"Ten hours?" The ethereal voice held a trace of surprise.

"Yes! I don’t know exactly how much my talent has increased, but I’m sure it’s improved by a great deal!" Jiang Xuan exclaimed excitedly, "And you also mentioned, Senior, that once the breathing technique is mastered, not only will there be an initial increase in talent, but it will continue to improve over time. This means my talent will keep getting stronger—this is just the beginning!"

"Calm down."

The Qian Emperor sighed, "With the continuous use of the breathing technique, your talent will indeed continue to grow. But how long it will last and how much it will grow is uncertain. It’s not related to the initial improvement, but rather depends on how much hidden talent remains. So don’t get too excited too soon."

"I understand." Jiang Xuan looked at the transmission stone, "Senior, then do you think I’m qualified to become your disciple now?"

"Become my disciple?"

The Qian Emperor paused for a moment, then said, "You’re still far from it. You need to have the opportunity to become a deity or demon first. Let’s talk about becoming my disciple once you’ve reached that level. Your current talent and cultivation are not even enough to be my registered disciple."

Jiang Xuan had brought up the idea of becoming a disciple many years ago, but he had been firmly rejected. The Qian Emperor had disdainfully mocked his talent.

Now, even after his talent had surged, he was still rejected.

Jiang Xuan wasn’t bothered. After all, after so many years of friendship, he understood the Senior’s temperament well.

"Senior, based on your judgment, if I master all nine styles of Chasing Wind Blade within a month, would I be able to defeat a perfect congenital with my half-step congenital cultivation using Black Abyss Skill?" Jiang Xuan asked.

Half-step congenital was a fascinating realm. Since it already contained innate spiritual power, it allowed the cultivation of sword techniques that could only be mastered in the congenital realm. That’s why Jiang Xuan could practice the final three styles of Chasing Wind Blade, which were meant for congenital warriors.

"If you really master all of them, of course you can defeat a perfect congenital," the ethereal voice responded, "But… you won’t master all of them in a month."

"Why not? I mastered the fourth style in just ten hours!"

"Do the math yourself."

"I will, I’ll master the fourth style in another day, the fifth in one or two days, and master it in two to three days. The sixth style will take three days, and six days to master. The seventh will take six days and twelve days to master. The eighth…" Jiang Xuan roughly calculated, but his voice suddenly trailed off, and his eyes widened as he fell silent for a moment. Then, he spoke again, "It seems... time really isn’t enough."

The difficulty of each style of Chasing Wind Blade increased exponentially. Even when Jiang Xuan calculated with a minimum of double the time, there still wasn’t enough.

The first arena battle next month is on the 7th of August.

In reality, there were only 24 days left from today. He didn’t have a full month, and in those 24 days, under the most ideal conditions, Jiang Xuan could at most master the seventh style of Chasing Wind Blade, and even that wouldn’t give him enough time to perfect it, let alone practice the eighth style.

And even though his talent was still growing and more hidden talents were emerging as he practiced the breathing technique, at most, he’d just have time to practice the eighth style.

"My father, using the eight styles of Chasing Wind Blade and comprehending the Tianren Force, was able to suppress all congenital warriors in the Heitan Mountain region. Even Shentu Lie, who was strong, couldn’t escape it. But my father was at perfect congenital, while I am only half-step congenital. To defeat Shentu Lie, eight styles alone are definitely not enough!" Jiang Xuan thought clearly but still couldn’t come to terms with it.

"Senior, you’ve always said that as long as I practice the sword, I’ll have a chance!" Jiang Xuan looked at the transmission stone, "But given this calculation, I have no chance. Did I miscalculate?"

"You didn’t miscalculate, and you’re actually being overly optimistic," the ethereal voice responded.

"Then, Senior, what did you mean…" Jiang Xuan was confused.

"I never told you to start with the fourth style," the Qian Emperor said irritably, "After you mastered the breathing technique, you should have told me first. Why were you so impatient?"

"Not starting with the fourth style?" Jiang Xuan blinked. "Senior, you mean…"

"Years ago, you described Chasing Wind Blade to me in detail… Actually, even if you hadn’t said anything, I could still have figured it out. The sword techniques practiced in the acquired and congenital realms are all just foundations for future cultivation! The nine styles of Chasing Wind Blade are not sequential but are more like pieces of a puzzle! They’re all part of the foundation!" The Qian Emperor said, leaving a bit of suspense. "So…"

"So what?" Jiang Xuan eagerly asked.

"So, if you want to win the life-and-death battle, you should directly practice the ninth style!" The ethereal voice responded, "There’s no need to perfect it; just mastering it is enough. On the arena’s battlefield, with limited space for movement, if you truly use the ninth style, anyone from the Shentu tribe will be slain with one strike!"

"Directly practice the ninth style…"

Jiang Xuan thought carefully, "Every style of Chasing Wind Blade can indeed be practiced separately. It’s possible to directly practice the ninth style without needing the first eight as a foundation. But Chasing Wind Blade is known for its extremely high difficulty. If you don’t progress step by step, from low to high, and go straight for the more difficult moves, you’re likely to hit a bottleneck right away, unless… the practitioner’s talent is extremely high!"

Jiang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

His talent had just surged dramatically!

Directly practicing the ninth style might not be impossible!

And since Senior Qishi said it was possible, it should be!

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior!" Jiang Xuan bowed to the transmission stone.

Because he had mastered the fourth style so quickly, Jiang Xuan didn’t have the slightest doubt that he could master the ninth style—only a matter of time, no bottleneck would stop him.

"I mastered the Ring Blade Style in just ten hours. With more than twenty days left, I should have enough time to master the ninth style directly. Plus, with Black Abyss Skill, I’ve already been at half-step congenital for three years. My innate spiritual power is greater than most perfect congenital beings, and I’m not yet a full congenital body. Compared to a perfect congenital, I’m weaker by at least ten times, which makes me unable to fight for long…"

Walking along the forest path, Jiang Xuan was reflecting on his current situation.

"But! As long as I master the ninth style, I can win the arena life-and-death battle with one strike! The opponent won’t even have the chance to retaliate! Even if they use their strongest move, it can’t be stronger than Chasing Wind Blade’s ninth style. Not even Shentu Lie could withstand the power of the ninth style!"

"Mastering the ninth style directly will ensure I win the life-and-death battle in the arena!"

"However…"

"If it’s outside the arena, if I encounter conflicts or assassination attempts, my body is too weak as a half-step congenital. Some injuries that would be non-fatal to a full congenital could be fatal for me. If I get surrounded, my ability to escape will be much lower. And with the technique not perfected, I might not be able to use it properly…"

Jiang Xuan was confident he could win next month’s life-and-death battle.

But he knew, that was just the beginning.

Next month, he could win thirty matches in a row, kill thirty members of the Shentu tribe, but that wouldn’t mean the ultimate victory in the life-and-death battle. While mastering the ninth style would guarantee an arena victory, outside the arena…

"During the life-and-death battle, both tribes are protected and only allowed to fight on the arena. That’s the law. But in reality, the tactics outside the arena never stop. Assassinations, poisonings, kidnappings, threats, and bribery… When it comes to the survival of two tribes, no tribe ever limits itself to fighting on the arena alone, as long as the Inspectors don’t catch them in the act."

"Unless it’s too obvious, like making a move right in front of the Inspectors, usually, they’ll turn a blind eye to the tactics outside the arena."

"With my half-step congenital cultivation, facing assassination attempts from a perfect congenital would be extremely dangerous!" Jiang Xuan thought of the possible assassination attempts, "If I could break through to the congenital realm… using Black Abyss Skill to break through, even if I’m at the early congenital stage, even… even if I don’t master the ninth style, I should have the strength of a top congenital expert and won’t have to worry about assassinations anymore."

As soon as this thought crossed his mind, Jiang Xuan quickly dismissed it.

Senior Qishi had clearly said that unless there were a lot of resources, Black Abyss Skill couldn’t possibly break through in the short term. Jiang Xuan estimated that the "large amount" Senior Qishi mentioned would probably require selling the entire Jiang tribe, and that still wouldn’t be enough!

So he decided not to think about it too much and instead focus on mastering the sword first.

Feixue City, Wei family old mansion, in a secret room.

"Dong Junchu said that as long as the girl marries, the Dong family will give us half of the profits from the collaboration. Dong Junchu is also willing to help arrange other forms of cooperation with us..." Wei Hongkuo said, bowing respectfully.

The ninety-year-old man sitting cross-legged on the meditation cushion listened.

This man was the current head of the Wei family—Wei Chengshan!

"Where are they now?" Wei Chengshan asked.

"Wei Baiyun… I’ve had people lock her up to prevent any trouble," Wei Hongkuo responded.

"The girl... Wei Yao, she was raised in the wild, with no manners of a noble family. I’ve arranged for two experienced nannies to train her," Wei Hongkuo continued, "Two years will be enough. Once she reaches the right age, we’ll marry her off to Jinhe City. With her, Dong Junchu will likely have to turn around and start courting the Wei family. Dong Junchu even said that although it’s a concubinage, it will be bigger and more splendid than a proper marriage. He won’t let the Wei family lose face by selling a daughter."

"Mm." Wei Chengshan nodded expressionlessly.

Wei Hongkuo lowered his head. Despite being over sixty, he still felt nervous in front of his father, the family head.

"What about the son of the Third House… how do you plan to handle him?" Wei Chengshan asked.

"Fifteen years old, half-step congenital. He does have some talent, but it’s nothing compared to our young geniuses. I don’t think he’s worth cultivating," Wei Hongkuo responded.

"Now that the Jiang tribe is in the life-and-death battle, it’s reached the final stage… I’ve had people keep an eye on the situation. Once that wild child dies in the arena, I’ll inform Wei Baiyun."

"Jiang Hanfeng has been missing for years, he must have died in the Ten Directions Abyss long ago."

"Once Wei Baiyun hears the news of her son’s death, her attachment to the Jiang tribe will be cut off, and she will undoubtedly return to the family. When the time comes, if Wei Baiyun personally sends Wei Yao off, the Dong family will feel our sincerity and our apology for the past."

"Good! Well thought out." Wei Chengshan finally showed a hint of satisfaction.

"It’s all thanks to Father’s good guidance," Wei Hongkuo immediately replied.

Wei Chengshan had five sons and two daughters. Among them, Wei Hongkuo, the fourth son, had always been the least valued. Due to his limited talent, he had been considered incapable of surpassing the congenital realm since childhood. Thirty years ago, with the help of family resources, Wei Chengshan reached perfect congenital, but he had not made any progress since then.

If not for the severe injury and death of his Third Brother, Wei Hongkuo would not have such authority in the family now.

"Since you already have a plan, I will leave this matter entirely to you. Everything related to the girl’s marriage and the cooperation with the Dong family is in your hands. Don’t disappoint me," Wei Chengshan said, looking at his usually mediocre son.

"Thank you, Father!" Wei Hongkuo said with great joy, kneeling and kowtowing several times, "I won’t disappoint you. Just wait and see!"