Rise of the Sword Son-in-Law

Following this, Xu Ping’an was escorted by Ge Lie as he returned to the Beichen Sword Sect.

Li Qingyi did not disturb Xu Ping’an, as there were still nine days before the opening of the ancestral land. During this period, she wanted Xu Ping’an to fully recover from his injuries.

Upon returning to the Inner Sect, Xu Ping’an was not idle, aside from using the power of the Resurrection Pill to heal his wounds.

He also took out ten Body Refinement Pills to consume, taking one every six hours.

After five days, all ten Body Refinement Pills had been consumed by Xu Ping’an.

With the consumption of the ten Body Refinement Pills, Xu Ping’an’s Great Brightness Vajra technique officially entered the Second Layer.

Moreover, his physical strength increased significantly, and with just his body alone, he was comparable to the peak of the Eighth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm.

This was just after barely stepping into the Second Layer threshold of the Great Brightness Vajra; once it reached minor accomplishment, it would definitely be comparable to the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm.

In addition to body refinement, Xu Ping’an did not neglect his cultivation.

He devoured Second Rank Superior Grade Gathering Yuan Pills and Second Rank Superior Grade Spirit Origin Pills like they were beans.

In total, there were nineteen pills, and within five days, Xu Ping’an had consumed them all.

And with this power, his cultivation rapidly broke through, reaching the peak of the Seventh Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm.

To advance two whole levels was definitely a tremendous improvement.

Combined with his physical strength, one could say that even the strongest at the peak of the Ninth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm might not be his match.

In the following four days, Xu Ping’an began the process of artifact refining; he intended to forge his very own first Spirit Sword.

However, forging a Spiritual Artifact required the use of Spiritual Fire.

Luckily, the Beichen Sword Sect possessed a Spirit Flame Furnace that was available for Inner Sect disciples to use.

Of course, there was a price to pay.

Twenty Lower Grade Spirit Stones per day, which was not a small fee.

But for Xu Ping’an, the cost was entirely worth it.

With his mastery of artifact refining, four days were sufficient.

Therefore, over the next four days, Xu Ping’an was wholly engaged in the forging of the Spiritual Artifact within the Spirit Flame Hall.

...

As Xu Ping’an forged his Spiritual Artifact, the entire Beichen Sword Sect also became lively.

That was because a very sensational matter had occurred at the Sect.

To be precise, three lists had been released.

The first list, naturally, was the Elite Disciples Ranking.

All elite disciples were listed, including Chen Tianqing, making a total of twelve people.

First Place: Long Yan (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Peak)

Second Place: Tang Tianhen (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Peak)

Third Place: Li Qingyi (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Peak)

Fourth Place: Zhao Kai (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Peak)

Fifth Place: Tong Shan (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Peak)

Sixth Place: Wang Feifei (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Intermediate Stage)

Seventh Place: Sun Yan (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Intermediate Stage)

Eighth Place: Fang Yu (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Intermediate Stage)

Ninth Place: Guan Lin (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Intermediate Stage)

Tenth Place: Chen Tianqing (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Initial Stage)

Eleventh Place: Xie Bing (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Initial Stage)

Twelfth Place: Wang Qiang (Second Layer, Ninth Layer Initial Stage)

All elite disciples on the list, a total of twelve people!

Among them, Chen Tianqing and Wang Qiang had just recently been promoted.

Besides that, the Inner Sect also produced a list.

And Xu Ping’an, with his Sea-Splitting Realm Fifth Layer cultivation, ranked first in the Inner Sect.

Now the entire Beichen Sword Sect was in an uproar.

Sea-Splitting Realm Fifth Layer, ranked first in the Inner Sect?

Everyone doubted they had read it correctly.

Some even suspected that the Sect had made a mistake in the ranking.

It wasn’t until Li Qingyi stepped forward and declared that Xu Ping’an possessed the combat power of a Ninth Layer, Second Rank Peak that the entire Beichen Sword Sect could no longer remain calm.

Even those elite disciples were immensely shocked.

Li Qingyi actually took the initiative to vindicate Xu Ping’an?

Who exactly is this guy?

So, in just five days, Xu Ping’an had become a celebrity within the Beichen Sword Sect.

Of course, Xu Ping’an was unaware of this; at the moment, he was completely engrossed in artifact refining.

Finally, on the fourth day, he successfully refined his first Spirit Sword.

A black sword as dark as ink, yet extremely heavy.

"Clang!"

Xu Ping’an swung the sword.

In an instant, a fierce sword wind filled the air.

"What a sword, it’s indeed reached the peak level of a Low Grade Spiritual Artifact. This sword weighs three hundred jin, which is just perfect for me," Xu Ping’an said with a smile.

Three hundred jin?

Even a Cultivator at the Ninth Layer of the Sea-Splitting Realm, while able to lift such a heavy sword, would probably exhaust themselves in battle before even injuring the opponent with a weapon of this weight.

However, this weight was quite advantageous for Xu Ping’an.

Next was the blood oath to claim ownership.

Xu Ping’an immediately felt the connection between himself and the Spirit Sword, and with a thought, he stored the sword within his Pill Sea.

"Since you are the first sword after my rebirth, I shall name you Sunrise Sword!" Xu Ping’an declared with a laugh.

Sunrise symbolizes rebirth, a new beginning.

At this moment, with the Sunrise Sword in the Dan Tian inside Xu Ping’an, he could directly nurture it with True Yuan and Qi-Blood, which made it very convenient.

"In regular battles, I’ll still use the Meteorite Iron Sword. The Sunrise Sword will continue to be nurtured and won’t be unsheathed unless it’s a life or death struggle," Xu Ping’an said to himself.

With his sword-nurturing technique, the Sunrise Sword would be able to directly slay a Third Rank when the time came.

One could say that the Sunrise Sword was also one of his trump cards.

Stepping out of the Spirit Flame Cauldron Hall, Xu Ping’an paid eighty Lower Grade Spirit Stones, leaving only sixty-six on him.

It must be said, the Spirit Flame Cauldron Hall was something ordinary people could hardly afford.

Of course, even common Fourth Rank powerhouses may not be able to forge Spiritual Artifacts.

"Eh, what a lively scene!" Xu Ping’an quickly noticed that a large crowd had gathered in the Beichen Sword Sect’s square.

Upon closer inspection, he found that there were three more steles on the square.

After taking a look, Xu Ping’an was rather surprised, "There are three new leaderboards; what is this for?"

The Beichen Sword Sect wouldn’t arrange rankings without reason; since they did, it must be purposeful.

"Have you heard? It is said that in the month after next, a grand competition will be held among the sects. The four major sects of Tianlong County will compete, and the rewards are said to be extremely generous," someone spoke up.

"The four major sects? Are you talking about competing with Li Huo Sect, Yudao Sect, and Tyrant Heavenly Sect?" someone exclaimed in surprise.

"That’s right, the competition will be with these three sects. These sects are very strong; I heard several of their disciples have reached the Third Rank. Our sect doesn’t have a single Third Rank yet, and the gap is quite big!" an Inner Sect Disciple lamented.

"Doesn’t that mean our Beichen Sword Sect is going to be ranked last again?" someone said.

As these words were spoken, the crowd sighed collectively.

Of the four major sects in Tianlong County, the Beichen Sword Sect was the weakest, and not by a small margin.

Their number one might not even rank in the top ten of the other sects.

Xu Ping’an understood the situation instantly upon hearing these discussions.

It seems the Beichen Sword Sect released the rankings in preparation for the grand sect competition.

Next, they should announce the reward policies for the leaderboards.

Xu Ping’an was somewhat interested in this; he was in need of resources for his continued cultivation.

If the rewards were truly generous, he might consider participating.

After all, the more advanced the cultivation, the greater the need for resources.

Now, he consumed Second Rank and even Third Rank elixirs like they were beans. In the future, when he reached the Third and Fourth Ranks, wouldn’t his needs be even greater?

He had no choice; he was now a gold-swallowing beast.

Soon, Xu Ping’an arrived at the main gate, where Li Qingyi had already been waiting early.

Upon seeing Xu Ping’an approach, she smiled faintly, instantly blooming like a snow lotus on an ice mountain, refreshing the heart.