I Can See Through Everything

Endless sword qi wrapped around the three Nascent Soul cultivators.

The unleashed power tore apart the snowy forest for miles around, reducing everything within range to powder.

Only after more than ten breaths did the sword qi finally disperse, revealing the battered figures of the three Nascent Soul cultivators.

Their robes were shredded, their bodies bloodied, and even their auras had grown visibly weaker. Clearly, resisting Lu Qing’s sword qi had left them all badly injured.

Their faces were dark with fury. Without even pausing to treat their wounds, they sped after him.

But when they reached the edge of Ice Soul Valley, the thief was already gone.

The skies were empty save for the howling Snowstorm’s Astral Winds. For a hundred miles in every direction, not a single soul could be seen.

The thief had vanished without a trace. Not even his aura lingered.

The three immediately cast divination techniques to trace him.

The result was nothing but haze. They could not divine a single clue about where he had fled.

It was clear that he carried a treasure capable of shielding karmic causality. By now, he could be anywhere.

Realizing this, their expressions turned uglier still.

“Damn it! If it weren’t for that sword qi blocking us, how could he have escaped so easily?” one of them cursed bitterly.

The others stayed silent.

The sword qi Lu Qing had unleashed moments before had shocked them to their core.

It had reached the very peak of the Golden Core Realm—the greatest power the rules of Ice Soul Valley allowed.

Even they, at full strength, could only achieve the same.

That was the only reason they had been wounded by a Golden Core cultivator.

Such strength could only belong to a peerless Golden Core at the ninth transformation of the Twelve Transformations.

And not just any Golden Core—the wielder must have trained in an exceedingly profound sword dao inheritance.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to injure them.

“Did you notice? That thief’s sword qi was extraordinary, almost like the legendary inheritance from that place,” one of them said suddenly.

The other two were stunned.

“The legendary inheritance?”

At first, one of them frowned in doubt. But recalling those three streaks of sword qi, his heart jolted.

“You don’t mean that place, do you?”

“What else? Where else could produce such terrifying sword intent?”

“Wait, what place are you talking about?” the third demanded, still in the dark.

“Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect,” the first said grimly. “The legendary holy land of sword cultivators. That thief’s sword qi carried the aura of slashing through heaven and earth, destroying all before it. It was almost identical to the famed Heaven-Shattering Sword Qi.”

“Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect?!” the third gasped. “That sect full of sword maniacs?”

He wanted to dismiss it, but recalling that terrifying sword qi, he could not.

It was the fiercest he had ever seen. Aside from disciples of that legendary sect, he could not imagine anyone else cultivating such sword intent.

Even the top sword sects of the Tianyuan Great World, such as the Heavenly Sword Sect, could not produce something so domineering.

“If disciples of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect have come to temper themselves in our Tianyuan Great World, I wonder if the Holy Assembly knows,” one murmured.

“Whether they know or not, it’s not for us to meddle.”

“If he truly is from the Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect, no wonder he dared to steal from right under our noses.”

“Too bad. Looks like we’ll have to swallow this loss.”

If that thief really was a disciple of the Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect, there was no way to reclaim their dignity.

That sect was a legendary holy land of the sword dao, its power unfathomable and its reputation so great it shook multiple immortal domains.

Its disciples were few, but every one of them was a peerless genius, capable of suppressing entire generations of cultivators.

Worse, the sect was fiercely protective of its disciples.

If one of their own was bullied—especially if older cultivators used their higher realms to oppress them—it was all too easy to draw out the sect’s ancient monsters.

Strike the young, and the old would come.

Because of this, powers in surrounding immortal domains avoided provoking them at all costs.

If Lu Qing truly was from the Heaven-Shattering Sword Sect, the three Nascent Soul cultivators could only count themselves lucky they hadn’t caught him.

Otherwise, they might have invited calamity upon themselves.

“Forget it. To think we finally came across the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame, only for it to be stolen away. Seems my luck is foul these days. Better not wander outside for a while,” one of them sighed.

Without even reentering Ice Soul Valley, he transformed into a streak of light and departed.

“Old Zhao actually left?”

The remaining two exchanged surprised looks.

But they quickly shook it off and reentered the valley.

The Mysterious Ice Cold Flame was gone, but other treasures could still be found.

Since they had come this far, they couldn’t go home empty-handed.

…

Lu Qing had no idea that his parting strike had filled the three Nascent Soul cultivators with such dread that they abandoned thoughts of revenge.

The instant he escaped Ice Soul Valley, he confirmed no one was nearby, then activated a Transmission Talisman. Space shifted, and he reappeared hundreds of miles away.

Though Nascent Soul perception was formidable, it could not cover such vast distances in an instant. His escape was secure.

After flying another thousand miles, he found a cave deep in a mountain forest. There, he set up a Concealment Formation to mask his presence.

“Ah Qing, here!”

Xiao Li poked its head out of his hood and handed him a jade bottle. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Inside was the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame.

Lu Qing examined the bottle carefully.

It was a treasure he had gained during the battle at Sacred Tianxu Mountain, a jade bottle of artifact grade, capable of containing strange spiritual flames.

Ordinary magical tools could never withstand the might of the Mysterious Ice Cold Flame.

After confirming everything was secure, he stowed the jade bottle away.

“Ah Qing, you’re not going to refine it?” Xiao Li asked.

It knew Lu Qing cultivated along the five-element path, able to refine all kinds of treasures. Later, with the inheritance he’d gained, he could even refine all things without limit.

The Mysterious Ice Cold Flame should not have been beyond him.

“I don’t need this flame. I’m saving it for Xiao Yan,” Lu Qing said, stroking its head.

“For Xiao Yan? Oh, right—her cultivation technique suits this flame perfectly.”

Mentioning Xiao Yan made the little one droop. “Ah Qing, when are we going home? We’ve been away for years. I miss her.”

“Soon. Not much longer before we can return,” Lu Qing soothed.

He had already comprehended the path beyond the ninth transformation of the Golden Core Realm.

Now, he only needed to deduce the final three transformations of the Perfect Golden Core Technique.

With his talent, it would not take long to master them.

Once he reached perfection and stepped into the Nascent Soul Realm, his foundation would be unshakably profound.

Only then would he return home—this time with absolute confidence.

“But before that, I’ll need more spirit stones,” he mused.

As his cultivation advanced, his foundation grew deeper, his strength greater.

That was a blessing countless cultivators dreamed of.

But it also meant every step forward consumed vast resources.

The battle at Sacred Tianxu Mountain had left him with many spirit stones.

Yet more than a decade of seclusion had drained them. He had reached the ninth transformation of the Golden Core, and his witch cultivation had advanced to the Grand Witch Realm.

His progress was astonishing, but his reserves were almost gone.

The last three transformations of the Twelve Transformations of the Golden Core would surely devour even more resources.

Without spirit stones, relying only on ambient energy could take centuries.

So, he resolved to deduce the final transformations first—then earn the stones he needed.

“When I left my home world, it was because of depleted spiritual energy and a lack of spirit stones. To think that even here in the vast Tianyuan Great World, I still face the same shortage,” Lu Qing chuckled wryly.

After giving Xiao Li a few instructions, he activated his divine ability and entered seclusion once again.

Time slipped away in the mountains.

Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.

At last, Lu Qing opened his eyes.

His gaze was deep, filled with stars and wisdom.

The vision slowly faded, leaving him weary.

Half a year of constant deduction had taken its toll, even with his divine abilities and his Soul Talisman perfected at the Yang Talisman stage.

Still, fatigue could not dim the joy in his eyes.

“Finally… the last three transformations of the Perfect Golden Core Technique are complete.”

Indeed, by pursuing the spark of inspiration he had gained in Ice Soul Valley, he had deduced all three.

“But just as I foresaw, to step into the tenth transformation, my power, flesh, and soul must all reach the peak of the ninth.

Only by uniting the three can I break the barrier, transcend the limit, and ascend to that unfathomable level.

Right now, my flesh is still lacking.”

His cultivation encompassed three paths: the daoist line of spiritual power, the Wu Clan’s witch lineage, and the divine rune inheritance of his home world.

These corresponded to power, body, and soul.

His power and soul had reached the equivalent of ninth-transformation perfection.

But his body was only at the Grand Witch Realm.

Still a step short of perfection.

That final step required resources—and his spirit stones were gone.

“Looks like I’ll have to leave seclusion after all,” he sighed, rising to his feet.

“Ah Qing, you’re done?”

His movement woke Xiao Li from its cultivation.

“Yes. For now. How are your studies?”

“Pretty good! I think I’ll soon be ready to attempt the second transformation of the Nine Transformations of the True Dragon,” it said happily.

“So soon?” Lu Qing was surprised. “It seems that senior was right—this technique truly suits you.”

“Of course! I’m not like that dumb snake, so slow at learning.” The little one puffed up proudly.

Lu Qing only nodded. Xiao Li’s comprehension did indeed outstrip Wuxing’s.

That fool still hadn’t mastered the first transformation.

“Do you need to keep cultivating a while longer?” Lu Qing asked.

Originally, he had planned to leave right away. If Xiao Li was at a critical moment, he would wait.

But after so many years together, Xiao Li understood him instantly.

“You’re thinking of going out?” it asked.

“Yes. We’re low on spirit stones. I need to earn more,” Lu Qing replied.

“Going out to earn stones?” Its eyes lit up. “Yes, let’s go! I can keep cultivating in the Li Huo Cauldron if I need to. But stones are more important.”

It had seen firsthand how fast Lu Qing consumed resources.

Without spirit stones, his cultivation would stagnate.

And besides, Xiao Li itself had a treasure-hunting nature. The thought of gathering spirit stones thrilled it.

“Very well. Let’s head out now,” Lu Qing agreed.