CHAPTER 47: CHAPTER 47: DRAGON LURKING IN THE ABYSS, SWORD SHEATHED

Lu Chengfeng wiped the sword blade clean with deer skin and returned the sword to its sheath with a clanging sound, "All Senior Brothers, you flatter me. I have never had contact with the Inner Peak True Inheritance, nor have I had experience battling demons."

"Over the past month, thanks to the guidance of all the senior brothers and sisters, combined with life-and-death battles, I have made some slight progress."

"Having cultivated to such a realm, I have exhausted all my previous accumulation, and from now on, it will only be a matter of grinding away."

He spoke very humbly, expressing much gratitude to the other four fellow disciples, which improved the complex moods of Xu Changge and Duan Li.

Forming a good relationship with such a talented young junior brother is also a good thing; with his talent, he might one day become an elder of the sect.

Only Lu Lingxi remained silent beside them, never speaking from beginning to end. However, if one were to say who among them understood Lu Chengfeng’s strength the best, it would undoubtedly be her, who cooperated with him.

"Lu Chengfeng’s strength is definitely not just what he shows. When this child faces demon beasts, he handles them effortlessly, every move just right, without wasting a bit of energy."

"This clearly shows that he has complete control over the situation, and his swordsmanship’s proficiency and sharp insight are in no way inferior to Senior Brother Tan Xiong. He surely has reserved strength."

Having cooperated with Lu Chengfeng many times, whenever she exerted all her strength, the other party still appeared composed and unruffled. This feeling wasn’t obvious at first, but it has become increasingly prominent in the past half month.

No matter what accidents occur during the demon beast sieges, Lu Chengfeng can resolve them with seemingly ordinary means in a calm and collected manner.

This composed demeanor even made her think of the elders of the sect.

"This child is monstrously talented, knows how to hide his capabilities like a dragon in the abyss, sheathes his sword, and besides having talent, he has a deep scheme, understands worldly affairs well, and has technique and method in his actions."

"He will surely become a giant in the sect in the future, and it is not impossible for him to ascend to that position."

Probably no one present knew that Lu Lingxi had such a high evaluation of Lu Chengfeng.

Once everyone swiftly dismembered the Tiger Demon’s corpse and dealt with the scene remains, Tan Xiong heaved a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Fellow junior brothers and sisters, after more than a month of fighting and toil, we can finally draw to a close."

"I have already received notice from the sect. We can conclude our mission and settle our merits at the Ministry of Affairs."

"The remaining demon beasts will be hunted continuously by the Fighting Hall."

Upon hearing this, everyone’s faces inevitably showed smiles. Such a long time and high-intensity hunting not only drained physical strength but also kept spirits tightly wound.

Now it’s finally coming to an end, and everyone couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere became relaxed.

"Hahaha, along with this Tiger Demon, we have hunted a total of thirteen demon beasts, and in the entire Inner Peak, probably few can compare with us." Xu Changge couldn’t help but laugh, "The merits accumulated this time should be enough to exchange for a large batch of pills, allowing Inner Power Cultivation to progress further."

For these Inner Peak True Inheritances, the improvement of martial skills can be systematic, far superior to Outer Peak disciples, but the cultivation of Inner Power is rather difficult.

Not only does it require careful daily practice, but also the consumption of numerous Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, and even precious pills, before slight progress can be made.

Resources within the sect are ultimately limited; they cannot be provided indefinitely. To obtain divine weapons, secret manuals, or pills, one must exchange for them with sect merits.

And ordinarily, without a beast tide, such a number of merits are impossible to acquire without a year or two of struggle, no wonder Xu Changge was so delighted.

Lu Lingxi, however, lightly remarked at this moment: "I heard that those three from the sect entered the swamp alone and slew a Great Demon."

Upon hearing this, the previously relaxed atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward and stiff.

Tan Xiong couldn’t help but become solemn as well. Those three prodigies in the sect were like towering mountains, suppressing all sect disciples beneath them, making it hard to breathe.

Others spoke of the Three Heroes and Seven Heroes, but only Tan Xiong understood that although there was only a thin layer between them and those three, it was like a chasm between heaven and earth.

Even though they were now known as the Seven Heroes, renowned in the sect, only less than half would likely succeed in breaking through that gate.

The Eighteenth Layer of swordsmanship, known also as the pinnacle of technique, the limit of the mundane, further progress leads to the celestial divide, the transformation and sublimation of life.

Thus, this gate is also known as the Heavenly Gate.

Condensing the True Intent of Sword Path, slicing through the Heavenly Gate with one sword, henceforth embarking on the Path to Heaven.

Success leads to becoming a Giant of the Martial World, a regional hegemon; failure means returning to the mundane, muddling through the Red Dust for decades, dying on a sickbed.

Tan Xiong knew well that compared with those three prodigies in the sect, they were far inferior in strength and status, fundamentally incomparable.

"Sword Intent!"

He couldn’t help but sigh, his hand grasping the copper stick slightly tighter, even with his talent, he has yet to touch upon the mysteries of Sword Intent.

Xu Changge and Duan Li had not yet touched the Heavenly Gate; though they heard many talk about its difficulty, young and full of vigor, they naturally believed they could break through.

Duan Li coldly remarked, "We are not necessarily weaker than others; with diligent cultivation, one day we will slice through the Heavenly Gate with one sword. Why envy others?"

Xu Changge also laughed and said, "Well said, with Senior Brother Tan’s talent and foundation, it shouldn’t be long before he breaks through as well."

Tan Xiong smiled bitterly, shaking his head, unwilling to discuss this matter further with them; only those who touched the Heavenly Gate would understand its despair.

"Then I’ll take Junior Brother’s auspicious words. Since the task here is already completed, let’s quickly return!"

It was already getting late, so everyone wasted no time and promptly headed out of the Enchanted Swamp.

Lu Chengfeng appeared calm on the surface but had carefully listened to every word without missing any, being the only one present who truly understood Tan Xiong’s thoughts.

Because, in just this short month, he had cultivated the Tongyou Sword Technique and the Thousand Shadows Body Technique to the Eighteen Layers of Perfection, his martial skills highly refined, not inferior to the sect’s Seven Heroes.

Particularly in improvisation and swordsmanship application, after integrating a gift from an Inner Peak Elder, he was ahead of others, without exception.

Such a cultivation speed was astonishing. Despite not devoting much effort to the Bixiao Sword Manual, by analogy, he naturally reached the Fifteenth Layer in this swordsmanship.

If his true strength were exposed, it would immediately stir up Yun Cang, attracting everyone’s attention and focus.

However, Lu Chengfeng was not one to show off or flaunt, only displaying the Bixiao Sword Manual, never revealing the slightest hint of the Profound Radiance Thousand Shadows Ghostly Sword Technique to others.

"Since the beast tide has subsided, it’s time to settle a matter," he said, his eyelids slightly drooping, a glint of icy killing intent flickering in his eyes.

At this moment, Lu Lingxi, who had been accompanying him, suddenly spoke, "Junior Brother Lu, if you have some leisure in the future, may I seek you out to discuss swordsmanship?"