Chapter 413: The Dungeon of the Zhige Pavilion

The dungeon at the headquarters of the Zhige Pavilion is specifically used to detain martial artists who have committed offenses.

From the iron bars and chains of the cells to the floors and ceilings, this dungeon incorporates special materials that can effectively prevent the impact of a martial artist's internal energy.

The dungeon is divided into three levels; the first level detains martial artists at the Po Ti and Qi Senior Bian realms.

The second level detains martial artists at the Dao Ji realm.

As for the third level, legend has it that it is used to detain Grandmasters of the martial path.

But for so many years, the third level of the dungeon has been used only a few times in total.

Because the number of martial path Grandmasters is already scarce, and they are either in high positions or highly respected, it is very, very rare for them to truly get themselves into a situation where they need to go to prison.

Even if a martial path Grandmaster really commits a capital crime, as long as it does not involve something as heinous as treason, the imperial court will give the Grandmaster a chance to atone for their crimes, such as by executing some dangerous missions or going to the battlefield to kill the enemy, etc.

To a certain extent, once one becomes a martial path Grandmaster, one is considered to have transcended the constraints of the law!

In a cell on the second level of the dungeon, Xi Xi Yuchen sat cross-legged, practicing his cultivation.

Normally, martial artists entering this dungeon would be fitted with some restraints to limit their movement and would have to regularly take drugs such as Qi-dispersing pills.

But Xi Xi Yuchen was not subjected to any measures, nor was he required to take any drugs.

Not only could he practice in peace within the cell, but he could even obtain sufficient cultivation resources.

Being able to have such treatment was naturally because of the Prince Cheng Mansion.

The Zhige Pavilion and the Military Affairs Department have many collaborations, and all official martial masters have an obligation to be conscripted by the army to fight alongside the troops.

Some martial artists who want to be promoted quickly and win fame will choose to take the initiative to enter the army to serve.

And some powerhouses in the army, after retiring, will also enter the Zhige Pavilion to serve and be sent down to local areas.

Therefore, these two departments with real power are often of one mind and share the same stance.

As one of the four Provincial Military Commanders of the Military Affairs Department and the commander of the Northern Border troops, Prince Cheng's influence on the Zhige Pavilion naturally goes without saying.

Now, many descendants of the cabinet members within the Zhige Pavilion are carrying out missions in the Northern Border frontier army and have to rely on Prince Cheng's care.

So when Xi Xi Yuchen, a guest advisor to the Prince Cheng Mansion, was locked in the Zhige Pavilion's dungeon, there were plenty of people to look after him.

Rather than saying he was locked in prison for three months, it would be better to say he had changed to a place where he wouldn't be disturbed to undergo closed-door cultivation for three months.

Footsteps suddenly came from outside the cell.

A moment later, an official martial master guarding the dungeon stood outside Xi Xi Yuchen's cell and called out softly in a respectful voice:

"Mr. Xi."

Xi Xi Yuchen slowly opened his eyes: "What is it?"

"You can be released from prison."

The official martial master said with a smile.

"Oh?"

Xi Xi Yuchen raised an eyebrow.

Seriously injuring an imperial official—even if He Situ Jian was not well-liked and had the Prince Cheng Mansion pulling strings for him—meant that the three months in prison definitely had to be served in full.

"Why?"

"That official, Lord He, wrote a letter of forgiveness and has already submitted it to the Zhige Pavilion, so your remaining sentence is waived, and you can be released from prison early."

"He Situ Jian wrote a letter of forgiveness?"

Xi Xi Yuchen found it incredible.

"Yes, I suppose he finally gave in."

The official martial master said while opening the cell door.

Xi Xi Yuchen recalled the old man he had severely injured with a single sword strike, who had fallen to the ground.

At that time, the old man's gaze did not look like that of someone who would give in.

He shook his head, thinking no more of it.

In any case, there are many people with a stiff backbone in this world, but not everyone can hold out to the end under the weight of power.

He Situ Jian, perhaps, was just another person who chose to kneel.

With this thought in mind, Xi Xi Yuchen walked out of the cell.

Soon, he retrieved his sword and some personal belongings, walking out of the dungeon feeling refreshed.

An official of the Zhige Pavilion personally escorted Xi Xi Yuchen out of the headquarters gate.

The reason for being so polite to Xi Xi Yuchen was not only because of his status as a guest advisor to the Prince Cheng Mansion, but also because Xi Xi Yuchen had made it onto the main list of the Wind and Cloud General Ranking.

Over the years, at least half of the Dao Ji realm martial artists who made it onto this list have broken through to become martial path Grandmasters!

Making friends with Xi Xi Yuchen now might mean making friends with a future martial path Grandmaster.

"My lord, please stay."

Xi Xi Yuchen cupped his hands in a salute to the official, then turned and left with his sword.

Amidst the heavy snow, he did not take a tram or a tricycle, but simply walked back to the Prince Cheng Mansion on foot.

The wind and snow came head-on, but not a single snowflake could land on Xi Xi Yuchen's body.

He walked through the wind and snow just like this, yet he remained independent of this world shrouded by the storm.

At a certain moment, he suddenly stopped, extended his right hand, and turned his palm upward.

A pure white snowflake drifted onto his palm.

He looked at the snowflake in his hand, lost in thought.

Just like that, he stood on the street for a long time, motionless.

Soon, he turned into a "snowman."

Pedestrians passing by on the street saw this scene and only took a few extra looks at Xi Xi Yuchen; no one stepped forward to ask questions.

There were too many martial artists in Lanling City; Xi Xi Yuchen carried a sword, so he was likely a martial artist as well, and some strange behavior was nothing out of the ordinary.

The wind and snow grew heavier, and Xi Xi Yuchen stood quietly in the heavy snow for more than an hour.

At a certain moment, a vast momentum suddenly descended upon this street.

In an instant, the sound of pedestrians' footsteps, the chatter in the shops, the sound of charcoal burning in the stoves, and the sound of falling snow—all noisy sounds disappeared.

Everything was silent!

The wind stopped, the snowflakes no longer danced, and each one remained frozen in the air.

Everyone on the entire street felt a strong sense of palpitations and looked around in astonishment.

Covered in white snow, Xi Xi Yuchen, who hadn't moved for over an hour, suddenly moved.

The white snow on his body melted and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Then, with him as the center, the ground, the awnings of the shops on both sides, the rooftops, and even the snowflakes in the air all melted!

A few seconds later, there was no trace of white snow on this street, turning it into an abrupt black line in a world of white.

A brilliant smile bloomed on Xi Xi Yuchen's face.

He began learning the sword at age 6, received an implant at 17, and cultivated to the Po Ti realm within a year, becoming an official martial artist.

At age 18, he took first place in a Po Ti realm martial arts competition in Lanling City, caught the eye of the Prince Cheng Mansion, and had been a man of the Prince Cheng Mansion ever since.

He reached the Qi Senior Bian realm at 20 and became a Dao Ji realm martial artist at 27.

Xi Xi Yuchen is 35 years old this year and is already at the peak of the Dao Ji realm.

When he triggered four core-level extraordinary abilities and reached the 7th tier of combat power, he could rival experts above the 7th tier by relying on his extraordinary swordsmanship.

After triggering his 5th core-level extraordinary ability, he entered the candidate list for the Wind and Cloud General Ranking, and now he has even entered the main list.

Over the past dozen years, he has publicly dueled with others in Lanling City eleven times, without a single defeat.

And what truly made his reputation soar was not his combat record, but a comment made about him by a Deputy Pavilion Master of the Zhige Pavilion:

"This child has excellent comprehension of the sword and is a natural swordsman. His improvement in realm may not be fast, but his improvement in swordsmanship is worth looking forward to."

According to the "Theory of Heavenly Pride," Xi Xi Yuchen breaking through to the Dao Ji realm before the age of 30 can be counted as a heavenly pride.

And such a speed of breaking through realms is far inferior to the speed of his improvement in swordsmanship!

The Deputy Pavilion Master of the Zhige Pavilion who commented on Xi Xi Yuchen is also a Grandmaster who uses the sword; for him to make a comment like "worth looking forward to" is enough to show Xi Xi Yuchen's talent for swordsmanship.

That is why Xi Xi Yuchen was able to stand out in a place like Lanling City, which has tens of thousands of martial artists, and become a famous swordsman.

Spending two months in prison and encountering this heavy snow upon coming out allowed Xi Xi Yuchen to have another realization.

Just now, in the heavy snow, he realized another sword strike.

This strike was only half-executed, yet it cleared the wind and snow from an entire street!

Xi Xi Yuchen felt fulfilled in spirit and mind, one step closer to that threshold.

"Unexpectedly, a blessing in disguise."

He walked down the street with a smile on his face.

A prison disaster had affected his state of mind, eventually leading to a fortuitous improvement in his swordsmanship cultivation.

This made Xi Xi Yuchen even want to thank He Situ Jian.

"If I have one or two more such epiphanies, I should be able to break through."

With this good mood, he walked all the way to the gate of the Prince Cheng Mansion.

He had stayed on the street for over an hour earlier, and then cleared the wind and snow from an entire street.

Such a big commotion had long since attracted the attention of many people.

The news of "Xi Xi Yuchen realizing the sword in the snow" was spreading rapidly throughout the city.

When he arrived at the gate of the Prince Cheng Mansion, the mansion steward, Xi Ran, was waiting for him with a group of servants, smiling.

Just as Xi Xi Yuchen intended to enter the mansion, a harsh screeching sound suddenly came from the street corner.

Xi Xi Yuchen turned his head to look, only to see a black car turn the corner and then drive straight toward him at an extremely high speed!

He looked at the approaching car with a calm expression; through the car window, he could clearly see the driver sitting in the driver's seat.

It was a middle-aged man, and judging by the aura on his body, he was a Dao Ji realm martial artist!

Xi Xi Yuchen, who had just made a breakthrough, did not dodge, but turned to face the oncoming car.

The car got closer and closer to him, its speed not decreasing in the slightest.

When the front of the car was only five meters away from Xi Xi Yuchen, the front license plate suddenly split from the middle, followed by the hood, and the crack spread all the way to the front windshield.

It was as if an invisible sword had split the car in half from the middle, and the car body was directly chopped into two pieces!

Lu Lu Wenxing leaped out of the car in a somewhat disheveled manner, dodging this "sword."

He looked down at the hem of his clothes, which had been cut off. If he had dodged any slower, it wouldn't just have been his sleeve that was lost.

This sword strike from Xi Xi Yuchen had already made him clearly feel the huge gap between them.

Facing the invisible sword Qi just now, his protective internal energy was like paper!

But Lu Lu Wenxing was not frightened; instead, he pointed at Xi Xi Yuchen's nose and cursed:

"Are you fucking blind? Don't you know how to dodge?"

A flash of anger crossed Xi Xi Yuchen's eyes.

It had been a long time since he had been cursed at like this.

"You broke my car, pay up!"

Lu Lu Wenxing said while walking toward Xi Xi Yuchen.

"Who are you?"

The mansion steward, Xi Ran, only then reacted and asked.

But Lu Lu Wenxing ignored him, strode up to Xi Xi Yuchen, and reached out to push him:

"I'm fucking talking to you!"

Xi Xi Yuchen's eyes turned cold; he pressed a palm toward Lu Lu Wenxing's chest, and a powerful force slammed into Lu Lu Wenxing.

Swish—

Lu Lu Wenxing flew out like a cannonball, slamming heavily into the ground and kicking up a large amount of snow.

"Pfft—"

Lu Lu Wenxing spat out a mouthful of blood after landing.

Xi Xi Yuchen was stunned at the sight.

His palm strike looked fierce, but it actually used soft force and shouldn't have hurt anyone.

In any case, a Dao Ji realm martial artist who suddenly appeared could not be underestimated, and he wouldn't go so far as to hurt someone without figuring out the situation.

But Lu Lu Wenxing had just spat blood and fallen to the ground, looking severely injured.

"Audacious!!"

A thunderous voice resounded through the long street:

"How dare you severely injure an imperial official on the street?!"

Everyone looked toward the street corner, and a golden figure came into view.

Xi Ran, standing at the mansion gate, suddenly widened his eyes, recognizing the person:

"Jing"

He had just uttered one word when it was drowned out by a huge whistling sound.

This sound echoed between heaven and earth, extremely sharp, as if countless sharp swords were rapidly shuttling through the air, tearing it apart!

This was Li Fei moving at high speed; he crossed a hundred meters in an instant.

A straight vacuum channel appeared between the accumulated snow on the ground and the snowflakes dancing in the sky!

Xi Xi Yuchen's eyes lit up completely; he already knew who had arrived.

Not only was he not afraid, but he felt excited.

He had heard the rumors about Li Fei, and because he was in the Prince Cheng Mansion, he knew more inside information.

He knew that Li Fei's cultivation had indeed run into problems and that he was trying to solve it by using the method of dual cultivation of law and martial arts.

Before the problem was solved, Li Fei's combat power might be far from what it used to be!

This gave Xi Xi Yuchen the courage to fight him.

Especially since he had just realized a new sword strike today, and his cultivation and combat power had improved, so he was now more confident than ever!

Without seeing how he moved, the snowflakes dancing around froze in the air.

Then he drew his sword from its sheath.

The clear ringing sound instantly resounded through the long street and the entire mansion, piercing people's hearts and lungs, making people feel cold, as if they were about to be pierced by a sharp sword!

The bright sword light became the only brilliance in the flying snow; as the sword light moved forward, all the frozen snowflakes moved with it.

The wind and snow came alive!

Or rather, the entire sky of wind and snow was driven by this sword strike.

This strike seemed to have leveraged the power of heaven and earth!

Dao Force—【Flying Snow Covers the Sky, Leaning on a Long Sword】!

This was a new sword strike Xi Xi Yuchen had realized, making improvements on the basis of the original Dao Force to make it more in line with his own sword heart, internal energy, and blood Qi.

Facing an unprecedentedly strong enemy, he was also stimulated to his full potential, unleashing the most peak and spirited sword strike to date!

In terms of sword path alone, with this strike, Xi Xi Yuchen was indeed qualified to be proud.

When this strike was truly launched, only the last hundred meters remained between the two.

But now, a world of flying snow stood between them!

Xi Xi Yuchen looked at Li Fei confidently, waiting for the other party to crash into his "world."

In this "world," he had the confidence to face any opponent within the Dao Ji realm with his sword!

But the next instant, his expression changed.

From his appearance until now, Li Fei's momentum had been astonishing enough.

But when Li Fei truly began to display his power, Xi Xi Yuchen realized that the previous ones were just Li Fei "greeting" him.

If the other party had intended to ambush him, the fight would have already ended.

But the other party clearly wouldn't do such a thing; this Marquis Jing'an intended to crush him head-on!

The explosive sound of the sword ringing covered all other sounds in an instant!

Xi Xi Yuchen widened his eyes; Li Fei's figure had already disappeared from his eyes, replaced by a sword.

A peerless sword!

The long sword in Xi Xi Yuchen's hand stopped vibrating and could no longer make any sound.

In heaven and on earth, there could only be the sound of one sword!

Once this sword appeared, ten thousand swords fell silent!

The entire world of flying snow was torn apart instantly, and a clear sword path appeared.

Hundreds of sword Qi disintegrated one after another.

By the time Xi Xi Yuchen reacted, that peerless sword had already arrived before him!

This strike was simply too fast, so fast that Xi Xi Yuchen hadn't even been able to see clearly how it had passed through his world of flying snow.

In a trance, this swordsman who had once been famous in Lanling City had an epiphany:

This is the sword!

The real sword!

Boom—

With a loud explosion, the entire long street shook violently.

Xi Xi Yuchen's protective internal energy was torn apart, and he was sent flying, slamming heavily into the snow like Lu Lu Wenxing before him, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

He looked up in a daze and fear.

There was no precious sword; Li Fei himself was standing where he had been just a moment ago.

The next second, a heart-wrenching pain struck.

Xi Xi Yuchen cried out in pain, only to discover that both his legs were broken!

"Ah—"

He let out a miserable howl in the snow, looking very helpless.

Hearing Xi Xi Yuchen's screams, Xi Ran, standing at the mansion gate, finally reacted.

He turned his head to look, only to see Xi Xi Yuchen lying in the snow, his legs bent, exposing white bones, and blood quickly staining the snow red.

His expression changed drastically; he first turned to instruct his subordinates to notify the Crown Prince, then braced himself to meet Li Fei outside the gate:

"I am Xi Ran, the head steward of the Prince Cheng Mansion, paying respects to Marquis Jing'an!"

Li Fei turned to look at Xi Ran.

If he had been like a lifeless iron block when he went to see He Situ Jian earlier.

Then now, he was like a peerless divine sword, sharp and exposed!

Xi Ran just looked up once and felt as if his eyes were about to bleed!

He didn't dare to get close, bowed and cupped his hands, lowering his head with a forced smile:

"This person is a guest advisor to the Prince Mansion. I don't know why the Marquis suddenly attacked and injured him. Is there some misunderstanding in this?"

"No misunderstanding."

Li Fei's tone was cold and hard, "This person committed violence in broad daylight, injuring an imperial official, who is also my colleague. I happened to be passing by, so I took action to stop him."

Xi Ran's expression stiffened, and he glanced at Lu Lu Wenxing, who was still lying in the snow:

"Marquis, just now, this official drove his car and crashed into him first; our guest advisor only took action to protect himself."

"Are you saying that I wronged him?"

Li Fei's gaze on Xi Ran grew colder.

Xi Ran's body trembled, feeling that if he said one more word, he might be dismembered!

"Since you think I wronged him, then report it to the authorities."

Li Fei said indifferently.

Outside the gate of the Prince Cheng Mansion, Li Fei sat on a chair, closing his eyes to rest, with Lu Lu Wenxing standing beside him.

Not far away was the car cut into two pieces and parts scattered all over the ground.

Dozens of meters away was a shocking pool of blood.

Xi Xi Yuchen, with his broken legs, lay on a stretcher, and two mansion physicians were treating him.

With his injuries, he should have been sent indoors for treatment, but Li Fei didn't let him go, so he had to stay at the scene.

Xi Ran stood to the side with a heavy expression.

The Prince Cheng Crown Prince had not yet appeared.

Li Fei was reviewing the battle just now.

The opponent's strength was still not weak; if it were him before the Dao Ji problem, wanting to defeat Xi Xi Yuchen in one move would require entering the "Blood Demon State," first using the most powerful 【Blood Might God】, then using the extreme 【Blood Rage】 plus the Vajra Seal·Dragon Elephant to unleash Dao Force; only then would there be a chance.

By that calculation, it would have been more than one move.

But just now, he had indeed used only one move!

During the few months of closed-door cultivation, first of all, the Ten Thousand Blood Pearl had been continuously acquiring energy, leveling up three times, and increasing by a total of 186 Blood Souls.

Of course, this was not the most important thing.

Drawing on the artifact refining plan in the secret manual, and relying on the "Five-Phase Reversal Method" to try and fail time and again, he finally figured out a set of flying sword refining methods suitable for himself.

After incorporating the space-attribute 【Void Mark】, he successively incorporated two more space-attribute implants, five metal-attribute implants, and three fire-attribute implants.

Adding the existing 【Illusion Leaf】, for this artifact refining, Li Fei fused a total of twelve spell-type implants!

The refining of a Dharma artifact is different from a martial artist's Dao foundation; it doesn't necessarily require all five elements, nor does it necessarily require five types of implants.

Some only need two types of implants, while others even need more than a dozen!

Li Fei has the Ten Thousand Blood Pearl on him and has powerful vitality, so he naturally wants to pursue the best.

The flying sword refining method written in the secret manual by the former martial saint Bai Bai Zihao is divided into three types: lower, middle, and upper:

Lower-grade refining method, fusing five types of implants.

Middle-grade refining method, fusing nine types of implants.

Upper-grade refining method, fusing twelve types of implants.

Li Fei chose the upper-grade refining method without hesitation!

Twelve types of lower-three-grade spell-type implants, using his own flesh and blood as "material," plus some auxiliary materials for artifact refining, and most importantly, incorporating the "material" of Blood Souls, which had never been seen before.

Finally, he successfully refined a flying sword.

Or rather, Li Fei successfully refined himself into a flying sword body!

The improvement brought by the flying sword body is comprehensive, and the most intuitive manifestation is the Blood Souls.

When the flying sword body was refined, Li Fei's physique was greatly enhanced, increasing by more than 600 Blood Souls!

【Ten Thousand Blood Pearl

Level: Level 33, 11%

Blood Souls: 974 (1951)

Blood Soul Skills: Blood Rage (Strong), Blood Sha (Strong), Blood Might (Strong), Blood Spring (Strong), Blood Breath (Extreme)

Transformation Skill: Blood Demon (Strong)】

This is an unprecedented improvement; Li Fei's total number of Blood Souls reached 1951, just a little short of exceeding 2000!

When the total number of Blood Souls exceeded 1500, he once again gained an opportunity to strengthen a Blood Soul skill.

However, he didn't rush to make a choice this time, but kept this strengthening opportunity in his hands.

When the sword body was refined, law and martial arts automatically completed their fusion.

The power of spells perfectly merged with the power of martial arts, and Li Fei finally had external force to influence the Heavenly Water Soul Bone integrated into his Dao foundation.

It's just that this Heavenly Water Soul Bone belongs to a seventh-grade implant, and a flying sword body refined from lower-three-grade implants alone is not enough to completely pry it open.

But Li Fei is not in a hurry, because he has already passed the most difficult hurdle.

On the chair, Li Fei opened his eyes.

Several cars drove onto the street where the Prince Cheng Mansion was located.

At the same time, Prince Cheng Crown Prince Qin Qin Ziyu also walked out of the mansion gate.

Li Fei slowly stood up.

(End of chapter)