Chapter 238: Chapter 30 Sword Heart is Dizzy, Sword Bone is Weary
An Zhisu stood in the center of the arena, with the Flying Smoke Sword and the Harsh Cold Sword returning to her side, one on the left and one on the right.
She was bathed in blood, covered with wounds all over her body, and her right hand dangled limply, with several sections of the bone inside already broken.
In front of her stood a Golden Core Cultivator, his chest pierced by the Flying Smoke Sword.
The opponent’s lips parted slightly, uttering hoarse words,
“Sword Heart! Sword Heart! For whom does the long blade clank and ring? I hear only…”
Before he could finish, his head was severed by the Flying Smoke Sword, and the following words dissipated with the crumbling mist, vanishing into thin air.
Clenching a sword technique in her left hand, An Zhisu was shaking with anger.
What do you mean, “For whom does the long blade clank and ring”? None of your damn business!
You filthy, damned thing deserving of a thousand cuts!
At this moment, her mind was in utter chaos, even though she continuously tried to convince herself that “my junior brother will be alright,” she couldn’t help but be consumed with worry.
If, after leaving the secret realm, she discovered that her junior brother hadn’t come out… The very thought made her want to tear down the entire White Jade Capital.
Once she had somewhat regained her composure, An Zhisu didn’t rush to leave but quickly sat down cross-legged right there.
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She first took an elixir bottle out of her sleeve and swallowed an elixir.
As the Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal of Shushan, the enemy of the various peaks, she had been challenged eighteen times in a single month, and she had suffered serious injuries countless times.
She was more than experienced in treating her own injuries.
As the elixir’s potency spread through her meridians, An Zhisu reached out with her left hand, pressing on several major acupoints on her right arm, then aligned the broken sections of the bone and stimulated her True Yuan to heal them.
After her injuries were mostly recovered, she struggled to stand up and walked toward the sixth pavilion.
Her originally sky-blue Shushan Daoist robe was now completely soiled with blood, unclean to an extreme.
…
Underground environment, Mount Fajue checkpoint.
Almost a day had passed… Although Ling Yunpo felt nothing, Ah Jing, after all, was keeping track of time.
It had been ten hours since meeting the giant.
Even though a cultivator can go without eating, drinking, or sleeping, continuous fighting (or rather, enduring beatings) for a whole day is naturally quite a mental strain.
Ling Yunpo had no experience in fighting against body refiners until now and only now he realized how troublesome it was.
Deploying Daoist magic was completely too slow, even the quickest Thunder Method, as he recited incantations and just formed a spell in his mind, the opponent would already be upon him.
Casting a spell at close range only risked damaging himself before it could harm the opponent, possibly leaving him half dead from collateral damage.
Under such circumstances, he could only use the quicker Flying Sword or magical treasures.
Luo Yan wouldn’t have had magical treasures on hand; only the Green Duckweed Sword and Thunder Punishment Sword were available for use.
The issue was that the physical attack of the two flying swords couldn’t break the opponent’s defense…
It was clear that the secret realm had arranged for a body refiner to appear here to send a message, “Focus on learning how to endure beatings; don’t think about counter-killing.”
But what exactly does it mean to “learn how to endure beatings”?
“Endure countless hammerings to forge steel of the highest refinement” — could it really be, just as Mirror had said, that I have to be beaten half dead to count?
Ling Yunpo thought this as he took another heavy punch to his abdomen.
After enduring so much punishment for so long, his body was almost developing reflexes. Seeing an unavoidable punch coming, he would instinctively curl up the moment the fist impacted his body.
Thrown by the force, he flew and landed, rolling several times to dissipate the power.
Ling Yunpo clumsily scrambled to his feet, ready to face the next onslaught of blows, when he saw the burly man standing in place, folding his arms and nodding as he said,
“`
“Wonderful! Truly worthy of the Innate Sword Bone! As steadfast as bamboo in form, unshaken by wind or rain like the pine.”
After speaking, his figure transformed back into a flow of water and collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Ling Yunpo: ……….
The other’s final comment, “You really do take a beating handsomely,” left him unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow for a moment.
Ling Yunpo once again cast the “Universal Pure Tone Minor Illumination Technique,” healing his body covered in wounds, then took a brief moment to tidy up before leaving the chamber.
Stepping into the third room, he saw water rising from the ground and forming a figure…wait, not a human figure. Why was it shaped like a big cat?
“Meow, the name’s ‘Absolute Electricity.’” The big cat licked its paw, then spoke in human language, “Sword Bone, Sword Bone, seated watching all directions, hearing the wind—whatever…uh, what was it again?”
Ling Yunpo stood there, staring blankly at it.
“Nevermind.” The big cat revealed a human-like smile, “I really can’t remember your human poetry. Anyway, this level is to train your ability to ‘use stillness to control movement.’ Meow, are you ready? I’m going to pounce…”
Before its voice faded, it suddenly turned into a streak of light and disappeared. Ling Yunpo felt a strong force coming at him; his body didn’t even have time to brace before he was knocked to the ground, rolling several times.
Rising awkwardly, he saw his daoist robe torn at the chest with three sharp claw marks etched across it.
This demon’s speed is astonishingly fast!
Ever since the Marrow Cleansing, even a Flying Sword pushed to its limit and turning into a streak of light, Ling Yunpo believed he could catch a glimpse of it.
But before the big cat pounced, not even a shadow lingered for an instant, let alone seeing its movement clearly!
If he couldn’t see where the attacks were coming from, how was he supposed to defend and respond?
Wait, it previously mentioned “using stillness to control movement,” which means it’s training me on how to cope when “unable to match the opponent’s speed.”
After standing up, Ling Yunpo leaped back, pressing his back against the wall. This way, he wouldn’t have to worry about attacks from behind.
The Green Duckweed Sword and Thunder Punishment Sword floated at the ready on either side in front of him, always prepared to defend against attacks from three directions.
As for the big cat, it merely strolled leisurely in the pool of water in front of him, wearing an odd smile that seemed to mimic that of a human.
“Back to the wall, huh? Meow. Seems like a good idea, but the terrain limits my attack routes. What about you, though? Hasn’t your evasive space been reduced as well?”
It casually finished speaking and then disappeared from the spot again.
Ling Yunpo knew this was bad; he took another claw to the chin, his head knocked back so hard that it struck the wall behind him, leaving him completely disoriented.
Damn it! This damned cat, it’s right!
Since he couldn’t keep up with the opponent’s speed at all, it didn’t matter much whether the attacks came from the front, side, or back.
But the wall behind him directly hindered the possibility of rolling to dissipate the force.
Hmm?
Ling Yunpo suddenly had an epiphany, realizing that the second level trained him in how to dissipate force because this third level would be an onslaught?
And thinking about it more, wasn’t the first level about training him to “face injury head-on” because he would be “brutally beaten” in the second level?
In other words, this so-called “Mount Fajue Trial” was actually a complete training course designed for those with Innate Sword Bone, with each level’s content serving as a foundation for the next, linked together in a chain.
Having the courage to face injury, becoming proficient in dissipating force, and then dealing with faster enemies, learning to use stillness to control movement…
The smile on the big cat’s face suddenly vanished when it saw Ling Yunpo close his eyes, step forward a few paces, his right hand forming a sword finger placed in front of his chest, his left hand performing a Sword technique behind his back, adopting the stance of “Fighting in Eight Directions at Night.”
“Fighting in Eight Directions at Night” is a strategy used in pitch darkness when the eyes cannot see, completely abandoning reliance on vision.
Martial Artists depend on their hearing and the sound of the wind, whereas Cultivators rely on their Divine Sense.
Thus, a playful look intensified in the big cat’s eyes as it slowly circled around Ling Yunpo, now and then drawing near, now and then moving away, seemingly probing the range of his Divine Sense.
Yet Ling Yunpo remained unmoved, merely standing with closed eyes. The Green Duckweed Sword blocked in front of him, the Thunder Punishment Sword guarded behind, like a motionless statue.
“`