A layer of dust had built up inside during the month he had been missing. Li Yun swept his essence qi through the room, and the dust vanished at once, leaving the stone residence as clean as before.
He sat down cross-legged, but he did not start cultivating right away. His experiences on Chronospace Island had changed his combat system enormously. He now had far more techniques, secret arts, Intents, and treasures than before, and if he kept cultivating everything without discrimination, it would eventually work against him.
A cultivator’s time and mental energy were limited, and trying to master every technique he came across would only spread his attention too thin. Li Yun needed to decide which paths deserved his focus.
His offensive methods were fairly clear. The Myriad Sword Spirit Command Art was one of his most important large-scale attacks. The Soulheart Sword Scripture offered a completely different direction by combining swordsmanship with Soul Power and Heart Force. Horizon Sword Light represented his pursuit of extreme speed and precision.
Finally, the sword arts built on Slaughter Sword Intent, Immortal Sword Intent, and Destruction Sword Intent formed another fundamental branch of his Sword Dao. Each served a different purpose, and none could easily replace the others.
His supporting methods needed more thought. His Sword Domain was naturally indispensable, and the Seven Slaughter Fist was still useful because it could greatly amplify his overall combat ability. The Nine Syllable Mantra, however, had gradually become less important. The technique itself was certainly profound, and Li Yun had no doubts about that.
Yet his path had become more and more centered on the Sword Dao, and the help the Nine Syllable Mantra gave him no longer justified the time it would take to keep studying it. Besides, the complete technique had nine syllables, and Li Yun had only cultivated the first two, so giving it up now would not cost him much.
His defensive system was much simpler. The Phantom Deity Armor was at its core, his Sword Domain could both control the battlefield and reduce incoming danger, Ripple Suppression Field, and the Hundred Layered Shield could weaken attacks further before they reached his body. The three methods complemented one another extremely well.
After carefully sorting everything out, Li Yun finally settled on his cultivation priorities, and the next technique he focused on was the Soulheart Sword Scripture.
The complete inheritance contained seven sword forms, and the first was called Dust. The idea behind it was unusual. When a person was first born, his heart and soul were clear. As he grew older, however, he ran into greed, betrayal, hatred, fear, desire, and countless other influences, and little by little his once-clear heart became covered in a kind of dust.
The first form of the Soulheart Sword Scripture was built on that idea. When the sword was released, it attacked the opponent’s state of mind, and the target would feel as though layers of dust had suddenly settled over his heart and soul, leaving him confused and disoriented. Against weaker souls, the effect could be devastating.
Li Yun had powerful Soul Power, along with the foundation provided by his Illusion-Extinguishing Sword Pupils, so his progress with Dust was extremely fast. After only half a month, he reached preliminary mastery.
He then turned his attention to the two treasures Elder Qing had sent.
"The Ancient Dragon Sacred Blood comes first."
He swallowed it, and an extremely powerful bloodline force spread through his body with a boom. His flesh tightened, his bones trembled, and his organs, meridians, and muscles were strengthened again and again.
The Ninefold Origin Flesh Scripture began circulating on its own, and the physical power in Li Yun’s body rose rapidly. By the time he finished refining the Ancient Dragon Sacred Blood, his Undying Origin Body had reached the limit of the intermediate accomplishment stage of its eighth stage, and his physical strength alone was now comparable to that of an expert at the 6th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm.
Next, Li Yun refined the Soul Tempering Jade Essence. A cool sensation flowed into his Soul Sea, and his Soul Power immediately began to expand, and the growth was enormous. Before, the Myriad Sword Spirit Command Art had let him properly control six thousand swords. After refining the Soul Tempering Jade Essence, that number rose to nine thousand.
An increase of three thousand swords was not just a bigger number. It meant a huge jump in the scale and complexity of the formations he could create. More importantly, he was now only one thousand swords away from controlling ten thousand at once. Once he reached that threshold, the Myriad Sword Spirit Command Art would enter another stage, and his combat power would take a significant leap.
Li Yun slowly opened his eyes.
"With my current strength, staying in the Talent Camp doesn’t serve much purpose anymore." He stood up. "It’s time to leave."
The reason for his confidence was obvious. His cultivation was at the 7th level of Heavenly Core Realm, yet his actual combat strength could stand up to experts around the 8th or even 9th level of Spirit Manifestation Realm. His combat power had already outgrown the environment the Heavenly Talent Camp was designed to provide. Staying there indefinitely would no longer speed up his progress, and it might even begin to hold him back.
Li Yun went to see Elder Qing right away.
"You want to leave?" Elder Qing showed little surprise. "With your current strength, there really is no reason for you to stay here." He nodded. "Very well. Wait a few days, and I’ll have Elder Mu Cang escort you back."
Li Yun bowed. "Yes, Senior."
After that, he went to see the people he had grown close to during his stay and said goodbye to Huang Tianze, Huang Tianlin, Drunken Monk, and Bai Yuchen one by one. Their feelings were complicated.
When everyone had first entered the Heavenly Talent Camp, Li Yun had still been seen as a newcomer who was not even strong enough to rank among the top five hundred. Now the whole camp no longer had enough room for him to grow. His progress had simply been too fast, and he was destined to move on to a bigger stage.
Half a month later, the Voidpiercer Warship hovered above the clouds over Profound Origin Immortal Mountain.
"Li Yun, this is where I leave you," Elder Mu Cang said, standing near the edge of the ship.
Li Yun bowed solemnly. "Take care, Senior."
Elder Mu Cang had helped him several times during his time at the Heavenly Talent Camp, and after this parting, Li Yun did not know when they would meet again.
Elder Mu Cang smiled. "Don’t let Elder Qing down. That old man has high hopes for you."
"I understand."
Elder Mu Cang nodded. The Voidpiercer Warship turned and vanished over the horizon within moments. Li Yun watched until it was gone, and then he turned toward the Profound Origin Immortal Sect. He did not announce his return. Instead, he quietly made his way to Profound Sword Island.

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