Lu Jie closed his eyes and focused entirely on his cultivation. His goal was clear—reach the Realm of Unification as soon as possible.
While he remained in seclusion, an immense hall with golden pillars carved with ancient patterns stood at the heart of the Celestial Sword Sect. At the center of a circular table sat the Sect Master—a disheveled man with messy hair and a prominent mole on his face.
"Master, the Thousand Shadows Sect has been far too bold lately. My disciples have run into them on nearly every mission.""Mine as well. And some... have simply vanished.""This can't go on—we must act!"
The hall was in an uproar.
The Sect Master raised his hand, signaling for silence."Mo Xian has the support of a cultivator in the Transformation Realm."
A wave of shock rippled through the elders."What? Transformation Realm?""If that's true, why haven't they attacked us yet?"
"My guess is that this guest is gravely injured. He doesn't want to risk an open war with us right now," the Sect Master replied.
"Then now's the perfect time to strike!""We could end this rivalry that has lasted for centuries!"
All eyes turned toward the Grand Elder—a white-bearded man who had been silent until now."No," he said firmly. "Even injured, a Transformation Realm cultivator is deadly. We might win the war, but the losses would be devastating. The only safe path is if either the Sect Master or I break through to the same realm first."
The Sect Master nodded. "For now, all disciples are to remain within the sect's territory. External missions are suspended."
The elders exchanged reluctant glances, but eventually nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, three days passed for Lu Jie. His Primordial Echo had updated:
Echo of the Uncontrolled SparkEffect: Increases the power of fire-based attacks for short bursts.Drawback: Low precision in controlling fire Qi.
"Too weak... useless to me right now," he thought calmly, without frustration. He knew he would have more chances.
Another three days.
Echo of the Formless BreathEffect: Makes it easier to conceal one's presence and cultivation.Drawback: Techniques that require sudden Qi release lose initial power.
Echo of the Serene-Fast BladeEffect: Increases precision and speed of sword attacks.Drawback: Low affinity with other weapon types.
"Two echoes… but the drawbacks still outweigh the benefits."
Time moved on. Triple echoes appeared, but all carried imbalanced effects. Lu Jie remained patient, as always.
On the twenty-first day, the update came:
Echo of the Path Without FootprintsEffect: High-level comprehension of movement techniques, drastically accelerating understanding.
Echo of the Harmony of a Thousand CurrentsEffect: High-level comprehension of cultivation techniques, allowing them to be expanded and refined.
Echo of the Sword GodEffect: High-level comprehension of the Sword Dao, greatly improving understanding and application.
Lu Jie's lips curved faintly. "Finally."
Without hesitation, he locked the echoes.
[Primordial Echo successfully set]
His mind grew calm once more. With this, he could cultivate without distractions for a long while.
Two years passed in a flash.Lu Jie slowly opened his eyes.
"Third level of the Circulation Realm... my comprehension improved greatly after setting the Primordial Echo."He felt satisfied.
Rising to his feet, he walked toward the central part of the mountain. Since arriving, he had only passed through there once with Qiu Yan, and at the time he had been in a hurry to return to cultivation. Now, he wanted to see it more carefully.
Upon arrival, he noticed a bustling crowd of disciples. In the midst of it, the system's voice echoed in his mind:
[Primordial Echo detected: would you like to check its origin?]
Lu Jie was surprised and answered mentally: Yes.
A new window appeared:
[Name:] Lin Fen[Age:] 92 years[Cultivation:] First Level of the Unification Realm[Primordial Echo:] Dao-Conscious Treasure — Reincarnation of a Dharma Treasure
"Dao-Conscious Treasure...? And a Dharma Treasure can reincarnate?"Countless questions rose in his mind.
Following instinct, he located the man. He had a simple appearance, wore the sect's robes, and was fiercely battling other disciples in the arena. Lu Jie observed for a while, then lost interest.
"Apparently, whenever someone possesses a Primordial Echo, the system will notify me. That's good—it means I can avoid them."
He turned to leave when a voice called out:
"Hey, junior brother, come spar with us!"
A smiling disciple approached.
"Hello, senior brother. My name is Lu Jie."
"Nice to meet you, junior brother. I'm Gao Ki. We heard from junior sister Qiu Yan about you. You really are quite handsome. Come on, let's spar!"
"Thank you for the invitation, senior brother, but I have other matters to attend to."
As he walked away, he thought:"Spar with them? They're all in the Unification Realm... I'd get beaten to a pulp."
"If you ever have any trouble, feel free to find me, junior," Gao Ki said with a smile.
"Of course, senior brother."
With that, Lu Jie returned to his cave dwelling. He had explored the mountain enough. All he wanted now was simple—to cultivate in peace.
As he left, Lin Fen watched him go and thought silently:"Such an arrogant junior brother."
He didn't give it much thought and returned to focusing on his battle.