Chapter 91 - Arc 7: Dragon Ascension Gate | Chapter 91: Bloodthirsty Demon Vine is Guarding

Translator: Lynn

Sponsored chapter (9/10)

In the cave, two figures gracefully moved up and down, their movements intertwining.

The crisp and melodious sound of clanging metal and iron filled the air, creating a pleasant and harmonious rhythm.

Upon closer observation, the figures turned out to be two young men with remarkable temperaments.

One of them wore a gentle and elegant green s.h.i.+rt, while the other was dressed in a proud red attire, resembling the radiant sun.

The young man in green held a peculiar black weapon that appeared to be made of gold yet not gold, wood yet not wood. Its shape resembled a stick, but with a sharp tip, akin to a sword, making it appear quite unique.

The young man in red wielded a red flying sword, which gleamed with fiery red hues. However, a thin layer of blue radiance enveloped its outer edge, resembling flames.

The two engaged in a fierce and intense battle, with Hong Yis movements displaying a powerful and daunting sword technique. The young man in green focused primarily on evasion, lacking offensive moves. However, he made up for it with his agility. Initially, he seemed a bit fl.u.s.tered, but gradually grew more familiar with the situation, becoming increasingly nimble.

After fighting for a while, the young man in red suddenly swung his long sword, causing the blade to release blue flames as it directly approached the chest and abdomen of the young man in green! Startled, the green-clad youth swiftly rolled mid-air, pressing against the mountain wall and turning his head to evade the attack.

Subsequently, their exchange of moves came to a halt. The flames on the red-clothed boys sword dissipated, but the swords tip had already reached the throat of the green-clad boy. Zhang Yang smiled and said, Brother Ziqing, youve lost once again!

The young man in green skillfully deflected the swords tip with his steel-wood weapon and smiled wryly, Yes, Ive lost again.

These two young men were none other than Xu Ziqing and Su Xin, who had been practicing martial arts together for several days.

Today marked the sixth day since Su Xin had made his promise, and he had remained steadfastly by Xu Ziqings side during this time, earning Xu Ziqings deep appreciation.

However, despite Su Xins higher level of spiritual power, Xu Ziqing had more losses than wins. It was clear that his combat skills and experience were lacking.

In truth, it wasnt Xu Ziqings fault. Su Xin had been a disciple for a long time, practicing various spells alongside his master and fellow senior brothers and sisters. He had access to a wealth of knowledge and training opportunities, which naturally gave him an advantage. On the other hand, Xu Ziqing relied on his own exploration, with occasional guidance from Yun Lie. Due to their different cultivation methods and physical attributes, Xu Ziqing couldnt fully grasp certain techniques, which explained his disadvantage in these friendly compet.i.tions.

Furthermore, these sparring sessions werent life-and-death battles, and Xu Ziqing deliberately refrained from using the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine to a.s.sist him, keeping a hidden trump card. However, this made him more aware of the limitations of his own abilities. No matter how quickly his cultivation base progressed, he couldnt neglect the cultivation of spells. Otherwise, when confronted with real danger, he would be at a significant disadvantage. Su Xin had been with him for many days and could see these shortcomings. He inquired, Brother Ziqing, have you never practiced swordsmans.h.i.+p? People who primarily used flying swords generally had to study sword techniques, as they were crucial for combat. However, Xu Ziqings moves lacked finesse, revealing his deficiency in this aspect.

Xu Ziqing nodded and sighed, I have lived a wandering life, never staying in one place for long. The techniques Ive learned were acquired by chance. As for sword tactics and other offensive techniques, Ive never come across them before.

Upon hearing this, Su Xin straightforwardly commented, Brother Ziqing, although the weapon you wield is unconventional, it shares similarities with a sword. In the future, you should combine it with sword techniques to fully unleash its power. Otherwise, when we spar, no matter how much spiritual power we possess, the result will always be defeat for you. If my cultivation level were higher, I might not even be able to defeat you through sheer leapfrogging. This would put you at a severe disadvantage when facing real enemies. Xu Ziqing wasnt aware of this truth!

Although he had discovered techniques such as the Muhua Finger Technique, he didnt dare choose randomly when it came to sword techniques. He had read some sword manuals before, but there werent many wood attribute swordsmans.h.i.+p styles, and those he did find seemed lackl.u.s.ter. With Xu Ziqings understanding of Yun Lies sharp sword energy, he couldnt place much value on them.

Moreover, his practice time was still short, and it wasnt easy to become proficient in what he had already learned. He had to focus on suppressing the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine, communicating with thousands of trees, and trying to comprehend the numerous techniques derived from the Ten Thousand Woods Great Heart Planting Technique. Therefore, he couldnt afford to be greedy. With this in mind, he set aside the idea of practicing swordsmans.h.i.+p.

Now, as Su Xin brought it up, Xu Ziqing sighed softly, For now, I need to focus on my current practice and be more attentive in my daily cultivation. If I truly wish to practice swordsmans.h.i.+p, I may have to wait until I become a disciple in the larger world and seek guidance from my master.

Su Xin had always been favored by fortune and rarely faced hards.h.i.+ps. Upon hearing Xu Ziqings concerns, he offered comfort, saying, Building a solid foundation around you wont be a problem, and delaying the pursuit of swordsmans.h.i.+p for a few days is fine. At present, even though your swordsmans.h.i.+p isnt exceptional, your evasive skills are profound. If you cant win a battle, being able to escape is also valuable. Upon hearing this,

Xu Ziqing smiled faintly, If it ever comes down to a life-or-death situation, even if it means losing face, running away quickly would be the right course of action.

Su Xin also burst into laughter, saying, When facing death, what need is there for pride? Even I, under such circ.u.mstances, would have no choice but to act shamelessly to save my life! Hahaha! After a few coughs, he continued, In reality, Brother Ziqing, you need not worry too much. Your array of tricks is quite adept at bluffing people, so you wont easily find yourself in such dire situations. After their conversation, they took a sufficient break and began practicing once again. They alternated between periods of intense practice and short breaks, repeating this cycle until darkness descended, catching them by surprise.

Usually, Su Xin would have left by now and not lingered, but today she paused and said, The sixth day has pa.s.sed, and starting tomorrow, I need to enter deep meditation. I wont disturb you anymore.

Xu Ziqing smiled and replied, I also plan to focus on refining my spiritual power. Lets bid farewell for now and meet again at sunrise.

And so, they said their goodbyes. Xu Ziqing watched as Su Xin departed and then turned his attention to something else. Raising his hand, a flickering blue light appeared. Countless blue gra.s.s stalks rushed out of his palm and intertwined into a ma.s.sive net in an instant. The net was so fine and dense that there were almost no gaps.

With a command of go, the giant net swiftly flew out with a swoosh and its corners attached to the stone wall at the entrance of the cave. It expanded rapidly, tightly sealing the entrance. The cave grew darker by the moment. Xu Ziqing flicked his fingers again, unleas.h.i.+ng an invisible force that transformed into a hazy blue light. It enveloped the giant net, casting a faint glow. This was the protective barrier he always set up during normal times. If someone were to touch it, it would alert him. With these two layers of protection, Xu Ziqing still couldnt rest a.s.sured with so many monks around. After a brief moment of contemplation, he placed his hand on his dantian, gathered his consciousness, and sent it inside.

Rongjin, Rongjin Xu Ziqings consciousness called out softly.

Soon, a familiar sense of closeness emanated from deep within the dantian. Mother, mother! Long time no see!

Xu Ziqing felt a twinge of guilt. In his heart, both Chonghua and Rongjin were already considered family. Chonghua was a monster that needed to absorb the essence of the sun and moon, so it was always allowed to fly outside. Rongjin, on the other hand, had a bloodthirsty nature that couldnt be restrained, resulting in a lack of self-control. Thus, Xu Ziqing kept Rongjin in his dantian and couldnt call upon it all the time. They were like childlike consciousnesses, always joyful when near him. However, despite his heartfelt thoughts, various circ.u.mstances prevented him from being by their side, leaving him with a sense of guilt.

With these thoughts in mind, Xu Ziqings consciousness grew even gentler, sending comforting thoughts. Rongjin, you are the most obedient. Today, I plan to enter seclusion, and I hope you can guard the cave entrance for me, alright?

Rongjin responded eagerly, Rongjin, come out, mother

Hearing Rongjins protective tone made Xu Ziqings heart warm. He said, But if someone breaks in, dont harm them and leave them alive. Rongjin, remember, okay?

The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine obediently replied, Yes, and soon after, a sense of growth followed.

Xu Ziqing smiled faintly, extending his right palm. Two thin white vines emerged and quickly wrapped around his sides, remaining close by.

The Bloodthirsty Demon Vine twisted its vines and suddenly placed two leaf buds on each side of Xu Ziqings face, gently rubbing against each other, displaying an intimate connection.

Knowing that they wouldnt harm him, Xu Ziqing allowed the vines to rub against each other. After spending some time like this, he pointed towards the cave entrance and whispered softly, Rongjin, go. This time, the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine didnt hesitate at all.

In an instant, it swiftly retracted into Xu Ziqings body, appearing as two white snakes shooting away!

In the blink of an eye, the two vines had already hung from the cave ceiling, descending like a spa.r.s.e curtain.

This happened because the Bloodthirsty Demon Vine had turned its head back and retracted into Xu Ziqings body. Xu Ziqing cultivated in silence, feeling as though his body was hidden deep within his dantian. Finally, he felt at ease. Observing the sealed cave entrance, now protected by three layers, he could finally rest a.s.sured.

As soon as he closed his eyes, Xu Ziqing felt a lightness, and his consciousness became like a radiant moon, hovering above his inner world, looking down from above. The veins of muscles and bones, the texture of flesh and blood, and the internal organsall were clearly reflected in the depths of his consciousness. He wasnt sure why this was happening, but it felt instinctive to observe. It was as if all emotions had been stripped away, and his consciousness had fused with every minute detail, inseparable.

The surging spiritual energy resembled a ma.s.sive flood wave, rus.h.i.+ng down from the spiritual root, sweeping through every meridian before gathering again and pouring frantically into the dantian.

Soon, the dantian became full and expanded, seemingly unable to contain any more spiritual energy. Yet, it remained insatiable, swiftly devouring all the aura in its path! Then, the formulas within Xu Ziqings body spun rapidly, guiding the trajectory of the spiritual power along the established route. At this moment, the dantian became like a whirlpool. After absorbing enough spiritual energy, it suddenly compressed! It felt as if all the spiritual energy had disappeared in an instant, leaving the dantian empty. But within this empty core, a single round droplet of water appeared.

No, perhaps it wasnt just a droplet of water. It was something condensed and solid, more substantial than spiritual power.

Crystal clear and pure, this was pure energy devoid of impurities. The power contained within it surpa.s.sed ordinary spiritual power by a hundredfold or even a thousandfold!

True Essence!

After days of arduous effort, Xu Ziqing finally managed to condense the first droplet of true energy!

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