The martial arts arena was swept by a mighty wind, with clouds gathering like white dragons clawing the sky and spanning the heavens.
Such an extraordinary omen and commotion made it crystal clear to every scion of the great families that Ke Changji had already reached the threshold of the Out-of-Sight Realm.
“How could he have reached the threshold of the Out-of-Sight Realm already?” a young lady from a noble family murmured in shock.
Liu Shuyu, standing beside her, smiled slightly and said, “Third Young Master Ke opened all nine orifices five years ago. Last year, I heard that he had succeeded in cultivating the ancestral third eye, possibly achieving communion with Heaven and Earth. Now it seems he has advanced swiftly to the threshold of the Out-of-Sight Realm after attaining that communion.”
“Oh, I see…” The other young nobles nodded in understanding.
Su Ziyue was first struck with disbelief, then anger and frustration. Pointing at Ke Changji, she exclaimed, “You, you’re taking advantage of others’ weaknesses…”
She knew her second brother’s injuries were severe and would certainly not heal within a single day. But before she could finish speaking, Meng Qi stepped forward, blocking the sunlight filtering through the clouds.
“If all members of the Ke family are like you, then indeed, they are outwardly brilliant but inwardly rotten, unable to uphold the family legacy,” Meng Qi said calmly, without a trace of anger or mockery, stating it as a simple fact.
“You!” Ke Changji was both startled and furious. He had already displayed the cultivation level of the threshold of the Out-of-Sight Realm, yet Meng Qi still dared to say such things?
Meng Qi, known as the “Raging Blade,” was undoubtedly too stubborn and arrogant! The other young nobles thought likewise, except for Liu Shuyu, who nodded slightly in agreement.
Meng Qi stood with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding the stillness of a deep pool and the stability of a mountain. “You rushed to reach the threshold of the Out-of-Sight Realm immediately after attaining communion with Heaven and Earth. Didn’t your elders ever teach you about the ‘Mysterious Gate Without Regret’? Even if not achieving union with Heaven and Earth, you should have stabilized and refined your cultivation for some time before retreating into seclusion.”
His tone was calm and unemotional, as if instructing a junior.
“The Mysterious Gate… Without Regret…” Ke Changji stammered halfway. His grandfather had indeed told him about this, but he had completely dismissed it as idle chatter. He believed that steady progress would suffice—why go through such trouble?
After all, countless cultivators who advanced to the threshold of the Out-of-Sight Realm after attaining communion with Heaven and Earth eventually managed to unite inner and outer realms and gradually ascended to higher levels, albeit at a slower pace!
Moreover, aside from the elusive and nearly imperceptible initial step of finding one’s own path, even achieving union with Heaven and Earth alone was daunting. Many cultivators spent half their lives without making that crucial leap!
Under normal circumstances, cultivators in the main world who possessed good techniques, decent talent, and opened all nine orifices early enough, while their vitality remained strong, could eventually attain communion with Heaven and Earth by methodically cultivating the ancestral third eye over time. This was something cultivators in many lesser worlds without such techniques could not achieve. However, achieving union with Heaven and Earth entirely depended on personal cultivation of one’s character and understanding of the cosmos. At each ranking of the Human List, there were never more than ten individuals who achieved it.
Ke Changji absolutely refused to admit that he had rushed his breakthrough merely to impress the noble scions of Shendu.
At this moment, in the eyes of the gathered noble youths, Meng Qi stood tall and imposing, speaking like a senior, while Ke Changji appeared timid and cowardly, lacking the demeanor of a peer-level opponent. He seemed like a mere Qi-accumulation stage junior, terrified and anxious after a powerful senior pointed out his flaws.
“Big Sister Liu, what does ‘Mysterious Gate Without Regret’ mean?” a younger noble girl curiously asked.
Many present were quite young and had low cultivation levels, having only opened their eye and ear orifices. They were still far from the stage of the Mysterious Gate, so naturally, their elders had never specifically mentioned it.
Liu Shuyu smiled gently, exuding a warmth as refreshing as spring. “Once the ancestral third eye is awakened, the gate of life and death is traversed, and the inner and outer worlds resonate in harmony, one’s cultivation path is fundamentally established and can no longer be substantially altered. Thus, those who aspire to greater heights will consolidate and refine their cultivation after achieving communion with Heaven and Earth, engaging in profound introspection to complete these adjustments beforehand, thereby avoiding future regrets. This is known as the ‘Mysterious Gate Without Regret.'”
She didn’t directly explain Meng Qi’s words, but once they understood the meaning of the “Mysterious Gate Without Regret,” all the noble youths present realized that Meng Qi was accusing Ke Changji of rushing his advancement, having an unstable foundation, and facing an uncertain future.
Ke Changji, furious and embarrassed, inhaled deeply and said, “How many seniors advanced straight from communion with Heaven and Earth? Hmph, mere words are useless. Let’s settle this with actual skill! Changqing, you challenge the ‘Raging Blade’ first.”
He planned to let his younger brother test Meng Qi first, to gauge the severity of the Raging Blade’s injuries and avoid underestimating him.
Ke Changqing shared the same mother as Ke Changji and bore a strong resemblance to him, but at nearly thirty years old, he still appeared immature.
Meng Qi placed his right hand on the hilt of his blade and smiled slightly.
“I originally intended to take on all three of you at once, but I don’t want to take advantage. One by one will be better.”
The first half of his words left the noble youths reeling. He actually intended to fight all three single-handedly despite his injuries! Truly arrogant, living up to his title of the Raging Blade!
But his mention of not wanting to take advantage made them realize: the Raging Blade might be especially skilled in fighting multiple opponents!
Ke Changqing felt both excited and uneasy, wondering how many moves he could last. The longer he held out, the more fame he would gain!
Stepping forward and assuming his starting stance, he suddenly saw the Raging Blade open his mouth.
“Hmph!”
A sudden cold snort rang in his ears like a thunderclap, shaking his soul.
His mind buzzed, his vision darkened, and his legs grew weak, as if stepping on clouds.
Purple lightning flashed before his eyes. His body suddenly felt heavy, his vision darkened further, and he collapsed, completely unconscious.
The noble youths, including Su Ziyue, watched in utter confusion. How could Ke Changqing have fainted from just a snort from Meng Qi? Was that considered a move or just half a move?
“It must be a technique similar to the Shaolin Lion’s Roar, capable of concentrating sound into piercing force without disturbing others, producing thunder and lightning effects. It should be of the Out-of-Sight level…” Liu Shuyu’s eyes sparkled as she explained to everyone.
Su Ziyue had already stepped away from the battlefield and returned to Liu Shuyu’s side. Hearing this, she looked at Liu with admiration. “Big Sister Liu, you’re truly well-read and insightful. My second brother studied under Shaolin, so it’s no wonder he knows the Lion’s Roar.”
Liu Shuyu shook her head and gave Meng Qi a deep look. “It’s not the Lion’s Roar. It’s closer to the Daoist Thunder and Lightning Mantra.”
Meng Qi stood with his hands behind his back, barely nodding as he watched Ke Changji rush to help his younger brother. Liu Shuyu’s insight was indeed sharp, beyond what could be measured by the Six Orifices cultivation level.
It wasn’t strange for others to figure that out, since the effects were obvious. But for his “Thunder Mantra,” which had reached the Out-of-Sight level after enhancement by the “Yijin Jing,” only someone with exceptional insight could identify it.
“Next,” Meng Qi said calmly, as if a senior master testing a junior.
Ke Changji glared at his cousin beside him and said grimly, “Changle, seal your ear orifices first.”
Although this might not fully protect against Meng Qi’s Thunder and Lightning Mantra, it could at least block most of its effects, preventing him from collapsing before even launching an attack and disgracing the Ke family!
Ke Changle took a deep breath, advanced cautiously, and after bowing respectfully, he swiftly darted forward. He circled behind Meng Qi and struck with his hands shaped like claws, aiming directly at Meng Qi’s ears with a force capable of shattering metal.
He had long heard of the Raging Blade’s protective techniques like the Golden Bell Shield, so he deliberately targeted the weak spots!
Meng Qi stood motionless, seemingly too slow to react. Ke Changle felt a surge of joy, but then he felt as if Meng Qi were an ocean, his force barely creating ripples.
Suddenly, two familiar streams of energy emerged from nowhere, elusive and unpredictable, striking Ke Changle’s back and shattering his protective aura. He staggered forward and fell face-first to the ground.
He defeated Ke Changle without even moving? The noble youths, including Su Ziyue, were astounded.
They knew the Raging Blade was strong, but they had never imagined he could be this powerful. Ke Changqing and Ke Changle were at least at the Nine Orifices level, yet they seemed as fragile as Qi-accumulation juniors before him!
“This must be an extremely advanced technique of redirecting and borrowing force, combined with a counterattack method similar to the Wu Xiang Finger. That’s why Ke Changle had no warning and was struck directly,” Liu Shuyu pondered before voicing her analysis.
Meng Qi slightly frowned. Her insight was just too sharp.
Even with the Shengsi Yinfu at the early stage of the Out-of-Sight Realm, though he had not yet perfected it, redirecting Ke Changle’s own force was effortless for him. He could even use the protective aura to counterattack directly. However, that would have been too obvious, making it hard to achieve the effect of a single decisive strike. Therefore, he combined the force-application techniques of the Wu Xiang Chan Dao, something not easily discernible to ordinary cultivators!
Could it be that she was exceptionally gifted…
Meng Qi didn’t dwell on it for long. He looked at Ke Changji across from him, took a light step forward, and spoke steadily without the slightest fluctuation in his voice:
“You dared to challenge me only because I was injured. Do you have so little confidence in yourself?”
“And you even brought along your two brothers to test my injuries before daring to attack?”
“Where is your martial cultivation will? Where is your fighting conviction?”
His indifferent tone carried a series of questions that reverberated across the battlefield, striking straight into Ke Changji’s heart. His face flushed with humiliation, and he could no longer meet the eyes of the crowd. His imposing aura collapsed instantly, replaced by hesitation and fear.
In that instant, in the eyes of Su Ziyue and the others, Meng Qi’s figure grew tall and imposing, exuding a sense of righteousness and grandeur, while Ke Changji seemed to shrink, too afraid to face him directly, like a dwarf gazing up at a giant.
“Where is your martial cultivation will?”
“Where is your fighting conviction?”
After suppressing Ke Changji’s imposing manner, Meng Qi slowly drew his long blade with his right hand. His posture was natural and seamless, without the slightest flaw.
Ke Changji, furious and embarrassed, extended both hands. The wind rose, and the clouds moved. White dragons surged downward, seemingly transforming into dragon claws.
Simultaneously, a golden glow shimmered across the surface of his hands. He wore gloves as thin as cicada wings. As his inner force surged, it was as though a celestial net descended from the heavens, and stones from the ground rose to strike Meng Qi in unison.
This strike actually carried the might of the Out-of-Sight Realm!
“Treasure weapon…” Su Ziyue thought bitterly. The elders of the Ke family were truly shameless! They actually gave Ke Changji a treasure weapon so early!
This clearly showed their intention to prepare for this challenge!
Unlike great martial arts sects or families like the Ruan clan, the noble families of Shendu usually did not equip their disciples at the threshold of the Out-of-Sight Realm with treasure weapons. They would first observe their potential and only grant such weapons after confirming their likelihood of reaching the full Out-of-Sight Realm. Ke Changji had only recently broken through.
Seeing this attack, Meng Qi felt as if he had returned to the past, when he had struck Jiang Hengchuan with an Out-of-Sight level attack but lost control, making the move stiff and predictable. Jiang had used his attainment of union with Heaven and Earth to evade the lock and then struck Meng Qi’s weak spot directly, blocking the attack.
The blade light flashed, and Meng Qi seemed to transform into mist, connecting with the earth, indistinguishable from the white dragons and the stone spikes rising from the ground.
The long blade moved with utmost fluidity, riding the gusts of wind without resistance, effortlessly evading the sharp edges.
Suddenly, the blade made a mysterious upward flick, subtly aligning with the principles of heaven and earth. It strangely broke free from the entanglements and soared upward, escaping Ke Changji’s technique lock.
Ke Changji’s momentum was shattered, and his concentration faltered. In a fit of rage, he immediately activated his treasured weapon and unleashed his ultimate move the moment he attacked, without waiting for the opportune moment. Naturally, Meng Qi dodged it with ease.
The blade reached the peak of its momentum and returned, flowing as if by nature. The blade light flickered dimly and mysteriously, as if reflecting the deepest and most profound desires of the heart.
Ke Changji blocked repeatedly with both hands, resisting the attack and counterattacking to seize the upper hand. Finally, after a bitter struggle, he barely won against the Raging Blade by a half move.
The surrounding noble youths were all stunned, then filled with admiration and reverence, while Liu Shuyu’s expression changed, her eyes flickering with emotion, and a faint blush appearing on her face.
“Haha!” Ke Changji, feeling elated, burst into laughter.
“Big Sister Liu, the blade was already at his neck. Why was he still laughing?” Su Ziyue’s puzzled voice reached Ke Changji’s ears.
Ke Changji suddenly snapped out of his elation. He saw Meng Qi sheathing his blade and returning expressionlessly, while the familiar faces around him looked puzzled and pitiful, seemingly hiding a trace of mockery.
His face turned bright red with embarrassment. Without another word, he turned and left, no longer wanting to stay here.
Just now, he must have looked like a fool laughing like that!
“He was struck by the ‘A-nan Breaking the Precepts Blade Technique,’ probably the second move, ‘Descending into the Mortal World’…” Liu Shuyu explained to everyone.
Meng Qi walked over and smiled. “Miss Liu seems quite familiar with my martial arts?”
Liu Shuyu smiled gently. “I won’t hide from Senior Meng. I have a close friend who has been traveling the martial world for years. She greatly admires Senior Meng and often mentions you in her letters to me.”
“I wonder which young lady holds me in such high regard?” Meng Qi asked casually.
Liu Shuyu smiled. “She is the legitimate daughter of the Yu family from the Southern Province, with the given name Longzi.”
“Yu Longzi…” Meng Qi murmured the name once. He had never heard of this person before.
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