Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Mysterious Gate Knives (Part 2)

After returning to the solitary peak, Li Qiyi glanced at Nan Huairen and threw him the two ordinary iron short knives, saying with a contented air, "Since you want to see, take a good look."

Having his thoughts seen through by Li Qiyi, Nan Huairen felt quite embarrassed. He couldn't understand why Li Qiyi had chosen these two ordinary iron short knives. He was very curious about what made these knives special but was too shy to ask.

Now, with the two ordinary iron short knives in his hands, Nan Huairen no longer held back. He examined them carefully, but no matter how he looked, he couldn't see anything extraordinary about them.

The two Mysterious Gate knives were already covered with rust, looking old and worn. They were entirely made of ordinary iron, with nothing special about them, leaving Nan Huairen completely puzzled.

"Why did Senior Brother insist on choosing these two Mysterious Gate knives?" Nan Huairen believed that Li Qiyi had set his eyes on these two knives as soon as he entered the weapon repository.

Li Qiyi smiled and said, "If you could see through them, they wouldn't have stayed there all this time."

"What kind of treasure are they?" Nan Huairen humbly asked, completely unable to understand the mystery of the knives.

"They are not treasures," Li Qiyi smiled faintly and said, "Just two Mysterious Gate knives made of ordinary iron. In terms of materials, such knives are not even worth a few silver coins."

"But..." Li Qiyi's words only made Nan Huairen more confused. If these Mysterious Gate knives were really just that, why did Li Qiyi choose them?

"But," Li Qiyi interrupted Nan Huairen's doubts and said, "Cutting through the weapons of kings and the treasures of immortals is as easy as slicing tofu."

"How is that possible?" Nan Huairen was taken aback. Kings and immortals were of such high status that the Ancient Xianyan Sect hadn't produced such figures in thirty thousand years!

Li Qiyi just smiled at Nan Huairen's surprise, looking at him and saying slowly, "You are very smart and can see the situation clearly. Follow me, and I won't let you down. The holy treasures of the imperial arts are nothing. As long as you work hard, I will let you cultivate the core imperial arts."

Hearing Li Qiyi's words, Nan Huairen was deeply moved. Even his master and great-grandmaster Sun Elder couldn't guarantee such a thing, as the core imperial arts of the Ancient Xianyan Sect were already few and far between.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." After regaining his composure, Nan Huairen hurriedly bowed to Li Qiyi, who accepted it calmly.

After Nan Huairen left, Li Qiyi picked up the two Mysterious Gate knives. The two ordinary iron short knives had nothing special about them. Li Qiyi gently stroked the dull, rusted blades and sighed softly, thinking of the past that could not be reclaimed.

Even a mighty existence like an Immortal Emperor, what was his ultimate fate? Ming Ren, the young man he had personally cultivated, carried the heavenly mandate, was invincible, and had even cultivated the Daytime Body, but in the end, he still vanished in the river of time.

Li Qiyi polished the rust off the two Mysterious Gate knives. After removing the rust, the knives still looked ordinary, with only their ancient and simple appearance being somewhat pleasing to the eye.

Li Qiyi gently stroked the blades, slowly feeling the coldness of the metal. Indeed, as everyone said, these two Mysterious Gate knives were made of ordinary iron and were worthless in terms of materials.

However, these two Mysterious Gate knives had a shocking origin. They were the two ordinary iron knives used by Immortal Emperor Ming Ren in his youth.

In terms of materials, these knives were not worth mentioning, but they had always accompanied Immortal Emperor Ming Ren. Later, when Li Qiyi guided Ming Ren to cultivate, Ming Ren never threw away these two Mysterious Gate knives and kept them with him, especially after he carried the heavenly mandate and became an Immortal Emperor.

Whenever he recalled the past, Immortal Emperor Ming Ren would gently stroke these two Mysterious Gate knives that had accompanied him in his youth.

Immortal Emperor Ming Ren did not recast these two Mysterious Gate knives, but he always carried them with him and stroked them countless times.

What kind of person was an Immortal Emperor? Carrying the heavenly mandate, wielding the power of the universe, ruling the nine realms, and sweeping through the eight desolates! The blood and will of an Immortal Emperor imbued these two Mysterious Gate knives, making them extraordinary even though they were made of ordinary iron.

These two Mysterious Gate knives had been with Immortal Emperor Ming Ren for his entire life and had been stroked countless times, imbuing them with the imperial aura and immortal will of Immortal Emperor Ming Ren!

The true value of these two Mysterious Gate knives did not lie in the knives themselves or their materials, but in the imperial aura and immortal will they contained.

The aura of an Immortal Emperor was a terrifying thing. Although these two Mysterious Gate knives could not compare to the treasures of Immortal Emperors or true artifacts, they were far superior to the treasures of kings, immortals, and even ancient sages. A single thread of the imperial aura of an Immortal Emperor could destroy everything!

Li Qiyi slowly stroked the blades, feeling the imperial aura and immortal will hidden within. He could faintly sense the ferocity contained within the blades.

Of course, it was impossible to fully connect with the imperial aura and immortal will in a short time. This required time and skill, but Li Qiyi was not in a hurry. He just slowly felt and gradually captured the imperial aura and immortal will within the blades.

If anyone in the world knew Immortal Emperor Ming Ren's aura and will best, it was Li Qiyi. Immortal Emperor Ming Ren was cultivated by him, and Li Qiyi was the most familiar with the profound secrets of his imperial aura and immortal will.

In the days that followed, Li Qiyi proceeded steadily, cultivating the "Moon Vortex Sun Technique" and the "Six Transformations of Kunpeng." Every day, he also sensed the imperial aura and immortal will within the Mysterious Gate knives.

Although Li Qiyi was the chief disciple of the Ancient Xianyan Sect, no one really cared about his situation or cultivation, except for Nan Huairen and his master.

In the Ancient Xianyan Sect, Li Qiyi had almost become a transparent figure. Not only did the elders not bother to inquire about his situation, but even others were too lazy to ask about him. To the Ancient Xianyan Sect, Li Qiyi seemed to have become a dispensable existence.

The only regular visitor to the solitary peak was Nan Huairen. Whenever he had time, he would often visit Li Qiyi. In fact, everything Li Qiyi needed was arranged by Nan Huairen, whether it was daily necessities or essential items like a Bag of Holding.

Protector Mo had also visited once, intending to give Li Qiyi some guidance in cultivation. However, seeing that Li Qiyi already had a clear plan and everything under control, Protector Mo wisely gave up the idea of guiding him.

Finally, after three months, on this day, while Li Qiyi was in deep thought, he suddenly felt a jolt. In that instant, his life palace emitted waves of light, and his eyes shone brightly.

At that moment, a dramatic change occurred within his life palace. In the east, the Spring of Life began to flow, the water gushing out and forming a small stream.

In the west, a sudden burst of fire lit up the Life Furnace, the legendary Soul Fire burning fiercely, as if it could refine everything in the three realms.

In the south, a massive Tree of Life emitted waves of light, its branches swaying, as if it had suddenly burst with boundless life force, like a sleeping dragon awakening, filled with infinite power.

In the north, the sound of the Dao echoed, and the Pillar of Life seemed to connect heaven and earth, the Dao patterns on it coming to life, flowing continuously.

At that moment, Li Qiyi clearly felt something awaken within him. When he looked inward, it seemed as if his true life had opened its eyes, like a sleeping infant opening its eyes for the first time to observe the world.

Awakening! The second level of the Palace Knocking realm, Awakening. Li Qiyi's true life had finally awakened, and it had taken him three months.

At this moment, the Dao patterns of the "Six Transformations of Kunpeng" were filled with joy, transforming into a Kunpeng, sometimes circling around his true life, sometimes merging with it, and sometimes leaping into the air like a fish out of water.

Li Qiyi was delighted, taking a deep breath. His true life had finally awakened, a process that had taken him three months.

If it were anyone else, spending three months to awaken their true life would not be something to be happy about. At that level, it would be considered no better than a fool!

However, for Li Qiyi, this was a cause for celebration. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The awakening of his true life was a good start.

After his true life awakened, Li Qiyi was only happy for a moment. He did not stop cultivating and moved on to the next level!

Li Qiyi knew that his innate constitution was not good, but he could make up for it through hard work and diligence. As long as he had a firm will and persisted, he would surely reach the peak and carry the heavenly mandate, sweeping through the nine realms!

The slow bird must fly first, and diligence can make up for lack of talent. Having witnessed countless years of history, he had seen many strong figures with average talent rise through hard work and determination, and many geniuses ultimately fall.

This made Li Qiyi understand better than anyone that innate constitution did not determine everything. As long as one's will remained firm and one persisted, they would eventually laugh last and reach the peak!