[Please don’t make me have to spell it out and say, "I want... monthly tickets!" before you’ll give them to me, okay? Let’s discuss this. Xiaodao’s integrity is rock-solid, so please don’t hold back on them. The challengers behind us are coming on strong, so we have to stand firm! There will be another Chapter tonight; I’ve been sitting at my computer all day! My dear readers, please be considerate. My hands are completely numb right now, and I’m typing very slowly... so for those who can’t wait, please cast your monthly tickets now and head to bed! This author, Xiaodao... I’m giving it everything I’ve got!!!]

The Song Family held a grand banquet. Even Song Mingyue’s grandfather, the Tier Six Sword Emperor Song Qi, made a point of meeting Ling Xiao personally. He showed not the slightest hint of disdain, speaking gently to Ling Xiao for a few moments. He implored him to do his best to examine his son, adding that Ling Xiao could make any request. If the Song Family could fulfill it, they would do their utmost to do so.

Just like their Sword Venerable ancestor, Song Qi also rarely appeared before the public. Therefore, the moment the old master appeared, everyone rushed over to pay their respects.

Song Qi looked more like a middle-aged man in his forties. His face had few wrinkles, and he had a full head of black hair. His two sword-like eyebrows were black and thick, slanting straight up into his temples, and his eyes shone with a sharp light. He had a square face, and perhaps because he was worried about his son’s illness, there was rarely a smile on it. It was hard to believe that such a young-looking man was actually an old man who had lived for nearly two hundred years!

"Young Friend Ling Xiao, thank you for stepping in to help. My son has been ill for three years, and it has reached the point where even I cannot focus on my cultivation. Our entire family is worried sick about him. If you can cure my son... I’ve heard you’re facing some troubles yourself? Leave them to the Song Family to handle!" Song Qi’s words were filled with sincerity. After he finished, he scanned the crowd below and declared with a dignified air, "From this day forward, Young Friend Ling Xiao is an honored guest of the Song Family! No one shall treat him with the slightest disrespect!"

Ling Xiao bowed slightly to Song Qi and said, "Elder Song, you are too kind. In truth, I feel I’ve already been rewarded without having accomplished anything, which leaves me quite uneasy. If it is possible to cure him, I will absolutely do everything in my power!"

Song Qi nodded, then instructed everyone to entertain their guest well before departing.

The banquet was filled with all sorts of ocean delicacies; the Song Family had certainly put their all into playing the part of a good host. There were many rare seafood dishes that even Ling Xiao had never tried, and he ate with great enjoyment.

Tiger was a man of few words, but as a Sword Emperor Level Martial Artist, who would dare to slight him? It was obvious at a glance that the giant had a massive appetite, so a dedicated servant was assigned to supply him with food and drink.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, Ling Xiao woke early and pushed open his door. The steps outside were paved with smooth, round pebbles of various colors, creating a beautiful sight. All sorts of trees were planted in front of and behind the small building, some of them dozens of meters tall, their ages clearly considerable.

Outside, a beautiful maid had already prepared everything he needed to wash up. After Ling Xiao had freshened up, he saw Song Mingyue approaching with a smile. ’This Song Mingyue is quite the filial son!’ he thought.

"Brother Ling, did you sleep well last night?" Song Mingyue asked with the calm grace of a peerless gentleman. His demeanor was like a gentle spring breeze, warm and soothing. Despite the urgency he felt in his heart, he refused to let any of it show on his face.

Ling Xiao said, "Let’s go and see your father first."

Song Mingyue replied, "There’s no need to rush. Please, have breakfast first, Brother Ling."

Ling Xiao shook his head. "I fear that for every moment I delay seeing your father, you will worry, Brother Song. It’s better if we go now. It won’t take long."

Song Mingyue nodded, a faint blush on his cheeks. "In that case... I have already said more than enough words of gratitude. To say more would sound insincere. Brother Ling, I will never forget this kindness!"

Tiger had risen early and was sitting on the grass, cultivating the simple and easy-to-understand Heart Method Ling Xiao had given him. For a Beastman of the Beast Race like Tiger, their Spiritual Power cultivation was slow, but they had one key advantage: their mental state was exceptionally stable. It was very rare for a Beastman to suffer from Qi deviation.

However, after following Ling Xiao, he would always have access to things like Elixirs to accelerate his cultivation. To be on the safe side, Ling Xiao had also given Tiger a Cultivation Technique for stabilizing one’s mental state, which Tiger practiced diligently every day.

To his pleasant surprise, Tiger discovered that ever since he started practicing this technique, his Spiritual Power had actually begun to grow much faster!

For Tiger, his life had only two purposes: first, to be loyal to the High Priest, and second, to cultivate.

It was that simple, because... he was a Beastman.

Song Mingyue led Ling Xiao deep into the woods until they were hundreds of paces away from the nearest building. As they walked, Song Mingyue explained, "After my father suffered from Qi deviation, he went on a violent rampage, attacking almost everyone he saw. Even my mother was nearly killed by his hand. Later, my grandfather came out of his seclusion to subdue him. Ever since then, my father has been in a daze, never fully lucid. On the rare occasions he has a moment of clarity, he begs people to kill him, saying that life is too painful. Tragically, his cultivation completely disappeared. Over the past three years, we’ve consulted countless famous physicians, even some reclusive families renowned for their medical skills. Alas... we’ve given away endless rewards, but my father’s condition hasn’t improved one bit!"

Ling Xiao nodded faintly, not surprised by Song Mingyue’s description. In fact, from his perspective, what happened to Song Mingyue’s father was already the best possible outcome after a Qi deviation.

’Typically, the more powerful a cultivator, the more terrifying the consequences of Qi deviation. They either descend completely into demonhood, becoming a bloodthirsty arch-demon, or they die in the process. Cases like this, where he neither became an arch-demon nor died, are extremely rare. Furthermore, the fact that he still has occasional moments of lucidity suggests the situation might not be as severe as they think.’

As soon as the door to the small building opened, a fresh scent wafted out. Ling Xiao was a little surprised. Generally, a place like this should be filled with the smell of decay or other strange odors. He hadn’t expected it to be so well-maintained.

Song Mingyue said softly, "Someone comes to clean it every day."

The interior of the small building was lavishly decorated, on par with or even superior to the residences of the great nobles in the Empire.

In the room on the left, Ling Xiao saw Song Yi lying on the bed. He was withered and emaciated, nothing but skin and bones. His eyes were deeply sunken, and his skin was covered in wrinkles. He was, however, kept very clean, with no strange odor about him.

Ling Xiao walked closer, gently placed his fingers on Song Yi’s exposed wrist, and closed his eyes to feel the flow within Song Yi’s meridians. To Ling Xiao’s surprise, Song Yi’s meridians... were actually still normal!

That’s right. All his Inner Strength was flowing slowly along his meridians toward his Dantian in his lower abdomen.

Beside them, Song Mingyue stared at Ling Xiao with extreme nervousness, not even blinking. In truth, just as nervous as Song Mingyue were all the Song Clan Members on this island!

Song Yi had been the most talented Martial Artist of his generation, becoming the tenth Sword Emperor expert of the Sea Domain Song Family! He was on the verge of breaking through to become a Tier Two Sword Emperor when he unexpectedly fell into the tragic state of Qi deviation. Because of Song Yi’s Qi deviation, for the past few years, all the Tier Six Sword Sect members in the Sea Domain Song Family who wanted to break through to the Sword Emperor Realm had become exceedingly cautious. How could any of them dare to be as fearless as before?

"Huh?"

As Ling Xiao’s Divine Sense followed Song Yi’s meridians, slowly approaching his Dantian, he suddenly discovered something was wrong. Song Yi’s Dantian... was actually twisted!

’That’s right! A normal Martial Artist’s Dantian is like a round reservoir. All of their Inner Strength flows through the body’s clear meridians and into this reservoir for storage. When needed, this reservoir pressurizes and pushes out a continuous stream of Inner Strength. This energy travels along the meridians and is finally channeled through the hands into a weapon to release powerful Sword Qi!’

’If their Sword Skills are powerful, they can use them to unleash a variety of techniques!’

’The High Priest’s Dantian, on the other hand, is as if that reservoir has vanished! Or you could say it was shattered! This leaves her Inner Strength with nowhere to be stored. No matter how she tries to cultivate, it’s completely useless!’

’And yet, this man, Song Yi, lying here on the bed... his Dantian is a whole size larger than anyone’s I’ve ever seen!’

’I’ve used my Divine Sense to perceive Tiger’s Dantian before. His is many times larger than Uncle Fu’s and the others’. I understand now. Just as there are clear markers between levels in the Cultivation Realm, there are also distinct markers for the different levels of Martial Artists on the Canglan Continent.’

’For example, the size of the Dantian, the purity of the Inner Strength... I have yet to see a Sword Venerable expert, but for those Martial Artists who absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, I’m already starting to suspect that what they have inside them is no longer Inner Strength. What a Sword Venerable stores in their Dantian... is just like what I have now! It’s Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi!’

’Otherwise, how could there be sayings about a Tier One Sword Venerable being able to annihilate a Tier Six Sword Emperor with just the flick of a finger?’

Ling Xiao had just been lost in thought, which was making the watching Song Mingyue frantic with anxiety. Yet, he didn’t dare make a sound, nor did he dare pace around the room. The elegant, handsome man could only clench and unclench his fists repeatedly...

Ling Xiao continued to perceive Song Yi’s Dantian. ’The reason I think of it as twisted is because Song Yi’s Dantian is like a round water tank that has been forcefully contorted into a figure-eight shape by some immense power! Moreover, the surface of the Dantian is pitted and uneven.’ Ling Xiao’s Divine Sense could not penetrate any deeper into it. He could feel that the Inner Strength within Song Yi’s Dantian was very pure, but it seemed to have an indescribably strange quality to it.

’To suffer such a grievous injury and still survive for three years without dying... this man’s life force... is truly tenacious!’

Ling Xiao sighed to himself. ’To repair Song Yi’s Dantian now, it would be impossible without several types of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures! It’s just like with the High Priest; to reconstruct her Dantian, one would need to refine a Small Returning Pill. Even in the Cultivation Realm, that is considered a Top-Grade Elixir!’

’I’ve never refined one, because I’ve never even seen a single one of the medicinal ingredients it requires... The Cultivators of that era were truly in a tragic state; even the artificially cultivated ingredients have all gone extinct.’

’So, in this world, whether I can even find all the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures for the Small Returning Pill is uncertain. Even if I did, whether I could successfully refine it is another huge question.’

Ling Xiao slowly opened his eyes and met Song Mingyue’s anxious gaze. He gave a slight shake of his head.

Instantly, the light in Song Mingyue’s eyes dimmed. Tears flowed unbidden from the corners of his eyes. He looked at his withered father on the bed, his heart filled with immense sorrow. (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com for more Chapters. Support the author and support legitimate reading!)