You call this the way of the sword?

Yang Qingfeng had guessed the Jiang family's influence in the capital, which was why he asked Jiang Yuan to help him find out about Chang Maofu. However, he did not expect that the Jiang family itself was an extremely powerful force.

"It's not a good way to put it, but it's pretty much the same."

Jiang Yuan was reluctant to bring up her background, but to put Yang Qingfeng at ease, she explained a little, "To be honest, senior brother, my grandfather is one of the nine Grand Elders."

Before Yang Qingfeng could even express his surprise, Jiang Yuan playfully waved her fist and said, "But I've already made him swear that Mr. Chang's matter has nothing to do with him, so don't worry, Senior Brother."

Yang Qingfeng chuckled, "I thought I had just met a young lady from the capital, but I never imagined you were actually the daughter of a high-ranking official, practically a princess."

Jiang Yuan put her hands behind her back and said with a playful expression, "So, since you're indebted to me, you'll have to help me level up in the future, okay?"

The two had already walked out of the instance square while chatting, but upon hearing this, Yang Qingfeng immediately turned around and walked back.

"Come on, I'll take you now."

"Hehehe, no~"

Jiang Yuan quickly grabbed him, "It's already dark, let's go back and rest."

Yang Qingfeng said in a serious tone, "If we don't fight now, I'm afraid we won't have the chance later."

As he spoke, he revealed his level information.

Jiang Yuan looked up, her eyes immediately filled with envy. "You really reached level 20! It only took you two days to go from level 17 to 20, and you haven't even opened your own academy yet..."

Since the end of the major exam, Jiang Yuan has been working non-stop, but she has only managed to reach level 18.

She felt she was fast enough, but still far behind Yang Qingfeng.

"So, are you in or not? I'll take you gaming all night long!"

"Hehehe, I don't want to. If I stay out all night, you'll be directly responsible."

After playing around for a while, Jiang Yuan talked about many interesting things in the capital, as well as some traditions of the state religion. She also invited Yang Qingfeng to visit her home, saying that she wanted to repay him for his kindness.

As for Chang Maofu, she only mentioned it at the end: "Grandpa said that Mr. Chang did do some things, and it won't be easy to get him out. Someone in charge has to step in, and they have to be very assertive."

After saying goodbye to Jiang Yuan, Yang Qingfeng kept thinking about what Elder Jiang had said.

Qiao Wanyi speculated that Chang Maofu's crime was probably related to the Talent Secret Realm.

If we were to talk about people related to them, the first ones that would come to mind are the students of Wendao Caotang.

Given that he still had the Yu Jun Sword given to him by his master, Yang Qingfeng felt that Elder Qiao should already know about him, or rather, he definitely knew.

Therefore, it is highly likely that Qiao Ge Lao deliberately spoke to him through Jiang Yuan.

So what kind of attitude is considered assertive?

To directly enter the cabinet?

Yang Qingfeng hadn't expected things to develop this way, and he didn't quite understand it.

He contacted Qiao Lie immediately and explained his guess. Qiao Lie's reply after some thought was quite affirmative.

He said, "If the actions against Mr. [Name] were open and transparent, and they did not actually harm him, then it will not be easy to get them to release him, because they are in the right."

"You're right. In this situation, we have no choice but to be unreasonable. We have no choice but to storm the cabinet, lay out the pros and cons for them, and force them to release the person."

Despite Yang Qingfeng's seemingly simple thinking and Qiao Lie's easy-going manner, they both knew that this was not an easy task.

Compared to being a headless fly bumping around aimlessly, at least now we have direction.

After ending the call, Yang Qingfeng went home and used the time he spent taking a bath to sort out his thoughts.

The cabinet was in the right, so those who were unaware of the situation could not intervene, and those who were aware of the situation could not interfere. This is the nature of what Chang Maofu did.

It will be a tricky situation for those in the know.

What exactly happened?

Since it involves the upper echelons of the empire, an investigation would definitely not uncover anything. Such matters would not be made public, much less leaked.

If you want to know the truth, the only way is to go and see Chang Maofu in person.

But even knowing the truth won't help; it still won't get the person out, and you'll only get trapped yourself.

Ultimately, it boils down to what Grand Secretary Qiao said: we need to become strong ourselves.

"Only by growing to the point where the cabinet is helpless can we force them to concede."

Having reached a conclusion, Yang Qingfeng plunged into the cave and devoted himself entirely to cultivation.

It's unrealistic to challenge the cabinet at level 20. Even in the future, you can't get the cabinet to make concessions just by brute force.

The cabinet is the high-ranking official of the Yu Xia Empire. Taking action against them could easily lead to making enemies of the entire Yu Xia Empire. Therefore, like the military, any action against the cabinet must be justified.

Alternatively, there might be a powerful patron capable of maintaining the stability of the empire.

Liu Changge had previously told Yang Qingfeng that there were things he could do after reaching level 20.

Yang Qingfeng hadn't forgotten, and now he couldn't be happier.

To compete with the cabinet, Liu Changge's connection is essential, and to deepen their relationship, mutual assistance is undoubtedly the fastest shortcut.

But before that, Yang Qingfeng also needed to make some preparations.

The moment you step into the cave, the intense, time-sensitive cultivation officially begins.

The method for cultivating skill levels has been finalized.

Yang Qingfeng channeled his sword aura and unleashed the swordsman's power to attack him.

This almost self-destructive attack may seem crazy, but it is extremely efficient.

Moreover, as the skill level increases, the sword aura that consumes a percentage of one's cultivation level will become thicker and thicker. Yang Qingfeng gradually reduced the number of refreshes and used his free time to meditate and restore his mana.

This is risky, but we have no choice but to do it.

Compared to skill level, the more important aspect of this training is the sacrifice.

Each time a swordsman levels up, they gain an extra slot for a Soul Sword.

The current maximum level is 30. Each swordsman needs to consume 30 sword spirits, and summoning one sword spirit requires 1500 mana.

In other words, it takes at least 45000 mana points to train a fully equipped swordsman.

Meditation in the cultivation cave allows one to fully recover mana in just one hour. This rate surpasses that of most cultivation facilities and represents the greatest support the empire can offer to outstanding newcomers.

However, Yang Qingfeng was not satisfied, and he reluctantly took out his most treasured Na Yuan Pill.

The Na Yuan Pill can increase the recovery rate by about 3 times. When taken in a cultivation cave, it can reduce the recovery time to about 20 minutes.

In the following days, Yang Qingfeng worked tirelessly to summon and build a brand new Sword Domain Legion.

As the swordsman levels up, more and more sword souls transform into spirit swords, and sword winds gradually rise in the cave, revealing a terrifying madness.

Relying on the steadily increasing thickness of the sword energy, the sword shadows bombarded relentlessly like a tide.

In less than half a day, both new skills reached the maximum level, and the attributes were greatly improved.

Sixth-Rank Swordsman

[Level: 30]

【Root bone: 3000】

[Mana: 15000]

Dexterity: 15000

[Endurance: 3000]

[Skill: Sky-Walking Sword Technique]

【Xingtianyi Sword Technique: Using the body as a sheath, drawing upon the souls of heaven and earth as swords, achieving oneness between man and sword, dealing damage equal to 400% of the target's maximum mana. Currently, it can hold 30/30 soul swords.】

[Yin Xu Ling Sword Intent: Uses the sword intent within the domain as a shield, gathering it into a protective sword aura that can withstand damage equal to 300% of the sword master's cultivation level.]

Looking at these two skills, Yang Qingfeng himself was a little scared.

One swordsman, 30 soul swords, each with 15000 mana and 400% damage, and this damage is not a one-time event, but a continuous one.

The Yin Void Spirit Sword Intent is a Daoist skill, making it even more abnormal.

It can withstand 300% of the damage from 40 years of cultivation.

Yang Qingfeng couldn't say for sure what the exact number was, but he was certain that the skill had no cooldown.

Perhaps as long as the sword intent within the sword domain is not completely exhausted, it can continuously refresh its sword aura.

He's unlikely to die.

Saying he could face high-level enemies head-on would be an exaggeration, but Yang Qingfeng felt that even if he couldn't defeat some ordinary mid-level enemies, he could still hold out for a long time.

In the context of protracted warfare, the Sword Domain Legion, tireless and capable of infinite resurrection, is the absolute king.

The only flaw in his entire system has escalated into the biggest trap.

Two days later, the National Religion Association celebrated its opening and welcoming of new members.

Liu Changge's voice emanated domineeringly from the divine talisman, forcibly waking Yang Qingfeng.