Seeing that Li Ming had withdrawn his imposing aura, Dugu Yijian finally breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of seriousness flashing in his eyes:

"I have practiced swordsmanship for a hundred years and have only been able to glimpse the first or second level of the Martial God Realm, while young friend Li's strength grows stronger day by day, which truly fills me with admiration..."

This wasn't the first time he'd seen Li Ming, but the previous times he'd only observed him from afar, never getting this close as he was now.

Upon closer inspection, Li Ming's restrained yet imposing aura made him take notice.

Under his focused perception, he felt as if the other party was shrouded in thick fog, making it impossible to discern their depth or reality.

In a daze, he seemed to see the sun, moon, and stars, the starry sky turning, the appearance of a great emperor, but in the next instant, he seemed to be an ordinary mortal with no cultivation.

"If he can't become a Martial God or a Great Emperor, then who else in this world can..."

This is Dugu Yijian's genuine thought.

He wasn't the kind of person to flatter or fawn; he spoke with utmost sincerity.

Hearing such praise, even Li Ming, who considered himself a shameless person, felt a little embarrassed.

After all, there are always people who flatter, but it made him a little conceited when a "good guy" with such power flattered him.

However, Li Ming quickly recovered, his smile fading, and he said seriously:

"Senior Dugu, you flatter me. Not to mention how many talented people there are in the Xuanhuang Realm, the Eastern Region alone has a divine dynasty in charge, as well as many holy lands and the lineage of the Great Emperor."

He survived the great tribulation of heaven and man, and his physique, true essence, and Dao principles all reached a new level, naturally giving him a greater understanding of this world.

He has a cheat code that allows him to defy fate.

But who knows, maybe other 'protagonists' will defy fate and change their destiny, perhaps with the guidance of an old man at the Great Emperor level, or some kind of innate treasure...

He had a premonition that there were many experts in this world, and that some of the powerful enemies he would face next would probably not be as easy to deal with as they were now.

"By the way, I wonder what the current situation is between Da Xuan and Da Yan?"

Li Ming asked curiously.

This world is unlike the mortal wars of my previous life, which often lasted for years or even more than a decade.

Martial artists possess strong bodies and various supernatural abilities and secret techniques; they are often astonishing when they move, unless they are completely still.

Could it be that the Great Yan has already surrendered in just these few days?

This is not impossible.

Dugu Yijian pondered for a moment before speaking:

"In recent days, due to the deaths of the Great Yan King and the Grand Preceptor, as well as the tragic deaths of many experts from the Heavenly God Sect, among the various royal courts, the Tuoba Royal Court was the first to be destroyed without the protection of divine weapons. After that, I had the Dugu family submit to the Great Xuan and did not resist."

"That Great Xuan Jiang Yuanba, leading a Dao soldier, used the power of the divine weapon to chase Murong Wangting for thousands of miles."

"The King of Liangzhou of Da Xuan led his troops to besiege the capital of Da Yan, but because of the city's protective formation, he was unable to capture it in a short time."

Hearing that Da Xuan was advancing with unstoppable momentum, Li Ming was not surprised.

After all, he had dealt with the two most troublesome people, so most of the reclusive celestial beings and monsters would not dare to make any rash moves.

The nation's fortunes were in decline, it lost its divine mandate, the Heavenly God Cult was nearly destroyed, and it lost the hearts of the people.

Thinking of this, Li Ming felt that he had done everything he could to be kind and righteous.

"Then, Senior Dugu, what business do you have with me?"

No matter how confident he is, he could never believe that the other party came specifically to flatter him.

Hearing that Li Ming was straightforward and didn't beat around the bush, Dugu Yijian didn't bother to conceal his intentions any longer. A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice:

"I wish to discuss swordsmanship with you, young friend, to help me ascend to the realm of Sword God."

"If you agree, young friend, I will definitely owe you a great favor. I swear on my sword heart that I have no other intentions."

Upon hearing Dugu Yijian's words, Li Ming's eyelids twitched; he could sense that the other party was not joking.

A martial god is a powerful being who forges a divine body, bearing the power of the Great Dao. Their primordial spirit can travel thousands of miles, they are immortal and indestructible, and their inner world transforms into a grotto-heaven. With every gesture, they possess supreme power.

Putting all that aside...

The realm of Martial God is the dividing line between humans and gods. Even for a Celestial Martial Saint, surviving the Celestial Tribulation and living for a thousand years is no easy feat.

After reaching the Martial God Realm, a martial artist's lifespan can reach ten thousand years, allowing them to witness the changing times and the rise and fall of dynasties.

In most places, a sect with a martial god in charge can be considered a celestial sect or a divine sect.

These powerful figures are mostly senior elders or patriarchs of sects. Even if they go to holy lands, they are at least inner sect elders with considerable influence.

Unexpectedly, the Sword Saint Dugu has already reached this point.

However, if it is a sword competition, and one wants to challenge the God of Martial Arts, one must verify what one has learned and trigger the Heavenly Dao.

They won't hold back then, so this is an extremely dangerous situation.

Especially since the opponent is about to become a Sword God, his swordsmanship is obviously astonishing and beyond the reach of ordinary people.

It's likely that Dugu Yijian has approached quite a few people, but there are very few who meet the requirements, and given the danger involved, most likely no one agreed.

However, Li Ming was not afraid; on the contrary, he became interested.

He doesn't necessarily gain life power by killing or seriously injuring others.

If he could help the other party ascend to the Martial God realm, he would definitely gain a huge amount of life energy.

You can also gain a huge favor from the other party, so why not?

Of course, most importantly, he had already read the other party's entry and had some understanding of their personality.

Simply put, he's a pure sword fanatic.

Such people are passionate about the sword and don't distinguish much between good and evil.

You can say he's heartless and ruthless, unable to distinguish between good and evil, or you can say he's a man of his word, consistent inside and out.

Thinking of this, Li Ming nodded and agreed immediately:

"It is my honor to help you break through to the Martial God realm, senior. However, I would like to return to the Great Xuan realm. I wonder if you would like to come with me?"

"When I break through to the Martial God realm in the Great Xuan realm, it should be fine, right?"

Upon hearing Li Ming's agreement, Dugu Yijian naturally disregarded everything else and quickly replied:

"It's alright, it's alright... as long as you agree, young friend."

He would be satisfied if Li Mingneng agreed.

...

Daxuan.

Cangzhou City.

A swordsman in blue robes sat in a private room of a restaurant, sighing softly:

"Luckily we arrived early. This sword competition has attracted a lot of people; Cangzhou City is almost overflowing..."

Recently, there have been many martial artists coming and going in Cangzhou City.

All the inns were full, and many houses were packed with people.

The reason is that Li Ming has returned and wants to have a duel with Dugu Jiansheng.

Upon hearing this, the other man in white laughed and said:

"It's not surprising that the number one swordsman in the world would want to challenge the peerless sword saint. It would attract the attention of the whole world."

Li Ming single-handedly destroyed the Heavenly God Cult.

It has already spread throughout Da Xuan, exciting the hearts of countless martial artists.

Many people lamented that they hadn't witnessed it firsthand, even at the cost of their lives, because they felt they could have died without regrets if they had just seen such a battle of epic proportions.

Some even rumored that the Great Yan National Preceptor, aided by the nation's fortune, had already reached the level of a Martial God, and that Li Ming's victory must mean he had already ascended to that level.

For martial artists at lower levels, all they know is that above Martial Saint is Martial God.

However, they only had a vague understanding of what kind of power Li Ming possessed, so they could only speculate about his strength.

He quelled the chaos in Northern Liang, destroyed the Blood God Cult, and beheaded the Grand Preceptor of Great Yan...

For a time, Li Ming's reputation reached its peak.

In Cangzhou, where he was born, countless martial artists took him as their role model and revered him as a god.

It is no exaggeration to say that if Li Ming were to rebel, a considerable number of people would genuinely want to follow him.