Dao Seed Immortal Lord

Yuan Hong led Li Bai through the array barriers, finally stopping in front of a barrier about ten feet in size.

Even through the array of light curtains shrouded in pale golden runes, Li Bai could still vaguely sense an extremely sharp and powerful aura of sword intent permeating the air.

The aura was not ostentatious, but rather exuded an ancient, vigorous, and extremely restrained sharpness, like an ancient sword hidden in its sheath, which, though bloodless, already possessed the power to cleave the sky.

Li Bai's breathing became rapid involuntarily.

He has now begun to understand the basics of swordsmanship and possesses the seed of sword intent, giving him a perception of sword intent far beyond that of ordinary people.

Even through the array, he felt a slight stinging sensation in his consciousness, as if countless fine sword energies were cutting through his mind.

Yuan Hong waved his hand and removed the array barrier.

Li Bai stared intently, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Inside the barrier, a medicinal herb stood quietly.

It was a nine-leaf sword heart flower.

However, unlike the ten-year-old Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flower he exchanged at the Spirit Plant Hall, this one was nearly two feet tall, with a stem as thick as a thumb, a pale blue color, and a surface covered with fine sword patterns.

Nine slender leaves grow at the top, each leaf shaped like a small sword with sharp edges and a faint, cold glint.

What's most chilling is that above those nine leaves, a hazy blue light floats, sometimes condensing into a sword shape and sometimes dispersing into a mist, exuding a chilling sword intent.

"this......."

Li Bai was startled and stared in astonishment at the miraculous herb.

"This is the Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flower that I found in the wilderness. When I dug it up, it was already several hundred years old. It is definitely an old herb."

Looking at the spiritual herb, Yuan Hong spoke with a hint of pride and boastfulness, like an ordinary old man introducing his harvest to his descendants: "I have carefully tended to it for decades. Although it is still only a first-grade high-quality spiritual herb, in my opinion, it may have already reached the quality of half a step beyond the first-grade spiritual herb level."

The Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flower, half a step beyond the first level!

Li Bai swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.

He had previously consumed the ten-year-old Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flower and obtained a first-grade low-level Sword Heart Dao Seed, which greatly enhanced his sword comprehension ability. In a short period of time, he cultivated the Great Spring and Autumn Sword Technique to the proficiency level and also comprehended the sword intent.

If one were to consume and refine this Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flower, which is several hundred years old, what quality would the resulting Sword Heart Dao Seed be?

First-grade superior quality?

Or... second order?

Yuan Hong turned to look at Li Bai, his eyes revealing a deep meaning.

"You have only been practicing the Great Spring and Autumn Sword Technique for a little over two months, yet you have been able to comprehend the sword intent and master the Spring Sword Technique. This talent is extraordinary."

He paused, then continued, "So, you can focus on swordsmanship from now on. Other methods, including the path of spirit plant cultivation, can be secondary. Practice them if you can, and put them aside for now if you can't."

"This special Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flower is a gift from your master to you as you become an apprentice."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yuan Hong waved his hand, and the hundreds-of-years-old Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flower, along with a piece of spiritual soil, was dug up by its roots, suspended in mid-air, and slowly floated towards Li Bai.

Li Bai took it with both hands, carefully holding it in his palms, feeling the sharp sword intent within, his heart surging with indescribable gratitude and excitement.

This medicine is hundreds of years old!

This apprenticeship gift is far too heavy!

"Thank you, Master!" Li Bai bowed deeply.

Yuan Hong waved his hand and took out two more items from his Qiankun bag.

A three-foot-long magic sword, its blade a pale blue color, with flowing cloud patterns faintly visible on its surface, and a pale green spirit stone inlaid at the hilt, radiating a warm glow.

The jade slip was pale gold in color, with fine sword patterns on its surface, giving it a subtle sense of sharpness.

"This magic sword was used by your master when he was young. It is called the Azure Jade Sword. Although it is only a low-grade magic weapon, its quality is still excellent. Moreover, its nature is gentle, making it most suitable for beginners in swordsmanship."

Yuan Hong handed the magic sword to Li Bai, and then handed him the jade slip. "This jade slip contains a sword cultivation tradition called the 'Four Seasons Reincarnation Sword Technique.' When practiced to its peak, it can condense a sword body. It shares the same origin as your Great Spring and Autumn Sword Technique and complements it. It was obtained by your master from an ancient site."

"In addition, there are these three hundred low-grade spirit stones. You are just beginning your cultivation and still need various resources and methods to improve your foundation. These spirit stones should be enough for you for a while."

Three hundred low-grade spirit stones!

Li Bai held the spirit stone, his eyes wide with amazement.

He works as a spirit plant master at Haiqing Garden. His monthly salary is only three low-grade spirit stones. With occasional extra income, he can't save much in a year.

Yuan Hong spent 300 coins at once, which was equivalent to his savings of ten years.

This master's pilgrimage was truly worthwhile.

The benefits he gained from this apprenticeship far exceeded his expectations.

"Thank you very much, Master." Li Bai was overjoyed and bowed respectfully once again.

Yuan Hong smiled and patted him on the shoulder: "Go ahead, spend the next two weeks cultivating diligently and refining your swordsmanship. After two weeks, come back to the Immortal Sect with me to participate in the selection."

"This disciple will certainly live up to Master's high expectations!"

Li Bai bowed respectfully, held the pile of treasures, and left the cave with light steps.

As soon as they stepped out of the cave, they saw Chen Hexian standing outside with his hands behind his back, seemingly having been waiting for some time.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Li." Chen Hexian smiled and clasped his hands in greeting. He already knew that his master was going to take on a disciple.

"Thank you, senior brother," Li Bai quickly returned the greeting.

Chen Hexian smiled and nodded to accept the greeting. Then, with a wave of his hand, he took out three spiritual herbs from his Qiankun bag and handed them to Li Bai.

Li Bai stared intently, and his breath caught in his throat again.

Three more Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flowers!

The plant was entirely pale blue, with intricate and dense sword patterns on its leaves, exuding a rich swordsmanship essence; it was clearly a top-grade first-tier plant.

The other two were light blue, and although the sword patterns on their leaves were not as intricate as the first-grade superior one, they were still clearly visible and exuded a faint sword intent, making them first-grade mid-grade.

"These three Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flowers are a congratulatory gift from your senior brother," Chen Hexian said with a smile. "If you want to switch to sword cultivation, the Nine-Leaf Sword Heart Flowers will be a key cultivation resource that can help you go further."

Li Bai held the three medicinal herbs, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

He had only been with Haiqingyuan for a little over a year, but Chen Hexian treated him like a junior brother, giving him careful guidance and never holding back his knowledge.

Now he's even giving away three of these precious medicinal herbs as a gift; this senior brother is truly treating him exceptionally well.

"Thank you, senior brother." Li Bai bowed respectfully.

"From the moment my junior brother arrived at the herb garden, my senior brother treated me extremely well, and now..."

Chen Hexian waved his hand to interrupt, saying, "We are brothers, there's no need for such formalities. Go, cultivate diligently, and we'll return to the Immortal Sect together in half a month."

"Alright, Junior Brother, you can go back now."

Li Bai took a deep breath, bowed deeply, and slowly took a few steps back before turning around to say goodbye and leaving, quickly returning to his wooden hut.

After closing the doors and windows and carefully sensing his surroundings to make sure no one was watching, he made a thought and his figure disappeared from the wooden house, disappearing into the Tai Xuan Immortal Mirror Cave Heaven.