Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Li Qingyi grew fiercer as the battle waged on, and relying on herself alone, she even caught up with Li Tianqi's duo. At this moment, both parties had reached the seventy-meter mark. Li Tianqi was also paying close attention to Li Qingyi. "How has Li Qingyi become so strong? She's clearly only Second Rank Ninth Layer, but her combat power is comparable to a Third Rank Second Layer at the intermediate stage," Li Tianqi couldn't help saying. The gap between the Second Rank and Third Rank was vast. Generally, it was tough for someone at the extreme of the Second Rank to even match up to the initial stage of Third Rank First Layer, but now Li Qingyi's combat power was always on par with that of the Third Rank Second Layer. "It's just combat power. Sword Qi is lifeless. If a real Third Rank were to make a move, someone at the peak of the First Layer Realm could easily defeat her. After all, the true gap in the Third Rank lies in the projection of True Qi," Duan Tianyu remarked, glancing to the side. Li Tianqi nodded, but even so, the strength Li Qingyi displayed greatly surpassed hers. You must know Li Qingyi is only seventeen years old, five years younger than her. If Li Qingyi obtains the True Phoenix Bloodline, she will completely surpass her. This was something she absolutely could not allow. "Quick, let's join forces to break through. We'll split the spirit marrow halfway. That way, I might be able to break through to the Third Rank with the help of the spirit marrow," Li Tianqi urged anxiously. That was also the reason she was after the spirit marrow—to break through to the Third Rank before seizing the Bloodline Power. The Bloodline Power had to be hers. Li Qingyi, unaware of Li Tianqi's thoughts, was entirely immersed in the fusion of the six swords. Her intent was to combine the six swords into one, which was no easy task. However, her comprehension skills had always been exceedingly strong. The seventy-fifth-meter Sword Qi burst forth. Li Qingyi's eyes flashed with a fierce glimmer as she swiftly thrust out her sword. The Spirit Sword hummed, unleashing powerful True Yuan fluctuations. The colliding Sword Qi burst forth, and the emitted Sword Qi was once again shattered by her. "This is perfect. Six swords as one. I wonder if I can manage to combine seven swords into one," Li Qingyi thought ecstatically to herself. This sword array experience had massively improved her swordsmanship. Xu Ping'an was also somewhat surprised; Li Qingyi's comprehension was truly strong. He had merely mentioned it in passing, and she immediately had an insight, grasping the concept of six swords as one. However, merging seven swords into one would be no small challenge for her. "Buzz!" The eightieth meter's Sword Qi exploded forth. Li Qingyi again thrust out her sword, aiming to merge seven swords into one, stacking the Sword Qi seven times. However, she failed. The terrifying Sword Qi, now comparable to the peak of Third Rank Second Layer, overwhelmed Li Qingyi before she could complete the merging of seven swords at the moment the Sword Radiance hit. Her Spirit Sword was knocked out of her hand, and the ferocious Sword Qi was still hurtling toward her. "Am I going to die?" Li Qingyi was panic-stricken. She had failed! Pierced by the Sword Qi, there was no way she could survive. But at that moment, a Sharp Sword thrust out, instantly shattering the Sword Radiance. "This is the true merging of seven swords into one!" Xu Ping'an held the Meteorite Iron Sword, his eyes sharp. Li Qingyi looked at Xu Ping'an in shock. How could Xu Ping'an shatter such a terrifying thrust so effortlessly? And when did Xu Ping'an learn the Stack Waves Eighteen Sword Technique? Xu Ping'an, however, did not pay her any mind but continued walking forward. As he walked, he spoke, "Watch. Swordsmanship isn't about brute force collision. These Sword Qis are powerful and swift, but they all have weak spots. If you crush these spots, you can effortlessly turn the situation around. Moreover, the eighth sword should be executed like this." Xu Ping'an had already walked into the eighty-fifth meter. Sword Qi erupted violently, now comparable to the initial stage of Third Rank Third Layer. However, Xu Ping'an thrust out a sword. Though not weak, it was much less formidable than the terrifying Sword Qi, seemingly only at the level of the peak of Third Rank First Layer. But when Xu Ping'an's sword struck the Sword Qi, the Qi trembled and astonishingly dissipated. Li Qingyi gasped, her face filled with utter shock. How did he do that? And that sword, the eighth layer of Stack Waves, could it truly be executed in such a manner? How exquisite! Li Qingyi was stupefied. At this moment, she had never expected the Stack Waves Sword Technique to exhibit such immense power in the hands of Xu Ping'an. She also understood why the Sword Qi from before had dissipated. The Sword Qi was powerful, but the distribution of its strength was uneven. Xu Ping'an took advantage of the strengths of Stack Waves, and in an instant, he dispersed the Sword Qi at its weakest point, causing the entire Sword Qi to collapse. This required an extremely high level of control over the sword moves and strength. "This is the integration of eight swords into one!" Xu Ping'an took a step forward and charged towards the Sword Qi at the ninety-meter mark. This time, the Sharp Sword in Xu Ping'an's hand seemed to tremble eight times. Eighth Layer Sword Qi stacked up, and Li Qingyi even saw eight ripples seemingly undulate in the void. "Clang!" The collision with the Sword Qi caused it to instantly shatter. "Incredibly powerful!" Li Qingyi was once again shocked beyond belief. Xu Ping'an's control of the Stack Waves Sword Technique was too strong, even stronger than her own master's. How did she manage this? Li Qingyi, watching Xu Ping'an's figure moving effortlessly onward, felt an immense shock in her heart. At this moment, Li Qingyi found herself deeply impressed by this fellow before her. Her own talent and pride seemed utterly insignificant in front of him. "Sky-breaking Sword Decision, first style, Mountain-breaking!" At the ninety-fifth meter, Xu Ping'an no longer used the Stack Waves Sword Technique, instead unleashing his own Sky-breaking Sword Decision. A Mountain-breaking strike had reached a state of perfection. The next moment, the Sword Qi burst explosively. Xu Ping'an advanced five meters and was now on the high platform. On the other side, Li Tianqi and others were astounded beyond measure. How could this be possible? How could they be faster than themselves? Duan Tianyu was also incredibly surprised. They were currently stuck at the ninety-meter mark, but the power of the Sword Qi was too terrifying; even when the two of them joined forces, they still couldn't withstand it. Xu Ping'an, however, had already led Li Qingyi onto the high platform. In the center of the high platform, a small cauldron was placed. At this moment, the cauldron contained almost half a cauldron of crystal-clear liquid. The liquid emitted an extremely rich fragrance. Just inhaling the fragrance made Xu Ping'an feel a significant increase in True Yuan within his body. "Such rich spiritual essence, and it contains extremely strong life force—is this Spirit Marrow?" Li Qingyi was also immensely astonished. It was her first time seeing such a treasure, and she, too, could feel the powerful energy within it. A single drop of Spirit Marrow could allow a Second Rank Ninth Layer at the initial stage to break through to the intermediate stage. With almost half a cauldron here, that was at least two hundred drops. If used for breaking through to the Third Rank, these were completely sufficient. "Fill the vials!" Xu Ping'an didn't hesitate and started filling the jade vials from his Token space with the liquid. A total of twelve vials, with roughly twenty drops each, which was around two hundred and forty drops. "Junior Brother Xu, with this Spirit Marrow, you will be well on your way to cultivating to the Third Rank," Li Qingyi said with a smile. "No, it's for you to cultivate to the Third Rank," Xu Ping'an replied with a smile, tossing half of the Spirit Marrow vials to Li Qingyi. Li Qingyi was taken aback. But he simply stated matter-of-factly, "You've worked for it too. I can't take all the credit. Besides, if you don't break through to the Third Rank, with your Second Rank Cultivation, it will be quite difficult for you to compete for the Bloodline Power." Li Qingyi looked at Xu Ping'an and then at the Spirit Marrow in her hands, eventually nodding and saying, "Okay, thank you!" She knew that what Xu Ping'an said was true; without reaching the Third Rank, it really would be difficult for her to contend for the Bloodline Power. "No, the Spirit Marrow is mine, hand over the Spirit Marrow!" Just then, Li Tianqi and Duan Tianyu had also broken through the Formation and entered, their cold gazes fixed on Xu Ping'an and Li Qingyi. The Spirit Marrow was theirs!