The Imperial Martial Pill Venerable

Amidst the hazy clouds, a colossal mountain peak floated in the air. Its majestic and imposing presence emanated an extraordinary sharpness. A protective barrier enveloped the peak’s outer perimeter, a barrier filled with fine strands of Sword Qi that harnessed the power of the wind and clouds.

At that moment, a young man was darting about within the barrier. Intense Flames erupted from his body, shining brilliantly with unrivaled might. Even from a hundred zhang away, one could still feel the scorching heat emanating from them.

Even so, the young man struggled with every step amidst the countless whistling strands of Sword Qi, finding it nearly impossible to advance. He threw his head back and roared, and as endless Flames soared into the sky, they formed a massive dragon. The great dragon, baring its fangs and claws, pounced at the Sword Qi.

The great dragon was incredibly ferocious, shattering the Sword Qi wherever it passed. A smile bloomed on the young man’s face at the sight, but before he could laugh, the fine strands of Sword Qi rapidly converged, forming a greatsword that glinted with golden light!

An aura of sharpness, dozens of times more potent than before, erupted forth. The young man’s face instantly fell, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks. With a deep roar, ten great Flame dragons materialized around him, causing the very fabric of space to twist and distort!

Having unleashed the ten dragons, the young man’s face grew slightly pale. As his True Essence surged, the ten great dragons roared and pounced at the golden greatsword, seizing the initiative. The golden greatsword hummed once, its tip aimed at the dragons as it shot forward to meet them.

The blade was unstoppable. In the blink of an eye, it decapitated all ten dragons. Just as it lunged toward the young man, the entire sword suddenly shattered, dissolving into a violent gale of innumerable, fine strands of Sword Qi. In an instant, the young man was thrown hundreds of zhang, blasted clear of the mountain peak.

"Damn it. Law Enforcement Envoy Linx is truly terrifying. A single manifestation of his Sword Qi has such might... It’s frightening. *Sigh*, it seems I won’t be passing this test."

The young man sighed. As he gazed at the barrier enveloping the mountain, his eyes filled with admiration and longing, as well as an intensely fervent desire.

"Since you understand, then please depart."

A gentle voice drifted out from within the mountain peak. Upon hearing it, the young man dared not show any disrespect. He offered a respectful bow toward the peak, then soared high into the sky.

High in the sky, a dozen or so young men and women gazed at the mountain peak, reverence in their eyes. When the young man who had just been defeated flew up to join them, they began to tease him. The young man rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and said to another young man standing not far away, "Brother Leng, why don’t you go down and give it a try?"

The young man known as Brother Leng was none other than the former Master of One Peak, Leng Qiushan!

He gazed at the peak, his expression full of admiration, and said, "Law Enforcement Envoy Linx truly lives up to his reputation as the strongest Law Enforcement Envoy. For a single manifestation of his Sword Qi to possess such terrifying might... I have also attempted the trial, but unfortunately... I failed."

At his words, expressions of surprise appeared on everyone’s faces.

Seeing their reactions, Leng Qiushan gave a faint smile. "Everyone, no one has managed to break through Law Enforcement Envoy Linx’s Sword Qi in ten years. It’s hardly surprising that I failed, is it?"

"Heh, you’re right, it isn’t surprising. But when did you attempt it? How come I never knew? Luox Xinyu, do you know?" one of the young men asked curiously. When Leng Qiushan didn’t answer, he turned to the young woman beside him.

Luox Xinyu chuckled at his words and shook her head. "I’m not interested in *when* Brother Leng made his attempt. I’m more curious to know how far he got."

"Heh. A bit farther than Brother Lu."

This Brother Lu was the same young man who had just futilely attempted to break the Sword Qi. He pouted and said with some irritation, "Fine, fine, I get it. You’re stronger than me."

"Heh."

Just then, Luox Xinyu let out a soft laugh. With light, graceful steps, she began to walk slowly toward the mountain peak. Seeing this, the others’ eyes immediately lit up with interest.

"Heh heh, Luox Xinyu is going to challenge the Sword Qi. This should be interesting."

"I wonder how far Luox Xinyu will get. I’m really looking forward to this."

"Her power is among the absolute best in our group, and her comprehension of the Sound Wave Mysteries is a top-tier art. She might actually be able to break through this Sword Qi."

"I think it’s a long shot. After all, even Brother Leng couldn’t break through."

Under the crowd’s expectant gaze, Luox Xinyu walked to within a hundred zhang of the mountain peak and said respectfully, "Luox Xinyu, here to request Law Enforcement Envoy Linx’s instruction."

"Oh? Young lady, you had best be careful."

As his words faded, a stream of Sword Qi shot out from the mountain peak. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a barrier composed of ten thousand fine strands of Sword Qi, enveloping Luox Xinyu completely.

This transformation from one into ten thousand was a testament to the profound mastery of Linx Xiaoyun’s Sword Dao.

Facing the countless strands of Sword Qi, Luox Xinyu settled into a cross-legged position in mid-air. As specks of light glittered, a bronze-colored Seven-Stringed Guqin materialized before her.

SWOOSH! At that moment, countless fine strands of Sword Qi surged toward her.

TWANG...

A single note from the Guqin rang out. The Zither Sound, like the clamor of golden spears and armored cavalry on a battlefield, radiated outward. In an instant, the fine strands of Sword Qi began to tremble violently, as if struck by an immense force!

’Zither Sound? How interesting.’

The gentle voice was heard again, and then the strands of Sword Qi began to converge, merging in pairs to form an even more powerful Sword Qi, immune to the influence of the Zither Sound.

SWOOSH! Like a downpour, the Sword Qi stabbed viciously toward Luox Xinyu!

In response, her ten slender fingers became a blur across the strings. An equally uncountable torrent of Zither Sound and Strong Qi poured from her fingertips, and the two forces clashed in a stalemate.

Zither Sound clashing with Sword Qi—the spectacle was magnificent, powerful enough to shake mountains and move rivers!

High above, Leng Qiushan and the others watched, transfixed. They were utterly captivated by the magnificent battle below, their eyes shining as they murmured their admiration.

"Luox Xinyu’s Sound Wave Qi Force is truly extraordinary."

"Indeed, but Law Enforcement Envoy Linx’s Sword Qi is even more astonishing. The way the strands merge is as fluid as clouds and water, without the slightest hesitation. It truly shows the power of his Sword Dao."

"Heh, we don’t need you to tell us about Law Enforcement Envoy Linx’s Sword Dao. Just look at Luox Xinyu! She’s having a much easier time just sitting there than you did when you charged in."

As the others discussed among themselves, Luox Xinyu’s melody suddenly shifted. A monumental Sound Wave erupted from her guqin’s strings, like the roar of a dragon and the cry of a tiger, shaking heaven and earth!

The innumerable strands of Sword Qi trembled violently before shattering, one after another!

"This young woman is quite remarkable."

A leisurely, admiring voice drifted from within the mountain peak. Then, the shattered Sword Qi re-condensed out of thin air, forming a colossal Light Sword that radiated immense power!

"Good heavens! Even that wasn’t enough to destroy the Sword Qi."

"Legend has it that when a King’s Cultivation reaches a profound realm, they can infuse their True Intent into their True Essence Energy. As long as that True Intent is not extinguished, the attack will never cease!"

"Luox Xinyu’s last attack was powerful, but it was nowhere near enough to cause the Destruction of the True Intent within the Sword Qi. This Sword Qi... it’s simply unbeatable."

Facing the colossal Light Sword, Luox Xinyu took a deep breath, her dark eyes showing not a single trace of fear. Her True Essence surged as she lightly plucked a single string. With another swell of True Essence, the Mysterious depths of her art were on full display. Then, with a resonant CLANG like the clash of steel, she unleashed a tremendous burst of Sound Wave Power that seemed to transform into ten thousand blades, sweeping toward the Light Sword.

"Ha! An aura of blades formed from Sound Waves. Not bad."

With that word of praise, the colossal Light Sword suddenly swept out. The incoming blades of Sound Waves were annihilated in an instant. The Light Sword itself, however, was also on the verge of shattering. It carried what remained of its power and blasted violently toward Luox Xinyu.

Her figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye, she escaped the Light Sword’s attack range.