# 468
**Chapter 468 – Sword Qi Tide**
The next morning.
Bragi groggily sat up in bed, squinting at the sunlight streaming through the window. As if suddenly remembering something, he leapt from the bed and rushed to the red mailbox.
He swallowed hard, reached out, and nervously opened the lid...
Inside lay a single letter.
Bragi’s eyes lit up. He pulled it out, and the moment he saw the elegant handwriting at the top, he froze as if struck by lightning.
It was her writing.
No doubt about it.
With trembling hands, he tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter, reading quickly.
> “…My dearest Bragi, I never imagined I’d find your letter under my pillow. I’m so overwhelmed.”
>
> “…I’ll do as you said and burn this letter with yours. If you’re reading this, it must be the greatest miracle in the world…”
>
> “…I’m doing well. After we were separated, I returned to the shattered Asgard and moved back into the little house we built together. Just before writing this, I was watering the garden. You wouldn’t believe how beautiful it is now…”
>
> “…If only I could be by your side again, to hear you sing me one more poem…”
>
> “…I miss you so much.”
>
> “…Waiting for your reply.”
By the time he finished, Bragi was shaking. He clutched the letter tightly, his eyes filled with a joy he’d never known before.
She was alive. And she was okay.
None of his fears had come true.
From now on, even if they couldn’t meet, they could write to each other every day. He could feel her presence. The weight that had hung over his heart finally lifted.
“Hahahaha—!” Bragi burst out of the room, waving the letter overhead. “She wrote back! She wrote back!!”
In the courtyard, Lord Beilei, dozing on the ground, jolted awake.
He glanced at the wildly dancing Bragi, rolled his eyes, and lowered his head again with a mutter:
“Nutcase…”
…
Lin Qiye, brushing his teeth, sensed the commotion in the Asylum of the Gods and smiled faintly.
Just as he’d expected, once Bragi’s emotional knot unraveled, his treatment progress skyrocketed—from 14% to 42%. Breaking the 50% mark was only a matter of time.
With one less worry on his mind, Lin Qiye felt lighter than air.
He stepped into the training ground, where Zhou Ping was already earnestly waxing and polishing the floor…
“Sword Saint… this is a training field. Do we really need to wax it?” Lin Qiye couldn’t help asking.
Zhou Ping glanced at him and shook his head. “If I don’t, you’ll get hurt.”
Lin Qiye blinked, baffled. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t connect waxing with injury.
About ten minutes later, everyone had arrived, and Zhou Ping had finished his monumental waxing job. The entire ground was slick as ice; a single misstep would send anyone sprawling.
“Today, we begin mental-power training,” Zhou Ping said calmly. “Originally, I didn’t want to do this. Cultivating mental power takes time. Forcing it with external aids can backfire if not handled carefully…
But since Ye Fan wants all of you to break into the ‘Sea’ realm in a short time, we have no choice.”
He raised a hand; the black sword-case flew into his grip. A faint hum came from within, and a sharp sword-intent spread through the air.
For some reason, Lin Qiye and the others felt a sudden chill of foreboding.
“When I was in middle school, I realized while washing dishes that sword-qi could be used to rapidly strengthen mental power. I call it the ‘Sword Qi Tide’.” Zhou Ping spoke slowly. “In a moment, I’ll release half a percent of my sword-qi to create a tide in this space.
Refined, dense sword-qi will seep into your minds and temper your spirits. Your task is to stay conscious as long as possible. The longer you endure, the better the effect.”
Baili Pangpang’s face turned pale. “So… we have to withstand your sword-qi until we pass out?”
“Exactly.”
“…Is that safe?”
“I’ll control the intensity. It won’t endanger your lives.” Zhou Ping hugged the sword-case, expressionless. “If you’re ready, I’ll begin.”
The group exchanged glances, nodded, and braced themselves.
“Begin, Sword Saint,” Lin Qiye said.
Zhou Ping tapped the sword-case. A clear sword-cry rang through the warehouse!
**Clang—!!!**
Thousands of invisible sword-qi erupted from Zhou Ping’s body, surging outward like a tidal wave. The instant it struck Lin Qiye and the others, they were flung like twigs in a storm!
They slammed onto the gleaming floor and slid without resistance until their backs hit the warehouse wall.
Lin Qiye felt his mind hammered by a sledgehammer. Darkness swallowed his vision, pain flooding every thought. When he finally clawed back awareness, he was pinned against the wall by roaring sword-qi, unable to move, as if a raging river were crushing his body. Suffocation closed in.
The same happened to the others.
The first to pass out was An Qingyu, lowest in realm. Next came Cao Yuan. Baili Pangpang, relying on his ‘Sea’-level mental power, lasted nearly a minute before collapsing alongside Lin Qiye.
When all four were unconscious, Zhou Ping reined in the sword-qi. Eyes narrowing, he studied the still-conscious Jialan.
She sat against the wall, face pale but composed.
Zhou Ping walked over, scrutinized her, and murmured, “So your Forbidden Ruins isn’t the only reason for your freakish defense. Your mental realm is far beyond what I expected…
Who exactly are you?”