qi stepped forward. She was so close to the men that they need not strike any blows from afar.

　　“Ting…” A glimmer of bright light appeared.

　　“Ting…” The light vanished.

　　All seven of the men stepped backward. Two of them clutched their throats and collapsed, their eyes wide with surprise.

　　Xiao Qi scanned the last five men and said emotionlessly, “Leave.”

　　“Who are you?” A man in black with a deep voice asked.

　　“A Protector of the Imperial Residence,” Xiao Qi replied coldly. “King An’s Imperial Residence isn’t a place where you can trespass!”

　　“Let’s go!” The five men turned around and departed. They had to leave their dead partners behind.

　　Xiao Qi took a step toward the stone table and sat down gracefully.

　　Xiao Shi clasped her palms and grinned. “Excellent swordsmanship, indeed! You’re almost on the same level as Chu Li!”

　　Xiao Qi lifted a brow. “I’m not as good as Chu Li?”

　　“A bit.” Xiao Shi’s placed her thumb and index finger close to each other. “Just a little bit.”

　　Xiao Qi asked, “Is he really that powerful?”

　　“He spends his whole day killing one person and tackling another. His skills and abilities are always improving,” Xiao Shi explained. “Every time he returns, he spends the whole night cultivating. It might seem like he has no time to practice, but he’s extremely hardworking.”

　　Xiao Qi nodded gently and did not say another word.

　　Xiao Shi spoke, “I can’t believe these fools dared to enter the Imperial Residence. What does the Holy Church of Light want?”

　　“It wants to incite a war between the martial arts world of both countries,” Xiao Qi replied. “it wants to prepare for the South’s invasion.”

　　Xiao Shi remarked slowly, “Looks like their country is getting stronger and stronger. This war would come soon.”

　　“Probably this year or the next.” Xiao Qi’s expression was tense.