Funiu Mountain, by an unknown cave.
Lin Zhiwei and Lin Chengyun both raised their swords, but upon seeing the snake demon’s sudden movement and the trap beneath them, their hearts skipped a beat.
“Watch out!”
Lin Chengyun forcefully retracted her momentum mid-air, rolling awkwardly to the side, her clothes covered in dust. Fortunately, she didn’t fall into the trap and was temporarily safe.
The python raised its head. Seeing she hadn’t landed in the trap, it turned its head with surprising intelligence, its tail sweeping toward them like a steel whip.
Lin Zhiwei, already lacking experience, had barely dodged the large pit on the ground and hadn’t yet stood up when she was struck squarely by the tail. She grunted and fell into a muddy pit, her sword knocked from her hand and landing on the ground.
The foul-smelling mud instantly enveloped her, completely ruining her pristine, ethereal white-robed appearance.
“Zhiwei! Hold on!”
Seeing her fall in there, with the python still looming above, Lin Chengyun gritted her teeth, pushed off the ground, and leaped up.
Then, gripping her sword hilt in a reverse grip with her right hand, her entire aura surged dramatically.
“Sweeping Sword Style!”
She unleashed one of the Luoshui Sword Sect’s twelve sword arts for outer disciples. Her tall figure dodged left and right as she swept toward the python.
The leopard demon last time was incredibly fast, never giving her a chance to use her sword arts. This time, for some reason, this python, despite its large size, seemed to lack real power, relying only on its hard scales and physical strikes, posing no real threat to her.
“Swirling Sword Style!”
“Piercing Sword Style!”
Determined not to give the python any chance, Lin Chengyun, driven by fierce resolve, continuously executed move after move.
Although the python’s scales were quite hard, the sword in her hand was no ordinary iron. Every strike left a deep gash, causing the python to hiss in pain, writhe violently, yet remain helpless.
“Hsss…!”
Finally, a trace of fear appeared in its oddly human-like eyes. Seizing an opportunity, it raised its head high and lunged its gaping maw at Lin Chengyun, as if seeking mutual destruction.
Seeing this, Lin Chengyun hurriedly raised her sword horizontally to block, channeling her spiritual power to protect her body, abandoning any thought of attack.
Just as it was about to collide with her, the python instantly twisted its body, its massive form burrowing desperately toward the cave.
Its desperate attack was a feint; using the chance to escape was its real goal!
As long as it got back into the cave, where the two couldn’t attack effectively, it would be safe.
“Damn it!”
Watching it about to escape, knowing she couldn’t catch up, Lin Chengyun felt a wave of defeat wash over her.
Not only had she returned empty-handed two days in a row, but it seemed she’d also been tricked by a mere beast. This was hard for her proud nature to accept.
Just as she stood there, sword in hand, breathing heavily from exhaustion, an immense Sword Intent abruptly coalesced.
“Who?”
She was startled, quickly searching for the source, only to find it came from the muddy pit.
That was… Lin Zhiwei?
Her mouth fell open, momentarily finding it hard to believe.
In the mud pit, Lin Zhiwei hung her head, her body trembling slightly, radiating an overwhelming sense of suppression.
“The second time…”
“Lacking in strength, even being toyed with by a demon beast… Lin Zhiwei, Lin Zhiwei…”
She murmured softly, her tone self-mocking.
Both were sword cultivators. Lin Chengyun could beat the python into a sorry state. That mysterious person last time could kill the leopard demon with one sword stroke. Yet she, who thought so highly of herself, could only be trapped in the mud, struggling to even move her limbs.
‘What exactly am I so proud of? Could it be I truly haven’t mastered my studies?’
‘Was my junior sister actually right?’
Especially today’s conflict with her junior sister plunged her deeper into self-doubt.
As she sank deeper into these negative emotions, her body gradually rose from the mud pit into the air. The Sword Intent surrounding her created a near-vacuum, stripping away every trace of mud, and it continued to solidify.
Her sword, which had fallen to the ground, trembled violently. Suddenly, the ordinary iron blade emitted a cold gleam. With a sharp clang, it shot toward the giant snake.
“Hsss…”
Just as the python was about to slip back into the cave, its triangular eyes filled with glee, a flying sword carrying immense Sword Intent instantly pierced its body, tearing it apart in an instant.
After slicing through the giant snake, the sword didn’t stop. It continued its swift flight, embedding itself deep into the cave wall until only the hilt remained.
“Holy… crap…”
Lin Chengyun watched this scene, only able to express her feelings in the most basic way.
This Sword Intent… it was clearly the same one she had sensed from that previous sword stroke!
The lost sword art of the sect, the Hidden Sword Technique!
She had thought it was some senior master, maybe even a surviving elder of her sect. She never imagined it would be this rookie she thought had wasted her talent!
Wait!
She suddenly realized, this girl before her was surnamed Lin… the surname of the Luoshui Sword Sect’s direct disciples!
Could it be…
Lin Chengyun seemed to remember something. Her heart pounded, feeling she had truly stumbled upon a treasure.
“Did I… do that?”
Lin Zhiwei slowly descended from the air, looking at her hands in disbelief.
It felt like sleepwalking just now. She seemed to have been recalling that mysterious person’s sword stroke from last time, and somehow, she had just… used it.
“Zhiwei… where did you learn that?”
Lin Chengyun swallowed hard, suddenly thinking she couldn’t have just invented this move. Who taught her? It couldn’t be Su Xuan, could it?
“It was… a mysterious senior.”
Lin Zhiwei thought for a moment before replying.
This move of hers was completely derived from that person.
Though, she inexplicably felt it was very similar to the move her master had taught her.
‘How could that be? They’re so different.’
Thinking this, she shook her head, finding the notion laughable.
“Oh, that explains it then.”
Hearing this, Lin Chengyun breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t Su Xuan, she had a chance to bring this genius back with her.
Of course, if she could meet that senior, maybe she could make rapid progress too?
“Zhiwei, can you meet that senior again? Could you take me to pay a visit?”
She rarely asked favors, adding somewhat shyly.
Lin Zhiwei shook her head. She wasn’t even sure if she could see him again herself.
“Hummm…”
As the two were talking, a sudden sword hum came from behind them.
They saw the stone wall of the cave begin to flake off piece by piece. Profound fluctuations of the Way of the Sword emanated continuously from the iron sword.
What is this?
Both girls noticed this, their faces filled with astonishment.
Immediately, the Sword Intent, as if alive, slowly spread out, completely enveloping the two of them. Patterns of sword energy emerged, seemingly containing some kind of information.
A great opportunity!
Lin Chengyun instantly understood what was happening before her.
Legend said that when some supreme sword cultivators attained enlightenment, their scattered Sword Intent could form a Sword Domain, lingering in that place. Anyone fortunate enough to discover it had a chance to comprehend a move or two of theirs!
No wonder the power of their sword moves had weakened so much earlier; it was being absorbed to activate this Sword Domain!
She quickly closed her eyes, beginning to carefully perceive it.
Beside her, Lin Zhiwei was somewhat confused. She didn’t know what this was, but she instinctively closed her eyes. She felt these sword patterns were guiding her, etching move after move into her mind.
—
“This should be the place, right?”
Su Xuan followed the memories in his mind, walking along, pushing aside branches until he saw the two girls.
‘Are they doing outdoor yoga here?’
From a distance, unable to sense their auras, he only saw both girls sitting cross-legged, unsure what they were doing.
His confusion didn’t last long before his eyes sharpened.
He saw a blood-red, sinister spiritual entity shaking its head as it stood up. Its form resembled a slender young master, but its body was covered in scales, appearing both human and snake-like.
It glared venomously at the two girls, emitting a “hissing” sound. Its hands formed seals, and strands of blood-red demonic energy coiled and crawled toward the completely defenseless girls!
‘What trouble did they stir up this time?’
Su Xuan, unaware of their recent slaying of the python, instinctively thought his senior disciple had gotten into trouble again.
Seeing them about to be attacked by the spirit and showing no reaction, he was just thinking of a way to save them. Before he could act, he felt the spiritual energy within his body react on its own.
“Roar…”
Green spiritual energy condensed into a bestial form, carrying a sense of greed, and pounced fiercely toward the blood-red spiritual entity!
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.