Chapter Sixty-Seven: Sword Intent Shatters the Barrier

"Little junior brother!" The two greeted Long Yun with smiles as he approached.

Long Yun continued, "You two seem in good spirits. How is your cultivation lately? From the looks of it, your true energy has grown much stronger!"

A hint of disappointment flickered in Yuan Chen's eyes, and he sighed softly. "I've been stuck at this level for seven years. My talent is far too ordinary. Perhaps I'll never make any great progress in my lifetime."

Long Yun smiled gently and proceeded to recount his conversation with the Sword Stone Soul to the two of them, listening as their eyes flashed with excitement.

"Little junior brother, are you serious?" The disciples of the Heart Sword lineage were known for having the weakest aptitude in the Jade Sword Sect. Even the strongest among them had only achieved Three Apertures of Condensed Qi.

Thus, when Long Yun spoke of helping them break through further apertures, their hearts were filled with unspeakable joy.

Long Yun nodded. "That is how the elder and I see it. Still, we're not entirely certain; whether it succeeds or fails, we must try."

"Let me be the first!" Yuan Chen spoke without hesitation. He had already despaired of ever advancing his cultivation. As Long Yun said, if he failed, or if his cultivation never grew, he wasn’t afraid. As the senior brother of the Heart Sword lineage, living as he was now felt worse than risking everything for a chance.

Long Yun had anticipated Yuan Chen's decision and nodded. "Let’s go to the side chamber. Second senior brother, help us keep watch!"

Chen Jie spoke seriously, "Don't worry, little junior brother. You two focus on your cultivation. I hope you can bring us hope."

Long Yun nodded firmly.

Seated on the meditation cushion, Long Yun activated his profound arts, adjusting his true energy and soul to their optimal states. At the same time, he curved his arm and pressed his palm gently against Yuan Chen's back.

Vast true energy surged into Yuan Chen's body, sealing all his major apertures to prevent pain from disturbing Yuan Chen's spiritual consciousness.

"Senior brother, I’m about to begin. Guard your mind, clear your thoughts!" Long Yun said in a deep voice.

Yuan Chen dared not be careless; his body trembled, and a deathly calm settled over him. Long Yun, too, dared not slacken, unleashing his sword intent with a sudden burst.

He had already explored Yuan Chen’s apertures; at worst, he could help him break through one more, raising him to Three Apertures Condensed Qi. If luck favored them, perhaps even Four.

The true energy within him merged with his sword intent, flooding into Yuan Chen’s body.

Yuan Chen trusted Long Yun almost blindly, offering no resistance, surrendering control of his physical body entirely to Long Yun, while his soul guarded his sea of consciousness.

Under the guidance of both spiritual sense and true energy, Long Yun’s sword intent found the locations of the nine major apertures.

Last time, he had nearly exhausted his true energy trying to help Yuan Chen break through two nearly shattered apertures, but failed. Now, thanks to the Sword Stone Soul’s advice, he chose a different method.

Sword intent gathered before the two apertures, fusing with Long Yun’s true energy and spiritual sense inside Yuan Chen’s body. Long Yun’s anxiety was at its peak.

But with his senior brother’s safety at stake, he dared not entertain a single stray thought. His soul entered a state as calm as an ancient well, and a ray of divine light shot from his eyes, pouring into Yuan Chen.

The sword intent amassed before Yuan Chen’s apertures suddenly sharpened!

Long Yun channeled all his comprehension of sword intent, transforming it into two separate long swords. True energy and a thread of soul power infused each blade.

Long Yun’s body shifted slightly; true energy became the sword, sword intent its edge, and his spiritual sense the sword spirit, guiding their trajectory.

"Success or failure hangs on this!" Long Yun declared in a low voice, and the two swords instantly shot forth, violently striking at the two apertures!

A rumbling eruption shook Yuan Chen’s soul, and his body began to tremble, his face as pale as paper.

He shook uncontrollably; even though Yuan Chen was prepared, his soul nearly burst from his body—danger hovered at every moment.

A smile appeared at Long Yun’s lips. Though the strike hadn’t fully shattered both apertures, he sensed them loosen. It meant the method worked!

With renewed determination, sword intent surged again. This time, he didn’t split it into two swords but concentrated it into one.

In the previous strike, dividing the sword intent and true energy had weakened them both. Now, he would break through each aperture one at a time.

A single long sword took shape, finer and more condensed than before.

To pierce with precision—just as in martial arts techniques, it applied here as well.

"Break!" Long Yun roared, and the sword transformed into a streak of lightning, shooting straight into one of the two apertures!

A muffled boom sounded. Long Yun wasted no time checking if the aperture was broken; another sword instantly formed!

In a flash, it struck the remaining aperture with fierce speed.

Yuan Chen’s chest heaved violently, his teeth clenched, blood trickling from eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—a sight both terrifying and pitiful.

His face was already ghostly pale, fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, blood flowing freely.

A sudden gasp, like a man trapped in a sealed chamber finally breaking open a hole in the wall—fresh air rushed in.

But for Yuan Chen, this fresh air was not ordinary air, but the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Indeed, Long Yun’s successive attacks had shattered both loosened apertures.

Now, Yuan Chen was a Four Apertures Condensed Qi cultivator!

Long Yun slowly withdrew his energy, exhausted from the intense ordeal, his soul and true energy depleted. If not for the previous transformation by the Dragon Gate Pine, he would surely have fainted from exhaustion.

His spiritual sense and sword intent withdrew from Yuan Chen’s body. Yuan Chen had already fallen unconscious, but a satisfied smile lingered at his lips.

Long Yun laid him flat on the bed, wiped the sweat from his brow, and stepped outside.

Chen Jie had been waiting anxiously. As soon as he saw Long Yun emerge, his face lit up and he rushed over, asking urgently, "Little junior brother, how did it go?"

Long Yun exhaled deeply. "Second senior brother, from this day forward, the Heart Sword lineage will no longer be bullied—for I have succeeded!"

Chen Jie was utterly stunned, not knowing how to respond, frozen in place.

Long Yun spoke softly, "Second senior brother, my true energy is spent; I need to recover. Please look after senior brother. When my energy is restored, I’ll help you break through your apertures as well."

With that, before Chen Jie could reply, Long Yun vanished.

Returning to his room, Long Yun felt his whole body limp and aching, his clothes soaked with sweat from the immense strain.

He sat cross-legged at the bedside, letting the nine apertures open naturally as spiritual energy flowed steadily into his body.

Feeling the toughness of his meridians, Long Yun smiled quietly to himself. What exactly was the Dragon Gate Pine? How could it possess such formidable Dragon God blood, and so pure?

The fusion with the Dragon Gate Pine had not only multiplied the Dragon God blood in him, but also strengthened his flesh and meridians beyond measure.

He had acquired the aura of the dragon thanks to this bloodline!

The fusion with the Dragon Gate Pine left Long Yun with a sense of disbelief. Ever since he entered the Jade Sword Sect, he had felt something special about the Dragon Gate Pine.

He never imagined it would contain Dragon God blood. In that case, the mysterious person who sent him to the Jade Sword Sect must have known all along.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to send him so far away.

For a moment, Long Yun was filled with confusion, unable to unravel the mysteries.

Days passed. When only five days remained before the Azure Sect Hunting Tournament, Long Yun had already helped all the disciples of the Heart Sword lineage break through their apertures, including Xiao Leng.

Now, the weakest disciple of the Heart Sword lineage had Three Apertures Condensed Qi, while the strongest had Five—an enormous leap, granting the lineage exceptional talent.

With Long Yun's help, Xiao Leng reached Seven Apertures Condensed Qi, becoming an unparalleled genius.

One day, as Long Yun was instructing the Heart Sword disciples in cultivation, a disciple approached, informing him that Shangguan Yu wished to meet with the elders holding the sect seals in the council hall.