It must be a hallucination, all a hallucination.
Could it be that I just died, perishing beneath that terrifying sword Qi, and now I am wandering the netherworld, where my undying obsession from life has conjured this incredible scene?
Hum!
Suddenly, a radiance rose from the Sect Master once more. Yet at this level, the sword light was no longer sharp and fierce; instead, it felt as warm and smooth as jade, containing all its boundless dominance within. Luan Jian had to use every ounce of her comprehension to discern, from even the tiniest speck of that brilliance, a supreme principle of Swordsmanship that she might never reach in a lifetime.
What is this?
Luan Jian stared blankly, only to hear Han Feng say with a smile, "I always feel this ninth stage is still missing a little something. I was thinking, we can push it a bit further and round it up to ten stages. Later on, I'll write down the specific method. Once you finish cultivating the ninth stage, you can take a look and try it out—maybe you can pull it off, too."
What?!
I try it... I try it...
What am I supposed to try?!
You, you wretch, you go too far!!
Luan Jian felt that this Sect Master had a rather vicious way of scolding people. What did he mean by "once you finish cultivating the ninth stage"? It sounded as if she could wrap that up by tomorrow.
Biting her silver teeth, Luan Jian moved her lips with great difficulty and said in a strained voice, "Th-Thank you, Sect Master, for your guidance! This disciple... suddenly feels terribly drowsy and needs to rest for a bit. Sect Master, please, make yourself at home..."
Very well, very well.
Han Feng could tell that Luan Jian's mental state was currently shattering a bit.
Presumably, the heaven-defying comprehension bestowed by the "Sage of Books" had given her too massive a shock.
It would be good to let her digest it on her own.
He should head back to read, too...
After that day, Han Feng never visited Sword-Asking Peak again.
Before he knew it, time flew by.
Finally, on this day, Han Feng let out a gentle sigh, stood up, and carefully placed yet another yellowed book back onto the bookshelf in its proper position.
This was a volume titled *Divine-Demon Body-Refining Art*.
With the completion of this book, Han Feng had thoroughly read every single one of the countless ancient texts lining the bookshelves in the Sect Master's study.
This was his habitual way of reading: first read through completely without seeking a deep understanding, and then pick out what interested him for careful study.
Huh?
Han Feng raised his hand.
The books were all read, but the strange transformation in his palm still seemed to be missing just a tiny fraction.
Strange.
Right now, the radiance on his left palm was glossy and translucent, as if one could see the grain of flesh and blood within, but a faint, dim line lingered at his very fingertips—falling just *that* short.
Abruptly, Han Feng closed his eyes. In the realm of the unseen, a magical power seemed to be calling out, pointing the way for him.
I haven't finished reading all the books in this sect!
Han Feng nodded, stood up immediately, and walked down the mountain, following the subtle, wondrous flicker of spiritual light rising within his mind.
Winter had arrived, and the mountain wind was biting and cold.
However, Han Feng was now a powerful cultivator at the Golden Core Realm, so naturally he could withstand the elements. He walked to the base of the mountain like a drifting cloud, and quickly found the location guided by the spiritual light.
Right here.
Han Feng dug half a foot into the ground and unearthed a book that had been buried in the soil for god knows how long. Yet it was not a manual of spells or techniques at all; it was merely a small booklet introducing geography, local customs, and traditions, completely unrelated to cultivation.
Still, Han Feng was not picky. As long as it was a book, he could read it with relish.
Since he no longer needed to ward off the cold, he simply sat down cross-legged on the ground, brushed the dust off the booklet, and flipped through it page by page, in no great hurry.
Hum!
When he finished reading this book, sure enough, a familiar glossy radiance welled up in his palm once more, pushing just a fraction closer to his fingertips.
But... it was still not enough!
Ha!
Han Feng could not help breaking into a smile. He had not expected that there would be more than one hidden book within the Jiushen Sect.
The location... was probably over at Sword-Asking Peak?
Han Feng confirmed the direction once more, while Luan Jian's cold and breathtakingly beautiful face involuntarily surfaced in his mind. Since the book was over there, he only needed to go and ask. Perhaps she had taken it to read.
"To think that I could find such an outstanding human cauldron in these barren mountains and wild paths. This trip out was truly worth it!"
A bewitching and wicked voice suddenly sounded from behind Han Feng, its tone frivolous and dissolute, followed by a string of giggles that immediately made one's skin crawl.
Han Feng turned his head and saw a scantily clad, voluptuous young woman staring at him from afar. She made no effort to conceal the lust in her eyes, looking as if she might pounce at any second to devour him alive.
Though it was broad daylight, as the woman stood there, it was as if she had stepped into the gloom of night, radiating an aura of seduction and depravity like a Manjusaka blooming in hell. Her extremely conservative-with-fabric long dress used the night as its background, embroidered with bizarre patterns that concealed hidden dangers.
Upon catching sight of Han Feng's handsome face, the woman's eyes lit up even more. Her seductive gaze was laden with thick waves of amorousness, and she said in a honeyed, cloying voice, "Elder Yang, this human cauldron is mine! I'm going to take him back to our Jile Palace to rule over my thousands of male concubines. I must dual-cultivate with him properly for a few years before I can bear to play him to death..."
A chill struck Han Feng's heart, and a strong sense of crisis suddenly enveloped him.
The woman sauntered over, her waist swaying, by turns as gentle and charming as spring water and as hidden with endless temptation and peril as an abyss. A look of delighted infatuation still hung on her bewitching smile as she stuck out her tongue to lick her brightly red lips, acting as though her mouth was watering and treating him like prey about to fall into her palms.
"Young Miss, we must be quick."
An aged voice seemed to hide in the void. Han Feng heard the sound without seeing the person, feeling that the voice shifted unpredictably from front to back as it murmured:
"This is not some barren mountain or wild path; this is the territory where the Jiushen Sect resides. This young man's divine radiance is internalized and he has already forged a Golden Core. It would be better for this old servant to step in and capture him for Jile Palace first."
"No! Such a handsome little brother is natürlich someone I want to play with personally—that's the only way it's fun!"
The woman shook her head, rejecting the aged voice. A moment later, she had walked right up to within arm's reach of Han Feng. She actually folded her hands in a formal bow, curtsied, parted her cherry lips, and spoke softly and tenderly:
"What is little brother's name? I like you. Will you come back to Jile Palace with me? We can get married and share the bridal chamber tonight! My Jile Palace possesses supreme secret techniques that can elevate you to the Nascent Soul realm within three years! If your aptitude is good enough, stepping into Deity Transformation within five years is not out of the question!"
"And then?" Han Feng casually shifted his feet, appearing to consider the matter seriously while quietly retreating toward the direction of the sect. Suddenly, however, he crashed into an invisible wall of Qi that cut off his escape route, causing him to inwardly curse as he realized that the powerful Elder Yang had already seen through his intentions. Such superficial, stalling tricks were not worth a straw in front of an old monster of this caliber.
"And then? Then you will pour all the essence of your cultivation into me, of course!" The amorous desire in the woman's eyes grew even thicker, as if it were about to spill over like water. As she thought of that scene of ecstatic union, she giggled:
"But don't you worry! If you serve me comfortably enough these years, even if your cultivation is gone, I will still remember you and keep you in my thoughts! Among the male concubines of Jile Palace, there are some who have been making merry with me since the Mortal-Shedding Stage, and they're still alive and well today. If you can truly please me tonight, I'll go back and kill one of them so you can take his place..."
Good grief!
What kind of cursed ascension path is this...
Han Feng stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky where a red sun hung high.
Yet even when he exerted his vision to the utmost, his eyes stinging with pain from the sunlight, he could not return to the state he was in that day, unable to borrow the might of the blazing sun.
Oh no.
When it should have arrived, it was gone.
The ambient Qi of heaven and earth was far too fickle; after all, he was merely a humble Golden Core cultivator who could not easily manipulate it.
So as for today's events...
My transmigration couldn't possibly be this short, could it?!