After returning to the peak, seeing Nan Huairen’s curious expression while he looked at the blades, Li Qiye threw them to Nan Huairen. “If you want to look at them, then you can hold and look at them as much as you want.”

Nan Huairen felt bashful after being caught by Li Qiye. He didn’t know why Li Qiye wanted these blades, but he couldn’t just ask right away either.

Holding the blades, Nan Huairen stopped being so courteous, and he meticulously observed them; however, he couldn’t see anything extraordinary from them.

The two blades in his hands seemed to be just mortal weapons made from regular steel, and the rust on them was proof that they couldn’t withstand the test of time.

“Why did senior choose these blades?” Nan Huairen believed that Li Qiye had already decided to go for these blades when he first entered the Weapon Armory.

Li Qiye smiled and answered: “If you, or anyone in the sect, could see through their mysteriousness, then they wouldn’t have been in the Weapon Armory for so long.”

“What kind of treasure is this?” Nan Huairen politely inquired. He truly could not see the magical properties.

“They’re not treasures.” Li Qiye answered: “They’re only two normal dual blades made out of steel. In fact, the material these are made out of are worth less than the two silver coins over there.”

“But why...” Li Qiye’s answer confused Nan Huairen. If they were truly like Li Qiye described, then why did he pick them?

Li Qiye interrupted his question: “However, they can cut through the weapons of Royal Nobles and Enlightened Beings as if they were cutting through tofu.”

“How is that possible?!” Nan Huairen’s heart shook when he heard this. Royal Nobles were extremely strong, let alone Enlightened Beings. Since thirty thousand years ago, there hasn’t been a single disciple who was capable of reaching the Enlightened Being stage in the sect.

Li Qiye liked to see Nan Huairen’s surprised expressions, and he slowly proclaimed: “You are smart, and you can clearly understand the current situation. I will not mistreat you. Emperor merit laws or Saint level treasures; if you want them, you will have them. If you do a good job and contribute greatly, I will even let you cultivate merit laws that are far more formidable than Emperor laws.”

Li Qiye’s words were like steel rods beating on the drum that was Nan Huairen’s heart. His master, or even Elder Sun, wouldn’t be able to make such a promise because there weren’t that many known Emperor laws in the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect. “Thank you brother.”

Nan Huairen gathered his wits and bowed toward Li Qiye, and Li Qiye naturally accepted his gesture.

***

After Nan Huairen left, Li Qiye held the blades in his hand; he caressed the edges. He sighed and started to remember his past.

So what if one could become an unbeatable Immortal Emperor? Little boy Min Ren was groomed by him, so he was able to accept the Heaven’s Will. His whole life, peerless in all the Nine Worlds, and he successfully cultivated the Solar Immortal Physique as well. However, in the end, he was still slowly erased by the river of time.

Li Qiye removed the rust from the blades, bringing them back to their original form. The two blades had a normal appearance, but they now exuded an ancient aura.

Using his hand to lightly touch the edges, Li Qiye felt a cold energy emanate from the blades. Everyone was correct in their judgment; these blades were indeed just mortal blades. However, they were the blades that were once used by Min Ren, personally, when he was a little boy.

Based on the materials, these blades were trash; however, they used to be the main weapons of an Immortal Emperor. Even after he started cultivating, he was not willing to part with these blades; he always had them with him. Even after his ascension, they were still by his side.

Every time he reminisced, he would take out the blades and caress them as if he wanted to share his feelings with the blades’ soul.

Even though Min Ren never forged the blades, they were blessed with an Immortal Emperor’s touch and groomed by an Immortal Emperor’s blood energy; thus, even if they were made of mortal steel, they were still exceptional. How powerful was an Immortal Emperor? This was the person that carried the Heaven’s Will and reigned over the universe and the Nine Worlds.

The true value of the blades was not in its material or sharpness, but the Immortal consciousness and thoughts hidden within the blades.

An Immortal Emperor’s consciousness was extremely frightening. Even though the two blades were not comparable to a Life Treasure or True Treasure, they were indefinitely stronger than a treasure from a Royal Noble or an Enlightened Being, many times over. One strand of offensive consciousness from an Immortal Emperor could cut through anything.

Li Qiye slowly tried to connect with the leftover Immortal consciousness hidden in the blades.

Of course, within a short amount of time, he couldn’t easily communicate with this Immortal consciousness; this required patience and careful procedure. Li Qiye wasn’t in a rush; he slowly felt the consciousness in the blades’ body.

In this world, no one was more familiar with Min Ren than Li Qiye. Thus, there was no one more familiar with this Immortal consciousness that belongs to Min Ren than Li Qiye.

In the two following days, Li Qiye was still cultivating his Kun Peng’s Six Variants and Revolving Crescent Sun Merit Law, and he spent the rest of his time trying to communicate with the dual blades.

Even though he was the Prime Disciple of the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect, no one, except Protector Mo and Nan Huairen, had ever questioned his cultivation.

Li Qiye was like a translucent shadow living in the Cleansing Incense Ancient Sect. Even the Elders didn’t want to know his situation, let alone other people. To them, having Li Qiye was fine, but they would have no problem being without him.

This made Nan Huairen the most familiar guest at Li Qiye’s peak. Whenever he had time, he would come to check up on Li Qiye. He took care of his daily necessities; this ranged from mortal tools to a dimensional pouch.

Protector Mo also tried to teach Li Qiye cultivation tips; however, Li Qiye seemed to know and understood everything, so Protector Mo eventually removed that thought from his head.

Three months had passed. During one of Li Qiye’s cultivation session, he felt a force rampaging through his body. Within a second, his Fate Palace released and absorbed multiple circular auras, and his eyes shot out a luminous flash.

Right after, his Fate Palace underwent a momentous change. The Spring of Life to the East was suddenly flooded with the Water of Life. It traveled to all of the corners and caves, slowly creating a small spring.

To the west, a bright fire burned the sky. The Cauldron of Life’s flame was ignited, and the Soul Fire within it was lit aflame; it was as if it was capable of melting any existence in the world.

The south did not want to lose to the others. The Tree of Life radiated many circular golden auras, and its leaves started to spring to life. Countless Life Energy surrounded the Tree of Life; it was as if it was a sleeping dragon being woken up from a long slumber. It let out a loud roar filled with infinite power.

Lastly, to the north, there were also loud commotions. The Pillar of Life exerted a heavy presence; it was as if it was ready to connect the heaven to the earth. The mysterious Dao symbols on its body started to move around like they had their own consciousness.

The Second Awakening! The second level of Palace Foundation was the Second Awakening stage. It took him three months to complete the first level.

At the same time, all of the symbols and Dao truths from the Kun Peng’s Six Variants happily came to life. Sometimes it was Kun Peng playing with Li Qiye’s True Fate by flying to and going inside it. At other times, it became a Kun, and it swam in the surrounding water, jumped up and down, and caused huge tsunamis.

Li Qiye’s heart was filled with excitement. He took a deep breath; finally! He did not waste his time!! To go ten thousand miles, one starts with a half step. This was a great beginning!

If other cultivators had to spend three months to get to the second stage, they wouldn’t be as excited; they would have even thought that he was trash.

After his True Fate went back into its slumber, Li Qiye left his excitement behind. He started to cultivate to a higher level. The slow had to start early, and the talentless had to be diligent. Throughout his life, he had seen many cultivators with average aptitudes become extremely strong masters; they were undefeated their whole lives, and they did this by being hard workers. He had also seen many geniuses fall into deep despair, without a chance to lift their heads.

A cultivator’s talents and physique aren’t enough; one also needs a strong Dao willpower, and a will strong enough to follow the road to the end. One day, he would be the last one smiling, and he would be the one to stand at the highest peak, looking down on humanity.