Wen Qingye felt his body surge with power. Every inch of his skin, every drop of his blood—the Primordial Qi from the absorbed Profound Pearl, which had been churning inside him for days, finally took effect, allowing him to break through once more.

Yin Yang Realm Second Level!

Everyone stared at Wen Qingye, petrified, their eyes filled with utter shock.

"Wen Qingye actually forced a Third Generation Disciple to take a step back!"

"This Wen Qingye is too strong! He definitely has the strength to be in the top two hundred Registered Disciples."

"He broke through! Now, not even an expert at the Fourth Heaven of the Yin Yang Realm would be a match for him."

...

Wen Qingye’s Qi Sea was still in turmoil, but his eyes were fixed on Li Zhouyu ahead. At that moment, Li Zhouyu’s eyes were filled with a smug, triumphant smile.

’Wen Qingye, so what if you’re strong? You can’t kill me.’

The Hidden Peak Steward mulled it over for a moment before saying, "Wen Qingye, how about we have Li Zhouyu apologize to you?"

Wen Qingye remained silent, his hand still gripping his sword as a fierce wind whipped across his face. ’With the Hidden Peak Steward here, I won’t be able to kill Li Zhouyu,’ he thought to himself.

Li Zhouyu was stunned when he heard the Hidden Peak Steward’s words.

The Hidden Peak Steward frowned, glanced at Li Zhouyu, and said, "Go on. Apologize. Let all grievances dissipate like smoke."

Hearing the Steward’s command, Li Zhouyu was reluctant, but he knew the Hidden Peak Steward was his last Protective Talisman. He had no choice but to obey.

Suddenly, his eyes met Wen Qingye’s, which were as tranquil as an ancient well. An idea struck him. He walked toward Wen Qingye with a beaming smile, stopping several dozen feet away. "Wen Qingye, please don’t kill me. I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have had people assign Cheng Yu and Yann Xiangyang to Jia Wuzong. I was truly wrong."

As Li Zhouyu spoke, a smile played on his lips, but his eyes shifted to Yann Xiangyang and Cheng Yu, a strange, burning intensity in his gaze, as if drawn by some unseen force.

’Daring to provoke me like this? Does he really think I can’t do anything just because he’s a few dozen feet away?’ Wen Qingye sneered inwardly.

It all happened in a flash.

HISS!

"Watch out!"

The Hidden Peak Steward roared suddenly, but it was too late.

The One Thought Sword transformed into a streak of Sword Aura and shot toward Li Zhouyu. Before Li Zhouyu could even react, the sword pierced straight through his heart.

"Wen... Wen Qingye..."

THUD!

Li Zhouyu’s body fell heavily to the ground, his eyes still wide with fury.

"Sword Control Skill!?"

Everyone looked at each other, their faces filled with astonishment.

Wen Qingye had given them too many surprises today, one after another. He even used the incredibly rare Sword Control Skill with such casual ease.

The Hidden Peak Steward’s face was as dark as water. His eyes were locked on Wen Qingye. He never imagined Wen Qingye would know the Sword Control Skill. Moreover, judging by its trajectory just now, it was an orthodox version—even he felt a flicker of desire for it.

He was even more shocked that Wen Qingye had dared to kill Li Zhouyu right under his nose. But now that Li Zhouyu was dead, there was nothing he could do. He had already committed a major taboo today; how could he possibly pursue the matter further?

Geng Yue was about to jump out and shout, "Wen Qingye, you killed..."

Suddenly, Wen Qingye’s gaze swept over to her. A jolt went through Geng Yue’s heart, and a wave of terror instantly filled it. She couldn’t help but retreat several steps, her mouth snapping shut.

"Let’s go!" Wen Qingye swayed slightly as he walked over to Yann Xiangyang and Cheng Yu.

Yann Xiangyang and Cheng Yu quickly went to his side, intending to support him, but Wen Qingye gave a subtle shake of his head.

After a long moment, the crowd watched as the trio’s figures slowly disappeared from the summit of Hidden Peak.

A member of the Luocheng Ancient Country group cautiously asked, "Senior Sister Yue, what should we do now?"

Geng Yue sighed. "What is there to do? We go back and report what happened truthfully. Wen Qingye’s talent is truly remarkable, and his Swordsmanship has reached the level of Divine Communication. Whether they choose to reconcile, recruit, or do something else—what does that have to do with us?"

Then, Geng Yue cupped her fist to the Hidden Peak Steward and turned to leave.

Wen Qingye’s group and the people from the Luocheng Ancient Country left one after another, and the sea of white-robed figures gradually dispersed.

The Hidden Peak Steward gazed in the direction Wen Qingye had disappeared, let out a soft sigh, and shook his head melancholically.

...

「Celestial Profound Villa, Wen Qingye’s residence.」

Cheng Yu looked at Wen Qingye, who was sitting propped up on his bed, and asked with her brows furrowed, "Are your sword wounds really okay?"

"I’m fine. It’s just a minor injury," Wen Qingye said with a smile and a shake of his head.

Cheng Yu said in a low voice, "Okay, but be extra careful for a while. You killed Li Zhouyu. The people from Luocheng Ancient Country won’t let you off easily."

"No, I’m not afraid of the people from Luocheng Ancient Country. It’s you two I’m worried about." As Wen Qingye spoke, his eyes turned cold. He stared ahead and continued, "If they pressure you again, I want you to tell me."

Yann Xiangyang bit his upper lip, not saying a word, then nodded heavily.

Cheng Yu stood up, a worried look on her face. "Nie Shuang went to the mines of Four Eyebrow Mountain, and I have no idea how he is. I really didn’t want him to go. I’ve heard there are many Demon Beasts and Spirits there, and a batch of Registered Disciples die there every year."

Wen Qingye smiled. "He should be fine. Don’t worry."

Cheng Yu took a deep breath and nodded. "I hope he finds the Blue Wave Stone and returns safely."

Blue Wave Stone was a High-Level King Grade ore. Elder Liu Ao of Life Peak, one of the seven great mountain ranges of the Celestial Profound Sect, needed a Blue Wave Stone and had posted a mission for it. Completing it would not only reward a large amount of cultivation resources but also a significant number of Sect Contribution Points.

There were two ways for a servant disciple to be promoted to a Registered Disciple. The first was to challenge a Registered Disciple. The other was to exchange Sect Contribution Points for the status—it took three thousand points to allow a servant disciple to become a Registered Disciple.

’Nie Shuang must be after the Blue Wave Stone for the Sect Contribution Points,’ Wen Qingye thought to himself.

"Hasn’t Yann Chuxue looked for you?" Wen Qingye suddenly asked, turning to Yann Xiangyang.

Yann Xiangyang was taken aback, then stammered, "She... she has. Once. She had someone deliver a letter to us."

As he spoke, Yann Xiangyang quickly took a letter out from his robes.

Wen Qingye took the letter. It was still warm and carried her scent. He opened it directly, and elegant handwriting appeared before his eyes.

The general gist of the letter was that she had become a Core Disciple of Purple Bamboo Peak and hoped they would take care of themselves. After some time, she would be able to come out and find them.

At the end of the letter, there was a smiley face.

Wen Qingye looked at the smiley face and asked doubtfully, "Is this your sister’s handwriting?"

Yann Xiangyang nodded quickly. "Yes, yes! That smiley face is my sister’s unique mark."

Wen Qingye nodded and handed the letter back to Yann Xiangyang.

The three of them spoke a few more words before Yann Xiangyang and Cheng Yu took their leave.

After the two had left, Wen Qingye let his Heart Spirit sink.

He had already suffered significant injuries from his fight with Zhong Liang. Then, he had forcibly clashed with the Hidden Peak Steward. Even though he had broken through to the Yin Yang Realm Second Level, he was still a far cry from the Steward’s strength.

Therefore, he urgently needed time to recuperate and stabilize his cultivation.

After breaking through to the Yin-Yang Realm, Wen Qingye could now continue practicing the Fourth Form of the Undying Seal Technique. Moreover, his mind began to constantly sift through the Swordsmanship techniques he could currently cultivate.

If he were to break through another two realms, the Four Symbols Sword Technique would no longer be suitable for him. So, to prepare for the future, he had already begun searching his mind for a replacement.