At that very moment, high up in the attic. Han Fang suddenly stood up straight, taking a step forward. He moved to the edge of the railing. His hand trembled slightly, and only after a long while did he let out a long, drawn-out breath.

"Is this girl truly of the War Martial Physique?"

Zong Shou smiled faintly, still rocking leisurely in the chair, the bamboo creaking softly. "More or less! We discovered it three years ago, but unfortunately, Junior Brother was inept and didn't know the proper ** method. She has only just reached the middle stage by now. Heh heh! I told Senior Brother that day, you will regret this."

"Hmph! We cultivators value the perfection of the Dao Heart, to set the pieces and never look back. Since the opportunity has already passed, there is nothing to regret."

Although he spoke with a tone of detachment, seeming very transcendent, Han Fang's insides were churning with green regret, his heart aching perhaps more now than ever before.

In his entire life, he had committed countless foolish acts, but he felt that none could compare to what happened today.

Spiritual Forging of the Tiger Bones, dual cultivation of the Spirit and Martial paths—even within the Azure Life Dao Palace, this could only be considered above average talent. Even with the unity of Spirit and Martial arts, it only meant that Chu Xue's raw strength was significantly greater than others at the same level, perhaps even allowing her to fight opponents above her rank. However, without sufficient aptitude for the Martial Dao or spiritual techniques, it was ultimately just greater power, a slightly stronger giant holding a massive hammer, yet not knowing how to wield it. In reality, thinking about it carefully, there was nothing to fear, but now, this War Martial Physique gave Chu Xue the true qualification to contend with that Sword Scion, Jue Yu. Her formidable combat intuition meant she could challenge his swordsmanship even without grasping the deep principles of the sword.

And these Five Spirit Divine Beasts completed her last shortcoming. Once she grasped the spiritual techniques, she would no longer be vulnerable to being exploited.

Zong Shou inwardly sneered, Just keep up the pretense, old man! However, after some thought, he decided it was better not to continue provoking the old man further. Taking advantage of Senior Brother Han’s distraction, he secretly swept the three spirit fruits from the table into his sleeve. These excellent items could be given to Ruoshui Chu Xue to taste—yes, and that fellow Zong Yuan was only a secondary consideration.

Then he thought that when Xue'er returned, he would need to present her with some worthy rewards, so he took two more. There were only eight Red Jade Spirit-Containing Fruits in total. Only two remained on the plate now. Zong Shou’s eyes darted, and he committed fully: he swept up all the remaining spirit fruits, along with the bottle of Hundred Spirit Nectar, and stored them all in his Universe Pouch.

It was only then that Han Fang seemed to snap back to reality, his face showing dawning comprehension: "Truly marvelous! Using the Qilin as the foundation to bear the soul energy consumption for the other four guardian beasts. The five Divine Beasts fit the Five Elements perfectly, creating cyclical resonance, allowing them to approach a natural state of guardianship. They not only serve as protectors but can also aid her in comprehending Heaven and Earth, grasping the profound principles of spiritual arts, and mastering the Divine Beast Sword Intent. From this point forward, her cultivation of the mind and spirit will face no further obstruction."

As he spoke, Han Fang turned his head, and his gaze immediately fell upon the empty dish and the vanished bottle of Hundred Spirit Nectar. The corner of his eye twitched slightly, and he cursed the brat under his breath. Yet, he pretended not to notice, only allowing his voice to cool as he asked, "Now, I am only curious—how did you manage this?"

Zong Shou smiled and drew a line in the air with his finger. Lines of condensed soul energy gathered before him, revealing the nascent form of a Spirit Array. Although it was only a rough sketch, a general framework, Han Fang’s eyes instantly brightened: "So that's how it is!"

For him, this Spirit Array created by a later generation wasn't inherently profound or particularly mystical. It was merely a matter of needing a window pane broken to see through completely.

His first thought was that if the disciples of the Azure Life Dao could use a similar array to subdue their guardian beasts, wouldn't their strength increase dramatically? Then he felt helpless—five spirit beasts of the Sub-Divine level were not something everyone could gather. If ordinary essence beasts were used, the effect would drop significantly, offering little real benefit. The true beneficiaries would only be the truly core members within the sect.

But even a mosquito’s leg is still meat.

Han Fang narrowed his eyes: "If you are willing to offer this method to the sect, you can exchange it for three hundred thousand Merit Points!" Only then did he recall that this Spirit Array originated from Zong Shou. And whether in the Cloud Realm or other worlds, there was no similar technique. Could it be that this fellow created it entirely himself? Considering Zong Shou's age, this was somewhat staggering.

Zong Shou offered no commitment, just smiling faintly, "Three hundred thousand is not enough; at least two million Merit Points! If the Five Spirits don't work, we can use the Four Symbols. If the Four Symbols cannot be arranged, we can use the Three Talents. If even the Three Talents fail, we can use the Two Forms. But the cost will be slightly higher—"

Han Fang let out a cold snort. This fellow was truly asking for the moon. However, the doubt in his heart was completely resolved. He surmised that no matter how outstanding Zong Shou’s talent was, he couldn't have perfected this technique to this extent in such a short time. Most likely, the fellow was just lucky and stumbled upon some ancient secret art from somewhere.

He stopped paying attention to Zong Shou and fixed his gaze below. Inside, his heart ached even more, filled with regret.

While they were talking, Chu Xue had already unleashed over a dozen swift sword strikes. Almost every strike forced Jue Yu back in disarray. But the distance between them was gradually widening: ten feet, eleven feet, twelve feet. And the silence that had held for a full quarter of an hour was finally broken. The clamor of discussion roared back to life.

"This is already the twenty-ninth strike! To force Sword Scion Jue Yu into such a state at the initial stage of the Seventh Rank! Twenty-nine strikes, pushing him back three hundred and seventeen feet. If this story gets out, who would believe it?"

"Besides Tan Qiu, there is actually such a talent in the Azure Life Dao. Spirit-Martial Unity, exquisite swordsmanship—this is truly surprising—"

"This girl is stunning. Following Shui Lingbo and Fang Wen, now we have Tan Qiu Xue Chu. The Azure Life Dao won't have to worry about successors for the next ten thousand years."

"What I find strange now is why Xue Chu's sword path seems not to anticipate the enemy's moves beforehand, but rather changes according to the flow after the sword is already out."

All the disciples of the Azure Life Dao were flushed with excitement, their previous dejection completely vanished.

"There is actually such a figure in our Azure Life Dao?"

"Truly worthy of being accepted as a Third Generation disciple by the sect's exception. She surpasses many of us!"

"We were wondering why the sect arranged for Xue Chu to guard the rear, but it turns out we were too shallow. The Palace Master must have foreseen that this Third Generation Grand Martial Aunt was on the verge of a breakthrough. With such formidable swordsmanship and Spirit-Martial Unity, how could she not fight Jue Yu? She is indeed far stronger than those wastrels like Yuan Fei! Peak Seventh Rank, yet unable to withstand even one of her strikes—"

"This Sword Scion Jue Yu is also truly arrogant! Does he really think the Azure Life Dao has no one?"

"To force Jue Yu to this extent with the strength of a newly entered Seventh Rank—even in defeat, it is glorious!"

"The Palace Master and the Elders are indeed wise. The Azure Life Dao is truly flourishing with talent these recent years!"

Fang Wen listened from above, feeling somewhat hollow, secretly wiping a bead of cold sweat. The suggestion to send Chu Xue out to fight had nothing to do with him; it was entirely the work of that person whose ranking had already risen to sixteenth place on the Profound Fate Golden Scroll. He truly hadn't seen the situation clearly himself. Shameful, truly shameful.

The elders of the Azure Life Academy beside him also wore strange, slightly awkward expressions. However, their composure was much deeper than Fang Wen's, and their skin was thicker. They acted as if nothing had happened, wearing faint smiles, seemingly enjoying the disciples' praise, utterly forgetting that not long ago, in the main hall of the Academy, they had been busy blaming each other.

Their internal communications had also completely shifted tone.

"Senior Uncle Zong's judgment, as expected, was sound! I said the old man wouldn't act recklessly; he must have had deeper meaning!"

"When I first saw this Xue'er, I felt her spirit energy was contained, possessing great wisdom hidden behind apparent foolishness. Her swordsmanship must be exquisite. Bearing the Earth-Sinking Spirit Sealing Talismans proves she must also be extremely diligent. Now it seems I was correct. My prediction was not wrong—"

"Senior Brother Li, you saw it too? Truly heroes think alike! This time, we have given a proper account to the sect."

Fang Wen couldn't help but grumble inwardly: Seniors and junior brothers, can you be any more shameless?

At this moment, he also felt that Chu Xue’s swordsmanship seemed a bit off. Her ability to counter-attack and suppress Jue Yu relied more on the subsequent changes in her sword path. But no matter how he thought, he couldn't figure out why.

And just then, a sudden cry of astonishment rang out from afar, shaking the entire area.

"Palace Master Fang Wen, is your disciple perhaps the legendary War Martial Physique?"

The words "War Martial Physique" struck Fang Wen like a deafening bell, instantly clearing all his confusion, as if being doused with icy water. How could he not have thought of that? Weren’t all these unusual phenomena the very signs of the War Martial Physique?

He looked over and saw that the one who asked was the Blade Lord, Li Wuhui. Fang Wen’s lips curved, and then he shook his head with an inscrutable smile.

"It cannot be spoken of, cannot be revealed!" He hadn't confirmed the matter yet. If he rashly admitted it, and was proven wrong later, wouldn't he lose all face? For now, he could only feign profound mystery.

Fang Wen’s reply was vague and mystifying, but those below took it as a semi-public confirmation. The buzzing sound quieted again. Gazes met across the crowd, filled with shock and speechless wonder.

The War Martial Physique! An ancient legend, possessing astonishing intuition, naturally skilled at combat. Even without learning the core principles of martial arts, such a physique could ascend to the peak of Martial Dao Grandmastery. It was said that this peak intuition could barely be countered unless one's Martial Dao had already reached the realm where the mysteries of the Divine Realm could be perceived.

This Xue Chu, in addition to Spirit-Martial Unity, possessed such an extraordinary innate ability!

Yuan Fei’s face had now gone pale, and his scalp tingled. Earlier, he had merely felt disdain for the foolish girl who could actually fight Jue Yu and suppress him, feeling only shame and annoyance. Only now did he realize what kind of figure he had offended.

Spirit-Martial Unity, War Martial Physique! Even if the sect treated everyone equally, for the sect's prosperity, future resources would inevitably have to be tilted appropriately toward this woman, cherished dearly.

It seemed that Xue Chu was still that Tan Qiu's handmaiden?