Chapter 43: The Painting and the Sword
Chapter 43: The Painting and the Sword
"Hehe, Brother Hua is too kind," Fang Xing shook his head. "On the contrary, I have some questions about martial arts that I'd like to ask."
Recalling the useful advice Meng Yi had given him before, Fang Xing didn't let his origin from the interstellar age make him arrogant towards the people of this era.
After all, in terms of cultivation realms, the Precelestial State in this world was equivalent to the Pu Yu State, and to be precise, Hua Feiyue was still one major realm above him.
Without hesitation, Fang Xing shared some of the difficulties he was facing in his cultivation of the 'Extreme Emotion Sword'.
The main issue was that he found it challenging to grasp the meditation technique and simulate the corresponding mental state.
The Extreme Emotion Sword was different from the Ghost God Blade, as it required stirring up the deepest and most intense emotions within oneself.
This was completely opposite to the calming effect of the Calm Spirit Pill, so his experience with the Ghost God Blade was of little use here, and he needed to find another approach.
"If I heard correctly, Brother's inability to enter this martial art is due to your inability to arouse the most intense emotions within your heart?" Hua Feiyue asked, her tone more formal than before, perhaps due to the benefits she had received.
"Indeed," Fang Xing acknowledged.
He believed that with his foundation in meditation and hypnosis from the Ghost God Blade, as long as he overcame this hurdle, he should be able to enter the 'Extreme Emotion Sword'.
Once he had a grasp of it and the attribute panel lit up with the health bar, the rest would just be a matter of grinding it out.
"This is simple," Hua Feiyue said with a charming smile. "You know, among us warriors, there are some unorthodox mental martial arts... To be frank, I also cultivate a mental supreme technique called the 'Seven Emotions Formula', which can arouse the emotions of other warriors..."
"Mental martial arts? That could be a solution," Fang Xing's eyes lit up at the idea.
"Additionally, if this type of mental martial art still fails to stimulate your emotions, you can seek help from those who cultivate the immortal path. They often possess various means in this regard, such as illusory realms that attack the mind, talismans, and the like..." Hua Feiyue offered further suggestions.
"However, stimulating oneself in this way is somewhat dangerous..." Fang Xing furrowed his brows slightly, feeling that it would be best to avoid provoking those who cultivate the immortal path for now.
On the other hand, Hua Feiyue's 'Seven Emotions Formula' was something he could try. After all, he had the Calm Spirit Pill as a safety net, and even if his mind suffered some damage, he could compensate for it.
"Why don't you try it first?" Fang Xing suggested, his interest piqued as he set down the demonic beast meat.
"Alright, look into my eyes..." Hua Feiyue's eyes took on a dreamy look.
As Fang Xing gazed into them, he noticed that her pupils seemed to be veiled in a layer of lustrous glaze.
"This is the first style of the Seven Emotions—Joy!" Hua Feiyue declared.
As her voice echoed, Fang Xing suddenly felt a sense of 'great joy' wash over him.
"This is interesting," he murmured. "But it's not quite enough to fully arouse my inner emotions..."
"It seems that Brother's willpower and mental fortitude are exceptionally strong. We'll need to combine it with other methods to be truly effective..." Hua Feiyue bit her lip. "This is the second style—Anger!"
In the next instant, Fang Xing's eyes turned slightly red, and he felt as if his body were burning with a fierce flame.
...
Several hours later, Fang Xing walked out of Hua Feiyue's thatched cottage, his steps somewhat unsteady as he carried the demonic beast meat.
"Damn... This woman's silver tongue is truly formidable. I've decided—I'll ask her to be the madam of my shop in the future...
"But first, I won't buy a shop. It'll be fine to just have a stall..."
After today's tempering by the 'Seven Emotions Formula', Fang Xing couldn't say that he had completely entered the realm of the 'Extreme Emotion Sword', but he had at least gained some insight into it.
As long as he persisted, he believed that he would eventually attain that mysterious state and successfully enter the 'Extreme Emotion Sword'!
"Exchanging ten pounds of demonic beast meat for all this... Not a bad deal," he thought, a hint of satisfaction appearing on his face.
...
Two days later, at the Zheng Family Auction House.
The auction house was spacious, with colorful spirit patterns adorning the walls, looking like swimming fish.
Today was the day of the Zheng Family Auction!
The six large doors of the auction venue were wide open, resembling a giant beast swallowing the streams of people flowing in from all directions.
Fang Xing, clad in gray and with a masked face, gazed at the surging crowd and sighed inwardly.
As he walked through the main entrance, he was greeted by a host.
"Would the guest like a private room? It's only ten spirit stones. If you successfully bid for your desired item, you can immediately proceed to the private room for the transaction. Additionally, there are several routes and secret exits that allow you to leave the auction venue at any time..."
The host spoke rapidly, clearly having recited this spiel numerous times already.
"No need!" Fang Xing waved his hand dismissively. He had considered this option, but then thought that it would be too eye-catching for someone who wasn't even at the Precelestial State to book a private room.
Not to mention other cultivators, but the two Foundation Establishment cultivators in the marketplace would surely be able to extend their spiritual sense and notice many things.
'Of course, I'm just an ordinary Postcelestial warrior. Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator sees me, they probably won't pay any attention, and they might even view me as an ant... As long as I don't do anything too outrageous.'
Fang Xing patted the laser gun in his pocket.
This laser gun emitted no spiritual energy fluctuations at all, so it would likely appear as an exquisitely crafted secular mechanical object to spiritual sense.
'To be honest, given the lack of spiritual fluctuations from the laser gun, I might actually be able to successfully ambush a Foundation Establishment cultivator. But I don't want to do that... It's better to focus on stable cultivation.'
He walked into the grand hall and found it spacious, with numerous redwood tables set up, each bearing tea and delicate snacks.
These snacks were made from spiritual rice and other ingredients, and their intricate shapes and fragrant tea aroma were quite inviting.
"The Zheng family sure is attentive to detail," Fang Xing muttered to himself as he found an empty seat and settled in, closing his eyes to rest and await the commencement of the auction.
Half a shichen (1) later, the grand hall was almost filled to capacity, with most of the attendees being cultivators, along with numerous innate and postcelestial warriors.
In the private rooms, pearls the size of fists shone brilliantly, illuminating the faces of their owners.
Accompanied by the sound of three gongs, all eyes turned to the high stage.
Fang Xing spotted a tall, thin elderly man dressed in an earthen-yellow robe. His eyes were deep and seemed to have strands of golden light within them as he cupped his hands and bowed in greeting:
"I am Zheng Yuanao, and I welcome all of you to this auction. May you all successfully acquire the items you desire."
Zheng Yuanao's deep cultivation caused his voice to resonate throughout the venue.
"It's him, Zheng Family's 'Golden Eye Eagle,' Zheng Yuanao... a perfected Qi Refining cultivator! No wonder his voice seems to be speaking right next to my ear, his cultivation is indeed profound!"
"Not only that, but this man also hosts the Zheng family's auctions and pawnshops. It's said that he has a sharp eye and never misses a beat, picking up many overlooked treasures..."
Fang Xing couldn't help but become interested as he listened to the discussion between the two cultivators beside him.
'So it seems that his eyes shimmering with gold is due to him cultivating a special eye technique?'
'Running an auction and pawnshop, one would indeed easily go bankrupt if they didn't have a sharp eye for appraisal...'
'With the Zheng family's old ancestor being a Foundation Establishment cultivator, they certainly have enough prestige to attract customers, and with this man, no wonder they rake in spirit stones by the bucketload...'
He couldn't help but anticipate the auction even more.
At that moment, Zheng Yuanao signaled to a clear-eyed and pearly-toothed attendant, who presented the first item of the auction:
"A high-grade spiritual artifact—the Iron Feather Sword! It is a rare complete set of seven flying swords forged from the most precious lifeblood feather of a 'Iron Feather Eagle,' mixed with iron essence and gold essence. The set consists of seven palm-sized swords that are incredibly sharp and indestructible. They can also form a sword formation..."
Fang Xing glanced over and saw seven black, palm-sized flying swords hovering in the air, their sword auras piercing through the void.
However, since he wasn't a cultivator, he had absolutely no interest in such spiritual artifacts.
On the other hand, the late-stage Qi Refining and even perfected Qi Refining cultivators were very interested in the complete set of flying swords.
After all, a set of seven flying swords, when combined into a sword formation, would indeed be quite powerful.
"The Iron Feather Sword, with a starting bid of two thousand one hundred spirit stones, and each increase cannot be less than ten spirit stones..."
As soon as Zheng Yuanao finished speaking, an impatient voice rang out: "Two thousand two hundred spirit stones!"
"Two thousand three hundred spirit stones!"
The bids climbed, and the sword set was finally won by a cultivator in one of the private rooms for three thousand one hundred spirit stones.
After the first item achieved such success, Zheng Yuanao's face immediately looked much more relaxed, and he clapped his hands, signaling for the attendant to bring out the second item: "A first-grade middle-grade array formation—'Small Wind and Fire Array,' including forty-nine flags, an array plate, tokens, and so on. The array covers an area of three to five acres and can release the 'Spirit Fire Technique' and 'Smokescreen Technique,' with effects such as trapping enemies and providing cover... Starting bid is one thousand five hundred spirit stones!"
...
Fang Xing had no use for this array formation either, as he wasn't a cultivator.
Even if he were, he wouldn't have had enough spirit stones to afford it, and he could only watch as the array was sold for over two thousand spirit stones to the leader of a Qi Refining sect.
Subsequently, there were cultivation techniques, robes, pills, and spirit beasts, all of which were top-notch items.
Especially notable were the items made from various demon beast hides, such as robes, and spirit beast eggs, which were more numerous and relatively cheaper, attracting many cultivators to bid.
Some innate warriors also occasionally called out bids, purchasing items that they could use.
"Blood-Refined Spiritual Artifact—'Danqing Sword'!"
After dozens of items had been auctioned off, Zheng Yuanao presented a long sword.
This sword was over three feet long and about one inch wide. Its body shimmered with a green light, exuding a chilling aura, and its surface was adorned with blood-red patterns.
Just looking at it, one could feel a sharp and fierce aura rushing toward them.
"Look at the generous use of materials. Indeed, it's a blood-refined spiritual artifact... What a wasteful plaything for warriors!"
A cultivator next to Fang Xing scoffed.
Generally, cultivators' spiritual artifacts tended to be small and delicate, especially flying swords, which were usually palm-sized or about a foot long.
This not only reduced the amount of materials needed but also, in Fang Xing's opinion, minimized air resistance, making it easier to manipulate in the air.
Of course, when necessary, spiritual artifacts could be enlarged or shrunk as needed, which seemed quite unscientific to Fang Xing.
But when it came to cultivators, it seemed that the concept of science didn't apply.
Nonetheless, the materials used for this 'Danqing Sword' could have been used to forge four or five low-grade spiritual artifact flying swords, which was indeed a bit wasteful.
However, that was how warriors were.
Even innate warriors, who possessed innate true qi, could only use low-level talismans, infuse energy into array flags, and perform other limited tasks.
It was basically impossible for them to wield low-grade spiritual artifacts.
Hence, there were artificers who specialized in creating 'blood-refined spiritual artifacts' specifically for innate warriors! These artifacts were comparable in power to low-grade spiritual artifacts but could be infused with innate true qi or even blood essence for activation, making them very convenient for warriors.
Even Fang Xing felt a twinge of desire as he looked at the sword.
'So sharp and fierce... Holding it to chop people must feel amazing... It can also be refined, and if it's not too expensive...'
(End of Chapter)
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