Chapter 65: Qi Condensation and Sword Techniques, a Logical Progression

Chapter 65: Qi Condensation and Sword Techniques, a Logical Progression

Zang Hua, a formidable figure from the Divine Court era, was renowned for her strength during that time.

Her abilities were indeed noteworthy, even within the Divine Court.

However, what truly made her memorable was her complex relationship with the Heavenly Deity, filled with love, hatred, and drama.

Even among the top powerhouses, gossip and curiosity were prevalent.

"Xiao Jia, stay back!"

Qi Yuan stepped forward, brandishing his precious sword.

This time, he didn't merge with Xiao Jia but chose to face the challenge alone.

To be honest, this was his first encounter with an intelligent being in the game.

"Your talent is impressive, but is your success solely due to the Heavenly Deity's legacy?" Zang Hua asked, her eyes reddening as she spoke.

In the distance, Tong and other Divine Realm powerhouses watched the battle intently.

Zang Hua's words resonated with some, who understood her underlying resentment.

Zang Hua had always admired the Heavenly Deity and fought by his side in countless battles.

Unfortunately, the position of Empress was bestowed upon the Bridal Robe Empress, not Zang Hua.

Despite her pride, Zang Hua was willing to lower her head and become one of the Heavenly Deity's consorts.

However, her offer was rejected by the Heavenly Deity.

Zang Hua's emotions towards the Heavenly Deity and the Bridal Robe Empress were complex.

Now, with the sudden rise of the Master of the Divine Garment Division, the husband of the Bridal Robe Empress, and the father of the Heavenly Deity's daughter, Zang Hua's resentment grew.

She believed that the Master must have received numerous gifts from the Heavenly Deity, perhaps even treasures that enhanced his talent.

Additionally, Zang Hua had never liked the Divine Garment Division, and her dislike extended to the new Bridal Robe Empress and the daughter of the Heavenly Deity.

So, even after Long Pan defeated Tong, silencing the others, Zang Hua stepped forward.

"Aside from your talent, what else do you have?"

"Have you experienced the Western Sea Chaos?"

"Have you ever stood against the three Divine Realms?"

"Without experiencing great battles, you're just a fledgling, incapable of defeating the extra-terrestrial demons!"

Zang Hua shouted, "Let me show you the might of the Ten Generals of the Divine Court!"

Zang Hua was once one of the Ten Generals of the Divine Court!

In the Divine Court, they were second only to the Heavenly Deity and the Four Division Masters.

She had fought countless battles, both large and small, over ten thousand times.

She was a woman who emerged from a sea of blood, standing atop a mountain of corpses.

Each time she attacked, her moves were fierce and relentless.

Wherever Qi Yuan looked, he saw Zang Hua's figures.

Zang Hua unleashed her most powerful martial arts technique—the Endless Flower Sea!

Petals danced in the air, and hundreds of Zang Hua's figures moved in different attacking postures, all targeting Qi Yuan.

Unless one's martial arts perception far surpassed Zang Hua's, it was impossible to distinguish between her real body and the illusions.

This move was incredibly effective against inexperienced fighters.

Qi Yuan held his sword in front of him, blocking the attacks.

In the Xuan Yuan Jin, the Robe Forbidden Zone, and the Five Elements Forbidden Zone, Qi Yuan had slain tens of thousands of monsters and gained extensive combat experience, far surpassing that of the disciples and even elders of the Divine Light Sect.

However, his previous opponents were mostly mindless monsters.

How could they compare to Zang Hua? Or, to put it more accurately, their combat experience wasn't even on the same level.

Qi Yuan thrust his sword forward with unmatched ferocity.

Amidst the countless afterimages, he locked onto Zang Hua's real body.

The reason was simple—he could see the prompts.

As his sword pierced forward, Zang Hua's eyes widened in surprise.

She couldn't dodge in time and pushed her palm forward.

Slash!

The collision between the sword and palm should have favored the sword.

But Zang Hua's eyes gleamed with a cunning smile, "You're still too young."

The force from the sword penetrated Qi Yuan's chest.

Even with his defensive measures, he couldn't escape unscathed.

He paled, looking at the blood-drenched Zang Hua, and said calmly, "You're right."

The Divine Titans watching from a distance couldn't help but express their admiration.

"He managed to injure Zang Hua."

"We've underestimated him; he's not like those arrogant Celestial Geniuses who only know how to cultivate!"

"The Endless Flower Sea—even I couldn't identify Zang Hua's real body. How did he do it?"

"He's too young; Zang Hua outsmarted him."

"What a pity, he's still too inexperienced."

Yu spoke, his expression unreadable.

The Master of the Divine Garment Division had achieved Quintessence Perfection in just a few days—a talent unseen before or since.

Given enough time, one could only imagine what he might become.

Everyone's attention was on Zang Hua and Qi Yuan.

At that moment, Qi Yuan closed his eyes.

His combat experience was mostly from slaying monsters, which was sufficient for dealing with ordinary opponents.

But it was far from enough to face extra-terrestrial demons.

However, Qi Yuan wasn't alone.

With his eyes closed, he faced Zang Hua and said, "Thank you, and let's do this again."

At that moment, Qi Yuan's mind began to recall the experiences and insights of the burly man.

The burly man, who had been idle in his youth and suddenly enlightened in his middle age, turned out to be a formidable swordsman.

Qi Yuan wielded the sword, and the burly man's sword skills were most suitable for him.

At this moment, he forgot his own abilities.

He seemed to have transformed into that burly man.

Qi Yuan held the sword and fought with the evil dragon in the East Sea for seven days, skinning and deboning the troublemaking dragon.

He used his sword to open the Earth Gate and killed a demon in the Earth's Forbidden Zone.

Qi Yuan's sword radiated an aura, brewing and accumulating like dark clouds.

"Qing Pingzi, let's fight!" Qi Yuan opened his eyes, and in an instant, the sword's edge shot towards the clouds, piercing through the dark clouds, and an ultimate brilliance appeared in the mortal world.

A faint smile curved on Burial Flower's lips, and her expression was disdainful, as if she was saying, "Is that all, you mutt?"

At the same time, within the Five Elements Forbidden Zone, a coffin lid was lifted.

The burly man's face turned slightly pale, and his eyes fell on the Yin-Yang Forbidden Zone, revealing a look of appreciation. "Not bad, kid. You have a third of my former glory, but your appearance and demeanor still fall short of mine. You haven't experienced the tempering of the years; you need to cultivate more."

He spat outside the coffin, a habitual action.

...

After exiting the game, Qi Yuan didn't read a book but closed his eyes instead.

He was reminiscing about his battle with Burial Flower in the Yin-Yang Forbidden Zone.

Burial Flower, one of the Ten Generals of the Divine Court, lived up to her reputation with astonishing combat power and techniques that far surpassed Qi Yuan's previous abilities.

He immersed himself in Qing Pingzi's combat experience, especially in the battle against Burial Flower.

Qi Yuan learned a portion of Qing Pingzi's combat experience.

And his eyes, which could counter Burial Flower's most powerful divine ability, the Endless Flower Sea.

Burial Flower didn't dare to use this technique again.

Her strength was greatly diminished.

So, Qi Yuan gradually gained the upper hand, and as he understood Qing Pingzi's swordsmanship better, his fighting spirit grew stronger.

Burial Flower was defeated.

He successfully obtained the divine reflections of many powerful beings from the Yin-Yang Forbidden Zone.

Exhausted from the battle, Qi Yuan had no choice but to log off.

As for how to control the Yin-Yang Forbidden Zone, he would have to consider it the next time he logged in.

"With my current swordsmanship, can I truly be considered a Sword Cultivator?" Qi Yuan wondered.

However, he knew that there were still significant differences between him and a true Sword Cultivator.

In the Great Shang Dynasty, Sword Cultivators had a Dharmic Sword that contained their entire spirit.

When the sword breaks, the cultivator is injured.

He didn't have that; he wasn't one of them.

Although the knife was powerful, it wasn't a sword, and Qi Yuan didn't want to stake his life and fortune on a single treasure.

"The Quintessence of the Five Elements is still undergoing replacement, and it's probably going to be Wood soon." Qi Yuan pondered, wondering if this would bring a small shock to the Divine Light Sect again.

This replacement was related to the order of fusion with the Five Ancestors.

He left the courtyard and stood on the hillside of the Seven-Color Peak, practicing his cultivation. As he exhaled, golden rays emerged from his mouth.

"At least I'm not spitting fire; otherwise, I'd be like the Calabash Brothers."

Just then, a flying crane appeared in Qi Yuan's field of vision.

The crane held a visiting card in its beak.

The crane flew straight towards Qi Yuan, and the visiting card landed in his hand.

"Ten Dharmas Peak, Dong Xian? You're visiting me?"

Qi Yuan tried to recall but couldn't remember who Dong Xian was.

"Then let's meet."

He didn't want to turn down a visitor, especially since many in the Great Shang Dynasty knew of him.

"Okay." He replied on the visiting card.

The white crane picked up the invitation and flapped its wings, flying away from the Seven-Color Peak.

About a quarter of an hour later, a black-clothed youth appeared in Qi Yuan's line of sight.

Upon seeing the youth, Qi Yuan was slightly startled.

"Are you Dong Xian? Aren't you called Xiao Yan?"

Dong Xian: "..." Master, this disciple is not called Xiao Yan. Master might have mistaken me for someone else."

Qi Yuan felt a bit helpless upon hearing this.

If he had known it was him, he wouldn't have agreed to meet.

"What brings you here?" Since they had already met, Qi Yuan naturally wouldn't send Dong Xian away.

What if he offended this person, and they shouted, "Don't bully the young and poor!" and stormed down the mountain? Qi Yuan felt he wouldn't be able to sleep well that night.

Dong Xian's face showed a look of eagerness. "Master, I've heard that you're obsessed with games.

I have a few rare collector's editions here."

Dong Xian spoke as he took out some game discs.

This time, he went all out, bringing out his cherished games to establish a connection with Qi Yuan.

Once they became familiar, he could invite Master Qi Yuan to participate in the Dragon Seizing Competition.

Qi Yuan took the disc, and as soon as he touched it, a scene appeared in his mind.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Qi Yuan held the disc, and this was his first encounter with a forbidden item from another world.

The game featured real people as NPCs, and some of the storylines were extremely risque.

Moreover, the acting was spot-on.

The female cultivators in the game included charming and seductive fox spirits, neighborly female cultivator sisters, arrogant young misses, and cold female sword immortals.

"Of course, these are game jade slips, and there are two types. One is the battle-type, which can simulate Foundation Establishment Cultivators' duels and enhance their experience."

Dong Xian lowered his voice and said with a knowing look, "Are you satisfied, Senior Brother?"

Qi Yuan glanced at Dong Xian, "I'm currently in Sage Mode and not interested in these. Speak, what brings you here?"

Qi Yuan returned the game jade slip to Dong Xian.

But then he thought, this might not be appropriate, so he casually kept one, a female swordswoman's, coincidentally.

Dong Xian was initially confused.

This Senior Brother Qi Yuan indeed spoke in a peculiar manner.

However, having received a jade slip, Dong Xian could establish a connection.

And sometimes, the best way to build a relationship is to seek guidance from others while allowing them to showcase their exceptional skills.

After all, many people enjoy being mentors.

"I've heard your knife techniques are quite impressive. I specifically came to seek guidance from you..." Dong Xian spoke halfway, then paused.

The hurried voice of the Tool Elder echoed in his mind.

"Sword techniques! I seek guidance in sword techniques!"

Dong Xian was perplexed but followed the Tool Elder's instructions, "I seek guidance in sword techniques from Senior Brother."

Knife techniques were good, but he sought guidance in sword techniques?

Was it him or Dong Xian who had an issue? Qi Yuan looked at Dong Xian, feeling that this person had the protagonist's fate but perhaps not the best wits.

However, Qi Yuan didn't mind.

What was the point of quarreling with someone who might have a problem?

"Sword techniques? I happen to know a few," Qi Yuan said.

His sword techniques were indeed impressive.

Not to mention the Heaven-Splitting Sword Technique he already knew, the sword techniques in Qing Pingzi's memory were also formidable.

"What aspect are you interested in?" Qi Yuan asked.

The Tool Elder didn't transmit his voice again; he merely wanted to observe Qi Yuan's sword techniques.

After all, the rumors of the Black Mountain Sect's annihilation made him feel that there might be a connection between Qi Yuan and this incident, or perhaps with someone behind Qi Yuan.

Or maybe it was related to the person backing Qi Yuan.

He wanted to find some clues from Qi Yuan's sword techniques.

Dong Xian lowered his head in thought, then said, "I'm only at the Qi Condensation Stage, so I can't nurture a Dharmic Sword like sword cultivators do. But I also want to be like them, to make birds fall with a single sword strike. Are there any good sword techniques to achieve this?"

Dong Xian improvised, eventually landing on sword techniques.

Qi Yuan, upon hearing this, looked at Dong Xian with surprise, "You're indeed remarkable, with the talent of Xiao Yan.

Sword cultivators are strong, and their power lies in their Dharmic Swords.

Unfortunately, Qi Condensation Stage cultivators rarely have Dharmic Swords."

Firstly, Dharmic Swords are too precious for Qi Condensation Stage cultivators to possess. Secondly, their essence power is insufficient, making it impossible to control a sword through spiritual sense.

Therefore, the combat strength of sword cultivators at the Qi Condensation Stage is generally average.

It's only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage that the true power of sword cultivators is revealed.

Qi Yuan continued, "Without a Dharmic Sword, we can have... Qi Swords!"

"Qi Swords? What are those?" Dong Xian was astonished.

"What do Qi Condensation Stage cultivators cultivate? It's a breath of Primordial Qi and a breath of Essence Energy!

With the presence of Qi, one can transform it into a sword, releasing sword aura to kill silently!" Qi Yuan explained.

Qing Pingzi's sword path, when cultivated to its peak, allows one to transform Qi into a sword, wielding the sword without a physical blade, with the Qi becoming the sword itself.

At a higher level, one's body becomes the sword.

This is similar to some sword cultivators who forge themselves into Dharmic Swords, yet the paths differ.

"Transforming Qi into a sword is indeed impressive, but you must be cautious. Never stray onto the wrong path and transform Qi into a horse; it's not a good thing," Qi Yuan said earnestly.

Dong Xian: "???"

He was utterly confused.

Why did he understand each word Qi Yuan said, but when they were put together, he couldn't grasp their meaning?

"Senior Brother Qi Yuan, what does it mean to transform Qi into a sword at the Qi Condensation Stage?

And what does it mean to not transform Qi into a horse?" Dong Xian was completely lost.

He couldn't comprehend why Qi Condensation Stage cultivators wouldn't cultivate Essence Energy into essence power but instead transform Qi into a sword.

"Junior Brother, please forgive my dullness. I'd appreciate a demonstration from Senior Brother to understand what transforming Qi into a sword entails."

"Look carefully, and you'll understand after one observation. It's not that difficult," Qi Yuan said.

Qing Pingzi's sword path was something Qi Yuan grasped after merely observing it once.

Beside him, Dong Xian was utterly bewildered.

Was Senior Brother Qi Yuan speaking nonsense, or could he genuinely transform Qi into a sword like those Core Formation Cultivators who could transform Heavenly-Earth Essence Energy into a Dharmic Sword to capture low-rank cultivators?

He had witnessed such a feat before.

But Senior Brother Qi Yuan had only just reached the peak of the Qi Condensation Stage, and his essence power might not be sufficient to achieve this.

Even if he could manage it, the result might still be "astonishing."

"Junior Brother Dong Xian, watch closely."

Qi Yuan's expression turned solemn as he extended his hand, forming a sword finger.

A golden light burst from his hand.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end