This was exactly one of the twin swords she and Chad Sullivan had specially chosen at the best weapon shop in the city when they broke through to the third level of Qi Refining—the Xueshuang Sword, which carried a token of their affection.

After unfastening the sword, she immediately drew it and called out to the blade, “Come out, Little Grace, this is the Little Chad I told you about. Don’t be shy, come out and say hello.”

“Little Grace... Emily, what are you doing, why are you talking to a sword?” Chad Sullivan looked at Emily Thompson’s strange actions, momentarily unable to react.

Emily Thompson shot him a glare, ignored him, and continued speaking to the Xueshuang Sword in her hand: “Be good, Grace, be good. I know Grace is always the most obedient. Come on out.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the Xueshuang Sword finally showed a slight reaction. A faint blue glow appeared on the blade, and as soon as the light emerged, a surge of energy clearly surpassing the level of true qi instantly radiated from the sword. The originally drowsy Chad Sullivan, lulled by the southern breeze, was suddenly invigorated. The true qi in his body, which had stagnated at the peak of the third level of Qi Refining, rapidly condensed after absorbing the overflowing spiritual energy, vaguely forming a qi vortex and showing signs of advancing to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

The blue glow rendered the entire Xueshuang Sword as lustrous as jade, truly extraordinary. After a moment, the blue light suddenly condensed beside the sword, instantly transforming into a palm-sized “person.”

This little “person” was completely shrouded in that layer of light, making it impossible to see clearly, but one could vaguely discern a young girl whose appearance and attire closely resembled Emily Thompson. An incredibly pure energy fluctuation spread invisibly from her, and under its influence, Chad Sullivan felt a strange sensation as if he were being reborn. The vortex of qi in his body, which was about to condense, was completely formed under the effect of this energy.

Unknowingly, he had officially stepped into the fourth level of Qi Refining.

At the third level of Qi Refining, one’s true qi must be cultivated day and night to continually strengthen it. If one stops cultivating for a period, the true qi will gradually dissipate, causing a direct drop from the third to the second or even the first level, or even a complete loss of qi sense.

Once the fourth level is reached, the true qi in the body forms a vortex that rotates autonomously, continuously generating true qi, enough to sustain daily consumption. Unless one experiences an intense battle, there is no danger of true qi depletion, nor any worry about regression due to neglecting cultivation for too long.

After emerging from the Xueshuang Sword, the little “person” floated in the air, shyly fiddling with the hem of her clothes. After a moment, she performed a graceful salute in midair to Chad Sullivan: “Lily greets Mr. Sullivan.”

“Grace, that’s not right, it’s Grace, Grace Thompson! And the address—call him Little Chad, not some young master or lord. Isn’t Little Chad much better? Calling him Mr. Sullivan is so awkward.”

“But my name was given by Sister Harris, it can’t be changed.”

“Lily doesn’t sound nice, Grace Thompson is much better. Come on, Grace, be good, greet him again.”

The little “person” seemed a bit dazed, and after hearing Emily Thompson’s words, she responded with an “oh” and corrected herself: “It’s Little Chad.”

“That’s right. Little Chad, come, say hello to Little Grace.”

Seeing this strange lifeform made entirely of energy, Chad Sullivan felt a sense of novelty: “This is...”

“This is Grace, I gave her the name. How is it, sounds nice, right?”

Chad Sullivan nodded: “Grace Thompson, it’s very... Grace Thompson... Grace...” As he muttered to himself, it was as if he suddenly remembered something. He froze, then opened his mouth wide, staring in disbelief at the energy-formed Grace Thompson, and began to stammer: “Grace... Grace...”

Grace Thompson seemed startled by his expression, let out a cry, and instantly turned into a streak of blue light, merging back into the sword and disappearing.

As soon as she left, the dense energies that had filled the clearing gradually dissipated as well.

“Oh no, Little Grace, why did you run away?” Emily Thompson quickly called to the Xueshuang Sword: “Little Grace, Little Grace, come out...”

“Grace Thompson... Grace... sword spirit... she’s a sword spirit...” Only now did Chad Sullivan finally stammer out what he wanted to say, but as soon as he finished, he was startled himself.

A sword spirit!

That was an essential item for spiritual awakening.

Anyone who could bind a sword spirit and successfully awaken it, relying on the overwhelming spiritual energy carried by the sword spirit itself, could usually break through to the Nascent Soul stage and become a swordmaster admired by all on the continent. It could be said that as long as one could cross the threshold of the Innate Realm, a sword spirit was equivalent to a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse, equivalent to a sword dao master.

But just now, he had actually seen a sword spirit, and it was in Emily Thompson’s ordinary Xueshuang Sword.

Suppressing the tremor in his heart caused by excitement, Chad Sullivan asked nervously, “Emily, that... Little Grace, she, she’s not angry, is she?”

Emily Thompson gave him a slightly reproachful look and pouted, “You scared Little Grace. Now it seems she’s gone home.”

“Gone home...?”

“Yes, she’s gone home.”