Ten Directions Sword Master

"Observe the changes of the four seasons, understand the principles of prosperity and decline, and know the opportunities for advancement and retreat... Dean Yu is indeed a senior master, whose understanding of sword following the qi and intention aligning with the light of heaven is a notch higher than mine."

Lu Li remembered every word Yu Ziqi said.

Putting everything else aside, the section on the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Techniques was invaluable to him.

Moreover, his intuition told him that Yu Ziqi seemed to really hope that someone could make a name for themselves in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique.

Logically, such an urgent thought should not have been noticed by someone of such a vastly different cultivation level.

Yu Ziqi was a loner who never formed cliques or engaged in any power struggles.

His detached nature was one aspect, but his status as an outsider meant he could never become the dean.

"Never mind that, let's focus on the lunar chart first."

Thinking of the seventy-two pentads and mythical beasts, Lu Li felt a surge of excitement. Who knew that the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique had such a fast track?

This unexpected discovery also helped him decide which world the abstinence talisman should be used in.

Back at the Scholar's Building, I met up with Luo Liben. Young Master Luo treated us to a feast prepared by Baixiang Restaurant in the city.

The first dish was a golden-eyed white python with horns on its forehead, which was said to have grown for over a hundred years and took more than ten hunters to capture.

Without the status of being the eldest grandson of the Luo family, no amount of money can buy it.

He picked up a piece of python meat, chewed it, and swallowed it. A warm current flowed into his dantian, and his blood and qi surged.

The snake gall bladder that was specially reserved made Lu Li's internal strength increase slightly, and he still had room to improve.

I had long heard that some rare and exotic beasts could greatly benefit a martial artist's cultivation, and today, having enjoyed a feast, I can confirm that it is indeed true.

He didn't ask how much Luo Liben had spent on the meal or how many favors he had to do; he just let it all be in a glass of wine.

This was clearly because Young Master Luo saw that his brother wouldn't accept the Life-Giving Jade Pill, so he found an alternative to help his good brother.

In the following days, Lu Li did not rush to use the reclusive talisman, nor did anyone cause trouble. He spent the time quietly observing the Seventy-Two Seasonal Phenomena of the Lunar Calendar.

Three days later, news came that the exchange meeting of the four major academies had officially ended.

Yuelu Academy stood out from the crowd, while Yingtian Academy, despite having a young talent who had already achieved the Foundation Establishment stage, still lost to Jiang Linhai by a single move.

The host, Bailu Academy, also had an unexpected surprise: Shen Qing successfully broke through his cultivation barrier and became a Foundation Establishment martial artist the day before he was to take the stage, despite the pressure.

After easily defeating Shigu Academy, they then defeated Yingtian Academy, which was riddled with injuries, but ultimately lost to the illustrious Yuelu Academy, winning second place.

It is said that there was a little incident near the end, when a disciple of Yuelu Academy challenged Lu Li to a duel. This person also practiced the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Technique.

However, Dean Lin Ruoxu refused directly, so no one bothered him.

Afterwards, the leaders of the four academies expressed their satisfaction with the exchange activity. The participating disciples gained a great deal of training, and several of them took the opportunity to touch the threshold of breakthrough.

In places unseen by ordinary disciples, the four academies determined the number of people allowed to enter the secret realm based on the rankings of the competition.

This shared secret realm opens once every thirty years, and the so-called exchange and competition are all for what lies behind the secret realm.

Each academy wanted to monopolize it, but without any one academy, this secret place could not be protected, thus forming the most solid community of interests.

……

"The competition is over, and the disciples from those three academies have already left. However, they revealed some of their skills, so it will probably be difficult for them to return to their previous peaceful lives."

Lu Li thought someone would come to challenge him to a sword fight, or that Jiang Linhai would stand up for his brother, so he stayed a few more days.

However, I didn't waste any time. Firstly, I viewed the lunar calendar chart, and secondly, I collected some useful information.

Before dawn, he tore open a dark yellow talisman, and the nebula on the back of his hand dispersed. A great force emanated from him, and his figure disappeared.

"Selling Falling Star Guns."

"Exchange for a talisman of seclusion."

"Exchange for Huangjing Buqi Pills."

Using the Aversion Talisman to enter the Compass World will also cause you to pause for a moment in front of the Nebula Palace.

This is much more relaxed than usual, with no tasks weighing on my mind, and I can arrange my schedule entirely according to my own ideas.

The Falling Star Spear, which was only half-forged, was exchanged for 1,500 merits. This was something I had planned in advance; it was much more useful to convert it into strength as soon as possible than to leave a quasi-treasure weapon idle.

You can only exchange for three Retreat Talismans in a year, each costing 200 merit points. I've exchanged them all.

Huangjing Buqi Pills, when taken during the Qi-inducing stage, have the effects of strengthening the body's foundation, nourishing the meridians, and warming the body's vital energy. One pill brings three hundred merits, which is also three times the amount.

It's like the merit gained from selling the Falling Star Spear was simply passed on and given away again.

"Choose Dakang World, settle down in Huangcheng Kanglefang."

With the three newly exchanged seclusion talismans, plus the one rewarded from the previous side quest, Lu Li can stay in the Great Kang World for a full four months.

Admittedly, there would be no surprises there except for the Immortal Mirror, unlike the Floating Island World, which even has elixirs that can transform him and change his cultivation aptitude.

There is a chart of the seventy-two seasons of the lunar calendar, but what is needed now is a safe and stable cultivation environment so that the value of this animal hide can be maximized.

There are very few people in the Great Kang world who can threaten him, which makes him even more suited to the idea of ​​seclusion.

The light and shadow swirled, the scenery changed, and Lu Li landed in an empty alley.

After walking out of the alley and getting my bearings, I walked confidently to a courtyard and knocked on the door knocker.

Squeak!

An old woman greeted him with a surprised smile, "Master Bai, you're finally back! The manor is without its leader without its master..."

Lu Li, using the alias Bai Wuming, traveled the Great Kang World many times. In order to uncover the secrets of the Immortal Mirror, he simply rented a courtyard in the imperial city and hired several servants.

Here, there's no fear of being exposed; on the contrary, others are worried about being targeted by Bai Wuming, who has destroyed their families and clans, so they act with far fewer scruples.

The courtyard has three sections, with a sweet well and an osmanthus tree in the front courtyard, a stable on one side, and a side room on the other.

Passing through the hanging flower gate, one arrives at the central courtyard where he resides. A pretty and charming maid in green is trotting over.

"Young master, you're back."

There used to be a storeroom and a women's quarters in the backyard, but they were all demolished and turned into Lu Li's sword practice area.

Adding a cook completes his living arrangement for these four months.

"Has my room been disturbed?"

"Aside from daily dusting and wiping, not a single item has been moved."

"Go down and tell the cook to prepare two more seasonal dishes for dinner."

Lu Li waved his hand, pretending not to see the resentful look in the eyes of the maid in green.

If any martial arts expert from the Great Kang Dynasty were to approach this study, they would find that any book they randomly opened was a renowned martial arts manual or a closely guarded secret of a prestigious family or sect.

The overall strength of the Great Kang world is low, and even its cultivation techniques and secret manuals are of no reference value.

The innate state is the process of drawing in Qi. When the Great Ancestor of the Kang Dynasty cultivated to the point of breaking through the void, he had essentially reached the foundation stage.

The low cultivation ceiling forces martial artists in this world to constantly refine their combat skills and temper their will to the limit, which indirectly fosters Lu Li's enviable talent of selflessness when he takes action.

Eliminate all external factors, including your own thoughts and ideas, leaving only the purest obsession with winning.

"I'll spend the rest of my time cultivating diligently, striving to perfect the Six Swords of Autumn... and then head to those suspected locations to search for clues about the Immortal Mirror."