Chapter 117: Sword Wind Enlightenment Foundation

"This is..."

"The Soul of Heaven and Earth, Wind?" Li Fan was deeply shaken.

This azure figure was strikingly similar to the Crimson Flame he had seen in his previous life! Only, the rhythm of the Grand Dao emanating from her was clearly a condensation of the Law of Wind. Even under the Heaven's Gaze and Earth's Listening ability, the immense allure of the Soul of Heaven and Earth instantly eroded Li Fan's mind. Despite the distance of tens of thousands of miles, Li Fan's observational perspective became distorted. His focus, initially on Zhang Haobo, uncontrollably shifted towards the Azure Wind figure.

Within the Celestial Profound Mirror, inside Li Fan's Sea of Consciousness, the Blue Flame Phantom Spirit suddenly awoke. It opened its eyes and gazed distantly in the direction of the Azure Wind figure. His body temperature instantly dropped, as if doused with cold water, and Li Fan's rapidly expanding desire diminished. His mind became exceptionally calm and rational, allowing Li Fan to quietly observe the peculiar scene once more.

After observing the Azure Wind figure for a long time, Li Fan shifted his gaze to the black sword hilt. The overwhelming malevolence almost solidified, forming a twisted black substance that covered the hilt's surface. Below the hilt, a short, broken section of the blade was faintly visible. The black hilt was like a living entity, crashing wildly within the azure cage. From time to time, terrifying roars emanated from it, making the azure light tremble erratically. But no matter how it struggled, it could not break free from the azure cage.

Within the seemingly empty cage, Li Fan faintly perceived terrifying azure currents constantly swirling. The currents moved too fast, exceeding Li Fan's current perceptual limits. Thus, at first glance, the cage appeared calm. However, judging by the occasional azure gleams that drifted across the Cloudy Sea, the power of the storm raging within the cage was unimaginable. The Azure Wind, like a blade, ceaselessly struck the hilt, continuously shredding and annihilating the black malevolent substance. Though this hilt of unknown origin was exceptionally ferocious, under the Azure Wind's prolonged imprisonment and erosion, it gradually became tattered.

"Who would have thought that the wind disaster plaguing the Cloudy Sea was merely an unintended consequence of the struggle between the Soul of Heaven and Earth and a sword hilt?"

"The power of the Dao Integration realm is truly terrifying and awe-inspiring."

"In my previous life, that wind disaster didn't reappear. Perhaps it was because this hilt was completely destroyed? Or..."

"What exactly is the origin of this sword? A mere broken hilt can contend with a Dao Integration realm Soul of Heaven and Earth for so long..."

"If it were complete and at its peak, how powerful would it be?"

These thoughts repeatedly crossed Li Fan's mind.

Afterward, he shifted his gaze to Zhang Haobo.

"Ordinary cultivators are utterly incapable of perceiving the clashes of the Dao Integration realm."

"And they are hidden within this secret space..."

"Although Zhang Haobo is exceptionally gifted, he might be able to sense the wind disaster and roughly locate this space."

"But with just his Qi Cultivation realm cultivation, it's absolutely impossible for him to enter."

"Unless..."

In Li Fan's vision, a layer of brilliant blue light enveloped Zhang Haobo. The greed triggered by the Soul of Heaven and Earth seemed to have no effect on him; Zhang Haobo didn't even look at the Azure Wind figure. Instead, he stared intently at the cage in her hand, observing the struggle between the Azure Wind and the hilt within the cage. And shielded by the blue light, the Azure Wind figure also seemed completely unaware of Zhang Haobo, ignoring his presence and allowing him to perceive it at such close proximity.

"To act like this before reaching the Dao Integration realm is truly playing with fire."

"However, he does have something to rely on."

The familiar blue light continuously flowed, and Li Fan, like Zhang Haobo, observed the conflict between the Azure Wind and the hilt while calmly analyzing.

"With the flow of destiny, Zhang Haobo's luck is constantly increasing. Within this Cloudy Sea, he already has the aura of a 'Child of Destiny.' Everything goes his way; opportunities arrive naturally."

"Too bad..."

"Let's see what his final outcome will be."

"This hidden place, if I relied solely on my own power, I might not discover it even after several reincarnations. But now Zhang Haobo, with his immense destiny, can easily find it."

"The Cloudy Sea alone holds countless opportunities. Looking at the entire cultivation world, how many secrets are there? My efficiency in exploring alone is too low. But if I use various chosen prodigies as my eyes, helping me uncover these treasure grounds one by one."

"In the next life, I will then claim everything useful..."

"Good."

His thoughts slowly subsided, and Li Fan focused all his attention, joining Zhang Haobo to comprehend the struggle between sword and wind. Such an opportunity was truly rare, and Li Fan was unwilling to waste it.

Time slowly slipped by. For cultivators, it was normal for several years to pass during a single seclusion. After an unknown period, Li Fan was startled awake by a sudden burst of blue light from Zhang Haobo. After a series of flashes, Zhang Haobo abruptly departed the mysterious space where the Azure Wind and the hilt resided. Like a meteor, he plunged downwards, crashing into the depths of the ocean. The constantly surging aura from his body was very familiar to Li Fan. It was precisely the sign of a cultivator at the peak of the Qi Cultivation realm about to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Hm?" Li Fan found it a bit strange, because the celestial wonder Zhang Haobo was about to use for his Foundation Establishment was different from what he had expected.

A crisp sword hum suddenly resonated. Like an infant's first cry, yet also like the first ray of morning sun. As soon as this chaotic and nascent will was born, it continuously grew stronger. The sword hum grew clearer and more fervent.

"Clang!"

The sword hum reached its sharpest point, then abruptly vanished. At the same time, within Zhang Haobo's dantian, a hazy, continuously shifting sword shadow suddenly appeared. On the dark seabed, the seawater around Zhang Haobo was instantly repelled, creating a circular, water-free zone. That sword shadow, like a playful and energetic child, stretched itself. Then, it actually flew out of his dantian, soaring and twirling within the empty space around Zhang Haobo. Li Fan saw clearly that this sword shadow had no physical form. Instead, it was very similar to the Blue Flame Phantom Spirit, a purely conscious entity.

"Is this... sword intent?" Li Fan was somewhat shocked. He hadn't expected Zhang Haobo to comprehend sword intent in such a short time, merely by observing the hilt. It was important to note that although Li Fan had also gained some insights, he was nowhere near such an exaggerated level. Li Fan couldn't help but sigh; truly, human talent varied greatly.

But Li Fan also felt a pleasant surprise, because Zhang Haobo was able to use this sword intent as a celestial wonder to establish his Dao Foundation. This precisely proved that Master Yin's theory — "everything in the world can be regarded as an unformed celestial wonder" — was correct. If sword intent could, then *Huanzhen* (Authentic Reality) naturally could too. Moreover, Zhang Haobo's process of establishing his Foundation with invisible sword intent had given Li Fan significant inspiration.

However, establishing the Foundation with *Huanzhen* would be infinitely more difficult than doing so with sword intent. To achieve this goal, Li Fan still had quite a long way to go.