In the days that followed, Ye Yunfei continued cultivating the Myriad Swords Return to One Great Art according to the new heart technique imparted by the blue-robed man.
He discovered that practicing with this new heart method suddenly accelerated his progress.
Five days later, Ye Yunfei had reached the level of One Hundred Thousand Swords Return to One.
Ten days later, Ye Yunfei achieved the level of One Hundred Fifty Thousand Swords Return to One.
Fifteen days later, he attained the level of Two Hundred Thousand Swords Return to One.
A month later, Ye Yunfei reached the level of Three Hundred Thousand Swords Return to One.
"Alright, your cultivation session ends here. You've already been here for almost two or three months," said the blue-robed man, suddenly appearing just as Ye Yunfei wished to continue training within that room.
Then, with a wave of his sleeve, the blue-robed man teleported away with Ye Yunfei.
In the next moment, they were back in the space within the graves from before, surrounded entirely by dense clusters of tombs.
"I believe your harvest this time should be quite substantial," the blue-robed man remarked with a light laugh, sensing the sword energy emanating from Ye Yunfei's body.
"Many thanks for your guidance, Senior. My Myriad Swords Return to One Great Art has now reached the level of Three Hundred Thousand Swords Return to One," Ye Yunfei promptly replied.
"Demonstrate it for me," the blue-robed man said.
Ye Yunfei immediately unleashed the Myriad Swords Return to One Great Art, slashing out a massive sword beam that directly cleaved through the space ahead. The tyrannical sword energy tore a dark, yawning spatial rift in this small realm, causing the entire space within the graves to tremble faintly.
"Not bad. I wasn't mistaken about your talent in the sword path. With your Myriad Swords Return to One Great Art, you can now easily slay the vast majority of Golden Immortals in the world. Even a Golden Immortal at the 'Nine Returns to True' level likely wouldn't be your match," the blue-robed man nodded, expressing satisfaction as he observed the domineering sword beam Ye Yunfei had released.
"Young man, the Myriad Swords Return to One Great Art you cultivate is the inheritance of my master. In his time, my master once dominated the world with this sword technique," the blue-robed man said softly, as if reminiscing about his master's glorious past.
"Since you cultivate my master's inheritance, you could be considered half a disciple of my master. Now, let me tell you of my master's origins."
"I shall listen with utmost attention, Senior," Ye Yunfei replied, knowing this sudden revelation surely held significance.
"My master hailed from a very special world within the Myriad Realms of the Heavens: the Sword Realm. The Sword Realm is an extremely ancient plane, a world where the sword takes precedence. Its sword-path civilization is highly advanced; most beings within it focus on cultivating the sword path. One could say that most of the powerful sword cultivators across the Myriad Realms emerged from the Sword Realm. My master was a master swordsman within the Sword Realm, ranking approximately within the top ten in swordsmanship there, and was addressed as Lord Jian Shenzi. In his day, my master's fame spread across almost all the Myriad Realms; wherever he went, he was held in awe. Following him, I too experienced a time of great glory."
"But later, everything changed. While traveling abroad, my master was suddenly ambushed and besieged by several mysterious experts of terrifying power. My master fought back desperately but was ultimately shattered, leaving behind only a frail soul body. At the critical moment, using a profoundly profound sword-path inheritance, he forcibly split his soul body into over a dozen parts and fled separately. I followed one of my master's soul body clones as we escaped to this stretch of spacetime, where we then found a place to live in seclusion."
The blue-robed man slowly narrated all this.
"Senior, does that mean one of your master's soul body clones resides within this Sword Grave?" Ye Yunfei asked after hearing him.
"My master did have one soul body clone living in seclusion here, but two hundred years ago, he left. He has not returned to this day. Before departing, my master ordered me to remain guarding this Sword Grave. I do not know where he is now," the blue-robed man sighed softly.
"Senior, I think your master might have gone to seek revenge," Ye Yunfei said.
"Yes, my master left primarily to investigate the identities of those old enemies. Once he clarifies matters, he will surely seek vengeance. However, two hundred years have passed, and I don't know his current situation. Moreover, when my master left, he was only a soul body clone. To take revenge on those mysterious experts, he would certainly need to retrieve all his other soul body fragments first, only then possessing the power for vengeance."
The blue-robed man's tone carried a trace of worry.
"Before leaving, my master instructed me that if I discovered any promising sword-path seedlings within this stretch of spacetime, I could nurture them. That is why, when you entered this place and displayed your sword-path talent all those years ago, I imparted my master's Myriad Swords Return to One Great Art to you," the blue-robed man continued.
"So that's how it is," Ye Yunfei finally understood why this blue-robed elder had been so kind to him and taught him such an advanced sword art.
"However, you must remember: in cultivation, a master leads you through the door; cultivation itself depends on the individual. Your sword-path talent is excellent, and you now possess a certain level of swordsmanship, but it is far from enough. You must invest more time and effort into practicing sword techniques, striving to ascend to greater heights."
The blue-robed man looked at Ye Yunfei with expectant eyes.
"Rest assured, Senior. I will not fail your diligent guidance. I will cultivate the sword arts diligently from now on," Ye Yunfei replied immediately.
"Good. You may leave now. Given your current strength, traveling and venturing into other realms beyond is an excellent choice," the blue-robed man nodded, satisfied with Ye Yunfei's attitude.
"Very well, Senior, I take my leave," Ye Yunfei said respectfully.
Not long after, Ye Yunfei left the Sword Grave and returned to the Chaotic Void of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
"It's time for me to depart. I should first return to Tianpo Realm and have a look," Ye Yunfei murmured, surveying the vast, misty Chaotic Void before him.
He then took out his Spatial Teleportation Token and teleported towards Tianpo Realm.
"I should go see those friends from the Giant Clan."
Catching sight of a distant, massive planet, Ye Yunfei felt a stirring in his heart and spoke softly.
That colossal planet was inhabited by a race of towering stature: the Giant Clan. Back when Ye Yunfei first entered Tianpo Realm, he had formed a bond with them, though later he rarely saw them again. Now, passing by Giant Star on a whim, he decided to visit.
Ye Yunfei flashed away and soon arrived on Giant Star.
He landed on the planet's vast earth.
"It's Young Master Ye! Young Master Ye has returned to see us!"
Sensing Ye Yunfei's aura, the experts of the Giant Clan became excited. They thundered across the land, rushing towards his location.
Soon, one towering giant after another charged to Ye Yunfei's front like moving mountains. The entire ground shook violently, dust billowing skyward.
"Young Master Ye, why haven't you come back to see us for so long? We've missed you terribly!"
As soon as they saw Ye Yunfei, several Giant Clan experts complained, their massive figures stepping forward to clap Ye Yunfei on the shoulder with immense warmth.
Each of these giants stood tall and mighty. Sincere in nature, they were exceptionally warm to friends, even to the point of giving their all.
"But I have come back to see you now," Ye Yunfei said with a smile, looking at these enthusiastic giants welcoming him.
"Alright, everyone, stop complaining. Young Master Ye is a dragon among men; he's very busy, not like us big fellows idling all day. For him to take time amidst his busy schedule to visit shows he's been thinking of us all along," an older Elder bellowed, his voice rumbling like thunder across the earth.
"By my order, prepare a feast immediately! We shall feast magnificently to welcome Young Master Ye! Bring out all our clan's precious collections from over the years! Especially all that fine wine we've brewed!" the Giant Clan's Chief ordered loudly.
Not long after, a grand banquet commenced. The Chief personally led a large group of high-ranking members to accompany Ye Yunfei, each of them constantly raising their cups to toast him. The wine on the tables was all precious brew meticulously crafted by the Giant Clan, now flowing as if free, continuously served and poured into cups.
For Ye Yunfei's physical body, no amount of alcohol could cause the slightest intoxication. His physique was already comparable to a Golden Immortal-level magical treasure; forget wine, even the various potent poisons in the world could do no harm.
"Young Master Ye, are you truly leaving this stretch of spacetime to venture into others?"
During the feast, when Ye Yunfei mentioned his intention to leave, the Giant Clan's high-ranking members were all astonished and inquired repeatedly.
"Yes, I will be departing from this spacetime soon," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"With Young Master Ye's current strength, you certainly qualify to venture into other realms. We cannot do the same. Compared to you, we are far too weak," one Giant Clan Elder lamented.
Indeed, the overall strength of the Giant Clan was insignificant compared to Ye Yunfei's current level of power. He could likely annihilate large numbers of them with a casual flick of his hand.
"By the way, Young Master Ye, when you go to other realms outside, could you keep an eye out for us? Our Giant Clan surely has other kin out there, because our clan actually drifted here from outside realms. Our ancestors are said to be the legendary Giant Spirit God! In ancient times, our ancestors lived in a highly advanced world. Later, they multiplied and branched out. Our particular branch ended up drifting and settling in this stretch of spacetime for reasons unknown. We've always wanted to seek out that advanced world where our ancestors lived in antiquity, but sadly, our clan's power is too weak; we simply lack the ability to leave and explore other realms."
The Chief suddenly spoke.
"Oh? Your ancestors were the legendary Giant Spirit God? Does that mean your clan's progenitor was a... Deity?" Ye Yunfei asked, surprised.
Giant Spirit God — that title suggested it could very well be a Deity.
"According to our clan's legends, our ancient ancestor was indeed the legendary Giant Spirit God, but whether it was a Deity or not, we don't actually know," the Chief answered.
Most of these Giant Clan elites were at the Heavenly Emperor Realm, with the strongest two merely being Mysterious Immortals. For them, Deities were far too remote; they simply didn't know what level of experts Deities were, the concept being very vague.
"Alright then. When I go out, I'll keep an eye out for information regarding the Giant Clan," Ye Yunfei nodded.
"Young Master Ye, I shall imprint the most ancient inheritance mark of our clan into your soul sea. In the future, if you encounter members of our Giant Clan in other realms, showing this mark will make them instantly recognize you as a friend of our clan," the Chief said.
"Very well," Ye Yunfei nodded.
The Chief then pointed a finger, sending a mysterious rune into Ye Yunfei's soul sea, where it settled in a corner.
After the banquet ended, Ye Yunfei bid farewell to the Giant Clan leaders and left Giant Star.
Soon, Ye Yunfei returned to the small mountain hamlet in Tianpo Realm where Mr. Liu resided. The hamlet appeared as tranquil and peaceful as ever. With Mr. Liu personally presiding here, this place was likely one of the safest and most serene locations within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.
Returning to the hamlet, Ye Yunfei first entered the Small World within it to spend a period of peaceful days with his parents and family. During this time, he emerged a few times to seek Mr. Liu, inquiring about the general situation of the world outside.
The information Mr. Liu provided roughly matched what Ye Yunfei had previously learned from the white-robed man surnamed Meng. Outside existed many world clusters similar to the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. The vaster space beyond the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds was called the Chaotic Void Sea. The Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds were, in fact, a component part of this Chaotic Void Sea. Within the Chaotic Void Sea, there were seven relatively powerful core world clusters, referred to as the Seven Core World Clusters.
Generally speaking, these Seven Core World Clusters housed the greatest number of Demigod-level experts. Of course, besides these seven, there were other ancient and powerful world clusters as well, such as the Dark World Cluster. Although not one of the Seven Core World Clusters, the Dark World Cluster's true power was formidable. Some even rumored that its actual strength might even surpass the seven.
"Mr. Liu, which world cluster did you originally come from?" Ye Yunfei suddenly asked curiously.
"My origins are best kept undisclosed for now, as knowing them would only bring you harm, not benefit. Rest assured, you will inevitably learn in time," Mr. Liu shook his head.
Hearing this, Ye Yunfei dared not inquire further.
Unknowingly, another month passed.
After that month, Ye Yunfei officially bid farewell to his parents, family, and Mr. Liu, deciding to truly leave this stretch of spacetime to venture into the realms beyond.
"Fei'er, you must be careful. No matter what you encounter, remember safety comes first. You must return to see us safely," Miao Ziqiong held Ye Yunfei's hand, urging him over and over before his departure.
"Mother, rest assured, I will be careful," Ye Yunfei repeatedly nodded in response.
Then, Ye Yunfei left the mountain hamlet.
"Who knows when I'll return again?"
Arriving at the edge of the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds, Ye Yunfei turned back to gaze upon their vast expanse and murmured.
In his previous life, Ye Yunfei's activities were confined within the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds. So far in this life, his range remained the same. More importantly, his parents, family, and a great many people he cared about were also within this spacetime. For Ye Yunfei, this place was his homeland, his roots!
Suddenly having to leave, Ye Yunfei couldn't help but feel a twinge of reluctance.
Nevertheless, he soon turned and flew towards the Chaotic Void beyond the Three Thousand Major and Minor Worlds.