Chapter 1611: Draw the Sword and Slash

Luo Xie glanced at Luan Xiao'e, a smile playing on his lips. "Of course, that's no problem. Just come find me anytime, Junior Sister Luan; I'm always available!" While the experiences and insights of a Sunlit Realm cultivator's promotion weren't exceptionally rare, they weren't typically shared freely. Such knowledge was usually only passed down when a Sunlit Realm cultivator from one's own star system guided a junior.

Luan Xiao'e and Luo Xie had no prior connection, and achieving this would have been quite difficult without Lu Ye's intervention. However, since Lu Ye had spoken, Luo Xie naturally had to grant him this favor.

Luan Xiao'e was overjoyed and rose to express her gratitude. After Luo Xie left, she turned to Lu Ye and gave a graceful bow. "Thank you, Junior Brother." Previously, she had always addressed Lu Ye as "fellow cultivator," but now calling him "Junior Brother" clearly indicated a shift in her attitude.

Lu Ye waved his hand, "It was no trouble at all." Luan Xiao'e then hesitantly asked, "Junior Brother, those Unity Arrays... could you let me borrow some? I'll pay you back with spirit jade once the Jade Snail Realm earns some in the Myriad Elephant Sea." Lu Ye shook his head, took out dozens of array plates, and handed them to her. He sighed, "I didn't anticipate the war with the Insectoids would be so dangerous. I thought it would be a straightforward victory, so I didn't arrange for cultivators from the Jade Snail Realm and Green Radiance Dao Realm to be equipped with these array plates beforehand. That led to unnecessary losses. Take these, Senior Sister, there's no need for spirit jade. In the future, our three realms will need to advance and retreat together in the Myriad Elephant Sea." Lu Ye felt a pang of regret, as he believed that if the cultivators from both realms had been equipped with the array plates earlier, the casualties in that battle might have been fewer. Even saving one life because of an array plate would have been worth it.

Unfortunately, he hadn't expected a seemingly predictable battle to turn so perilous. If he hadn't used the bone xun to summon the Dancer, the entire fleet of the Four Quarters Star System would have been annihilated.

While array plates could certainly fetch some spirit jade if sold, the ones he possessed were self-refined and hadn't cost him much. As he said, cultivators from the three realms would need to work together in the Myriad Elephant Sea in the future, so providing some array plates to the Green Radiance Dao Realm and Jade Snail Realm was simply the right thing to do.

A month after entering the Barren Star Domain, the fleet arrived at the Shattered Void Mirror. This cosmic wonder was extremely dangerous, riddled with spatial fissures. Some were visible to the naked eye, others imperceptible to physical senses, and some even evaded spiritual perception.

From a distance, the region appeared like a colossal shattered mirror, stretching across the cosmos for countless ages, a truly breathtaking sight.

Even powerful Sunlit Realm cultivators like Luo Xie dared not venture casually into the Shattered Void Mirror's vicinity. The starship carrying Lu Ye led the fleet, navigating around the anomaly.

Inside the green hall of the Tusks, blade storms raged. The Green Mantis's figure spun like a top, as did Lu Ye's.

The two blade storms constantly collided and dissipated within the green hall, creating an astonishingly violent spectacle. It was a long time before the tempestuous blade storms finally subsided. The Green Mantis emerged completely unscathed, while Lu Ye was in a rather sorry state. Fortunately, it was merely a manifestation of his spiritual consciousness and not his true physical body, otherwise this confrontation would have undoubtedly ended in severe injury!

The Green Mantis sheathed its twin blades, gave a slight nod to Lu Ye, and then suddenly vanished. Lu Ye's expression remained calm, devoid of joy or sorrow. He knew he had passed the Green Mantis's trial. After training under the Green Mantis for so long, his dual-blade style had finally reached a foundational level. To further refine this skill, he would need to explore and practice on his own.

Reflecting carefully, ever since subduing the Tusks, he had encountered its previous three masters in the green hall: Azure Separator with its exposed fangs, Yan Xi with its darting movements, and Green Mantis with its twin blades. Each of them possessed a mastery of blade techniques far beyond Lu Ye's current ability. Although he had arduously passed their trials, it didn't mean these predecessors only had those displayed capabilities.

In a true life-and-death struggle, these predecessors would undoubtedly have many more techniques at their disposal. However, what they left within the Tusks were only their most formidable skills, and Lu Ye's intrusion was primarily for the purpose of trials and instruction.

Now that he had passed the Green Mantis's trial, the next one should appear. Lu Ye couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation, eager to discover the race of the fourth master and what formidable technique they had left behind.

As he focused his gaze, the dissipating light from the Green Mantis's vanished form coalesced, reforming into a new figure. Lu Ye saw that it was actually a Human. His heart settled; there were indeed powerful Human cultivators.

Looking across the cosmos, Humans were arguably the largest race; no other race could compare in terms of population. Yet, three former masters had already appeared within the Tusks, including an Insectoid, but not a single Human. Lu Ye had felt a degree of disappointment about this.

Now, finally, he saw one. The man was not tall, nor was his face particularly handsome, yet his demeanor exuded a formidable aura that was impossible to ignore.

He stood there, his body slightly turned, a long blade at his waist. His left hand gripped the scabbard, his right the hilt, and his eyes, indifferent, stared at Lu Ye as if he were looking at a dead man.

Even as a mere manifestation of spiritual consciousness, being stared at by him made Lu Ye's hair stand on end.

This was a sensation he had never experienced during his previous trials under Azure Separator, Yan Xi, or Green Mantis. The Human before him appeared completely still, yet beneath that quiet surface seemed to lie a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Lu Ye immediately understood: the man's next strike would undoubtedly be earth-shattering! A faint voice spoke, and the predecessor, like Azure Separator and the others, announced himself: "Human, Wang Xiu!" Lu Ye barely registered his voice; all his focus was on the blade in Wang Xiu's hand. Then, he heard a sword chime, and a flash of light appeared. Wang Xiu's blade seemed to have been drawn, yet also seemed to remain in its scabbard, still in its previous posture.

When he came to, Lu Ye's eyes snapped open. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, and a faint stinging sensation pulsed in his mind.

Suppressing the lingering fear in his heart, he took out a Soul-Refining Grass to refine, mending the damage to his spiritual consciousness. As he carefully replayed that instant in his mind, Lu Ye was filled with awe.

Undeniably, the foundation of Wang Xiu's previous strike was still at the late Constellation Realm, yet Lu Ye had been struck down instantly without even seeing the full movement, almost completely unable to retaliate.

He roughly understood now: Wang Xiu's legacy was the explosive power of that single strike. Wang Xiu's blade had indeed left its scabbard, but his movements were so incredibly swift that the long blade returned to its sheath in an instant. Even with Lu Ye's unwavering gaze, he had barely registered it.

What a formidable strike! Lu Ye's eyes gleamed. His own strength was already considerable, almost unrivaled among those of his cultivation level. If he could comprehend the mystery of this blade technique, he might even be able to kill a Moonlit Realm cultivator with a single strike.

However, Lu Ye quickly grew puzzled. In previous trials with Azure Separator, Yan Xi, and Green Mantis, they had all taught him through direct confrontation, allowing him to gradually comprehend the mysteries of their legacies.

How was he supposed to comprehend Wang Xiu's legacy? There was no process of confrontation to speak of, as a mere manifestation of Lu Ye's spiritual consciousness simply couldn't withstand such a strike.

If his physical body could enter the green hall, there might be some possibility. But without any chance to resist, he was killed the moment the blade light appeared, let alone comprehend it. Even if he were lucky enough to block the strike, without understanding its mysteries, he wouldn't be able to cultivate such blade art.

After much thought, Lu Ye concluded that his most immediate task was to figure out how to survive such a strike. Survival came first, then everything else.

After a brief rest, Lu Ye's consciousness once again immersed itself in the green hall. When he reappeared, he was not far in front of Wang Xiu, who still held his previous posture. Lu Ye immediately retreated backward, all the way to the edge of the green hall, yet still felt no sense of security.

Wang Xiu didn't rush to strike, seemingly waiting for Lu Ye to prepare. Only after Lu Ye had stabilized himself and brought forth the Mountain-Slayer Blade and the God-Slayer Blade did Wang Xiu stir slightly. Another flash of blade light appeared, and then Lu Ye found himself inexplicably forced out of the hall.

"No, no!" Lu Ye shook his head, realizing his previous decision was flawed. After resting for a moment, he re-entered the green hall.

This time, however, he didn't evade. The moment he appeared, he unleashed a strike towards Wang Xiu. If defense was impossible, then an aggressive attack might create an opening.

This strike utilized Azure Separator's legacy. As the blade descended, it was as if an invisible beast opened its gaping maw, filled with interlocking fangs.

Wang Xiu showed no intention of dodging. The blade light reappeared, shattering the fangs. Again! This time, Lu Ye activated Yan Xi's darting technique, moving like thunder and wind through the green hall, but he was still cut down by Wang Xiu's single strike!

Once more! Lu Ye executed Green Mantis's Great Windmill, stirring up a blade storm within the green hall, yet it also failed to block Wang Xiu's strike!

After several fruitless attempts, Lu Ye had even resorted to using the Hegemon Blade Art and the Thousand Tides Surge, leaving him with a splitting headache. While refining Soul-Refining Grass to recover, he stared at the Tusks resting across his lap, his brow deeply furrowed.

Among the legacies within the Tusks, Wang Xiu's seemed somewhat unreasonable. This didn't mean the other masters' legacies were inferior to Wang Xiu's; rather, each excelled in different areas. Wang Xiu's strike was a momentary burst of power. Although Lu Ye had passed the trials for the other legacies, he was not those masters themselves, and his cultivation in their techniques was not yet profound enough to withstand Wang Xiu's deadly attack.

In cultivation, it was crucial to avoid getting stuck on a single problem. After pondering for a long time without devising a solution, Lu Ye decided to stop thinking about it. He took out some spirit jade for cultivation, simultaneously activating the Talent Tree's power to deduce spirit patterns.

Since acquiring the Tusks, he had spent most of his time immersed in training with those predecessors.