Chapter 15 – Sword Qi

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The three-meter tall White-Nosed Demon Bear rushed Feng Ye. Every time its feet hit the ground, the rocks there trembled slightly.

The tips of its claws shone with a cold light as they stabbed toward Feng Ye. He didn’t move, but quickly assessed the situation. Should he take action?

“Shixiong!”

Before he could make a decision, Fang Yang’s voice abruptly sounded beside him.

A ray of silver light suddenly appeared from the side and blocked the claws heading toward him.

Feng Ye was momentarily stunned by the sight of Fang Yang running over to shield him, and he retracted the five fingers he had extended from his daoist robes.

He didn’t need to do anything.

Feng Ye made this judgement.

Was Fang Yang, at the seventh level of Qi Refining, unable to defeat the Foundation Establishment White-Nosed Demon Bear?

Indeed, he couldn’t win.

However, if Fang Yang had his help, that might not necessarily be the case.

Fang Yang intentionally drew the bear out of range of his Useless Shixiong, feeling like he was under double the pressure. He could still hold on for a while before, but it was different now. Every time his sword impacted the claws of the bear, the increase in force made his hands numb.

There were also several cracks in the iron sword. This wouldn’t work. He was simply unable to handle a monster in the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Just when Fang Yang was about to shout for Useless Shixiong and Hao-dage to run away, a voice sounded in his ears.

It was the voice of that man whose origins were a mystery but whose voice was very pleasant.

“Don’t panic.”

These two short words should have been wan and powerless. 

But perhaps because the man’s voice was steady and composed, it inexplicably made Fang Yang want to trust him.

Fang Yang’s flustered heart calmed down. He was a little glad that he’d brought the bamboo slip with him.

“This monster has the upper hand in strength. Don’t fight it head-on. Use force in your wrists when you wield your sword. The sword’s momentum should be as swift as lightning and as lingering as water.”

Fang Yang did as he was instructed, and the numbness in his hands was substantially relieved. The crisp force generated by his wrist movements acted upon the body of the sword, causing it to break away from the bear’s claws as soon as it hit, thus negating most of the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s force.

“Huh?” Hao Chen exclaimed in surprise. When he first saw Feng Ye standing there motionless, he thought he’d misjudged the fellow, that he was hard-hearted and uninterested in doing anything for this cheap shidi he’d picked up.

Who would have thought that the silly, naive person he had never paid attention to could, against all expectations, block the attacks of a monster at Foundation Establishment stage.

Hiding his hands in his sleeves, Feng Ye pinched his fingers together and watched Fang Yang fighting the monster with a look of powerless anxiety.

Hao Chen glanced at Feng Ye’s expression and thought that even if Fang Yang was a little stronger than he’d thought, he would never be able to defeat a Foundation Establishment monster. He wanted to see if this so-called shixiong was that cruel-hearted.

Hao Chen wasn’t wrong. Although Fang Yang could temporarily wrangle the White-Nosed Demon Bear, he very soon showed signs of losing.

With a crack, the iron sword, which had collided with the bear’s claws several times, made a shattering sound under the heavy force.

This was an ordinary iron sword, which everyone in Lingxiao Sword Sect possessed. The fact that it could survive so many strikes from a monster showed that it was of extremely good quality.

At present, a visible crack appeared down the middle of the sword.

It was about to break.

Fang Yang panicked at this realization. Once the sword broke, he would be unarmed and at the mercy of the monster.

In his panic, Fang Yang made a mistake in his sword movements and the bear’s claws passed through the gap in his defense toward his side. Although Fang Yang made a timely correction, the bear’s claws still left a bloody wound on his left arm.

The scent of blood stimulated the White-Nosed Demon Bear, and its blood-red eyes darkened even more. The tip of its nose twitched slightly and it bared its fangs, filled with fighting spirit.

On the other side, the combination of a nearly broken sword and an injured arm almost made Fang Yang lose the courage to fight. He couldn’t help but take a step back.

“Don’t retreat!” 

The man’s voice suddenly became severe.

Fang Yang paused his retreat at this scolding, but the fear in his heart remained.

He looked at the giant bear that was rushing over again and shouted in a state of mental collapse: “I can’t beat it…..”

“Not necessarily.” The man answered. Time was running out, and his voice was hurried. “As it draws near, look for its weakness and deal a fatal blow.”

That was easy to say. Regardless of whether a weakness could be found, the ability of his nearly-broken iron sword to pierce the hard skin of this monster was still in question.

The giant bear was on Fang Yang in an instant. Because of the man’s scolding, Fang Yang was unable to escape. At present, he had no choice but to fight to the death.

He stared with wide, fearful eyes as the bear’s claws attacked from both sides.

Those claws were rushing toward his head, trying to smash it to pieces like a melon.

The bear opened its mouth wide, saliva flowing out along with a fishy smell.

Wait. This is the weak spot, Fang Yang suddenly realized.

While attacking, the White-Nosed Demon Bear’s biggest opening was exposed.

All he needed to do at this moment was draw his sword and pierce the demon bear’s mouth, dealing a fatal blow.

But…..but…..could the iron sword in his hand pierce the bear’s mouth…..or would it break upon impact?

Fang Yang didn’t know. He was hesitant and panicked. Four words echoed in his mind: It’s going to break…..

“It won’t break!” The man’s voice was firm.

“It really will break!” Fang Yang could clearly sense the condition of the sword in his hand. Although this Mysterious Big Brother was indeed very accomplished in swordsmanship, Fang Yang was the one actually holding the sword, and he was more willing to trust his own judgement.

“You’re a sword cultivator. If you can’t trust the sword in your hand, then what can you trust!” The man’s voice was slightly questioning.

Fang Yang’s heart, which had been full of fear and hesitation, immediately became firm. Yes, ah, as a sword cultivator, if he didn’t trust the sword in his hand, then what could he trust?

Forget it, he was going to die anyway.

Fang Yang hardened his heart and threw away all of his cowardice and doubts. His mind was blank. All he could see was a giant bear so tall that it had to bend down to attack him.

He ignored the incoming claws on both sides and the strong wind that practically stung his skin, focusing on the bear’s mouth that was getting closer and closer.

Then, at the critical moment, the man roared: “Now!”

Silver sword light flashed like lightning cracking through the night sky, piercing like a bolt into the bear’s mouth.

The tip of the sword hit its fangs. Although the teeth of the White-Nosed Demon Bear were not as sharp as its claws, they were also weapons that should not be underestimated.

The iron sword, which had been hanging on by a thread, unsurprisingly broke.

Due to the force of the reaction, the other half of the sword tumbled through the air dozens of meters away.

The eyes of Hao Chen, who had been observing coldly from the sidelines, widened slightly in disbelief.

He saw the broken iron sword, but also…..a blade formed from spiritual power pierced through the mouth and nose of the White-Nosed Demon Bear and out the back of its head.

This was…..sword qi…..

Sword qi was a crucial watershed for sword cultivators. It was said that only when one truly cultivated sword qi could one be considered a sword cultivator.

However, there were no guidelines for understanding sword qi. It all depended on one’s comprehension and opportunities. Some dull-witted people might never be able to generate sword qi even if they had formed a golden core.

Even someone as talented as Cao Zirui was only able to do it when he reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

This youth with mediocre talent could actually comprehend sword qi at the seventh level of Qi Refining?

How was this possible?

Hao Chen’s disbelief at this moment was exactly the same as Feng Ye’s when the White-Nosed Demon Bear suddenly advanced to Foundation Establishment earlier.

And similarly, after denying it in his innermost being, he immediately cast a suspicious look toward Feng Ye, who was standing there quietly.

Feng Ye noticed his gaze and offered an innocent smile.

Granted, he had helped a little. At the moment of life and death, Feng Ye had used his spiritual consciousness to guide Fang Yang in striking out with this indestructible sword.

But if Fang Yang hadn’t had the courage to advance, or had the slightest hesitation in his heart, his spiritual energy wouldn’t have been enough to condense into sword qi. The result would have only been failure.

He wouldn’t have died. After all, his cheap shixiong Feng Ye wasn’t that heartless. If it really didn’t work out, he would have stepped in.

But the result wouldn’t have been as ideal as the present. Fang Yang had released sword qi, and Feng Ye himself was not exposed.

Perfection, Feng Ye thought happily.

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Chapter 14 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 16