Chapter 1

The Dual Blade Sect is located at the foot of the Dragon Slaying Mountain Range, backed by towering peaks and facing the cold state of Hanzhou. On the mountain, silver waterfalls cascade down, blending with the landscape in a picturesque beauty.

In the early morning, on a peak behind the Dual Blade Sect, a young man in white stood quietly on a green stone, his body as straight as a sword, his feet firmly planted, motionless. His eyes were slightly closed, and he slowly gathered his energy.

The young man in white gathered his energy for a long time, and nine streams of true energy, like nine white dragons, circled around him, making him look like a divine weapon, sharp and formidable.

The cold and sharp aura was like a series of fierce flying knives, moving between the peaks, bending the strong grass and causing the ancient trees to shed their leaves. Such a powerful aura was hard to achieve even by a warrior who had condensed his energy and connected with his weapon soul after the Soul Condensation stage.

The young man in white is named Li Ke, seventeen years old, with a clear and handsome face and a composure rarely seen in his peers. Li Ke is a disciple of the Dual Blade Sect.

The Dual Blade Sect is one of the four major sects in the Hanzhou region. The sect leader, Yi Dai, is renowned for his weapon soul, the Snake Scale Dual Blades, which have brought him fame and power, reaching the Master level of the Form Transformation stage. He can wield his blades to create a powerful aura, killing enemies from ten miles away.

He is one of the four great masters of the southern sky of Hanzhou!

The Snake Scale Blade — Yi Dai!

The Dual Blade Sect dominates the entire Dragon Slaying Mountain Range in the eastern part of the Hanzhou region, covering tens of thousands of miles, with a majestic presence. The towering peaks stand like precious swords, symbolizing an eternal name.

On the peaks, pavilions and buildings dot the mountain valleys, resembling a fairyland.

The Dual Blade Sect has tens of thousands of disciples, and the number of miscellaneous servants is countless.

The status of the Dual Blade Sect in Hanzhou is extremely high. Even the low-ranking servants in the sect practice cultivation techniques, and many of them stand out, condensing their energy and connecting with their weapon souls, achieving the title of a true warrior.

Li Ke's identity is very special. Two years ago, he came to the Dual Blade Sect and handed over an item that countless people on the Divine Weapon Continent dream of to the sect leader Yi Dai. After that, he received Yi Dai's approval and was kept in the Dual Blade Sect, with Yi Dai determined to cultivate him. Li Ke did not disappoint Yi Dai.

In just half a year, Li Ke displayed astonishing talent and a terrifying cultivation speed. In half a year, he accumulated three streams of divine weapon energy in his body, reaching the third layer of the Energy Condensation stage, and was hailed as the first genius of the Dual Blade Sect.

However, after that, Li Ke's troubles began. Once, he even found a familiar herb, the Qi-Dispelling Fruit, in his food. Fortunately, he had some knowledge of this poisonous herb; otherwise, he would have suffered the same fate again.

The Qi-Dispelling Fruit, as the name suggests, dispels all the divine weapon energy in the body, turning one into a waste, requiring re-cultivation.

The way of survival is like this. Even a low-ranking servant in the Dual Blade Sect constantly aspires to become a true warrior, controlling their weapon soul and achieving the supreme path.

At that time, Li Ke was no longer the Li Ke of the past. He deeply understood this, so he did not expose the Qi-Dispelling Fruit in his food and pretended to eat it all. Afterward, he feigned a three-day coma, appearing to have lost all his divine weapon energy. Since then, he has been very low-key, never revealing his true strength to others.

Although his reputation as a genius gradually faded, and he faced neglect and ridicule, his life was preserved. He no longer had to spend time guarding against others and could use a lot of time for cultivation.

Now, Li Ke has recovered to his former strength, reaching the ninth layer of the Energy Condensation stage. His power is absolutely the best among the outer disciples of the Dual Blade Sect, outstanding and exceptional. However, even so, he has never revealed his true strength.

"Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" "Whoosh!" ...

On the green stone, the nine streams of divine weapon energy around Li Ke rotated like a tornado, surrounding him. Suddenly, the nine streams of divine weapon energy rushed into his body, converging into his heart.

For a warrior, the heart is an independent space because the life of a warrior is the weapon soul, which resides in the heart.

Condensing energy and connecting with the soul, this soul is the weapon soul, the source of a warrior's life!

By gathering the divine weapon energy for the final concentration, Li Ke aimed to break through to the late stage of the ninth layer of the Energy Condensation stage. The white divine weapon energy surged continuously, like white dragons rushing into his body.

About an hour later, with a "hum," Li Ke's body suddenly trembled, and a sharp aura swept out, causing the air to ripple like waves, the trees to sway, and leaves to fall. The green stone under his feet cracked into countless pieces.

"Phew... Finally, I have cultivated to the late stage of the ninth layer of the Energy Condensation stage! Once I return to the Dual Blade Sect and enter the Weapon Law Tower to break through, becoming a weapon path expert, I can finally hold my head high and make those who underestimated and plotted against me know the consequences of offending me!"

"The Overlord Li Family, the three-year agreement, I will come as scheduled! At that time, I will use the flying knife in my hand to make you all know that the son of the Overlord, even if betrayed, will rise again! I will defeat all of you!"

"The Central State Ice Soul Tower, sooner or later, I, Li Ke, will flatten you and turn you to ashes!"

Thinking of the tragedies that befell him, Li Ke's eyes blazed with anger, and his fists clenched with a creaking sound.

"Swish!"

Suddenly, Li Ke's right hand shot out, and a milky white flying knife appeared in his hand, flashing with cold light and spinning wildly.

The milky white flying knife, three inches and seven points in length, spun rapidly in his palm, gradually emitting sharp auras. The blade slowly glowed, though the light was a bit hazy.

The sharp auras shot out in all directions, slicing the falling leaves to pieces.

Condensing energy into a weapon!

This is the phenomenon of the late stage of the ninth layer of the Energy Condensation stage. For a warrior cultivating a weapon soul, the Weapon Cultivation stage is a whole new world. Condensing energy and connecting with the soul, activating one's weapon soul, and becoming an expert!

Among the tens of thousands of people in the Dual Blade Sect, many may never hope to reach this realm, but Li Ke has achieved this enviable and hated height twice.

After a moment, the leaves scattered, and the flying knife weapon soul in Li Ke's hand slowly dissipated into a wisp of white smoke.

Slowly opening his eyes, Li Ke's eyes showed a look of satisfaction, and he thought to himself, "Two years, finally, I have cultivated the Overlord Decision to the extreme level of the ninth layer of the Energy Condensation stage, reaching the late stage of the ninth layer. But... this is just the beginning!"

Li Ke was very clear that among the many disciples of the Dual Blade Sect, he was the only one with no background or support. Although he used that item to gain the sect leader Yi Dai's acceptance, it only ensured that Yi Dai would cultivate and settle him, nothing more.

On the Divine Weapon Continent, among countless warriors, only a qualified warrior can gain the sect's recognition and full cultivation. With a weapon soul, one's status, position, and power greatly increase, becoming an inner disciple of a sect, a core force, and controlling the life and death of other disciples.

The nine realms of the weapon path: condensing energy into a weapon; the Energy Condensation stage is the first realm among the nine.

For a warrior, condensing energy into a weapon and activating one's weapon soul is just the beginning. After activating the weapon soul, one needs to refine it, making it even more powerful. The weapon soul can be released, creating storms and controlling enemies from afar, far surpassing the Energy Condensation stage.

"Senior Brother, you're back!"

At the residence of the outer disciples of the Dual Blade Sect, as soon as Li Ke returned, a young man in white, similar to him, walked over. This young man had clear features and the demeanor of a nobleman.

Although Li Ke's status was only that of a registered disciple, he lived in the outer disciples' area due to the sect leader's care, in the largest private courtyard.

However, after the news of his power being dispelled spread, the sect leader Yi Dai paid less attention to him.

This young man is one of Li Ke's few good friends in the Dual Blade Sect, named Ling Yun, who is a year younger than Li Ke and comes from a sixth-rank family in Hanzhou.

Although Ling Yun is from a sixth-rank family, he is a collateral branch, with a low status. He is often mocked, both in his family and in the Dual Blade Sect. However, he is very nice to Li Ke.

During the time Li Ke pretended to have mistakenly eaten the Qi-Dispelling Fruit, Ling Yun took care of him and protected him from the probing of other Dual Blade Sect disciples, avoiding the risk of exposure.

This is because Li Ke gave him a feeling. Ling Yun sensed a proud aura from Li Ke, though Li Ke concealed it well. Ling Yun was always curious about Li Ke's identity.

Li Ke had many friends during that half-year, to the point where his threshold was almost worn out. But after the news of his power being dispelled spread, those friends began to leave one by one, and some even mocked him loudly when they left. Only Ling Yun maintained his friendship with him.

"Ling Yun, you're here again!" Li Ke's eyes flickered, wanting to tell him about his imminent breakthrough, but at that moment, he sensed someone approaching.

"Li Ke, you're just a waste, quickly vacate this house! Senior Brother Xu needs to train an Iron Arm Wolf Dog, and this place has a good environment!"

Behind him, a voice sounded, and Li Ke's face darkened. Turning around, he saw three or four young men in white walking into his courtyard with a haughty air. Behind them, a young man in yellow held a folding fan, with a face like purple jade, very handsome.

"Xu Ting!"

Li Ke recognized the young man in yellow holding the folding fan. His name is Xu Ting, an outstanding outer disciple of the Dual Blade Sect, with his power reaching the middle stage of the eighth layer of the Energy Condensation stage. His weapon soul is a rare Nine-Ring Death Blade. His family is a sixth-rank family in Hanzhou, and he is the only heir of the Xu family, so they dote on him, giving him whatever he wants.

In the Dual Blade Sect, registered disciples wear white, outer disciples wear yellow, and inner disciples wear gold. Core disciples are free to choose.

Before Li Ke joined the Dual Blade Sect, Xu Ting was known as the fastest cultivator, but after Li Ke joined, he consistently outperformed Xu Ting, casting a shadow over Xu Ting's heart. After Li Ke's power was dispelled, Xu Ting often found trouble with him and mocked him.

"Xu Ting, what do you mean?" Li Ke's face darkened, and he asked coldly.

"Rip!" Xu Ting opened his folding fan, revealing a plum blossom blooming in the cold. He walked around Li Ke and laughed, "Li Ke, your courtyard is too big, just give it to me. My 'Wolf Tooth' doesn't have a place to stay yet!"

"Yes! Li Ke, quickly vacate the house for Senior Brother Xu!"

"Exactly! You're just a waste, still occupying this place. Quickly pack up and leave!"

"Senior Brother Xu's Iron Arm Wolf Dog is very precious. Li Ke, you'd better be reasonable!"

The registered disciples behind Xu Ting also joined in, their eyes filled with ridicule and mockery.

Li Ke was extremely angry. "Wolf Tooth" is a metal beast, a unique creature on the Divine Weapon Continent. Li Ke understood that Xu Ting and the others were implying that he was not even as good as a "dog."

This is a death wish!

Li Ke clenched his teeth tightly.

Xu Ting slowly turned around, feigning surprise, and said, "Oh! You're still here, waste? Haha... I sometimes remember old times. Waste, I'll give you three seconds. If you don't disappear from my sight in three seconds, don't blame me!"

Xu Ting's gaze grew colder, his face darker, and his tone more sinister.

"Senior Brother Xu, what do you mean? This is Senior Brother Li Ke's residence. What right do you have to make him leave?" Ling Yun could no longer stand it and stepped forward, his voice sharp, staring at Xu Ting.

"You, who are you? Get lost!" Xu Ting didn't even look at Ling Yun, directly raising his hand to strike. A white light flashed, and a three-foot-long great sword appeared in his hand.

The great sword was three feet and five inches long, with a seven-inch handle and a ring at the back. The blade was two feet and eight inches long and four inches wide, with four parts on the back and six rings, each spaced three inches and five points apart.

This is Xu Ting's weapon soul — the Nine-Ring Death Blade.

"Clang!"

A sound like metal striking metal echoed, and a long sword weapon soul appeared in Ling Yun's hand. However, his weapon soul was blurry, only showing a rough outline, as his power was one layer lower than Xu Ting's, at the initial stage of the seventh layer of the Energy Condensation stage, with his weapon soul only a blurry outline, not yet condensed into a shadow.

In a direct confrontation, the power gap was something Ling Yun could not make up for. Xu Ting's deadly strike sent him flying a dozen feet away, crashing to the ground with a "thud" and spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face pale.

"Ling Yun!"

Li Ke shouted, his eyes filled with coldness as he looked at Xu Ting and said sternly, "Xu Ting, a year and a half ago, I lost all my energy in one night due to the Qi-Dispelling Fruit. I believe this was your doing, right?"

Xu Ting was initially taken aback but then laughed, "Li Ke, you're very smart! The Qi-Dispelling Fruit was indeed my doing, but it wasn't just my idea. You can only blame yourself for being too outstanding, making many outer disciples jealous!"

Li Ke felt a chill and took a deep breath, suppressing his anger and smiling, "So, it wasn't just you!"

"Li Ke, you're now a complete waste. Why think about your past glory? Think about your future instead! You might die mysteriously!"

A registered disciple with only the seventh layer of the Energy Condensation stage power shouted from behind Xu Ting.

"Seventh layer of the Energy Condensation stage, and you dare to threaten me?" Li Ke's demeanor suddenly changed, standing tall and proud like a mountain in a storm, exuding a proud aura.

"Threaten you? Haha... What can threatening you do? Do you think you're still the top genius of the Dual Blade Sect from a year ago? You're now a waste. If I break your hands and feet today, no one in the Dual Blade Sect will say a word!"

Li Ke laughed and waved his hand, "Then come on! My hands and feet are right here!"

"Fine! I'll do you a favor! Brothers, attack!" The registered disciple immediately shouted, and the other three young men in white rushed forward, their weapon souls glowing, ready to attack.

"Senior Brother! Run!" Seeing the four registered disciples wielding their weapon souls and charging at Li Ke, Ling Yun's face turned pale, and he shouted, his forehead veins bulging in anger.

"Run?" Li Ke's voice turned cold, his eyes like a lone wolf's, staring at the shouting registered disciple.

"You keep calling me a waste. Today, I'll show you who the real waste is!"

Li Ke's eyes narrowed, and his aura suddenly burst forth. Nine streams of divine weapon energy, like white dragons, danced sharply around him. The four registered disciples, not yet reaching him, were cut by the sharp divine weapon energy, their skin stinging, and they involuntarily retreated, their eyes filled with surprise.

Li Ke's gaze focused, and he flashed forward, directly shooting out. With a swift strike, he sent the shouting registered disciple flying, blood splattering.

"Looking for death!" Xu Ting leaped up, his Nine-Ring Death Blade dancing like the wind, aiming straight for Li Ke.

Li Ke laughed in mid-air, "Xu Ting, do you really think I was affected by your Qi-Dispelling Fruit a year and a half ago? Let me tell you, I know more about the Qi-Dispelling Fruit than you do!"

His body moved like a fish or a dragon, and in a flash, he appeared in front of Xu Ting. A white light spun in his hand, forming a three-inch and seven-point flying knife, its blade bright.

"Li Ke, you..." Xu Ting's eyes almost bulged out. At such close range, how could he not see that Li Ke's weapon soul had a bright glow, indicating the late stage of the ninth layer of the Energy Condensation stage, with nine streams of divine weapon energy converging at one point?

Even though he saw it, it was too late to avoid it!

"Clang!"

The blades clashed, sparks flying.

"Yellow-grade superior weapon technique — the Gale Blade Technique is nothing in front of me!" Li Ke's strike was like a deer hanging its horns, coming and going without a trace. He sent Xu Ting's weapon soul, the Nine-Ring Death Blade, flying and plunged it into Xu Ting's chest with a "thud."

"Boom!" Another kick, and Li Ke sent Xu Ting flying, crashing into the wall, causing it to collapse, dust and debris flying everywhere.

"You actually reached the late stage of the ninth layer of the Energy Condensation stage, just one step away from the Weapon Cultivation stage! How... is this possible!?"

Dust filled the air, and Li Ke slowly walked to Xu Ting.

"Because, I am Li Ke!"

As Li Ke said this, Ling Yun suddenly felt that Li Ke was like an emperor, a supreme ruler who could command the heavens and split the earth.

Dominating the world!

"Thud!"

With a flick of his fingers, Li Ke's words were followed by the instant dissipation of the flying knife weapon soul from Xu Ting's chest, and blood gushed out like a fountain.

"Xu Ting, now you know who the real waste is, right?" Li Ke's eyes were cold and sinister as he looked at Xu Ting.