In the meeting hall, an elder spoke, "Great Elder, we have tried to open that black box before. However, it was impervious to both fire and water. Even the Patriarch's cultivation could not move it in the slightest. Li Xuan never left the family, so where else could the box be hidden?"
"Second Elder, this matter is quite strange. When the Great Elder captured Li Xuan, he was indeed still within the clan. We have searched his residence multiple times and still haven't found the black box. With Li Xuan's strength, it's impossible for him to have done so," another elder stated.
"Did Li Xuan ever say where the black box was from beginning to end?" someone inquired.
Li Wentian shook his head. "The brat only said that after seeing the box couldn't be opened, he tossed it aside and didn't take it with him. But I believe this child is lying."
"Great Elder, if even with our strength we cannot open the black box, how could Li Xuan, at only the Embryonic Breath realm, open it? Perhaps what he said is true, that he didn't take the black box with him. However, the disappearance of this black box suggests there might be something else going on."
"Alas, all things have their karma. The black box, after all, was obtained by that brat's parents. For him to lose it now is also karma. Let this matter end here. The clan must not let its members feel disheartened," an elder mused for a moment before speaking. Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent. Although this person held no official position now, he was one of the five elders of the Li family, Li Yuanba.
"Yes!" Everyone bowed in response. Li Yuanba's words had already sealed the matter. Even if the Patriarch himself were to appear, he likely wouldn't go against Li Yuanba's wishes. Moreover, what Li Yuanba said was not without reason. If their gains from outside could not be passed down to their descendants even in death, then what was the point of dedicating themselves to the clan?
Time slipped away, and two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside the Prison of Souls, a sharp sword energy suddenly emanated from Li Xuan's body. Following this, the surrounding spiritual energy, as if drawn, surged incessantly towards Li Xuan's dantian. If Li Xuan were awake at this moment, he would surely notice that within his dantian, a golden sword, now shrunk several times, was suspended.
Initial Spirit Realm!
Seeing Li Xuan successfully break through to the Initial Spirit Realm, the woman in the yellow dress, who had been watching, revealed a hint of relief in her eyes. Yi Qin, with a slight turn of her gaze, looked at Li Xuan with a softened expression compared to before.
"This is... Initial Spirit Realm?!" After a moment, Li Xuan slowly opened his eyes. As if sensing the changes within his body, he suddenly stood up and looked at the woman in the yellow dress. His gaze then shifted, clearly noticing Yi Qin's presence.
"It is indeed the Initial Spirit Realm," the woman in the yellow dress nodded slightly. "Do not worry, she poses no threat to you."
"Junior Li Xuan greets Senior," Li Xuan said, relieved. He then hesitated before cupping his fist and bowing to Yi Qin. Politeness costs nothing, and a simple bow would not hurt.
"Call me when you're leaving. You can teach him yourself," Yi Qin said, slightly taken aback. She then shook her head and turned to leave.
"Where are you going?" the woman in the yellow dress asked.
"To lie down for a bit longer," Yi Qin replied without looking back. Her figure vanished in the next instant.
The woman in the yellow dress: "..."
Li Xuan: "..."
"Don't mind her. I have more to tell you," the woman in the yellow dress said, shifting her gaze back to Li Xuan.
"Alright," Li Xuan nodded in response.
The woman in the yellow dress pondered for a moment before looking at Li Xuan. "I've already told you that your Qingxiao has been depleted by nearly ninety percent. Once its spiritual energy is exhausted, the spiritual sword will naturally become a mundane sword. A mundane sword is an inanimate object. Therefore, when your Qingxiao becomes a mundane sword, you will die."
"The swords in this world are divided into nine ranks: Mundane Sword, Spiritual Sword, Human Sword, Earth Sword, Heaven Sword, King Sword, Immortal Sword, Divine Sword, and Saint Sword. The Qingxiao in your body was originally a Heaven Sword. Due to tens of thousands of years of erosion and the suppression of this place, it has degenerated to a Spiritual Sword. If you have good fortune in the future, you might be able to restore it to its peak."
"You have two choices for the path ahead. The first is to absorb spiritual swords to enhance your own cultivation. The second is to find new spiritual swords to replace the Qingxiao within you. The higher the rank of the sword, the better it will be for you."
"Junior understands," Li Xuan said respectfully, nodding. He had heard what Yi Qin said earlier; this woman in the yellow dress would likely be leaving soon.
"Now that you possess the Prison of Souls Ring, you are considered the master of this prison. However, with your current strength, you cannot suppress even those on the first level. With your current power, they could kill you with a single breath. Therefore, without absolute strength, never draw out the spiritual swords that suppress them."
"Hmm, it seems there is nothing else I need to tell you. The rest of the journey is up to you," the woman in the yellow dress said after a moment of thought.
"Senior, are you leaving?" Li Xuan immediately asked. Although the woman in the yellow dress had said from the beginning that he was the one chosen by her master, Li Xuan had been taught by her during their time together. In Li Xuan's heart, the woman in the yellow dress held a far greater significance than her master.
The woman in the yellow dress nodded, her gaze seeming to pierce through the Prison of Souls and into the void. "I have been away from my master for thirty thousand years. Now that you have appeared, my task is considered complete. I must now go and find my master."
"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, the spiritual swords on the first level have been significantly depleted. After all, tens of thousands of years have passed. At this rate of depletion, these spiritual swords can only suppress them for another ten years. So, within ten years, you must find new spiritual swords to replace them. Otherwise, when they break free, you will be the first to die," the woman in the yellow dress suddenly added.
"What?!" Li Xuan exclaimed, stunned. Ten years?
"As for the second level, don't ask me, I don't know either," the woman in the yellow dress shrugged. She then stepped forward, narrowed her eyes, and patted Li Xuan's shoulder. "Good luck, young man. If you master all of your master's legacy in the future, I might have to call you little master."
"Senior, I will work hard," Li Xuan replied with a wry smile. For his own survival, he had to work hard.
"That is good. I hope you will not disappoint my master," the woman in the yellow dress said with a smile, then glanced behind her. "I'm leaving."
"Farewell," Yi Qin's voice drifted over.
The woman in the yellow dress chuckled and shook her head. Then, spiritual light flickered around her, and her body gradually became ethereal.
"Senior, may I know how to address you?" Li Xuan anxiously asked as the woman in the yellow dress was about to disappear.
"My name? If we meet again, I'll tell you then."
As the woman in the yellow dress's voice faded, her figure completely vanished. Li Xuan felt a sense of loss, but his gaze soon became resolute.
"Senior, how do I leave here?" Li Xuan suddenly remembered something, his expression changing. He then shouted loudly into the void.
"You are already the master of the Prison of Souls. Your heart's desire is your command. Here, only you can come and go as you please," Yi Qin's voice replied as soon as Li Xuan finished speaking.
Li Xuan was stunned for a moment, then cupped his fist in the direction of the voice and bowed. "Thank you, Senior."
Seeing that Yi Qin did not respond for a long time, Li Xuan sighed softly and then, with a thought, his figure vanished.