"So fast. I can't see anything at all!" Lin Zheyu moved through the aftershocks, his eyes fixed on the battle between Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan, yet he could not make out their movements.

He could only sense the violent fluctuations of sword intent and lightning rules. The terrifying clash between sword intent and lightning erupted into blinding light, flooding the entire space. The intense energy and rule fluctuations disrupted everything, heavily suppressing even Lin Zheyu's Perception Domain.

Lin Zheyu could not see the battle in the distance at all. He could only move within the terrifying energy aftershocks, using them to gain insight into the clash between the two Golden Core realm cultivators. It had to be said, they truly deserved their status as peak Golden Core realm experts. Even from far away, skirting the edges of their battle, the terrifying energy impact still inflicted considerable damage on him. Yet the benefits were equally immense.

Lin Zheyu focused entirely on Mu Jianli's sword intent. It was far stronger than the sword intent he had sensed from the two Golden Cores before. Moreover, this was sword intent unleashed in actual combat. Even its aftershocks were beyond what those inert Golden Cores could compare to. Like a sponge, he absorbed everything related to sword intent at a frantic pace. He lost track of time, not even noticing when the battle between Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan had ended.

"It's over?"

"So fast!"

"Who won?"

The surrounding cultivators burst into discussion. Aside from a small number of Foundation Establishment realm cultivators with exceptionally strong perception, almost all of them had watched in vain. Only experts at the Golden Core realm and above could truly see the battle between the two.

The purple-robed cultivator stared in the direction Mu Jianli had disappeared, dumbfounded. "So strong. Even the old man back home is probably only at this level... These two monsters really haven't reached the Nascent Soul realm yet?"

Damn it. All of us are Golden Core cultivators, all of us geniuses. Why is the gap so huge?

"Hm? This little guy..." The purple-robed cultivator felt a wave of boredom and let his gaze wander aimlessly across the crowd. When his eyes landed on the martial artist who had piqued his curiosity earlier, he let out another surprised sound.

"This kid is so absorbed he didn't even notice the battle had ended. Hmm, no, he did notice. He's just immersed in his insights and ignoring everything else."

The purple-robed cultivator watched Lin Zheyu's back with interest.

After Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan's battle ended, Lin Zheyu suddenly moved and rushed toward the center of their clash. He was not the only one. Like him, more than a dozen powerful cultivators charged into that sea of lightning and sword intent.

Not bad, not bad. A promising seedling. I wonder which faction he belongs to. Maybe I could have someone approach him and see if... Hm? He's Yongtao's friend? Then never mind.

The moment the thought of recruiting Lin Zheyu arose, the purple-robed cultivator saw him meet Lei Yongtao. He smiled, shook his head, and vanished into the void.

Just as Lin Zheyu was about to rush into the sea of sword intent and lightning, a familiar voice called out from the side, "Fellow Daoist Xiao! What are you doing here?"

Lin Zheyu turned his head and saw Lei Yongtao looking at him in surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Lei, what a coincidence," Lin Zheyu said with a slight smile.

This was the Azure Dragon Realm, and the battle between Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan took place near Lei Family City. As a genius of the Lei Family, it was only natural for Lei Yongtao to be here.

"Coincidence my ass! This is my home. Of course I'm here. But why are you here, Fellow Daoist Xiao?" Lei Yongtao asked in confusion.

He had only recently come out of seclusion and had seen the message Lin Zheyu left for him. However, he was busy preparing to break through to the Golden Core realm and had no time to visit Lin Zheyu. He had planned to meet his friend after his breakthrough, yet unexpectedly, Xiao Yu had appeared here.

"I was invited by Fellow Daoist Yunshu to visit Lei Family City. I had intended to visit you, but she said you were busy preparing for your Golden Core realm breakthrough, so I did not wish to disturb you," Lin Zheyu explained.

"I see. Now's not the time to catch up. Fellow Daoist Xiao, we'll talk later!" Seeing many cultivators passing by, Lei Yongtao cupped his fists toward Lin Zheyu.

As the number one genius of the Lei Family, Lei Xiyuan's sparring match with Mu Jianli, the top genius of the Soaring Sword Sect, held immense value for Lei Yongtao. Otherwise, he would not have taken time away from his Golden Core realm breakthrough to come watch.

"That's exactly what I had in mind!" Lin Zheyu smiled and nodded.

His figure shifted as he followed behind Lei Yongtao, entering that terrifying region filled with sword intent and storms of lightning. Even though the battle had ended, the lingering sword intent and thunder were still incredibly fearsome.

Feeling the raging, violent rules, Lin Zheyu muttered softly, "So this is the might of the Golden Core realm. It's actually this powerful."

Under normal circumstances, battles between Golden Core realm cultivators would not leave behind such terrifying sword intent and lightning law auras. The clash between Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan had been more of a mutual verification and sparring session, a collision of ideas and comprehension of laws rather than a life-and-death battle. Moreover, neither of them was an ordinary Golden Core realm cultivator.

As the purple-robed cultivator had said, Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan's strength was such that even the Nascent Soul realm elder in his family might fall short.

Lin Zheyu let out a light breath. After a moment of reflection, he quickly cleared his mind and focused on comprehending the sword intent left behind by Mu Jianli. What he sought to grasp was not the Dao resonance contained within the sword intent, but how Mu Jianli had perfectly integrated that Dao resonance into her sword intent and how she used sword intent to leverage the immense power of laws. That was what mattered most to Lin Zheyu.

***

"So... So strong. I can't understand any of it!" Lei Yunzhi stared at the distant battle in shock, her face full of disbelief.

"Lord Xiyuan's comprehension of lightning laws has reached such a level. She's truly worthy of being a once-in-a-millennium genius of the Lei Family," Lei Yunhan sighed.

Although she had already accepted her limits, knowing that the peak Foundation Establishment realm was likely her ceiling, she still felt envy and longing when she saw such geniuses.

"Hm? The battle's over. Where did Fellow Daoist Xiao go?" Lei Yunshu looked toward where Lin Zheyu had been, only to find that he was already gone.

"Over there! He entered that region where the laws are raging. This..." Lei Yunzhi cried out in shock.

She did not even dare approach, yet Lin Zheyu had directly entered the zone of raging laws left behind by Mu Jianli and Lei Xiyuan's battle. The difference between people was truly infuriating.

"Sigh... I'll wait here for Fellow Daoist Xiao. If you have things to do, you may leave first," Lei Yunshu said softly.

"I have some matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first." Lei Yunzhi nodded.

She and Lin Zheyu were only casual acquaintances, not close enough to stay. Lei Yunhan also bid farewell, leaving Lei Yunshu alone to wait for Lin Zheyu.

"Sigh..." Lei Yunshu let out another soft sigh. After taking a few deep breaths, her eyes hardened with resolve. She bit her lip slightly, then moved, heading toward that sea of sword intent and lightning.

"Hiss... Ah!"

However, when she reached a point about three hundred meters from the area, Lei Yunshu suddenly cried out in pain, her face turning deathly pale. She slapped her storage pouch and took out a pill. Determination filled her eyes. After swallowing the pill, she forced herself to sit cross-legged on the spot and began to comprehend. Many cultivators did the same as her, all of them resolute individuals unwilling to fall behind others.

***

Lin Zheyu sat cross-legged, sweat covering his forehead. Thunder exploded around him from time to time, while sharp, chilling sword intent raged and stabbed toward him. He neither dodged nor evaded. Golden runes surfaced across his skin, a golden glow sinking beneath the surface as he forcibly endured the attacks of sword intent and lightning. Though these were only remnants, their power was still not to be underestimated. Even Lin Zheyu felt immense pressure.

Lin Zheyu's breathing was slow and steady. A domineering, unmatched aura radiated from his body, gradually condensing. A massive phantom of saber intent began to take shape around him.

"Comprehending saber intent is far more difficult than true intent in martial cultivation. To integrate multiple wills of rule into it, like true intent, is no easy task," Lin Zheyu murmured softly as the aura within his saber intent grew purer and increasingly powerful.