Shi Lang rested beside the pond for the night, practicing the me maniption. He did not waste any time, this was not his habit. As long as there was something about him that could be improvised, he would not stop. Until now, for quite some time he had been sensing a dead end appearing in the path of his cultivation.


    The Terran did not wish for that to happen, and exploring new ways was the only way to either bypass the wall in his path, or to find a way to climb the wall to proceed further.


    Shi Lang stood up in the morning, and absorbed the heat from the first rays of the sun. He opened his palms and the sparks of amber were reced by fumes of mes. Hou Bing nodded slightly and said, "You do have a quality or two about yourself boy."


    The Terran said thank you, when Tsuu Ching appeared and tossed him a spirit fruit. Shi Lang asked, "What is this?"


    Tsuu Ching replied, "This is the ten years old me spirit fruit. It will aid your mes to be stronger."


    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Thank you, can we go and meet the sword master?"


    Tsuu Ching nodded with a smile and said, "We can."


    The man waved his hands and the three of them vanished. When they appeared, they were standing atop a cliff overlooking the entire city. Shi Lang looked down and asked, "Tsuu Ching, if I told you that there is a chance for your people to return home, what would you say to that?"


    Tsuu Ching replied, "I would not be the one who gets to say anything, Boss. The people will decide if they wish to go back and trust those phony big families or not."


    Shi Lang nodded and said, "Good, that is how it should be. I have gotten a few people on the martial council who are willing to rethink about the situation. However, I also understand what the survivors of that cruel purge must have suffered. So, do not worry, I will not tell anyone about this ce, and if you decide to go out there, tell me, and I will do my best to help you."


    Tsuu Ching smiled and replied, "I know you will, boss. Do not worry. If anything came up, you would be the first to know."


    Shi Lang nodded, and turned around to look at the empty cliff top. He suddenly focused his gaze on a sword that was stabbed in the ground. He asked, "Xiao Ching, what is this ce?"


    Tsuu Ching replied, "This is the ce where all the sword cultivators of the Divine Edge sect, the most powerful sword practicing sect woulde to go through their tribtions."


    Shi Lang raised his brow, and asked, "So, why am I here?"


    Tsuu Ching said, "The tribtion they face is not the heavenly tribtion that everyone else does to excel in cultivation of spirit energy. The divine edge sect practices nothing but sword. Completely, their bodies contain sword energy."


    Shi Lang asked surprisingly, "Do you mean to say that they do not harvest the spiritual energy?"


    Tsuu Ching smiled as he nodded, and remarked, "Precisely, they are the swords and swords are them."


    Shi Lang gulped and asked, "Do not tell me that all have achieved unity with the de and heaven?"


    Tsuu Ching chuckled and said, "No, they are not that exaggerated, but almost all of them have achieved the level of sword grandmaster before the end of their lives. Unless they met their demise in battle."


    Shi Lang nodded and said, "The level of skill one needs to wield the sword and to master it is very high. Those with spiritual cultivation take decades to reach that stage, how does someone without spiritual energy do that? I do not wish to imagine, it is truly impressive."


    Tsuu Ching nodded and said, "They do it with their resolve. And simrly this test is designed to test you for the same."


    Shi Lang looked at Tsuu Ching beside him, who said, "The sword master of Utopia will test you."


    A middle-aged man appeared before Shi Lang in the distance. The Terran was surprised because he could not sense any spiritual energy from this person. If not for his figure visible before him, this person did not even show up on his sensory radar. Shi Lang gulped, it seemed that he was helpless in this situation.


    To make things worse, Tsuu Ching poked his back seven times, and Shi Lang froze. The former has blocked his spiritual energypletely. The Terran was shocked, but he regained hisposure and asked, "So, sealing my spiritual energy so that I stay as strong as he is? Or is it just some bizarre way of saying that life is unfair?"


    Tsuu Ching shook his head and said, "We are testing your heart, because only when you are honest to yourself would you be able to..."


    Shi Lang gave him a middle finger andpleted his sentence, "Compel the heavenly herbs to acknowledge me. Right?"


    Tsuu Ching smiled bitterly and Shi Lang said to him in a low voice, "I do not know what you are ying at, but I am going along only because of Tian Long. Otherwise, I was happy with my wife and children."


    The lord of the Utopia said, "Boss, do not think of me like that. I will never harm you, after all that you have done for me."


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    Hou Bing was looking at him from the side and said, "Kid, I may be weak, but if you did anything to Shi Lang, I will use my innate fire to reduce this entire ce to ashes."


    Tsuu Ching was shocked but sighed and said, "Boss, how can I make you understand? Trust me. I am only doing what the rules of my people have stated. The person before you had to go through this too. However, instead of a sword he used his cauldron. His heart was one with his cauldron and thus he passed this."


    Shi Lang snorted and said, "I will not use my spirit sword."


    Tsuu Ching was confused, and Shi Lang took out a normal wooden sword from his space ring. He said, "I am going to rify one thing, I am not looking down on anyone."


    The sword master said, "I do not care what you think. You are a cultivator, be responsible for your own actions."


    Shi Lang nodded and walked closer to the man. The two of them stood ten meters apart from each other and Tsuu Ching asked, "What do you think? Who will prevail?"


    Hou Bing was sitting on the stone on the side, she looked at him and said, "Mind your business."


    Tsuu Ching was surprised by the cold behavior, but before he could say anything the two people began fighting. The sovereign of the Utopia was surprised to see that Shi Lang could keep up with the speed of the Sword Master.


    Hou Bing said, "Do not be so surprised, he is not ordinary."


    Tsuu Ching nodded in a daze.


    Shi Lang fought with the sword master using only his physical strength and his sword skills. The longer the fight dragged on, the stronger Shi Lang seemed. He was getting used to the power of his newly refined bones. His body was stronger than ever and his sword was on point.


    However, suddenly the sword master pulled a move, he attacked Shi Lang''s eyes. The Terran was not prepared but the sword intent from the sword master impaired his sight. He took a jump to open distance between the opponent and himself when an impact to his chest sent him flying.


    The sword master said, "You have been doing well for someone who could not even sense my deing at you. But that ends now. If I draw blood, you will lose."


    Shi Lang stood up from the ground and assumed his stance. He could not see the opponent, but he could sense his movement. His sensory ability allowed him to sense the miniscule changes on the ground as the sword master moved. Shi Lang used this to evade the attacksing at him.


    However, his opponent said, "You do not have the sword in your heart, you will not be able to win."


    Shi Lang thought about it and he stopped moving. The sword master did not charge at him either, but suddenly, the Terran also dropped his sword. He said, "Come."


    The sword master did not know what Shi Lang was trying to do, but he raised his weapon and charged at thetter. Shi Lang relied on thews of sword art engraved on his heart as he jumped into the fight.


    Long ago, Shi Lang had learned that swords resonate with each other. He wanted to sense that resonance. If the des could resonate so could thews. As the Sword Master was about to sh across his chest, Shi Lang took a step back and used his hand to counter the attack.


    A wave of sword intent released from his hand, shing with the de of the sword master.