X-Dragon Era

Although there was no breakthrough in realm, and the qualitative change in energy wasn't too significant, having more energy allowed more to be accomplished, and its might naturally became greater.

For instance, in the past, if Xin Yun exerted himself fully, it would take at least ten minutes to cover a radius of a hundred miles with clouds, create a Cloud Whirl, and then accumulate Thunderbolt Force.

But now, if Xin Yun gave it his all, within just a few seconds, the entire radius of ten thousand miles could be blanketed with clouds, which would start rotating and rapidly charge up with Thunderbolt Force!

That's right, the controllable range had widened, the total amount of energy manageable had increased. Although the manipulated elements were still the same, their power had multiplied many times over.

In the past, when Xin Yun wanted dark clouds to cover the sky, the speed at which the cloud curtain was drawn was extremely slow—it always took some time to completely block out the heavens.

But now, that cloud curtain could move no slower than pulling a window curtain. With a swift whoosh, within three seconds back and forth, a once clear sky would be shrouded entirely in dark clouds. This was the effect of energy.

Furthermore, Xin Yun's Thunderbolts—while their voltage and current intensity remained unchanged—the sheer volume had undergone a transformation. Any random Thunderbolt was now an earth-shaking monstrosity. Just imagine... if two bolts had identical voltage and current: one as thin as chopsticks, the other a hundred meters thick, which do you believe would wreak more havoc?

That's right, the first might be able to smash a lead ball to pieces, but the latter could destroy an entire mountain! This was the utility of energy. It's hard to explain in a single phrase, but the difference was colossal.

Opening his eyes, Xin Yun couldn't help but glance toward the Four Great Sword Souls around him. Up to this point, they had also cultivated to the level of Diamond Ten Stars, yet... they were still stuck at the initial stage. To reach Xin Yun's current realm, who knew how many millennia of accumulation it would take.

At this point, Xin Yun no longer valued the energy within the Four Great Sword Souls. To him, it was but a drop in the ocean, no longer necessary for absorption.

Of course, Xin Yun's energy wasn't full either—it had only reached the Pinnacle Realm. Beyond the Pinnacle was an infinite realm. If Xin Yun's energy level now were 100, then at its limit, it would be no less than 100 billion.

Gazing at the Four Great Sword Souls, Xin Yun's eyes flickered sharply. It had already been eighty-one days; meaning... this round of the competition still wasn't over!

In the current Diamond Tournament, the top six places had already been secured by the Sky-opening Sect. There were still four slots remaining. If the remaining four Diamond Fruits could also be obtained, then who knew... could the Four Great Sword Souls absorb them?

The Four Great Sword Souls were based on the four souls of the Sky-opening Axe, using fragments of Xin Yun's soul as the core. They were essentially extensions of Xin Yun himself, a fusion of human spirit and Artifact Spirit. They were one entity with Xin Yun and represented his intrinsic strength. If their abilities could also be elevated, it would be of immense help to Xin Yun.

With this thought in mind, Xin Yun saw no reason to hesitate. He immediately took action, directly deploying the Four Great Sword Souls to participate in the Diamond Tournament. Those remaining four Diamond Fruits were as good as secured.

Although the Four Great Sword Souls were only at the initial stage of Diamond Ten Stars, their sheer collection of treasures was unmatched! They brought along the Fiery Sun Shuttle, the Sky-measuring Ruler, and even the Meridian Cosmic Light Disk. If they still lost, Xin Yun wouldn't mind intervening himself—using brute force to seize them. With the Tai Chi Diagram in hand, who could possibly escape?

After sending off the Four Sword Souls, Xin Yun returned to the main hall of the sect headquarters. By this point, the banking system plan had already extended across the entire continent. The collected Gold had allowed the Sky-opening Axe to be repaired up to the eighth layer, with the ninth not far off.

After arranging everything, Xin Yun returned once more to the Heavenly River Abyss, entering closed-door cultivation to refine artifacts. Time passed slowly, until at last... four years later, the Four Great Sword Souls had successfully secured victory in the final four rounds of the competition. After consuming the Diamond Fruits, four more Diamond Peak-level experts were born! However... due to the lack of Spiritual Energy, processing the four Diamond Fruits took the Four Great Sword Souls nearly ten years! This alone showed how vast the gap was between the initial stage and the Pinnacle Realm.

Looking at the Four Great Sword Souls, Xin Yun still made no attempt to extract their energy. What came next... Xin Yun's plan was to let the Four Great Sword Souls enter the Illusionary Realm for a trial. If these four could also reach the Dragon King rank, it would truly be insane!

Bear in mind, there were only nine positions in the Dragon King rank. If things went this way, Xin Yun himself would have one, and with the Four Great Sword Souls included, that would be five, occupying over half the slots. Add a few companions, and they'd practically monopolize the entire Dragon King rank!

However, although the time for the Illusionary Realm's opening was drawing closer, Xin Yun only had vague memories of its timing. Therefore... there was no choice but to wait. As for how many years they'd need to wait, nobody could say for sure. In fact... even in his previous life, no one knew the exact day the Illusionary Realm would open.

As time passed quietly, Xin Yun and his group remained in secluded cultivation. Then one day, while Xin Yun was deep in intense meditation, the world suddenly began to quake and tremble violently.

Feeling the tremors and shaking of the heavens and earth, Xin Yun's eyes snapped open. Without a second thought... he immediately activated the Tai Chi Diagram. After a rapid spatial fold, he appeared in the sky beside Mount Buzhou.