"Amazing!"


    Huang Jing could only admire and sigh. At such a young age, Xie Qing had reached such a level ofunderstanding,while he wassimplytreading on the ground as the youth ascended to the Heavens.


    If he were to bepletely honest, Huang Jing was envious. If he had the same talent as Xie Qing, many things in his life would have undergone significant changes.


    He would not have had to spend so much time persuading merchants and many influential figures. With such talent, which merchant would not approach Xie Qing?


    "I need to be realistic. After all, those with great talent often have a great burden. The Heavens are considerate," Huang Jing thought and sighed, "Brother Xie''s future will be difficult. However, I am willing to support him."


    As he was thinking...


    Whoosh~...


    A gentle breeze brushed against Huang Jing''s cheek, causing him toe to his senses. And to his horror...


    "Blood? This light wind...left a cut on me?" Huang Jing was shocked as he felt the Sword Aura ignite in his wound, "Bad! This technique is too powerful for me. No wonder Xie Qing couldn''t show it!"


    However, it was toote to regret it.The sword was raisedinto the air, and then, when Huang Jing met the gaze of the adult Xie Qing...


    BOOM!


    "Ugh..."


    His bodywas slicedin half, and where he had been standing, there was a long gash that was five meters deep and ten meters wide.


    After a second, Huang Jing''s body reassembled itself. Allofthis was happening in his mind, sohe was not harmed. The only consequence was fear.


    "Terrible... this technique is terrible. No one can withstand such power!" Huang Jing was shocked.


    As he was in awe of this power, the adult Xie Qing suddenly spoke.


    "Lord of the Nine Realms and Heavens - Sword God Strike. This skill I created in my youth, after reading legends of the great God Sword, who with one strike, could split open hundreds of worlds."


    "Y-you''re saying?!"


    The voice of the adult Xie Qing was devoid of carelessness and whining. It was deep,manding, and somewhat seductive. If Huang Jing were a woman, he would not have been able to resist.


    Xie Qing''s expression was cold. He stuck the sword into the ground and leaned on it with his hands. His eyes looked directly at Huang Jing.


    "My thirst for power was insatiable. I gathered all my knowledge of sword strikes. I was not interested in modern techniques that used more Qi than Sword Aura. I liked the raw power and thesubtle,yetmanding use of the Sword Aura!" Xie Qing said with a resolute voice, "However, this technique is full of holes and ws. There are many holes.


    Although I eliminated them in the future, this does not negatethe factthat I was untalented!"


    "This..."


    "Don''t look at me like that. I cannot teach you the perfect version, so I will teach you what the current me knows!" Xie Qing said with an annoyingsmile,and then added, "Of course, you only have four attempts. If you cannot learn itin this time, then you are not suitable for this technique!"


    "U-understood!"


    Huang Jing did not understand many things. For example, what future was this Xie Qing talking about? After all, this space was just an illusion in Huang Jing''s mind.


    However, there was no time for contemtion. Xie Qing raised his sword again. The man''s eyes shed with power, and the surrounding earth began to tremble.


    Huang Jing shuddered. He felt as if he were just a helpless ant that had ended up in the path of an elephant.


    However, even so, he did not waste time and stood in a stance. He tried to imitate the man''s movements!


    The Sword Aura whirlwind filled the space. Huang Jing was breathing heavily, barely able to withstand such pressure.


    "A swordsman is not just someone who wields a sword. It is someone who is a sword itself!" Xie Qing shouted as it was too difficult to hear each other amidst the massive Sword Aura whirlwind, "The sword is a part of the body. Not a weapon, not metal, and certainly not a friend! The sword is you!"


    Huang Jing frowned. He still could not understand the meaning of these words. Everything soundedlikenonsense to him, as how could a person be a sword?


    However, Xie Qing did not bother to exin this. He just smiled and swung his sword.


    And in that moment...time seemed to stop. All the movements that Huang Jing hae up withand his attempts to imitate the strike were in vain.


    Thus, the third attempt passed...and then the final, fourth attempt.


    Huang Jing was breathing heavily. His body was lying on the ground, and around him, there were countless pits and cuts.


    His face was pale, andhis forehead was coveredin sweat. Despite all his efforts, he could not even understand how this technique worked.


    Gr-r-r...


    He gritted his teeth. A fire of disappointment and anger burned within him. And Xie Qing...the man wasjuststanding in ce.Behind him, therewere only light cuts and a little bit of cut grass.


    Everything around him was constant, prosperous, and beautiful. Meanwhile, behind Huang Jing, there was only destruction and death.


    Thiswas the difference between their strengths. If Xie Qing could make such deep cuts with one strike, then Huang Jing could barely even cut the grass.


    However,donot think that he was devoid of talent. It''s just that this technique was not suitable for everyone.


    "You have tried well. Your understanding of thepath of the swordhas increased, and in the future, your vertical strikes will be able to cause significant damage to your enemies. The recipe for true power is ruthless training!" Xie Qing said, standing in ce and leaning on his sword. He smiled, "Discard all prejudices, stopthinking with the ordinary logic of a mortal.


    You may have power in your hands, but do you need it in the mortal world?"


    "Wh-what... do you... mean?" Huang Jing asked, gasping for air and coughing.


    Xie Qing raised an eyebrow and then pped himself on the forehead.


    "Oh, that''s right. You don''t know about this yet...so it''s too early to say," Xie Qing said andughed, "Master will definitely scold me. In any case, young friend, it''s time for you to return."


    "S-stop..."


    However,Huang Jing''s voice was not heard. Xie Qing was still standing proudly in his ce, while Huang Jing fell into a hole.


    When he lost consciousness, thest thing the man heard was these words:


    "The goal of immortality should not be secondary for cultivators. Only by giving everything can one touch the peak of the universe."


    ***


    "AAAAAH!"


    Xie Qing was startled, slightly frightened by Huang Jing''s sudden scream. Turning his head, he saw that his friendwas drenchedin sweat, with a look of regret and shock on his face.


    "What''s wrong with you? Did you manage to learn the technique?"Xie Qing asked, tilting his head to the sidein confusion, "Your face is pale.Did I use the wrong technique?"


    "Th-this..."


    When he returned to reality, Huang Jing''s gaze towards Xie Qing becameplicated. The man in the illusion was older and more powerful, hisdemeanor wamanding and serious.


    Although they had significant differences, Huang Jing could seesomesimrities in their behaviors.


    He wanted to sigh. It seemed that despite the knowledge he had gained, he would not be able toe to terms with what he had seen for a long time.


    "Your power is terrifying, Brother Xie," Huang Jing said with a sigh. He looked exhausted as if this sigh had taken away all his life energy.


    "Huh? Thank you?" Xie Qing did not know how to respond to such apliment, so he jokingly said, "Of course, I''m the best. There''s no one better than me!"


    "On the other hand... you two are different."


    "What do you mean ''you two''?"


    "Nothing..."


    ***


    Late at night, when Xie Qing had finished forting" Fanп Lan, he received a message on hismunication token.


    "Hm?Thisisn''t Master, my mom, or any of my other close acquaintances. The vibration from themunication token is different," Xie Qing thought and stood up from his seat, taking out his spatial ring and the vibratingmunication token, which had a carving of a moon hiding in the clouds. "This is... themunication token of the ''Silver Moon'' Commerce? It seems they have a task."


    Xie Qing put on a robe and left the room so as not to wake Fan Lan. He entered an empty room and set up several formations to prevent tracking and location recognition.


    Only then, after putting on a mask and changing his voice, did he pick up the call.


    "Sir Gu Heng?"


    A mature female voice came from the token. It was none other than Wang Feifei.


    "Lady Wang," Xie Qing nodded.


    "Oh, I''m d you''re not asleep. I apologize for thete call, but I have an urgent task for you!" Lady Wang informed him, and after some ttery, she said, "I have several orders. They need tobepletedin three to four days..."


    "No problem, but it all depends on the required pill," Xie Qing nodded and asked, "I need specific information."


    "I''m d you asked!" Lady Wang replied calmly and continued, "Are you familiar with the Pill of Estrangement?"


    "Pill of Estrangement... hmm? Lady Wang, you know that this pill is difficult to make, and it isextremely expensive, even without considering the alchemist''s fee?"


    "Yes, but I would like to know if you can make it?" Lady Wangasked,without revealing any details.


    "As long as I have the recipe, any pill is possible. However, you should understand that no alchemist can make it on the first try, so I need more resources."