Li Yao departed, and along with him, Jing Wen and the other two left when Bing Ling'er took Li Yao away.
"They cannot sense me," Ye Di said with a smile as Li Xuan's gaze fell upon him.
Li Xuan was taken aback for a moment, then he understood why Jing Wen and the four had not even glanced at Ye Di just now. At this thought, Li Xuan felt a complex emotion. He wondered when he would ever reach Ye Di's level of strength.
There is always someone better, and there is always a higher sky.
"Do you know why I stopped your sister from taking you?" Ye Di smiled and then asked.
Li Xuan pondered for a moment and replied, "Senior, you believe that the path I should take should not rely on those sects?"
Ye Di shook his head and said, "You are the person of destiny. I had also concealed your aura just now. Otherwise, they would have long discovered your uniqueness. If you had gone with them, it would have caused considerable trouble in the future."
"Furthermore, you have many secrets. Once they are discovered, it would be very disadvantageous to you. In my opinion, it is best for you to improve your strength first. Moreover, I have a feeling that I do not have much time left to stay by your side."
Li Xuan fell silent. It seemed Ye Di was worried about his safety. However, what Ye Di said was not without reason. He truly lacked the ability to protect himself at the moment. Li Xuan understood the principle of 'possessing a treasure that brings disaster' if his secrets were discovered.
"You should cultivate here for now. At least, I will not be leaving anytime soon," Ye Di said with a smile.
Li Xuan nodded, and with a slight shift of his gaze, he shot towards a mountain range below. That was precisely the area where the Blood Devouring Clan's branch had been located previously.
After finding a secluded cave, Li Xuan moved his figure and entered the Suppressing Prison.
Cultivation.
At this moment, Li Xuan began to cultivate. Luo Xuan had given Li Xuan a hundred divine swords, which he had yet to use. With his current weakness and the matter concerning Li Yao seemingly resolved, Li Xuan naturally had to start improving himself.
Soon, as sword after sword was inserted into his abdomen, Li Xuan urged the spiritual stream in his dantian to absorb them ferociously.
In mid-air, Ye Di seemed to be able to see Li Xuan cultivating within the Suppressing Prison. After a moment of silence, Ye Di moved and disappeared from his original spot.
Time flowed by quietly. Li Xuan had spent a full ten years cultivating within the Suppressing Prison. Beside him, the powdered remnants had piled up into a small mountain. Li Xuan's aura had already climbed to a terrifying level.
On this day, Li Xuan's eyes snapped open abruptly.
Boom!
A deafening roar echoed through the heavens and earth, as if thunder was continuously pouring spiritual energy into Li Xuan's dantian.
"Congratulations, young master. Your current strength is comparable to the mid-stage of the Imperial Dao Realm," the Heavenly Dao Brush appeared and spoke before Li Xuan.
Not only the Heavenly Dao Brush but also the Azure Spirit Tower, the Benevolent Sword, and the Prison Spirit had all arrived before Li Xuan.
Li Xuan exhaled a breath of stale air and nodded slightly, then said, "How long did this closed-door cultivation take?"
"Master, twelve years," the Prison Spirit replied.
Li Xuan nodded in surprise. Twelve years, which translated to more than half a year in the outside world.
"Has Ye Di returned?" Li Xuan pondered for a moment and then continued to ask.
The Prison Spirit shook his head. Ever since Li Xuan began his closed-door cultivation, Ye Di had disappeared. Even after so much time had passed, Ye Di had not returned to the fifth level.
"Never mind, I should practice my sword skills again." Li Xuan did not seem too worried. With Ye Di's strength, it was unlikely anyone in this five-dimensional world could pose a threat to him. At this thought, Li Xuan took out his teacher's sword and began to practice his sword skills.
Time passed for another five years.
Hiss.
On this day, Li Xuan gasped.
As his divine soul entered the eighth cycle of the Nine Revolutions of God Grinding, Li Xuan instantly felt a terrifying pulling force. Even though Li Xuan's divine soul had reached the peak of the Wandering God realm, he could barely withstand it at this moment.
However, Li Xuan did not stop. If he could not even endure this slight pain, how could he possibly establish himself in this five-dimensional world?
After enduring for several days, Li Xuan gradually grew accustomed to it. To Li Xuan's pleasant surprise, his sword domain had actually broken through to the third level during this cultivation.
A month later, Li Xuan finally stopped.
Li Xuan already felt that he had reached a bottleneck. Even if he continued to devour divine swords, he would likely not be able to achieve any further breakthroughs. Ultimately, Li Xuan lacked practical combat experience.
Li Xuan knew that a sword cultivator who only relied on monotonous cultivation would not have a long future. As the woman in yellow had said, for sword cultivators to improve rapidly, they had to kill incessantly. While extreme, there was some truth to it.
Only through constant battles could Li Xuan identify his weaknesses and improve. Only in this way could he continuously accumulate his comprehension of the sword dao to break through.
"It's time to venture out and gain experience." Li Xuan sighed softly, then with a thought, he left the Suppressing Prison.
"I could go and see how Yao'er is doing." Li Xuan pondered, then his divine sense rapidly spread outwards.
However, after a short while, Li Xuan withdrew his divine sense. In his recent perception, Li Xuan discovered that within a hundred-mile radius, there were no cities at all.
Li Xuan gave a wry smile. He should have asked for the location of the Ice Palace when Li Yao left.
"Never mind, I'll just treat this as a trial." Li Xuan shook his head, then moved his figure and headed directly towards the east.
A month later, Li Xuan's figure slowly stopped. Not far in front of him, a massive city stood.
Li Xuan, looking dusty and travel-worn, glanced at it and immediately headed towards the city.
Upon entering the city, Li Xuan found it to be incredibly bustling. Besides humans, there were many other races present. Their harmonious coexistence surprised Li Xuan somewhat.
"Hurry up! If we're any later, we might not be able to get into the auction house." Just as Li Xuan was about to look for a teahouse or tavern to gather information, two figures rushed forward. A voice also entered Li Xuan's ears at that moment.
Li Xuan's heart stirred. The auction house was also a good place to gather information. Moreover, generally speaking, auction houses were backed by merchant guilds.
At this thought, Li Xuan immediately followed the two figures forward.
A few minutes later, Li Xuan's steps halted. He watched as the two figures whispered to the gatekeeper before entering the auction house.
Li Xuan was deeply shocked at this moment, because on the plaque above the auction house, it clearly read "Star Radiance Auction House."
Li Xuan swallowed and then murmured softly, "My heavens, don't tell me this Star Radiance Auction House has a connection with the Star Radiance Merchant Guild?"