Evergreen Immortal-Chapter 30: Profound Clear Energy
“So that’s how it is.”
Wu Tu leaned back slightly, a look of regret on his face.
But he didn’t really doubt that Li Rui was telling the truth.
Li Rui had only recently reached the ranked stage, back when the Splendid Purity Sect incident occurred, he was just a stablehand and didn’t have the qualifications to get involved.
If he did know too much, that would’ve been even more suspicious.
He’d only stumbled across the Zhu family while following leads, hoping to get some useful info from Li Rui.
Wu Tu offered a friendly reminder: “I heard that Splendid Purity Sect traitor is still hiding in Qinghe City. Seems like he’s searching for something. Most of the constables who got involved are already dead. You’d best be careful, Old Brother Li.”
Although this matter was a bit risky, the payout was high.
In the Jianghu, you had to fight for every inch.
Wu Tu had no choice either.
If Zhao Wei hadn’t been suppressing him, he wouldn’t have to go scrounging for cultivation resources on his own.
“Thanks.”
Of course, Li Rui knew exactly what that Splendid Purity Sect disciple was looking for.
But the White Ape Phi Blade Manual had long since been burned to ashes.
That traitor really was something, after killing so many constables in Qinghe, he still hadn’t been caught.
It put Li Rui on high alert.
After finishing his drink, Li Rui returned alone to Tianyi Hall.
He hadn’t agreed to join Wu Tu in the Splendid Purity Sect's operation against the Ghost Nether Sect.
Whether it was Splendid Purity Sect or Ghost Nether Sect, they were not the kind of people he could afford to cross.
Lying low and growing strong, that was the true path.
Days passed.
The Tiger Bone Pill really lived up to its reputation as an eighth-grade spiritual pill. Even though it was the lowest tier among eighth-grade pills, it was leagues above any ninth-grade one.
Its effects lasted a full month before completely fading.
In the courtyard.
Li Rui gripped his saber tightly. As it sliced through the air, fallen leaves flew, and a cold gleam shimmered.
In midair, a single droplet of water was cleanly split in half by the saber.
He did it!
Looking at the moisture still clinging to both sides of the blade, this was a clear sign that the White Ape Phi Blade Technique had reached its minor completion stage.
Cutting water with a blade.
This tested the precision of one's saber technique, only then could one seize the upper hand in real combat.
Li Rui weighed the blade in his hand.
While the Heaven-Earth Alliance’s standard-issue long sabers were decent and made of good steel, they were just too light.
The White Ape Phi Blade Technique relied on striking with the back of the blade rather than slicing. Though it appeared to be slashing, it was more akin to smashing and was power-based, like splitting mountains with force.
Only a heavy saber could unleash its true potential.
“Looks like I’ll need to have a proper weapon forged.”
Li Rui had just received his monthly salary.
A full ten taels of silver!
More than enough to commission a good saber.
With that decision made, he headed to the Civil and Martial Hall.
Civil and Martial Hall not only managed the household registration of Alliance members, it also oversaw weapon crafting.
“Hall Master Li, you want to forge a saber?”
A young disciple from Civil and Martial Hall was visibly surprised.
He happened to be the one who had received Li Rui on his first visit to the Heaven-Earth Alliance, so he remembered him.
Li Rui nodded.
“Twenty taels of silver. Don’t skimp on the iron. If that’s not enough, I’ll cover the rest. But it must be heavy.”
He stressed the word heavy.
The young disciple’s mouth twitched.
Hall Master Li wanted a saber weighing a full thirty catties.
Was that even a saber anymore?
But since Li Rui had paid and he was a Hall Master of Tianyi Hall, Civil and Martial Hall had no reason to decline.
“Rest assured, Hall Master. The blacksmiths at Civil and Martial Hall are the finest in the city. Their craftsmanship is top-notch. Twenty taels will more than cover it.”
Li Rui had no special requirements aside from weight.
Compared to some other Hall Masters, that was an easy order.
Forging special-grade weapons with exotic materials often required three blacksmiths working in shifts for seven days and nights, that was truly a challenge.
The young disciple had seen plenty of strange requests, so this was just surprising, not shocking.
But a seventy-year-old man wielding a saber that weighed thirty catties?
He couldn't even picture that.
“Regulate the qi, slow your breath, progress is steady. But if you anchor the qi and circulate it, your gains will double.”
Rustle—flip—
Li Rui lay back on a soft couch, reading a Daoist scripture. The sound of wind brushing through leaves echoed in his ears.
“Marvelous.”
He inwardly praised.
Many of the breathing technique’s confusing parts, especially from the White Ape Phi Blade Manual, had been clarified in this scripture.
Breathing techniques were about training qi.
At higher realms, a martial artist's power came from one breath, the longer and more stable it was, the greater their martial prowess.
So when storytellers described mighty warriors, they often said, “his breath was long and unbroken.” That was exactly the point.
As long as one cultivated Qi Force, they reached the Innate Realm.
And if that Qi Force grew vast as the sea—such a scene was beyond imagination.
In that moment, inspiration struck Li Rui.
He thought he saw a faint wisp of azure qi drifting before his eyes, like a mountain spring, agile and alive, like a monkey dancing in the forest.
Profound Clear Energy!
According to the White Ape Phi Blade breathing method, once the breathing art reached a profound level, it could give birth to a wisp of qi known as Profound Clear Energy.
But… that was something only martial artists of sixth grade and above could even sense!
Li Rui could barely believe it.
He compared the description from the breathing method again and again, finally confirming that what he had glimpsed was indeed a manifestation of Profound Clear Energy.
Even though he was still far, unimaginably far from fully developing Profound Clear Energy…
Just catching a glimpse was already a major achievement.
“The Sword Saint of Yu Kingdom, Liu Taibai, entered the Dao at age three, reached the ranked realm at five, and saw Qi at seven, earning him the title of foremost martial genius under the heavens.”
If that’s the case…
Even Liu Taibai had taken four years to reach that level, Li Rui only took one?!
“Sword Saint… can’t compare to me?”
Li Rui’s heart pounded wildly.
With his Martial Bone Physique, his talent was monstrously high. If it weren’t for limited resources, he might’ve grown even faster.
Once his Martial Bone was exposed, those major sects would surely scramble to recruit him and offer endless resources.
But the risk was huge.
If he ran into some twisted old monster who liked to steal other people’s talents, he’d be doomed.
Li Rui was already seventy. He’d heard too many tales of martial prodigies who shone bright, only to be snuffed out early.
Speed wasn’t everything, longevity was.
As long as he reached the peak, being slow didn’t matter.
He’d waited decades already, what’s a little more?
Flip—flip—
“One becomes two, two becomes three, and three gives birth to all things...”
“Hall Master Li, your saber is ready!”
The young disciple from Civil and Martial Hall placed a massive saber, half as tall as a man on the table.
“This blade is three feet seven inches long, forged from thirty-seven catties of Huishan iron. It took three smiths hammering for three days and three nights to complete.”
The disciple rattled off the specs with pride.
Then scratched his head awkwardly. “The smiths got a bit carried away and used more iron than expected. Hall Master, would you mind covering an extra five taels of silver?”
“If you’re not satisfied, we can remake it.”
The disciple glanced nervously at Li Rui.
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If Li Rui refused the saber, no one else could use it. He’d be in trouble too.
Li Rui gripped the hilt.
It felt smooth and solid, the smith had used walnut wood for the handle. Luxurious and refined.
The next second, the young disciple’s eyelids twitched.
Li Rui raised the massive saber with ease, as if it weighed nothing. With a casual flourish, he swung it lightly and nodded in satisfaction.
“Excellent blade!”
