Inside the cave abode, two figures darted up and down through the air, crossing and weaving past one another.
The clear, pleasant sound of metal striking metal rang again and again.
Looking more closely, one could see that they were two young men of extraordinary bearing.
One wore green robes and had a gentle, refined appearance. The other wore fluttering red, brilliant as the morning sun.
The green-robed youth held a pitch-black weapon that seemed neither metal nor wood. It was shaped like a staff, yet its tip was sharp enough to resemble a sword, giving it a very strange appearance.
The red-robed youth wielded a crimson flying sword, bright as flame. A thin layer of azure-blue light covered its outer edge, and on closer inspection, that light was actually fire.
The two exchanged attacks continuously. The red-robed youth’s techniques were fierce, his sword forms unfolding one after another with frightening sharpness. The green-robed youth mainly dodged. When he attacked, his movements lacked any proper system, though fortunately his footwork was agile. At first he looked somewhat awkward, but as the exchange continued, he gradually became familiar with the rhythm and moved much more freely.
After they fought for a while, the red-robed youth suddenly swept his sword. Azure-blue flame burst from the blade and rushed directly toward the green-robed youth’s chest and abdomen. Startled, the green-robed youth flipped in midair and pressed himself against the cave wall, turning his head just in time to dodge.
The sequence of attacks could go no farther. The fire on the red-robed youth’s sword faded, but the sword tip was already resting against the green-robed youth’s throat. He grinned broadly. “Brother Ziqing, you lost again!”
The green-robed youth used his Steelwood weapon to knock the sword tip aside and smiled bitterly. “Yes. I lost again.”
These two young men were naturally Xu Ziqing and Su Xin, who had been practicing techniques together.
This was already the sixth day of Su Xin fulfilling his wager. He had genuinely accompanied Xu Ziqing throughout these days, and Xu Ziqing was deeply grateful for it.
But with Xu Ziqing suppressing his spiritual power to Su Xin’s level, he still lost far more often than he won. It was obvious that in terms of techniques and combat experience, he was genuinely lacking.
In truth, this was not Xu Ziqing’s fault. Su Xin had taken a master long ago and had spent years learning various techniques under his master, master’s wife, and numerous elders. He also had many senior brothers and sisters to exchange moves with and sharpen his skills against, so naturally his combat ability was considerable. Xu Ziqing, by contrast, had explored most things on his own. Yun Lie occasionally gave him guidance, but because the two practiced different paths and possessed different bodily attributes, that guidance could not always reach every detail. Thus, in this kind of private sparring, it was only natural that Xu Ziqing could not defeat Su Xin.
Moreover, this was only sparring, not a battle for life and death. Xu Ziqing had never released the demon vine to assist him and was still keeping his deadliest trump card hidden. Even so, the repeated matches made him understand his weaknesses more clearly. No matter how quickly his cultivation advanced, he could not neglect combat techniques. Otherwise, when danger truly arrived, his only choices would be running for his life or staking everything in a desperate fight.
After feeding him moves for several days, Su Xin could naturally see Xu Ziqing’s shortcomings as well.
He had already asked, “Brother Ziqing, you’ve never practiced swordsmanship, have you?” Anyone who used a flying sword like Su Xin had to learn at least some sword art, or they would have no way to fight properly. Yet his friend’s attacks were disorderly and followed no recognizable pattern. The weakness was obvious.
Xu Ziqing nodded and sighed. “In the past, I wandered from place to place without a stable home. Obtaining the cultivation method I practice now was already a fortunate coincidence. As for sword arts and other offensive techniques, I never had the opportunity to encounter them.”
Su Xin answered frankly, “The weapon you’re holding is a little strange, but overall it resembles a sword. In the future, you should pair it with sword techniques if you want to bring out its true power. Otherwise, no matter how many times you fight me, if our spiritual power is equal, the result will always be one word: lose. If my cultivation rises another layer, I might even defeat you while fighting above my level. In a real battle, that would put you at a serious disadvantage.”
How could Xu Ziqing not understand?
He could still find techniques such as the Wood Essence Finger if he searched, but he did not dare choose swordsmanship carelessly. He had looked through several sword manuals before. Unfortunately, Wood-attributed sword techniques were already rare, and the few manuals he had finally found seemed crude and poorly made once opened. After witnessing sword qi and sword force as fierce and refined as Yun Lie’s, how could Xu Ziqing possibly be satisfied with them?
Moreover, he had only cultivated for a short time. Becoming proficient in what he already knew was difficult enough. He still had to suppress the demon vine, communicate with myriad woods, and comprehend the many techniques derived from The Great Art of Myriad Woods Heart-Planting. He truly could not be greedy for too much. Thus, the thought of learning swordsmanship had gradually been set aside.
Now that Su Xin mentioned it, Xu Ziqing sighed again. “For now, I can only cultivate properly and pay more attention when opportunities arise. If I truly want to practice swordsmanship, I’m afraid I’ll have to wait until I reach the great world, enter a sect, and ask my master to choose something suitable for me.”
Su Xin had always been a favored son of heaven and had never suffered many hardships. Seeing this, he comforted him. “In any case, you’ll definitely have no problem establishing your foundation. Waiting a little longer won’t hurt. Your swordsmanship may be poor right now, but your dodging is excellent. If you can’t win, being able to escape is still very useful.”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “If it truly becomes a life-and-death situation, even if I lose some face, I’ll certainly run as fast as I can.”
Su Xin laughed loudly. “If your life is gone, what use is face? Even I would have to become shameless if my life were threatened! Hahaha!” He coughed a few times, then finished, “Besides, Brother Ziqing doesn’t need to worry too much. Those endless little methods of yours are plenty intimidating. I doubt you’ll often be forced into a situation that desperate.”
After talking, they had rested long enough. Each raised his weapon and began sparring again. They alternated between fighting and short breaks until, before either noticed, the sky had darkened.
Usually Su Xin left around this time without lingering. Today, however, he paused and said, “The sixth day is over. Starting tomorrow, I need to enter seclusion and meditate, so I won’t come disturb you anymore.”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “I also need to temper my spiritual power. Then let us part here and meet again after we emerge from seclusion.”
The two said farewell. Xu Ziqing watched Su Xin leave, staring at the cave entrance for a moment before raising a hand. Green light flashed. Countless green grass stems rustled out from his palm and swiftly interwove into a huge net, so dense that almost no gaps could be seen.
Xu Ziqing uttered, “Go.” With a whoosh, the giant net flew out. Its four corners adhered to the stone around the cave entrance, and it rapidly expanded until the opening was completely sealed.
The cave immediately became much darker.
Xu Ziqing then flicked a finger and released an invisible force.
That force turned into hazy green light and settled over the giant net, covering its surface with a faint glow. This was the restriction he habitually placed. If anyone touched it, his mind would immediately be alerted.
There were now two layers of protection. Yet with so many cultivators gathered here, Xu Ziqing thought about it and still did not feel completely reassured.
After a moment of silence, he placed one hand over his dantian, gathered his consciousness, and sent it inside.
“Rongjin, Rongjin…” Even Xu Ziqing’s consciousness softened.
Soon, an affectionate response came from deep within his dantian. “Mother, Mother! Long time, not come!”
A trace of guilt suddenly arose in Xu Ziqing’s heart.
Whether Chonghua or Rongjin, he had long regarded both as family. Chonghua was a demon beast and needed to absorb the essence of sun and moon, so Xu Ziqing usually let it fly freely outside. Rongjin, meanwhile, was bloodthirsty by nature. To prevent it from losing control, acting only on instinct, and never learning restraint, Xu Ziqing had no choice but to keep it in his dantian and avoid calling it out too often.
The consciousness of both was still like that of small children. Whenever they were allowed to draw close to him, they were always delighted. Although Xu Ziqing kept them in his thoughts, circumstances prevented him from spending much time with them. How could he not feel guilty?
Thinking this, Xu Ziqing’s consciousness became even gentler, sending over many soothing emotions. “Rongjin is the best-behaved. I’m going into seclusion today. Will Rongjin guard the cave entrance for me?”
The demon vine’s small consciousness replied with obvious excitement. “Rongjin, come out, guard Mother…”
Warmth entered Xu Ziqing’s expression. “But if someone forces their way in, don’t drain them completely. Leave them alive. Rongjin, remember this carefully.”
The demon vine obediently answered yes. Soon, a vigorous sense of growth came through their connection.
Xu Ziqing smiled faintly and extended his right palm. Two slender white vines emerged from the center and rapidly lengthened, though they remained curled around his body rather than separating.
The demon vine twisted the two tendrils, then suddenly bent them back and brought the leaf buds on their tips against Xu Ziqing’s cheeks, one on each side. They rubbed against him repeatedly with extraordinary affection.
Xu Ziqing knew they would not hurt him, so he simply allowed the vines to nuzzle him. Only after they had been affectionate for quite a while did he point toward the entrance and say gently, “Rongjin, go.”
This time the demon vine did not hesitate. It severed the two tendrils from itself, and they shot away like two white snakes released from a bowstring.
Swish! In the blink of an eye, both vines had hooked onto the cave ceiling and hung downward like a very sparse curtain.
This was the first time the demon vine had detached part of its body. Xu Ziqing silently circulated his cultivation method and sensed that its main body remained hidden deep within his dantian. Only then did he finally relax. Looking at the cave entrance, he now had three layers of protection and could safely enter meditation.
The moment he closed his eyes, Xu Ziqing felt his soul lighten. His consciousness rose like a bright moon suspended high above his inner world, looking down from above. Bones and sinews, meridians and vessels, flesh and muscle, organs and viscera, every smallest detail reflected clearly within his consciousness. He did not know why this state had appeared, yet instinctively he simply observed. It was as though every emotion had been stripped away, and yet at the same time his consciousness had merged into every part of his body until no separation remained.
Rolling spiritual energy poured down like floodwater from his spiritual root. It swept madly through every meridian, gathered together, and surged into his dantian.
Soon, the dantian became full and swollen, seemingly unable to hold any more. Yet it remained insatiable, swallowing all the incoming spiritual energy even faster.
Then the cultivation formula began circulating at tremendous speed, guiding the spiritual power along its established pathways. At that moment, the dantian seemed to become a vortex. After drawing in enough spiritual power, it suddenly compressed everything.
For an instant, it was as though all the spiritual power had been drained away. The dantian suddenly became empty. Yet at the very center of that emptiness, a perfectly round droplet abruptly appeared.
No, perhaps it was not truly a droplet, but merely something condensed together, far more substantial than ordinary spiritual power.
It was crystal-clear and pure, a collection of energy without the slightest impurity. The power contained within it surpassed ordinary spiritual power by a hundredfold, even a thousandfold.
True essence.
After so many days of effort, Xu Ziqing had finally condensed his first drop of true essence.