Chapter 331: Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer Perfected

Upon hearing this, Ling Guihai found it amusing."You say that as if you've mastered sword control," he scoffed.

Jiang Fan closed his eyes and focused. Indeed, he felt a wisp of the integrated sword qi drift out of his body, causing a series of faint, stinging sensations as it pierced through his meridians. This was only the beginning of his cultivation. Over time, the dispersed sword qi would increase. Ling Guihai's words were true. Without the approval of the sword qi in this place, long-term cultivation was impossible.

Fortunately, he had truly learned Sword Control. Without a hint of emotion, he immediately activated his Sword Heart. As soon as the Sword Control's qi was displayed, the sword qi in the area instantly became docile.

Xu Yining immediately felt the stinging sensation vanish, and she murmured in confusion, "Was that just my imagination?" She then cast a suspicious glance at Ling Guihai. Was Ling Guihai trying to scare them? After a moment's thought, she dismissed it and closed her eyes to cultivate.

Ling Guihai sneered, "What stubborn donkeys!""Let's see how long you can last," he continued. "If you can endure for half a day, I'll write my name backward."

Soon, several hours passed. Ling Guihai and his disciples gradually grew astonished. Jiang Fan and Xu Yining cultivated effortlessly within the sword qi, showing no discomfort whatsoever. Their cultivation auras also steadily increased with the deepening of their practice. There was no sign of the sword qi dispersing from their bodies.

To make matters worse, elite disciples from other sects began arriving one after another. Upon discovering two more excellent cultivation spots, they immediately rushed to occupy them. This sight made the disciples of the Myriad Sword Sect anxious.

"Senior Brother Ling, what should we do?" they asked.

Ling Guihai gritted his teeth and replied, "Just wait! I refuse to believe they can truly last for half a day!"

Half a day swiftly passed. The area was now teeming with disciples from various sects. Not only were the last two prime cultivation spots taken, but even the less desirable ones were occupied.

What dismayed Ling Guihai and the Myriad Sword Sect disciples was that Jiang Fan and Xu Yining continued to cultivate as if nothing was amiss.

"Why is this happening?" Ling Guihai, whose name should have been written backward by now, asked incredulously. He couldn't understand why the sword qi of this place was compliant with Jiang Fan and didn't repel him or Xu Yining. It shouldn't be!

Unfortunately, this was not the time to ponder such things. The five Myriad Sword Sect disciples, initially confident, were now growing anxious.

"Senior Brother Ling, what do we do?" they pressed. "The two best cultivation spots are gone. Several other good spots are also taken. Now, we don't even have a share of the mediocre ones."

Ling Guihai's face darkened as he snapped, "What are you panicking about? Don't I have this covered?" He glared coldly at the other prime cultivation spot occupied by the Joyful Union Sect and scoffed, "Ji Ruyue, you've cultivated long enough. It's time to vacate that spot!" If he couldn't seize the position of Shadow Guard One, could he still not deal with the Joyful Union Sect?

Ji Ruyue's expression soured. She had expected that since Ling Guihai couldn't deal with Jiang Fan, he would surely come to bother her. Although he was injured, he was still a genuine Core Formation Stage Two disciple. She was no match for him. Resigned, she prepared to give up her spot along with her senior brothers and sisters.

However, Jiang Fan, who was still cultivating, spoke indifferently, "The Joyful Union Sect, I will protect them."

Ji Ruyue was overjoyed to hear this. She bowed gratefully to Jiang Fan, then sat back down and continued her cultivation.

Ling Guihai's expression changed. "What do you mean?" he asked. "Do you intend to meddle in the Joyful Union Sect's affairs?"

Jiang Fan slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flickering within them. "Are you challenging me?"

Ling Guihai opened his mouth, but remembering the man's domineering physique, he could only grudgingly turn his gaze to Nie Yunxi and the Qingyun Sect disciples, shouting, "Get out of the way! You blind fools!"

Nie Yunxi was startled. Awestruck by his powerful aura, she trembled and prepared to yield the spot. Unexpectedly, Jiang Fan indifferently stated, "The Qingyun Sect, I will protect them too." Nie Yunxi was ecstatic, bowing repeatedly in gratitude before calmly sitting back down. Thankfully, Shadow Guard One was here; otherwise, the Qingyun Sect wouldn't have been able to occupy this third cultivation spot today.

Ling Guihai was furious. He pointed at the remaining good cultivation spots. "You're not going to protect them all, are you?"

Jiang Fan raised an eyebrow, showing slight impatience. "I don't like noise. Go find another place to cultivate!" Anyone would be annoyed after repeatedly being interrupted during cultivation. If the Myriad Sword Sect disciples remained here, who knew how much more commotion they would cause.

"What?" The five Myriad Sword Sect disciples' faces fell. "The best cultivation spots are all concentrated here," they protested. "Where do you expect us to find good ones? We're not leaving! Exactly! As hosts, why should we, the Myriad Sword Sect disciples, not have a cultivation spot?"

Jiang Fan's patience reached its limit. He slapped the ground with both hands, launching himself upward. As his movement technique activated, he left a trail of afterimages, unleashing both fists towards Ling Guihai.

Ling Guihai was startled and hastily tried to defend himself. However, he was already injured. How could he block it? He was instantly sent flying backward, crashing into a large cluster of sword trees and spitting up blood profusely.

"You!" Ling Guihai raged, annoyed. Why did he suddenly attack him?

Jiang Fan said indifferently, "Take your people and get out! If you make another sound, I'll keep hitting you!"

Ling Guihai was both shamed and enraged. This man was too overbearing! However, his opponent's strength far surpassed his own, leaving him no choice. He immediately glared at his five disciples and roared, "What are you waiting for? Go find another spot!" If they didn't leave soon, he would be the one getting beaten again!

The five Myriad Sword Sect disciples were full of complaints. They had initially hoped to rely on Ling Guihai's strength to occupy the prime cultivation spots. However, he had proven so vulnerable before the masked man. That alone would have been bad enough, but then Ling Guihai's confidence that the other party would suffer from the dispersing sword qi had caused them to miss out on the remaining good cultivation spots. Half a day had been wasted. Now, let alone prime spots, they couldn't even find a decent place to cultivate! Several Myriad Sword Sect disciples who had hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment Stage Nine utterly resented Ling Guihai.

Watching them depart in disarray, Jiang Fan returned to the side of the sword and cultivated peacefully.

Nie Yunxi and the Qingyun Sect disciples, who had initially felt aggrieved, now felt utterly at ease. The Myriad Sword Sect, as hosts, didn't even have a regular cultivation spot. What more could they be dissatisfied with when they were occupying the third-ranked spot? Thus, they happily began cultivating.

One day later, Jiang Fan was the first to break through to Foundation Establishment Stage Nine. He had remained at Foundation Establishment Stage Eight for so long that his foundation was incredibly solid, making the breakthrough to Stage Nine a natural progression. Therefore, he did not intend to stop. He continued to seize the time and cultivate further.

Two days later, before the training in the Sword Forest concluded, he finally reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Stage Nine. A glint of excitement appeared in his eyes. While Foundation Establishment Stage Nine and its peak were technically the same realm, the difficulty of this final breakthrough was more than twice that of breaking from Stage Eight to Stage Nine. Without this Sword Forest, even with daily consumption of top-grade Foundation Establishment Pills, it would have taken him at least two months! This trip was truly a stroke of fortune!

Meanwhile, Xu Yining also gained immensely. Originally at Foundation Establishment Stage Three, under the nourishment of the prime cultivation spot, she miraculously leaped three levels, breaking through to Foundation Establishment Stage Six! She was incredibly surprised and delighted, pulling Jiang Fan's hand and exclaiming, "I broke through to Foundation Establishment Stage Six! I'm at Stage Six!" Such a massive breakthrough felt like a dream!

Ji Ruyue was also overjoyed. "I've broken through to Foundation Establishment Stage Seven!" she announced. Having been at Foundation Establishment Stage Five, she had also surged two levels. The other three Joyful Union Sect disciples, being at higher cultivation levels, only broke through one stage, reaching Foundation Establishment Stage Eight and Nine respectively.

As for the Qingyun Sect, the other four disciples, originally at Foundation Establishment Stage Six and Seven, managed to break through to the next stage after three days of arduous cultivation. Only Nie Yunxi, being at Foundation Establishment Stage Eight, remained stagnant due to the insufficient grade of their cultivation spot. She had only just managed to reach the peak of Foundation Establishment Stage Eight. Had she been in a prime cultivation spot, she would have long since broken through to Foundation Establishment Stage Nine.

Watching the ecstatic Ji Ruyue and the Joyful Union Sect disciples, she increasingly regretted her earlier hesitation. An opportunity had been given, and she hadn't seized it. She had also held back her junior brothers and sisters from the Qingyun Sect.

However, without Jiang Fan's protection, they wouldn't have even been able to keep their third-ranked spot. She was about to step forward and offer her thanks.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck fiercely in the northeast. The deafening roar made everyone, caught off guard, stumble. Jiang Fan abruptly stood up and looked towards the northeast. He couldn't help but recall the little Qilin's previous sensing. The northeast had spiritual energy no less potent than this place, but it was ominous.