He Qingling's current cultivation realm was still at the late stage of the Qi Sea Realm.

In the cultivation world of the Chenping Continent, cultivators who were permitted to cultivate on Du Cang Mountain and were allowed to make maximum use of the mountain's cultivation resources were referred to as "Guardians of the Dao."

He Qingling's cultivation speed was noticeably faster than when she had been at the Xuan Sheng Sect in the Western Region of the Chenping Continent. She would definitely break through to the Peak Qi Sea Realm within two months.

As for advancing to the Spirit Connection realm, given He Qingling's current cultivation efficiency, it would absolutely take less than two years.

If she were still at the Xuan Sheng Sect, crossing from the Qi Sea Realm to the Spirit Connection realm would have taken He Qingling at least five years.

One reason her cultivation speed had improved so dramatically was that the cultivation resources on Du Cang Mountain were simply too exceptional.

As for the other reason, it was because after arriving at Du Cang Mountain, He Qingling could no longer go to the teahouse to listen to the storyteller, so she had no choice but to focus wholeheartedly on cultivation.

At this very moment, standing on the Training Grounds, the disciple from Wind Ravine Valley's Qingjin Ravine, Lu Chenzhou, who stood across from He Qingling, had a cultivation realm at the Peak Qi Sea Realm.

The gap between him and He Qingling was not merely a single minor realm.

As a core inner disciple of one of the Five Great Sects, the core resources he could access on a daily basis were naturally far greater than what He Qingling, who came from the Xuan Sheng Sect, could obtain.

This was also the real reason why He Qingling had been at a disadvantage in all three of their previous encounters.

He Qingling was a swordsman.

The Sword Pavilion of the Xuan Sheng Sect was quite renowned throughout the Western Region of the Chenping Continent. Apart from the Mirage Palace and a few other top cultivation sects famed for their sword arts, the Sword Pavilion of the Xuan Sheng Sect ranked next in line.

Likewise, Lu Chenzhou was also a swordsman.

He Qingling's wrist trembled slightly, and several streaks of sword qi burst forth from the tip of her verdant long sword with extremely sharp, biting cold light, scattering toward Lu Chenzhou's direction.

Lu Chenzhou merely let out a light chuckle.

Then his sword left its sheath.

With a flick of his long sword, sword qi swept through like wind devouring clouds, completely dissolving He Qingling's attack.

"It seems Junior Sister He hasn't made much progress after all."

Speaking with a frivolous tone, he stepped forward and directly swung another sword strike toward He Qingling.

His sword momentum surged like a tide, sweeping toward her like a violent storm.

She couldn't withstand this strike.

Realizing this in an instant, He Qingling promptly abandoned any thought of counterattacking and instead awkwardly dodged to the side.

She couldn't retreat backward, because if she gave Lu Chenzhou enough distance to launch another slash, she would have nowhere left to escape.

The last time He Qingling had sparred with Lu Chenzhou, she had lost precisely because of that mistake.

This time, however, having dodged Lu Chenzhou's slash to the side, He Qingling quickly seized the opening and slashed toward him again.

Clang!

Sparks flew in all directions as the two long swords collided.

Lu Chenzhou absorbed He Qingling's slash without much difficulty, appearing completely at ease.

"It seems my earlier judgment was mistaken, Junior Sister He."

Taking another step forward, closing in on He Qingling and lowering his voice, Lu Chenzhou said quietly:

"Look, you have made progress after all. Twenty years ago, if I hadn't given up the position of chief disciple of Qingjin Ravine to Liang Qianbo, he never would have had a chance to become chief disciple in his entire life. Come train swords with me, Junior Sister He. I will teach you how to walk the true Path to Immortality."

A flicker of disgust passed through He Qingling's eyes, and then she spoke:

"Is that so? Liang Qianbo is now a Passable God Realm cultivator, and together with Chu Xiyao of the Kongshan Sect and Bai Jinye of the Lingxiao Temple on Du Cang Mountain, they are known as the 'Three Heroes.' So why is it that Fellow Daoist Lu is still wasting away here on the Training Grounds?"

Rebutted so sharply by He Qingling, the arrogant yet composed expression on Lu Chenzhou's face instantly froze, and a flash of anger shot through his eyes.

But he didn't lose his temper. Instead, he tried to think of a way to defend himself.

He Qingling, however, didn't give him that chance.

"Is it because your talent is inherently inferior to Liang Qianbo's, or because your heart isn't truly set on the Path to Immortality? Or perhaps it's both?"

He Qingling continued.

"You..."

Lu Chenzhou's fury instantly magnified, and his face flushed completely red.

Because He Qingling was, at this very moment, thoroughly humiliating him.

Seizing the opportunity while Lu Chenzhou's Sword Heart was in disarray, He Qingling suddenly launched an attack, using her long sword to strike the sword hilt of Lu Chenzhou's weapon.

Lu Chenzhou's long sword was knocked clean out of his hand, flying through the air, spinning before crashing onto the ground of the Training Grounds, kicking up a few sparks.

The young woman clad in the daoist robes of the Xuan Sheng Sect remained standing in place, casually returning her verdant long sword to its scabbard, and then slowly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist Lu, the most important thing about the sword path is not just cultivating the sword. Cultivating the heart matters just as much."

With that said, He Qingling turned and walked out of the Training Grounds of Du Cang Mountain.

Lu Chenzhou, still standing in the Training Grounds, seemed to be lost in thought. Then he slowly walked over to where his knocked-away long sword lay on the ground, bent down, and picked it up.

His gaze fell upon the sword in his hand, and a hint of resentment flashed through his eyes.

All of this was witnessed by Li Haowen and the Lingxiao Temple cultivator standing by the railing.

"'The Three Heroes of Spirit Connection' on Du Cang Mountain, I find that inappropriate."

The cultivator from Lingxiao Temple said with a smile:

"No matter how you look at it, it should be the 'Four Heroes of Spirit Connection.' In my view, Elder Li is in no way inferior to the so-called 'Three Heroes,' whether in cultivation or in temperament."

"Elder Bai gives me too much credit."

Li Haowen shook his head.

At this moment, the cultivator in Lingxiao Temple daoist robes standing beside Li Haowen was none other than Bai Jinye, who, together with Chu Xiyao and Liang Qianbo, was known as one of the "Three Heroes of Spirit Connection" on Du Cang Mountain.

"No, Elder Li. The reason you haven't become one of the 'Four Heroes of Spirit Connection,' in my humble opinion, is probably because..."

Pausing briefly as he spoke, Bai Jinye continued:

"Probably because Elder Li's reputation in the cultivation world of the Chenping Continent over these years has been far too fearsome."

That was indeed true.

Before the Heavenly Summit Mountain Cataclysm, Li Haowen had always been the symbol of "Righteous Spirit" among the younger disciples of the Kongshan Sect.

But after the Heavenly Summit Mountain Cataclysm, everything changed.

To put it nicely, cultivators on the Chenping Continent would call Li Haowen "Li Godslayer," due to the massacre he had carried out while eliminating the "Ding Bandits" in the Qingque Kingdom, as well as the "crimes" that had been pinned on him back in the Coiling Dragon Sect.

But in reality, when cultivators on the Chenping Continent referred to Li Haowen, they more often called him "Li Dog."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.