Time flies, step into the unrestrained

Time in the martial world passed quietly yet meaningfully. Six years had gone by since Li Hao and Lu Lang settled in the Eastern Martial World.

And in those six years, change had come—comprehensive and profound.

Lu Lang, once a third-rate martial artist with no standing in the world, had grown. This past year alone, she broke through from the peak of the Master Realm into the Transcendent Realm.

Now, she stood at its peak—her foundation perfect and steady. But her greatest achievement wasn't merely her cultivation realm.

She had sensed the Profound White Spiritual Power—a sign of immense spiritual depth. That alone pushed her reserves to a whole new level.

At the summit of a tall mountain, she stood in silence, her robes fluttering in the wind. Behind her, sitting in quiet meditation, was the young man who changed her fate—Li Hao.

All of his focus was directed inward.

Li Hao was in the midst of a breakthrough. His spiritual power surged like a dragon, rushing through the spirit river in his body. It spiraled into his inner core, pushing it to expand—slowly, steadily.

And then—boom.

His spiritual power erupted, and the inner core expanded in full, reaching a new threshold. He opened his eyes.

"It's been six years," Li Hao thought. "And I've now stepped into the Third Turn, Eighth Level."

He was now equal to a Void Realm cultivator at the Proficiency Stage—just two small steps away from the Heaven's Master Realm.

And in terms of martial comprehension, he had long reached the Willful Realm.

Li Hao stood at the mountain's edge, gazing toward the horizon. The golden sun hovered in the sky. His lips curled into a faint smile.

"The sun rises in the east and sets in the west… Rising Sun Sword Art."

He drew out a wooden sword—humble in appearance, but it shimmered with refined sword intent.

Golden.

It gleamed like the morning sun, warm yet blinding. Li Hao raised it to waist level, the tip pointing skyward.

"My sword intent…" he murmured, "is now at the Proficiency Mid Stage. And it's of Enlightened quality."

He inhaled slowly and closed his eyes, attuning himself to the spiritual power of heaven and earth. When he opened them, his eyes shone like stars.

"Rising Sun Sword Art—Sun Dance!"

With a step forward, he unleashed a sharp thrust—shouting into the sky.

Then came two sweeping slashes, one vertical and one diagonal, releasing waves of golden sword energy that rippled through the air.

He watched the radiant energy fade, satisfaction in his heart.

"My sword art has reached perfection… Now, I can focus fully on breaking through my realm."

Lu Lang watched from the side, eyes filled with awe. She still didn't know how strong her master truly was—but in these six years, he had never stopped growing.

No matter how far she climbed, he always rose higher. She once believed that such advancement took decades, but Li Hao broke that belief with each year, each step.

> Name: Lu Lang

Age: 14

Realm: Transcendent Peak

Relations: Lu Family, Li Hao (First Disciple)

Though she was only one year younger than him, she had lost count of how many realms he had passed in that short time.

Li Hao, unaware of her thoughts, reflected on a memory from five years ago—his tenth birthday, when the system had rewarded him.

He had received a sword—one born from the essence of the sun.

> [Heavenly Sun Sword – A blade born from the Sun's essence. Child of the Sun. Legendary Quality.]

Li Hao took it out.

It gleamed with divine heat, fitting perfectly in his hand.

The blade was 0.63 meters—shorter than his 1.62-meter frame—but it felt weightless, perfect for his techniques.

Just then, Lu Lang approached, bowing slightly.

"Master," she said, "there's a genius competition happening a month from now."

Li Hao didn't look away from his sword. "Hmm… do you want to attend?"

Lu Lang nodded. "Yes. It's been six years since I began training. I've never truly fought anyone outside of our training sessions."

"You're too strong for me, Master. Even during practice, I can't land a single hit."

Li Hao chuckled softly. "Very well. You may participate."

He turned his gaze toward her and added, "But remember—if you come back with anything less than first place, you know the punishment."

"Yes, Master!" she said with a playful salute before vanishing like the wind.

Li Hao smiled faintly as he looked at the rising sun once again.

"She's grown… I'll see just how much progress she's made."

With a shimmer of golden light, Li Hao disappeared from the mountain's edge, leaving the peak silent behind him.

A month passed, and the long-awaited competition had finally arrived—the once-in-a-century battle for the title of Eastern Martial King, a title recognized within five thousand miles of the Eastern Martial World.

At the center of the host city stood a grand arena—an enormous stadium capable of holding over three million spectators. Around it, four others of equal size were spread throughout the region. Each hosted one of the tournament divisions.

From each arena, the top eight contestants would advance to the final stage in the central arena, where the best of the best would face off.

In the middle arena, Li Hao sat near the back among the vast crowd. The stadium, with its towering walls and massive radius, was filled with noise and excitement. Divided into sectors by social status and affiliation, it buzzed with anticipation.

At the top stood ten floating platforms reserved for the most powerful forces and sects—but only a few had shown up. The truly dominant clans were already ranked and saw no need to attend unless they wished to climb even higher.

These elite forces had produced the 23 Heavenly Sons—geniuses considered invincible, each one capable of shaking the entire Eastern City.

The tournament had a strict format: each of the five arenas would host 256 participants, with daily matches narrowing the field. It was a brutal process that took days to complete, befitting a tournament held only once every hundred years.

Li Hao glanced at the projection in the air, displaying the fight list. The first match of the day: Lu Lang vs. De Su Hong—a promising genius from one of the top younger generations.

From afar, Li Hao silently watched as Lu Lang's number was called.

She stepped forward calmly, her steps firm and composed. Opposite her, De Su Hong, with a cold expression and saber in hand, stepped into the ring.

Lu Lang glanced at him. "My first real battle… I won't disappoint you, Master."

As the referee's hand dropped, signaling the start, De Su Hong's saber flashed. With three rapid steps, he slashed forward, his saber intent rising like a sharp wind.

Lu Lang responded instantly. Drawing her sword, she unleashed a full-powered downward slash, wrapped in pure sword intent.

The clash was fierce—sword and saber intent sparked violently. But it was clear.

Her sword intent was sharper, purer.

Her blade sliced through his saber aura, splitting it in half and grazing De Su Hong's neck. It was shallow—non-lethal—but enough to declare victory.

She sheathed her sword and turned away, silent.

From the shadows of the crowd, Li Hao nodded slightly.

"This little girl… she's come a long way from our first training match six years ago. But…" He paused, vanishing from the scene. "She's still far from the level of a true Willful Realm master."

The days passed.

Lu Lang continued to battle through the tournament, each time stepping onto the stage with grace and unshakable focus.

The age limit for competitors ranged from 15 to 40, making the competition fierce. Most contestants were at the Transcendent Peak, while the top contenders had reached the Proficiency – Unrestrained Realm.

Now, the final qualifying match approached.

Lu Lang vs. Zhuo Ji-Hu.

A name that struck fear into many—Zhuo Ji-Hu was a top-tier genius from one of the great sects. He had reached the Unrestrained Realm (Entry Stage) and possessed power that exceeded even that level by 10%.

Li Hao, again seated far away, watched silently as the battle began. He raised his eyes to a distant platform—there stood a middle-aged man with immense presence.

Void Realm Peak.

That man's aura alone proved that Zhuo Ji-Hu had backing from one of the supreme powers.

The match began.

Lu Lang unsheathed her sword and, with one smooth step, launched her attack.

"Heavenly Blossom Sword Art – Gentle Flow, Flowing Blossoms."

Three slashes arced toward Zhuo Ji-Hu—each precise, aimed at vital points, including his head.

Zhuo Ji-Hu scoffed, deflecting the strikes with ease. His second sword whipped out, shooting sword intent toward Lu Lang like a sharp arrow.

She countered instantly.

"Heavenly Blossom Sword Art – Sword of Light."

The blade glowed, blocking the intent just in time. Without delay, she stepped forward once more.

"Heavenly Blossom Sword Art – Heaven Blooming Thrust!"

A beam of sword light exploded from her thrust, streaking through the air toward Zhuo Ji-Hu.

He swatted it away with a casual horizontal slash, then leapt into the sky.

"Little girl," he said, voice cold and calm, "your technique is good. But your realm is far too lacking."

With that, he dove—sword raised high, killing intent surging. His vertical slash came at terrifying speed.

Lu Lang barely reacted in time. Her body instinctively moved—reflexes forged through years of fighting Li Hao. She dodged and slid four feet away as Zhuo Ji-Hu's sword carved a six-meter gouge into the stage.

She gritted her teeth.

"He's too strong… I can't win like this unless I break through—just like Master."

She remembered Li Hao's words: breakthroughs weren't always about cultivation; sometimes, it was about understanding.

Her swordsmanship was only at the Small Success level—not yet enough to reach mastery. But perhaps…

"If I can evolve my sword intent… I can close the gap!"

She closed her eyes.

The world faded.

There was no arena, no crowd. Only her sword, her breath, and the echoes of Li Hao's teachings.