ragginovel Chapter 76 A fine sword is forged through tempering and honing.
Chapter 76 A fine sword is forged through tempering and honing.
Deep underground.
Shen Qing curled up in the cold rock layer, her hands clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. Her blood fell into the ground and eventually mixed with the earth's energy, but Shen Qing felt no pain at all.
"Master...it's Huang Yuanji..."
In the darkness, Shen Qing's eyes shone with an alarming light.
He once naively thought that the Huang family's coveting of Qingyun after his master's death was merely a struggle for interests between sects, an unavoidable infighting on the path of the Great Dao.
"Oh……"
A low, cold laugh echoed from underground, carrying a chilling aura.
"What a great struggle between the great principles!"
It took Shen Qing a long time to calm down again.
Anger won't avenge him; impulsiveness will only cost him his life.
Shen Qing was completely enveloped by earth elemental energy, merging into the soil.
The heartfelt words spoken by the Huang father and son still resonate in my ears.
"He can plot against Fu Shan, but he absolutely cannot attack Zhao Yuanlang..."
It turned out to be the case.
He always believed that his master had been summoned by the Heavenly God Sect and died on the battlefield of the sect conflict between the Chu and Shu states.
He hated the Heavenly God Sect and the world, but he didn't know that his true enemy was Huang Yuanji, who had always been watching him like a hawk.
"Master..."
The hatred in Shen Qing's chest almost burned away his internal organs. But he didn't move, not even letting out a breath.
The Huang family father and son had long since left, but Shen Qing had not.
Although he quickly concealed the killing intent that had flashed in the air, his opponent was, after all, a cultivator at the fourth level of the Foundation Establishment stage.
Huang Yuanji's use of the term "illusion" may well be a way to reassure people.
If it were you who discovered someone spying on you in the secret room, you would most likely pretend not to know, and then lay a trap, waiting for your prey to walk right into it.
Then we'll just wait.
Shen Qing activated the Qi Concealing Technique, suppressing his own vitality and spiritual energy fluctuations to near death, and also completely withdrew his divine sense from his sea of consciousness.
One day, two days.
It wasn't until late on the third day that Shen Qing finally left Qinghe County from underground, using the earth's energy as cover, and arrived at the foot of Qingyun Mountain.
This is a secluded ravine that Shen Qing accidentally discovered when he was a child. It is surrounded by steep cliffs, with only a sliver of sunlight filtering through.
Shen Qing sat cross-legged on a blue stone, but did not immediately begin cultivating. Instead, he repeatedly deduced Huang Yuanji's trump cards in his mind.
Huang Yuanji, with his cultivation at the fourth level of Foundation Establishment, had been fighting in Chuzhou for over two years and was rich in combat experience.
Furthermore, he gained a trace of "Dao Sound" enlightenment, which completed the Dao of his ancestors, making his cultivation and realm far superior to that of an ordinary fourth-level Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Shen Qing felt that a direct confrontation would be extremely unwise.
His advantages lie in the fact that his enemy is in the open while he is in the dark after faking his death, in his divine sense which is far superior to others of the same level after being tempered by immortal energy, and in the flawless 12th-grade Dao Platform in his dantian.
And, the Sword Sect's supreme inheritance that I just received—the Soaring Cloud Sword Manual.
Shen Qing closed his eyes and sank his mind into his sea of consciousness.
The ancient scriptures formed from countless sword lights reappeared, each word a gem, radiating a sharp sword intent.
Sword control is a conventional method; in direct combat, flying swords come and go, relying on profound cultivation and pure sword intent.
His cultivation was weaker than his opponent's, so even if his sword intent was strong, he would inevitably suffer a loss in a head-on confrontation.
He needs a decisive, game-winning move.
In his sea of consciousness, besides the sword control technique, illusion technique, and five elements escape technique that he had already comprehended, there were also a large number of sword techniques that had not yet been activated.
Shen Qing probed these sword techniques little by little with his divine sense, but some of these sword techniques required the Nascent Soul cultivation to perform, some required a specific level of swordsmanship, and some were obscure and difficult to understand.
Shen Qing was not greedy; he only sought out the supernatural abilities that suited his own conditions and could be transformed into combat power as quickly as possible.
Finally, his consciousness stopped in front of a sword manual called "Hidden Sword Technique".
This sword manual is quite peculiar; it doesn't teach how to wield the sword faster, but rather how to "conceal" the sword.
The sword intent, sword energy, and even the physical flying sword are hidden in the mountains, rivers, grass, trees, and flowing water, using the energy of heaven and earth to nurture the sword intent and conceal the killing intent.
When the enemy approaches, a thought will ignite, and the sword will strike from the most unexpected point.
A sword hidden in its sheath conceals its sharpness; a sword hidden in the world becomes a sword sheath everywhere.
Shen Qing suddenly felt enlightened.
This is a perfect match for the Five Elements Escape Technique he has cultivated!
Especially Earth Escape, which uses the power of the earth's veins to hide the sword, with the earth itself being the best cover.
No matter how strong Huang Yuanji's divine sense was, it was difficult for him to penetrate the thick soil and perceive the sword intent enveloped by the earth's energy.
"It's you."
Shen Qing calmed his mind and began to comprehend the "Hidden Sword Technique".
Shen Qing used his fingers as a sword, condensing a wisp of sword intent into his fingertips, and carefully controlled it to press it into the bluestone beneath his feet.
The bluestone was an inanimate object, and the sword intent encountered great resistance as soon as it entered.
Shen Qing remained calm and composed, circulating the Hidden Sword Technique and imprinting his divine sense onto the sword intent little by little. At the same time, he guided the surrounding earth elemental energy to envelop the sword intent layer by layer.
It has a core of sword energy, a guide of divine sense, and an outermost layer of thick earth elemental spiritual energy.
Gradually, the sword intent ceased to be violent and instead became calm and serene, completely merging into the bluestone, becoming imperceptible in the slightest.
Shen Qing was overjoyed, and a thought stirred within him.
Without a sound, the ground several feet in front of him suddenly exploded, and a yellowish-brown sword aura, carrying rubble, shot into the sky, extremely abrupt and sharp, until it dissipated when it reached a height of three feet.
Become!
Although it was only in its initial stages, the path from nothing to something was successfully paved.
For the next two days, Shen Qing immersed himself in this tedious yet exhilarating cultivation.
He tried to embed his sword intent into the mountain walls, pools, and dense forests in the valley, attempting to incorporate all five elements.
In the end, Shen Qing set up an invisible sword formation in this valley, which he could unleash a storm of swords at any time if he wished.
At the same time, Shen Qing did not give up honing his sword control technique. Guided by his divine sense, the Azure Cloud Sword transformed into a streak of azure light, traversing the valley, gradually becoming more refined and skillful.
His mastery of the Illusion Technique became increasingly refined. He not only imitated Mo Wentian, but also began to try to imitate the demeanor and mannerisms of people of different statuses, such as the steward of the Huang family and the yamen runner of Qinghe County.
With his perfect foundation and the terrifying recovery effect brought by the flawless 12th-grade Dao Platform, Shen Qing could cultivate so recklessly without worrying about the consumption of energy.
Whenever the spiritual energy in Shenqing Daotai is depleted by one-tenth, it will frantically absorb the five elements of spiritual energy that are free in the world to replenish the lost spiritual energy.
With such terrifying regenerative abilities, he has mastered the Five Elements Escape Technique to perfection. Especially in this mountain forest, he can freely switch between trees, rocks, and land to escape, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.
Days passed by, and the end of the year drew ever closer.
Shen Qing would sneak into Qinghe County at night, like a hunter observing his prey.
He saw that the Huang family mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, and truckloads of New Year's goods were being brought into the mansion.
He saw Huang Yuanji occasionally going out to visit friends, looking completely at ease, clearly having completely forgotten the "illusion" he had experienced that night at the ancestral hall.
Perhaps in his mind, no one dared to provoke him in this area of Qinghe County.
Shen Qing also saw Huang Dehou, the newly established head of the Huang family, who was full of vigor and ambition.
Shen Qing also learned that the Huang family would move to Qingyun Mountain after the pre-New Year family banquet.
Shen Qing set the day for taking action as the eve of the Lunar New Year, the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.
On this day, all important members of the Huang clan will return to their residence for a family banquet.
From the old master Huang Yuanji to the grandchildren of each branch of the family, not one was left out.
The defenses appeared tight, but in reality, they were relaxed on the surface and the people's minds were in turmoil, which was the time when their vigilance was most lax.