“Little girl, for someone who looks so cold and aloof, your laugh is surprisingly terrifying.”
The Cangjie Cave Spirit was originally tidying its feathers, but when it caught sight of Bai Yao’s smile, it froze on the spot.
“Ahem… nothing, I just suddenly thought of something happy. I’ve received professional training, so I usually don’t laugh, unless I can’t help it.”
Bai Yao coughed and quickly composed her expression.
The chickadee eyed Bai Yao suspiciously, muttering inwardly: ‘Huh? Could I have misjudged this little girl before? That can’t be right…’
“By the way, Senior Cave Spirit…”
Bai Yao pressed on, “according to you, the challenges on Black Stone Cliff, meaning those sword qis, can be neutralized by cultivators bearing Righteous Qi, right? So then, what about someone like me who bears Righteous Qi, or a top-tier prodigy who forcibly breaks through with sheer cultivation? Would that work?”
“For you, forcibly breaking the formation with pure righteousness is completely doable, not a problem at all.”
Cave Spirit set aside its suspicion and resumed that aged tone of voice.
“As for prodigies, those in the late Hundred Refinements Realm might force their way through. Furthermore, if one possesses the secret arts corresponding to the Vertical and Horizontal School, this Black Stone Cliff shouldn’t be able to stop them either. However, this old man suggests you carefully experience the sword intent within the mountain instead. Don’t be hasty to break the formation and miss the chance to grasp the true essence of this technique.”
Upon hearing Cave Spirit’s words, Bai Yao’s lips curled up again uncontrollably, causing the chickadee avatar to tilt its head once more, trying to figure out just what this young girl was thinking.
Having confirmed what she had in mind, Bai Yao looked up once more.
Amidst the vast green mountains, only a single crimson mulberry stood alone, reflecting the dying sun filtering through the gaps in the gray clouds, like blood, like fire.
Bai Yao naturally also recognized the terror of the hidden sword qis along the Black Stone Cliff path, especially since the Righteous Qi she carried was currently stirring restlessly.
To put it bluntly, any single strand of sword qi was enough to slice an ordinary Ten Qi Realm cultivator into pieces.
The girl and the bird arrived before the black stone steps at the foot of the cliff.
Only when Bai Yao drew close did she suddenly realize that the sword qis of the black stone path, which had looked from afar like true dragons churning the seas or roc birds soaring through the heavens…
Now that she was up close, they seemed like true dragons lurking beneath the abyss, ready to leap out at any moment, making it impossible to tell exactly how they would strike those who climbed the cliff.
This was far more dangerous and terrifying than the sword qi she had sensed from a distance.
Seeing that Bai Yao’s face had finally taken on a hint of solemnity, the chickadee leisurely flew to a withered branch beside the path:
“Little girl, this old man’s advice is to sit cross-legged and carefully contemplate the sword intent of the cliff…”
But before the chickadee could finish its sentence, Bai Yao had already taken the first step without hesitation.
The vigorous protective qi condensed around her body was not formed from pure righteousness, but merely ordinary pure-white Righteous Qi.
“Whoa, little girl, wait!”
The Cangjie Cave Spirit panicked.
How could this young lady’s actions be so completely unpredictable!
With just one step, a natural sword qi on the black stone stairs reacted as if its sovereign territory had been violated, mercilessly condensing into a thread and drawing mountain stones and dust into a sharp sword, slashing toward Bai Yao’s chest.
With a sharp “shwiish” sound, over half of Bai Yao’s protective righteous qi was directly shaved away!
Bai Yao was shocked.
This wasn’t pure Righteous Qi, but it was still her Righteous Qi derived from the [Violet Yang Grand Harmony Art].
How could it be so easily carved away by merely one strand of sword qi’s dust blade!
“Sword qi condensed into threads? That’s way too absurd!”
Bai Yao cursed under her breath.
That strike just now was her deliberate attempt to test how strong these innate sword qis truly were.
As a result, it only cemented her decision that she had to defend with her full concentration.
In other words, relying solely on radiating Righteous Qi to withstand these sword-thread-driven attacks from all things was simply unrealistic.
She had to change the way her Righteous Qi circulated and truly understand the nature of these sword qis before she could reach the top without using that golden righteous qi.
“Little girl! Don’t be foolish, I told you to observe and comprehend these sword qis from below, not to…”
Cave Spirit flapped its wings and took flight, about to dissuade Bai Yao from continuing forward.
However, Bai Yao rapidly took three more steps in succession, once again drawing the natural sword qi to condense into threads, stirring fallen leaves, dust, and grass into three blades that attacked her.
Shwiish! Shwiish! Shwiish!
Three sword qis swept past, and three trails of blood splattered!
Yet Bai Yao’s eyes gleamed with golden light…
Not only did she hold her ground, but an expression of extreme excitement spread across her face!
“Hahaha! So that’s it, that’s exactly it!”
Bai Yao laughed out loud, because she no longer released her Righteous Qi entirely outward, but instead had it cling tightly beneath her own skin through the peripheral meridians.
Although she was injured, she could still completely block the blades of all things drawn by these sword threads at a low consumption rate.
What made Bai Yao even more ecstatic was that when the sword qi entered her body, the faint golden righteous qi within her could refine it in an instant!
In this way, not only was Bai Yao’s cultivation growing rapidly, but she could also personally experience a single naturally complete technique contained within the sword qis!
Down below, Cave Spirit watched with a pounding heart.
Each of those three sword qis that struck Bai Yao was enough to dismember this small-framed, seemingly delicate young girl.
Yet she had inexplicably taken all those terrifying sword qis head-on, and had even climbed to a height of five zhang along the black stone path.
“So this is how one comprehends it? Little girl, this is too insane… The [Opening and Closing Qi Manipulation Art], which barely one person in thousands of years could master, seems to fit Bai Yao perfectly. The Vertical and Horizontal School’s [Seven Arts of the Scripture] finally welcomes a new master once again. But can you become the second complete master like that person? Or… perhaps even match the legendary Tai Yuan…”
The Cangjie Cave Spirit muttered in shock, but nearly let slip a name it shouldn’t have at the end, clamping its beak shut.
However, not long after, under the assault of this new round of terrifying sword qis, Bai Yao was finally knocked off the cliff at the seventh zhang mark.
“Ugh!” Bai Yao crashed heavily to the ground, bloodied.
Though Righteous Qi could block the innate sword qis of the mountain path, the grass, wood, and stones condensed into blades by the sword threads still left Bai Yao covered in wounds.
What made Bai Yao’s heart race was that the higher she climbed, the more terrifying the sword qis became.
Combined with the intense qi consumption from sustained attacks, simply defending without dodging was clearly not viable.
Not to mention, this Black Stone Cliff was over fifty zhang tall.
But she wasn’t discouraged.
As long as she was still standing, even if it was like treading on thin ice, she would definitely reach the other side.
“Senior, could you help treat my wounds?”
Bai Yao said as she stood up.
She glanced helplessly at the wounds on her body and the Xuan Yu Sect disciple robes that had been somewhat shredded by the sword qis, then turned to stare at the chickadee not far away.
“You little girl really have no shame, relying on me bending the rules for you, eating and taking everything, huh?”
Cave Spirit this time chirped and flapped its wings and hopped around like a real chickadee.
But after glaring at Bai Yao several times and seeing not a shred of wavering in the young girl’s eyes, it finally said: “Fine, fine, fine… Since I’ve already strengthened your Righteous Qi with the outer Cave Heaven, I might as well see this through to the end.”
Cave Spirit quickly flew several circles around Bai Yao, who was bloodied and tattered.
In an instant, Bai Yao’s Xuan Yu Sect white magnolia saint robes were fully restored, and they felt several grades stronger than before, as if she no longer needed to worry about them being damaged by sword qis.
Her flesh wounds from the sword cuts also began healing rapidly.
After the time it takes to burn one incense stick, feeling her injuries disappear and her qi return to peak condition, Bai Yao casually took a bite of the dried meat she had brought from the manor, lifted the iron sword in her hand, and planned to continue climbing this sword qi path.
On a mountaintop several li away, Gao Luan gazed at the Black Stone Cliff where Bai Yao was, having witnessed the entire scene of her climbing the mountain.
His face first showed utter astonishment, then gradually turned serious, and finally broke into a smile as he nodded repeatedly.
“It seems I’ve underestimated Junior Sister Bai… no, the entire Xuan Yu Sect has underestimated you.
For a four-attribute mixed Spiritual Root to accomplish this much.
If given enough time to grow, perhaps you could become the next Mu Jingyue.”
Gao Luan made no move, continuing to stand silently beneath the green pine at the mountaintop.
He tapped the hilt of his sword lightly with his right index finger, his mind calm, without a trace of malice or killing intent, simply watching the young girl climb from afar.