In the strange space, the green grass was lush, and the vast expanse stretched as far as the eye could see.

In the middle of the blue sky and the vast land, two figures freely roamed across the skies, their swords colliding with such force that it caused the air to explode repeatedly, their Sword Intent so intense that it seemed capable of slicing through the very fabric of the heavens and the earth.

One of them launched an aggressive onslaught with an ease that belied the seeming simplicity of the attacks; the speed of the ordinary longsword in his hand wasn't particularly fast, yet the flurry of sword shadows created seemed to traverse through time and space itself, sealing off the opponent's every possible escape!

Every strike precisely forced the opponent's half-drawn sword back, quashing any attempts to go on the offensive and leaving the foe frustratingly forced to endure a passive beating.

One could tell that the beleaguered Sword Cultivator was trying hard to break free from this predicament, but for now, he could only barely manage to avoid defeat, while proactive attacking was nothing but wishful thinking.

"Not bad, you've managed to maintain a no-loss state!"

Chen Hua's laughter was hearty, and he sounded at ease even amidst such circumstances.

Even though he was speaking, the flurry of sword shadows he wielded did not slow in the slightest.

The two figures in the sky were naturally Chen Hua and Liang Yi, who was currently being mentored. Since returning to the temporary camp half a month ago, Liang Yi's days had been marked by a pitiful routine of beatings.

Chen Hua zestfully proclaimed this to be "personal instruction," claiming that "a Sword Cultivator who wishes to learn to attack must first learn to take a beating!" "The most razor-sharp sword edges are forged by the blacksmith's repeated hammering!" "Actual combat is the ladder to improvement."

Hearing such words left Liang Yi full of frustration, thinking to himself that from the time his master entered the Cultivation World, he hardly took many beatings; wasn't it mostly him chasing after others to fight?

However, Liang Yi was now in no position to even speak, as just maintaining the current situation by clenching his teeth was already his limit; the notion of splitting his focus to speak was utterly impossible.

All he could do was direct his indignant gaze towards the grinning Chen Hua, changing his sword's trajectory in another attempt to switch from defense to offense.

Unfortunately, it was as if Chen Hua had already anticipated this. With a slight twist of his wrist, the longsword in his hand also changed, effortlessly breaking through Liang Yi's offensive, his smile unchanging as he continued to suppress Liang Yi firmly.

"Not a bad gaze, but your swordsmanship is still lacking a bit."

Chen Hua shook his head in mock pity, pointing out Liang Yi's deficiencies in his sword techniques while continuing to strike.

Finally, after Liang Yi received a hit from Chen Hua's heavy sword, the great force transmitted through the sword sent him flying backward from the sky and smashing into the ground. His legs gave out, and he sat on the grass in the shape of the character "大," gasping for breath, lying down.

"Master, I can't take it any more... Let me rest for a bit..."

It was only then that Liang Yi found the breath to speak, previously too overwhelmed by Chen Hua's pressure to utter a single word.

In the past, when he saw his master wield the sword, each stroke was more dazzling than the last – a touch of elegance that assuredly hit its mark without a hint of commonplace brutality.

To outsiders, Chen Hua's swordplay seemed merely forceful and simple, but only someone like Liang Yi, who had truly crossed swords with Chen Hua, could understand the terrifyingly oppressive force behind Chen Hua's technique.

The splendor of a strike that defies time and space to ensure immediate results!

"To involve the Law of Karma, isn't this bullying, Master?"

Liang Yi resigned himself to lying on the grass, with Yuan Zhou lying at his side, looking up to see Chen Hua slowly descending from the sky.

"As Cultivators, we strive to defy the heavens. If even the tiny Law of Karma can constrain you, how are you to pursue cultivation?"

The longsword in Chen Hua's hand, which was merely a manifestation of Spiritual Power, slowly dissipated as he spoke in a grave tone.

"..."

Liang Yi was tempted to angrily leap up and scold.

"Is this really a matter of cultivation? When it comes to swordsmanship that involves the Law of Karma, a sword strike ensures an immediate effect, and desires turn into reality, am I to fight with my head!"

Unfortunately, these words Liang Yi only dared to brood over in his heart. If he truly rebelled, wouldn't his Master drag him through another half month of training?

So Liang Yi could only lie on the ground and groan, letting things be, as he refused to fight anymore!

"But you're doing pretty well now. In this world, based solely on Sword Dao cultivation, there wouldn't be more than five people who could outshine you."

Though Chen Hua seemed relaxed in his sparring with Liang Yi, in reality, he too was quite serious.

With Liang Yi's current strength, even for Chen Hua, it would be impossible to triumph over him in the same Realm with a cavalier attitude.

But as a master, even when he was serious, he still had to put on a façade of ease – this was part of educating a disciple, wasn't it?

"Five people?"

Liang Yi slightly widened his eyes, his voice tinged with confusion as he asked.

It wasn't that the number seemed too high, but rather too low.

Truth be told, although Liang Yi felt his talent for Sword Dao was not too shabby, he was certain he could not compare to his younger martial sister or his master – those two were truly exceptional in Sword Dao!

As for himself, he merely basked in the light of the System.

"Don't sell yourself short."

Chen Hua shook his head, stood beside Liang Yi, and looked up at the sky, speaking indifferently.

"In this world, Zhou Yuzhi and an Abyss Sword Cultivator, along with me, are in a league of their own. Following that is an old fellow from the Sword Cleanse Heavenly Pool, then Ke Mengzhan who's endowed with a sword body is slightly inferior to Su Youyi, and after that, it would be you."

"When you think about it, there are at most three people who can outdo you in terms of Sword Dao cultivation, and for everyone else, you've got a fighting chance."

"Am I really that strong already?"

Liang Yi was touched, staring blankly at the white clouds that floated serenely above.

"But Master, although I believe what you're saying, aren't you being a bit too modest?"

"If I really spoke my mind, Zhou Yuzhi and that Sword Cultivator from the Abyss could at best see my back."

Chen Hua raised an eyebrow, continuing to speak with nonchalance.

Every Sword Cultivator is full of self-importance; anyone who refuses to accept this can argue with their sword.

Liang Yi secretly curled his lip, realizing that his previous thoughts were indeed quite modest.

Only after seeing that Liang Yi and Chen Hua had ceased sparring did the White Tiger, who had been hiding far away, hop over with ebullient leaps. After casting a fearful glance at Chen Hua, the tiger affectionately nuzzled Liang Yi lying on the ground.

"This little guy is growing quite fast!"

Chen Hua noticed that the White Tiger had increased three or four times in size compared to half a month ago, and clicked his tongue in amazement.

The first time he saw it, the creature was really small, merely the size of a palm, but now it had grown knee-high.

Its Realm had also reached Great Perfection of the Second Realm.

"Feasting on World Origin for every meal, even a pig would turn into a monstrous beast capable of crushing people to death!"

Liang Yi glanced at the young tiger happily munching on the World Origin and said sourly.

"As an Innate Divine Beast, it makes sense that it has a more refined palate."

Chen Hua actually had a fondness for this seemingly adorable creature, despite it always being afraid of him.

In theory, with his cultivation, once he concealed his energy, he should be almost indistinguishable from a normal person. Yet this little creature, born of Innate origins, had such keen senses, it could distinctly feel the surging Sword Intent within him.

"But once this little guy ascends to the Third Realm, it's about time for it to awaken its heritage."

Chen Hua took the opportunity to stroke the White Tiger while it was preoccupied with its meal, and even though it remained a bit fearful, it had to endure for the sake of food!

"Hmm... Does this mean this little guy is about to get less cute?"

Liang Yi frowned at the thought, concerned that once the creature awoke its heritage, it could turn as arrogant as Old Master Orange, rendering his efforts in raising it pointless.

"That's not necessarily the case. This is a completely new White Tiger Divine Beast. Even if it inherits the legacy of the previous White Tiger, its nature will not change."

Chen Hua shook his head and reassured his disciple, advising him not to be so pessimistic.

"That's a relief..."

Liang Yi let out a sigh of relief.

If Old Master Orange was his disobedient eldest son, then the White Tiger was his second son, and undoubtedly, Old Master Orange was a rebellious child!

"I've also got some leads about the matter of World Origin that you asked me about before."

Just when Liang Yi was getting indignant at the thought of Old Master Orange, Chen Hua suddenly mentioned another topic.

"World Origin? The unclaimed World Origin!?"

Liang Yi immediately sat up upon hearing this, looking eagerly at his master.

Half a month ago, he had asked his Master to look into the matter of unclaimed World Origins to see if it was possible to acquire some, and now it appeared there was news.

"In fact, unclaimed World Origins are stored in greater or lesser amounts in the Treasure Vaults of virtually every Super Force."

Chen Hua spoke languidly to Liang Yi.

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