You call this the way of the sword?

After the upgrade, the Sword Domain has been expanded and can now accommodate 20 Sword Souls.

The Sword Soul's attributes increased in tandem, from 800 to 900, an increase of 100 points per level.

In comparison, my own improvement is very small.

Each of the secondary attributes increased by 10 points, except for mana, which increased by 30 points.

Although there is a level difference involved, and his attribute growth value will also increase when he reaches level 10, Yang Qingfeng's intuition tells him that it's not that simple.

"Summoning a level 12 sword spirit requires 120 mana, but I only have 60 mana right now... I need to reach level 5 before I can summon a new sword spirit."

Yang Qingfeng pondered as he looked at the sword in his hand, thinking that he might need to rely on some external help.

Fortunately, his magical power is clearly his primary attribute, rather than a combination of physical and magical cultivation.

If one cultivates both physical and magical power, the growth of magical power will inevitably decrease, making it more difficult to summon sword spirits. It's better now, as the consumption will be caught up once one reaches level 5.

However, I will be learning other skills in the future, and my mana consumption will increase. I need to find some equipment to increase my mana.

"Let's ask the gentleman later."

Looking up, the fog nearby had thinned considerably.

This is a grove of trees on the outskirts.

After the mist dissipated, the forest remained dark and gloomy, filled with the howling of ghosts and wolves.

Yang Qingfeng walked forward for a while and saw many traces left by monsters along the way.

The monsters in the newly added dungeons can be roughly divided into four categories: demons, monsters, ghosts, and common monsters, which are what people commonly refer to as demons and monsters.

The category of common monsters is very broad, encompassing all kinds of birds and beasts in the world. When they grow up, they become either spiritual beasts or ferocious beasts. Their intelligence develops from nothing to something, from qualitative change to physical transformation, resulting in the strange and unusual monsters that are common yet rare in the world.

Unlike monsters, demons and ghosts are born with spirits, forming their own race with a vast network of influence. They are known as one of the five major races, along with humans and ancient gods.

The five races are not on good terms, especially when it comes to competing for resources, which often results in bloodshed and even large-scale wars. The hatred between them has accumulated over the years and is no longer reconcilable.

Our ancestors included these alien races in the instance to serve as a warning to those who come after them.

Suddenly, Yang Qingfeng received a message from the sword spirit.

[Exceeded the maximum distance, unable to proceed further]

At this point, the Sword Soul could no longer be seen; the furthest distance was approximately 1000 meters.

Shifting his gaze, Yang Qingfeng saw an invisible wall blocking the sword soul.

This wall doesn't belong to the instance; rather, it restricts the distance between him and the sword spirit.

"Is it influenced by one's cultivation level?"

Yang Qingfeng understood after a moment's thought.

Previously, it was in the Secret Realm of Talent, which allowed the Sword Soul to explore at an unlimited distance. Now that it has left the Secret Realm, the rules of heaven and earth have formed a series of shackles.

Without paying much attention, Yang Qingfeng drew his master's sword, letting it pull him into the sky. At the same time, using the map in his mind, he chose a direction where monsters were more concentrated.

[Slay a ghoul, gain 30 experience points]

[Slay the Tree Spirit, gain 40 experience points]

[Killed...]

Centered on Yang Qingfeng, the four sword spirits swept back and forth within a radius of one kilometer, advancing relentlessly.

The monster's level has reached 4, but it's still just a matter of one strike for the Sword Master.

As the sword light flashed, Yang Qingfeng underwent his second upgrade.

This upgrade took about 20 minutes, which is significantly longer than expected, especially considering it was achieved by defeating a monster of a higher level.

"It's not easy."

"Without a sword spirit, leveling up these two levels would be exhausting."

With the help of his sword spirit, Yang Qingfeng thought he could easily reach level 15, and with some effort, he might even be able to challenge the highest record. Now, however, he felt a little pressure.

The experience required to upgrade from level 3 to level 4 seems to have increased several times over.

"That's strange, is it because the new dungeons give less experience?"

"I wonder how the others are doing..."

Before the empty canyon, the gentlemen began the second round of the face-saving competition.

They built pavilions and chatted and bickered while making fatigue potions for the students.

"No matter how rare or talented you are, it doesn't matter until you see the real deal."

"Not bad. Old Chang, tell me first, how many levels do you think your two awakened talents will reach today?"

Chang Maofu took a sip of tea and asked very calmly, "What level was it again to clear the dungeon?"

"Are you getting senile? Level 6 to 8, I remember the highest record was soloing the game and reaching level 8 in two and a half days."

"Wait, you mean... your student can clear the dungeon on the first day?"

"Hiss, if that's really the case, that would be terrible!"

"Don't be ridiculous. Although the monsters in the new dungeon have been significantly weakened, they are now much more diverse, and the experience gained is also greatly reduced. Unless you can easily defeat monsters of a higher level, there's absolutely no way you can clear the dungeon on the first day!"

"Yeah, Lao Chang, why are you talking nonsense while drinking tea?"

Chang Maofu calmly replied, "When did I say they could get through? I was just asking casually, why are you all so agitated?"

The gentlemen all glanced at him sideways, as if they had never seen anyone so shameless.

An old gentleman said, "The difficulty still lies in time."

"Yes, the leveling speed will slow down significantly after level 5. The highest record in Tiannan is only 5 levels in one day, and it will be difficult to break through that record."

"The purpose of the new dungeon is more to let the kids get used to it and sharpen their skills, rather than being the best place to level up."

"That's why the results on the first day are especially important. The children who stand out on the first day undoubtedly possess strong skills and potential, and are expected to be admitted to national universities."

Gentlemen, you all chime in with your own words, saying pretty much the same things every year.

Since everyone had a point, Chang Maofu didn't say anything more, but just pondered in his heart:

"Qiao Lie wants to surpass Yang Qingfeng and take his sister to take the entrance exam for the National Academy. He will definitely go all out. Qiao Wanyi's waterway can help him recover quickly. As long as they cooperate properly, even if they can't clear the dungeon, the siblings' level on the first day will not be low."

"As for Yang Qingfeng... although he practices swordsmanship, it is a rare summoning style of swordsmanship. His advantage is that he has summoned creatures to fight alongside him, forming a team by himself. As long as his combat power keeps up with his level, it may be possible for him to clear the dungeon on the first day."

As Chang Maofu was thinking, a violent ripple suddenly appeared in front of the canyon.

The guardian responsible for overseeing the instance was acting strangely, opening his eyes with an expression of utter surprise.

"Such a strange thing..."

The mountain guardians belonged to the military and had been supervising the area for many years, overseeing dozens of blessed lands. There had never been anything unusual before, but now this was so abnormal that the faces of the gentlemen changed drastically.

"What happened?"

"But what happened during the dungeon run?"

Are the children alright?

Seeing the group of gentlemen gather around, the mountain guardian steadied himself. He pondered for a moment and then waved his hand, revealing a screen of light that displayed the scene from the instance.

"This child is extraordinary. Whose student is he?" the mountain guardian asked.

The gentlemen hurriedly looked over, and their expressions became increasingly strange as they all turned to look at Chang Maofu.

Chang Maofu stood frozen in place, not moving, but his rapidly congested ears betrayed his excitement.

The view shown by the mountain guardian was of a boy.

The young man was wearing the robes of Wendao Caotang; he was his student!

"He's Chang's student..."

Chang Maofu's voice trembled, his excitement overflowing.

In the scene, Yang Qingfeng is standing on a flying sword, swaying left and right, seemingly practicing sword flight.

At first glance, he doesn't seem to be doing anything productive.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that he was located in a densely populated area of ​​level 8!

No, this is a densely populated area?

Where have all the monsters gone?

Wow, this brat is already level 4!

How long has it been?

It hasn't even been two hours...

"good!!"

Chang Maofu couldn't help but exclaim "Good!" and then resumed his gentle and humble demeanor: "This boy is indeed my student, named Yang Qingfeng. Qingfeng is unruly, and I'm sorry to have troubled you, Lord Shoushan."

One can maintain a proper posture and control one's emotions, but once the corners of one's mouth start to turn up, everything is exposed.

Amidst the complex gazes of the crowd, Chang Maofu's mouth stretched to the back of his ears, his smile radiating smugness.

……