Li Hao raised his blade to the sky.
"Heaven-Blooming Slash!"
A blinding streak of pink sword light soared upward, then crashed down with divine authority. The heavens trembled as his strike cleaved Zhuo Hao Yu clean in half, his body split from crown to waist. Yet even after death, Li Hao's sword intent continued for several meters, carving deep into the earth before dispersing.
He lowered his blade calmly and turned toward the Prime Sword, Yu Liz He, who now stood several meters away.
Yu Liz He narrowed his eyes, silent, his thoughts unreadable.
"This boy…" he mused, "he's stronger than I imagined."
Without a word, Yu Liz He shifted his stance. In the blink of an eye, he vanished and reappeared in multiple directions—testing, searching, analyzing. But Li Hao didn't move.
He already understood.
Li Hao drew in a long breath, then whispered:
"Heavenly Blossom Sword Art—Rotating Sky Sword."
The air around him shimmered. Blossom leaves began to float from his sword, circling him with ethereal grace. At the center of it all stood the Heavenly Ascension Sword, spinning ever faster, until the leaves blurred into a brilliant storm of pink and silver.
With one step, he swung his blade in a full rotation.
Everything within a hundred meters was severed—stone, earth… and Yu Liz He.
As the light faded, only silence remained.
Two bodies now lay lifeless on the arena floor.
Li Hao sheathed his sword and walked away, leaving the stunned crowd behind.
About 120 meters from the arena, Li An stood waiting. As he neared, her gaze lit up.
"How did it go?" she asked.
Li Hao offered a small smile.
"Prime Sword and East Sword are no more," he said plainly.
As they walked side by side, he suddenly paused.
Turning his head slightly, he added,
"In the coming months, I'll be in seclusion. You must step into the Unrestrained Realm. Only then will I leave this place."
With those words, he walked ahead, his figure slowly fading into the distance.
Left alone, Li An watched him go, then looked around the quiet field. A moment later, she followed his footsteps.
Word spreads.
News of the Prime Sword and East Sword's deaths swept through Ling Long Town like wildfire.
People whispered, wondered, and speculated—who was the mysterious youth powerful enough to slay two of the town's top nine experts?
The Martial Hall gave him a name. One that now echoed on the battlefield like the scent of blossoming flowers.
Among Ling Long Town's strongest:
The Governor held unmatched combat power.
The Sun Sword Heavenly Master ranked second, famed for his unmatched killing arts.
And now, the Prime Sword and East Sword… had fallen.
In a quiet courtyard...
An elderly man sat cross-legged on a mat, playing a leisurely game of chess. Beside him was another old man—though his features were still sharp, almost youthful for his age.
The first spoke, his voice thoughtful:
"Old friend, did you hear? Prime Sword and East Sword are dead."
The second man nodded.
"Yes… I heard the Prime Sword's body was riddled with holes—cut apart like paper."
The first narrowed his eyes.
"That fellow must have had a reason for killing them."
The second asked,
"Do you want to handle it, Song Si-Woo?"
[Character Profile]
Name: Song Si-Woo
Age: 324
Realm: Half-Step Life and Death Realm
Background: Member of the ancient Song Family, Sejong Province. Backed by a Void Realm peak powerhouse—his family ancestor.
The man chuckled softly.
"With your Song Family background, one of Sejong's peak forces, it's within your right."
The first man smirked.
"You're not without your own power, Hei Jun. The Qi Royal Family isn't extinct yet."
[Character Profile]
Name: Hei Jun
Age: 276
Realm: Half-Step Life and Death Realm
Background: Fourteenth-rank official of the Qi Dynasty.
Hei Jun laughed heartily.
"Then how about this—I'll pay you with the last leaf of Inliten Tea."
Song Si-Woo's eyes gleamed.
"A fair price. I'll find this mysterious youth in ten months… fourteen at most."
"Then I shall await your good news," Hei Jun said, smiling.
Elsewhere…
In a quiet chamber, Li Hao sat cross-legged, eyes focused on his system interface.
A mission window glowed before him.
[Mission: Destroy the Zhuo Family]
Status: Completed
Reward: White Upper Garment
He tapped the screen, revealing its details:
> Name: White Upper Garment
Type: Defensive Artifact
Quality: Legend Grade
Crafted By: Grand Transcendent Blacksmith
Realm: High Human Artifact
Li Hao's lips curled upward.
In the Immortal World, artifact quality wasn't just about strength—it determined how many attacks it could block and from which realm levels:
Ordinary Quality: Blocks all attacks from lower realms; can withstand up to third-level strikes in its own realm.
Epic Quality: Defends against fourth to sixth-level attacks.
Elite Quality: Handles seventh to ninth-level strikes.
Legend Quality: Can block a perfect ninth-level blow—unbreakable under any condition.
Mythical Quality: Deflects half-step martial artists and even first-level strikes from a higher realm.
Though some believed using higher-realm artifacts was more effective, they were mistaken.
Such treasures couldn't be wielded to full capacity unless one met the required cultivation level. Without that, their abilities remained sealed.
But with a Mythical artifact, not only could one block terrifying attacks—they could wield the item's full power without restriction.
Twelve months passed in the blink of an eye.
Within a secluded chamber, surrounded by dense Qi and glowing spiritual symbols, Li Hao slowly opened his eyes. The calm ripple of power stirred the air around him as the system's familiar tone echoed in his mind.
In the past year, he had reached perfection in the Second Turn—also known as the Perfect Second Turn—a realm that stood just below the Half Step Transcendent Mortal Realm.
In this state, his strength was one and a half times greater than that of peak Second Turn cultivators. It was a gulf akin to the difference between heaven and earth. Only those who had begun to step into the next realm—the Half Step Transcendents—could stand a chance against someone at this level.
But even they had their limitations.
Half Step cultivators were individuals who had one foot in the next great realm, and yet, one foot still rooted in the old. Though their strength was amplified—five times stronger than ordinary peak cultivators—they could only harness about 20% of the next realm's true abilities. Their mastery over natural laws was incomplete, their divine arts restricted by the barrier they had yet to fully cross.
Suddenly, the system panel appeared before Li Hao, glowing faintly in the dim light of his secluded chamber.
[System Notification]
Age: 9 years old
Life Progression: Another step has been taken
Reward Unlocked: Rising Sun Sword Art
Quality: High Human
Origin: Created by a Perfect Third Turn cultivator
The moment the technique was granted, Li Hao's mind was filled with ancient insights and memories that were not his own.
He found himself standing atop a mountain within a dream-like world. The heavens above were veiled in night, but far in the distance, the first ray of dawn pierced the darkness.
The sky began to glow blue as the rising sun scattered golden light across the land.
An old man stood alone at the summit, his long robes fluttering with the wind. His presence was vast, radiant—like the sun itself. Sword intent flowed from his body, and even the stone beneath his feet shimmered from its heat.
His sword was planted in the ground, but even unmoving, its aura burned with luster. It was as though the blade mirrored the rising sun—unyielding and eternal.
Then the old man moved.
He grabbed the hilt and slowly raised the blade above his head. At that moment, a nascent Yang Primordial Spirit took form within him, glowing like molten gold. As his power surged, he executed a single slash—a Heaven-Ascending Strike.
The slash traveled a hundred miles, its trail burning through mountains and rivers. In its wake, more than 150 miles of land were scorched clean. And just like that, the old man vanished, leaving nothing but light behind.
[Ding!]
Congratulations. You have obtained your first Divine Art: Rising Sun Sword Art.
Li Hao's lips curled into a smile as excitement surged within his heart.
"Haha… With this technique, once I reach the peak of the Third Turn, I might truly stand without equal."
Though his realm had reached the peak of the Second Turn, his combat power was already ahead of most at his level. He sat cross-legged in silence, contemplating his next step.
The path to the Transcendent Mortal Realm wasn't just about brute strength—it required spiritual evolution.
To cross that threshold, one had to open a Spiritual Sea within the mind and refine it with spiritual power until it reached a stable form. Only then would one qualify as a true Transcendent Mortal.
But not all spiritual seas were the same.
They came in three qualities: Low, Mid, and High.
The Low Quality Spiritual Sea was over 10 micrometers in diameter.
The Middle Quality was over 100 micrometers.
And the High Quality exceeded 1,000 micrometers—a thousandfold increase from the lowest.
The size wasn't simply symbolic. The larger the Spiritual Sea, the more room it had for the spirit to roam freely. This not only improved spiritual strength by up to 10% per level, but more importantly, increased comprehension speed by a factor of two.
Still, the quality of one's sea alone did not determine superiority. If the cultivator lacked innate talent, even a high-quality sea could be wasted. After all, comprehension speed also depended on one's spiritual aptitude.
But for geniuses, every advantage counted.
Now, seated in the lotus position, Li Hao began to circulate his cultivation technique: Nine Revolutions of Immortality.
The spiritual power of heaven and earth surged in response, gathering around him like a vortex.
He focused inward, concentrating all his intent on his forehead. Slowly, an invisible mental aperture began to open at the center of his head. It was a minute, microscopic hole—barely the size of a speck—but it held infinite potential.
The moment it opened, spiritual energy was drawn in like a tide. It began to rotate, forming the early foundation of a sea within his consciousness.
This was the beginning. The first breath of his spiritual sea.
And from here on out—his path to becoming a Transcendent Mortal had truly begun.
ith a burst of energy, a loud boom echoed in Li Hao's mind as the 1,000-micrometer sphere of spiritual power expanded from nothingness. It felt as though the very fabric of his consciousness was being stretched, growing larger with every passing moment.
It's done... Li Hao thought, feeling his spirit surge with power.
His spiritual power had reached a new level. The mist-like energy surrounding him had solidified, becoming as dense as water vapor, thick and powerful. He could feel his body refining itself with every ounce of spiritual energy—his strength rising in tandem with his cultivation.
Boom!
A wave of satisfaction swept over Li Hao as he realized it: he had finally crossed into the Transcendent Mortal Realm, the true stage of a Grand Martial Artist.
For a moment, he stood still, breathing deeply as he acclimated to his newfound strength. Then, just as the excitement settled, a system notification popped up in front of him, its text glowing softly.
[System Notification]
You have taken another step in your cultivation.
Reward Unlocked: Inliten Tea Leaf
He raised an eyebrow. Inliten Tea Leaf—a High Human Mythic Quality treasure, said to grant profound enlightenment to any technique.
Li Hao smiled, both surprised and pleased. Mythic level treasures, as rare as they were, were almost mythic in status. To get one from the system so easily was extraordinary. Mythic treasures were considered so rare that they were thought to exist only in legends. The fact that they were on the brink of non-existence made their acquisition nothing short of a miracle.
With this, I can continue to improve... Li Hao thought. He had just broken through, but there was still much consolidation to be done.
A week later, Li Hao sat in front of a crackling fire. The flames flickered, casting shadows against the stone walls. Above the fire, a small pot bubbled with water, the Inliten Tea Leaf floating gently inside. The air was thick with the green, hazy mist as the leaves slowly released their essence into the water.
Li An approached from behind, her senses sharpening as she drew closer to the aroma. The scent of the tea leaf seemed to grow stronger with every step she took.
When she reached Li Hao, she settled next to him, placing two cups on the stone ground. Li Hao poured the tea, filling both cups with the warm, fragrant liquid. He handed one to Li An, and they exchanged a glance.
"Brother," Li An said, her eyes glinting with curiosity, "you still haven't told me what this tea is."
"This is Inliten Tea," Li Hao explained, his voice calm and reassuring. "It can help you gain enlightenment into the application of strength and technique."
He paused for a moment, smiling confidently. "Drink it, and I'm sure you'll be able to break through 2 to 4 minor realms."
Li An raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "Alright," she replied. "Let's see."
Both of them raised their cups and drank in unison.
As soon as the tea touched Li Hao's tongue, he felt a surge of spiritual thoughts flooding his mind. His vision blurred for a moment, and the world around him seemed to shift. He blinked, and suddenly, he found himself in a dream-like state.
His senses were heightened, and there, standing beside him, was Li An.
Her eyes fluttered open slowly, and their gazes met. He could see the soft glow of her spiritual power, flowing like a river, balanced and serene. Her spirit power was profound—calm like a gentle breeze—and it emanated the peacefulness of someone at the Profound Realm's Proficiency Peak.
[Name: Li An]
Age: 11
Realm: Profound Realm, Proficiency Peak
Relation: Li Clan, Martial Hall
Proficiency: Heavenly Blossom Sword Art (Great Perfection)
Li Hao turned his attention back to himself, feeling a deep shift in his own power.
[Name: Li Hao]
Title: None
Age: 9
Realm: Third Turn, Fourth Level
Lifespan: 1,000 years
Immortal Art: Nine Revolutions of Immortality, Incarnation Golden Crow Divine Art (Small Success)
Mythical Power: Cosmic Celestial Dao Eyes
Heavenly Weapon: Sky Piercing Heaven Sword
Rising Sun Sword Art (Great Compilation)
Yin-Yang Flipping Heavenly Seal (Great Compilation)
Heavenly Blossom Sword Art (Transcendent)
Li Hao's gaze lingered on the last line—Heavenly Blossom Sword Art (Transcendent).
Transcendent? he thought, puzzled. How could it have reached that level?
He closed his eyes, and the system voice rang out in his mind, explaining the meaning of the term.
[System Explanation]
Those who have transcended the level of the technique, refining it beyond perfection, elevating it to a state that crosses the boundaries between profound and divine—this is what is known as Transcendent. The technique has been elevated to a divine quality.
Li Hao's smile widened. So, it's already a divine technique. He couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. He had not only cultivated his sword arts to the highest levels but had also unlocked the transcendent potential of his techniques.
Looking at Li An, he could see the same spark of potential in her eyes.
The tea was working. The path ahead for them both was filled with limitless possibilities.