Chapter 22: Pure Yang Sword Intent and the Latent Crisis of the Saint Body

"This... this intense blood aura, could it be... a Blood Fiend Python?"

Jiang Churan sniffed delicately, her tone laced with astonishment. Her beautiful eyes widened, and by the end of her sentence, she seemed somewhat uncertain.

"Junior Sister, you must be mistaken, right?" Wu Shaotian was stunned. His face darkened for a moment as he retorted, "The Blood Fiend Python is a Fourth-Rank demonic beast, comparable to a human powerhouse at the Martial Sect realm. How could its precious blood end up with Junior Brother?"

Li Wudao ignored him, turning to the young woman instead. "Your guess is correct. It is indeed a Blood Fiend Python, and a half-step Demon King at that."

After speaking, he felt a strange sensation. Before this, he hadn't even known about Fourth-Rank demonic beasts, so how did Jiang Churan know? The fact that she could identify it just by scent was intriguing. Could it be that she had coincidentally encountered a slaughtered Blood Fiend Python by chance?

"A half-step Demon King?!" Both of them were stunned for a moment.

"Junior Brother, where did you obtain this? Would you be willing to trade? I can offer a high price for it," Wu Shaotian said, his eyes flashing with fervor as he asked three questions in quick succession.

Jiang Churan pursed her lips and remained silent. The blood of a Fourth-Rank beast was already a precious treasure, let alone one on the verge of becoming a Demon King. For any martial artist below the Martial King realm, such blood was irresistible—it was the perfect material for tempering the physical body. The bottle Li Wudao had given her contained nearly two hundred pounds of demonic blood, worth at least two thousand low-grade spirit stones.

"It was given to me by my master. I am not trading it; it is a gift for her," Li Wudao replied simply and concisely.

"In that case, never mind." Rejected to his face, a flash of anger crossed Wu Shaotian's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared, as if nothing had happened.

"This demonic blood is indeed useful to me. Are you really going to give it to me?" Jiang Churan hesitated, her heart stirring with excitement. If she could use the blood of a Fourth-Rank beast to temper her body, it would undoubtedly be beneficial, helping her forge a stronger foundation. Most importantly, it might allow her to stir the Vermillion Bird bloodline within her sooner and assist in its initial awakening.

"Of course," Li Wudao nodded, agreeing readily.

"Thank you. I owe you another favor." Jiang Churan felt a complex mixture of emotions as she accepted the jade bottle. By now, she owed him at least three favors. She felt a heavy weight in her heart, yet she was also puzzled. What was going on with this version of Li Wudao? Why wasn't he following the original plot?

"I'll be going now." Li Wudao, disliking the atmosphere, turned to leave.

"Wait." Jiang Churan suddenly called out to him, pulling out a jade slip. "Take this Sound Transmission Jade. If you run into trouble, you can reach out to me, or if you have any questions about cultivation that you don't understand, you can ask me."

The young woman's tone remained somewhat cold, but her eyes were sincere. Li Wudao stopped, looked at the jade slip she offered, and chose to accept it.

"Alright. If anyone bullies me, you'll have to help me beat them up." The youth grinned, his tone casual. Then, remembering something, he teased, "As for cultivation, I shouldn't have any problems. I basically understand everything at a glance—it's easy for me. If you have any problems, though, feel free to ask me."

Standing on the sidelines, Wu Shaotian could no longer contain himself. "Junior Brother, are you serious? Junior Sister Jiang is the most gifted disciple our sect has seen in thousands of years. Even our sect master and teachers hold her in high regard." He glanced at Li Wudao with disdain and continued, "Even I, at the same cultivation level, am not qualified to instruct Junior Sister. Where does your confidence come from?"

Every word was dripping with contempt and scorn for Li Wudao. Li Wudao rolled his eyes internally. This guy was clearly determined to clash with him; he really felt like kicking him into next week. Where did his confidence come from? From having a cheat code—was that not enough?

Meanwhile, upon hearing this, Jiang Churan's expression turned strange, and she muttered to herself. *I am the reincarnation of Empress Qingyao, thank you very much. Never mind Sect Master Murong Yan, even the Supreme Elder of the Profound Heaven Sect doesn't have the capability to instruct me now.*

What she lacked now were simply cultivation resources and key opportunities. Although Li Wudao in this life had changed, he was not yet enough to warrant her serious attention. She took his words as nothing more than playful banter.

Seeing that Li Wudao remained silent, Wu Shaotian assumed he had hit the mark. A trace of superiority flashed in his eyes as he patted Li Wudao on the shoulder with a patronizing air. "Junior Brother, you've only just stepped onto the path of cultivation. You must understand that the road is long and winding; it cannot be achieved overnight. You must learn to be humble, otherwise, it's easy to get into trouble."

"Thank you for the advice, Senior Brother," Li Wudao said dismissively, walking away without looking back. This Young Sect Master was truly hypocritical; he couldn't stand staying a moment longer. Everything he said was meant to belittle others to elevate himself, all to win the favor of a beauty and satisfy his own vanity and competitiveness. He had seen enough of these tricks in his previous life; it was truly classless.

"I have urgent matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first." Jiang Churan shot a sidelong glance at Wu Shaotian, her tone cold. Before the words had even faded, she had already departed, giving the Young Sect Master no chance to react. With her experience, how could she not see that he was trying to woo her? In her previous life, she hadn't cared for Wu Shaotian, and in this life, she would care even less.

"Damn it!" After they left, Wu Shaotian flicked his sleeves in anger, his face dark and terrifying. Among the sect disciples, no one had ever dared to disregard him like this. Yet, today, Jiang Churan had done so, as had that frail boy from Ethereal Peak. He had even dared to talk back repeatedly, making him look foolish in front of Jiang Churan—it was unforgivable!

He pulled out a black jade stone and crushed it. A moment later, an old man with white hair appeared and bowed. "Young Sect Master."

"Third Uncle, please investigate that boy for me. I want to know everything about him!" Wu Shaotian's eyes were cold.

"As you command." The white-haired elder replied and vanished. Wu Shaotian did not linger; after venting his frustration, he returned to the main peak. The disciples guarding the mountain gate quickly looked away, staring at the sky in trepidation, fearing they would be caught in his crossfire.

...

Meanwhile, Li Wudao had already returned to Ethereal Peak, entirely unaware that he had become the target of the Young Sect Master's jealousy. He went into his room to check his rebates.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for a successful investment. Investment item: 200 pounds of Fourth-Rank peak demonic beast blood.]

[Congratulations to the host for receiving a special feedback: Pure Yang Sword Intent.]

[Pure Yang Sword Intent: An exclusive sword intent for the Pure Yang Saint Body. It is absolute purity and absolute yang, extremely fierce and powerful. The sword power is three times that of ordinary sword intent, and five times more effective against evil entities.]

[Do you wish to claim it?]

"Yes." Li Wudao was pleasantly surprised. Investing in Jiang Churan was indeed a guaranteed profit. The name sounded incredibly powerful.

[Pure Yang Sword Intent is merging...]

[Ding! Congratulations to the host, the Pure Yang Sword Intent has been successfully merged!]

Ten breaths later, Li Wudao felt a more immense and scorching energy surging within him. His dantian was brewing with a latent sword intent, incredibly sharp, as if it could be unleashed with a single thought. At this moment, he felt his control over the Saint Body had become more perfect, and his blood circulation was exceptionally smooth. Practicing the sword in this state would certainly yield twice the result with half the effort.

Thinking this, he took out the Dragon Abyss Sword rewarded by the system and began to practice under the waterfall. Without using any true energy, he simply thrust the sword out. The blade hummed, and a streak of energy shot out from the tip, piercing through a bamboo stalk in the forest ten meters away.

"Hiss..." Li Wudao couldn't help but gasp. At his current level, a casual strike could project energy externally—it was truly terrifying! With this Pure Yang Sword Intent, his combat power had at least tripled; he felt confident that he was invincible among his peers.

In the days that followed, the youth's routine remained identical: every day, he would soak in the python blood to temper his body, then practice various martial arts and techniques to strengthen his power. In his spare time, he occupied Xia Gucheng's rattan chair, living quite comfortably.

This continued for ten days. On this day, after finishing his practice, Li Wudao was lying on the recliner as usual, legs crossed, sipping wine in contentment. Suddenly, his "deadbeat" master, who hadn't been seen for half a month, appeared out of nowhere, as unpredictable as the wind.

"Old man, where have you been all these days? Your disciple has missed you to death." Li Wudao lied through his teeth as he quickly hopped off the rattan chair.

"It seems you've been living quite comfortably while I was away, kid." Xia Gucheng snorted, his seemingly clouded eyes flashing with clarity, as if he saw right through him. In the next moment, the old man moved like a ghost, leaving a blur as he stood before the youth. Before Li Wudao could react, he grabbed his shoulders, his hands moving like claws, as if examining his bones.

A few seconds later, Xia Gucheng let go and nodded slowly. "Peak of the Blood Moving Realm, the Pure Yang Saint Body is initially awakened. It seems you have been practicing after all. Not bad."

"Hehe, thank you for the praise, Master..." Li Wudao scratched his head, then his expression shifted slightly. He stammered, "Master, you... you know I have a Pure Yang Saint Body?"

"With your little tricks, you really thought you could hide them from me?" Xia Gucheng scoffed, took a swig of wine, and turned serious. "However, your caution is justified. The Saint Body bloodline is unique, especially since you bear the Pure Yang body—it is a natural bane to evil entities. If you were targeted by the demon or devil races, they would certainly not let you go."

Li Wudao was stunned, gulping as his face turned pale. The demon python blood had run out on the fifth day, and during this time, he had frequently visited the Scripture Pavilion and learned a great deal. On this continent, there were not only humans but also demon and devil races, and their influence was vast and not to be underestimated. If one day a supreme powerhouse of the demon or devil races discovered his existence, they would undoubtedly spare no cost to eliminate him. The Profound Heaven Sect was a first-rate sect in the Eastern Wilderness, but compared to the vast continent, it was very small. If it truly came to that, would the sect really risk being destroyed to protect him? Li Wudao sighed internally; it was not logical, nor was it human nature.

"You don't need to worry too much. The Eastern Wilderness is still quite safe for now. The demon and devil races haven't appeared on a large scale for five thousand years; they only occasionally act in remote corners now, posing little threat." Xia Gucheng noticed the youth's anxiety and said confidently, "Even if they do target you in the future, it doesn't matter. I can still protect you properly. Rest assured."

Li Wudao nodded, his heart easing slightly. With a Martial Emperor powerhouse protecting him, plus the help of the system, his chances of survival were high. He might even lead the way in the future, suppressing the demon and devil races and becoming a supreme powerhouse himself.

"Alright, stop looking so gloomy." Xia Gucheng lay back on the rattan chair, his expression serious. "Which level of the 'Geng Metal Sword Canon' have you reached? Show me. If the second level isn't perfected, see how I deal with you!"