113: The Cave of the Green-Edged Swordsman

The transformation was complete, Qingfeng Bamboo!

Before Lin Yan could recover from his surprise, a surge of pure, though not vast, spiritual power flowed back from the Bamboo body.

The spiritual power fed back by the Second-Order Spiritual Plant was not much; it was far inferior to the Fire Crystal Rice.

But what truly surprised Lin Yan was the Sword Dao enlightenment that followed.

The Qingfeng Bamboo was a special spirit plant that carried the spiritual charm of Sword Dao, and the Sword Dao information it transmitted to Lin Yan was immense.

Amidst the fluctuations of the Sword Dao spiritual charm, Lin Yan seemed to merge into an ocean of swords.

His mind fell into a state of emptiness, and images appeared in his Sea of Consciousness: Bamboo leaves swaying in the wind, each one like an agile sword move.

The Bamboo body stood upright like a sword, its hollow cavity seemingly containing endless Sword Intent.

And he himself was like a Sword Cultivator standing in the center of the Bamboo forest, holding a spiritual sword forged from Qingfeng Bamboo, where the sword moved with his will, and his intent followed his heart.

In this state of emptiness, his understanding of the Yu Ling Sword Technique deepened abruptly.

Subconsciously, he formed a sword sign with his fingers, condensed a wisp of spiritual power at his fingertips, and gave a gentle stroke, unexpectedly bringing forth a clear Sword Qi.

A piece of bluestone beside him was sliced open silently, the cut as smooth as a mirror, with the edges even shimmering with a faint cyan light.

Lin Yan opened his eyes, and with a thought, the qinggang sword flew out instantly.

Like a streak of light, it cut through the sky, flying about two miles away, and Lin Yan felt that the qinggang sword was still under his control.

With another thought, the qinggang sword immediately turned around, traced an arc in the sky, and flew back into Lin Yan's hand.

"Yu Ling Sword Technique at Minor Achievement!"

Lin Yan's ability to control the Flying Sword had greatly increased.

The attack range of a single Flying Sword had doubled, reaching a range of two miles.

If fighting at close range, he could even control three spiritual swords simultaneously.

It was just that he didn't have more spiritual swords to control at the moment.

Lin Yan stood up in the center of the Bamboo forest, his robes fluttering, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

He cast his gaze toward the panel of that Qingfeng Bamboo.

"bamboo heart dew can be condensed within the Bamboo nodes; drinking it has the effect of clearing the mind, sharpening thoughts, and tempering Sword Intent..."

Looking at this description, it was indeed similar to Sword Grass.

But the difference was that Sword Grass was one-time use, while this bamboo heart dew could be produced continuously.

It was just unknown how long it would take to condense a portion, what its efficacy would be, and whether it could rival Sword Grass...

The afterglow of the sunset spilled over the Bamboo forest, and the Qingfeng Bamboo shimmered with a faint cyan light in the interplay of light and shadow, its Bamboo leaves swaying with the wind, emitting a crisp "clanging" sound.

Meanwhile, at Qingzhu Peak.

After that Qingfeng Bamboo successfully transformed, the entire Qingzhu Peak seemed to have its gears turned by an invisible hand.

A faint rumbling came from the mountain's belly, and an Immortal Cave sealed by the passage of time slowly emerged from the western side of Qingzhu Peak, revealing half of a Stone Gate covered in vines and moss.

Deep within the Jian Ge Mountain Range.

Elder Xuan Mu sensed a subtle disturbance in the distance.

"Three years ago, the dojo of the Azure Blade Fairy, and now the dojo of the Qingfeng Swordsman follows closely... Could there be some hidden mystery?"

He couldn't help but think of the Disciple in the Spirit Herb Hall who had received the Azure Blade Fairy's Legacy.

"Could it be related to him..."

Immediately, he shook his head again, feeling it unlikely.

The Azure Blade Fairy and the Qingfeng Swordsman were people of the same era; it made sense for their dojos to emerge one after another.

"Back then, when they left in such a hurry, did they truly escape this cage?"

Elder Xuan Mu let out an inaudible sigh, then closed his eyes and focused his mind, resembling the ancient tree beside him.

The next morning, several Utility Disciples who went to Qingzhu Peak to dig for spiritual Bamboo shoots discovered the Stone Gate that had appeared out of thin air.

Thinking that an Opportunity had fallen from the sky, their faces were filled with wild joy.

But after trying for half a day, they were all exhausted, yet they couldn't move the Stone Gate in the slightest.

The next day, the news spread: an Immortal Cave had appeared on Qingzhu Peak.

It was said that the characters "Qing Feng" were carved on the Stone Gate of the Immortal Cave, confirming it was the Immortal Cave left behind by the Qingfeng Swordsman back then.

The news spread like the wind throughout the inside and outside of the Sword Pavilion.

"The dojo of the Qingfeng Swordsman has emerged!"

"A Sword Dao expert from a thousand years ago, it is said he once killed his way to East Demon Island with a single Qing Feng Sword!"

"Just like the dojo of the Azure Blade Fairy before, everyone who went to try their luck was blocked outside the gate!"

In the following days, Qingzhu Peak was exceptionally lively.

Disciples from various branches and halls, Utility Disciples from the Outer Sect, and even several Elders came to investigate.

Some tried to blast the Stone Gate with spiritual power, some used talismans to probe the Formation, and others simply set up large Formations around the Immortal Cave, attempting to trigger the mechanism with the fluctuations of the Formation.

However, no matter how they tried, the Stone Gate of the Immortal Cave remained tightly shut.

"It's the same Restriction as the Azure Blade Fairy's dojo..."

Standing on a distant cliff, Lin Yan looked at the vortex of Spiritual Qi circling above Qingzhu Peak, a knowing smile appearing on his lips.

He knew that such dojo Restrictions usually only recognized those with "Destiny," either having a Karma connection with the expert who left the dojo behind, or carrying a specific "key."

And he, who had personally catalyzed the Qingfeng Bamboo, had become entangled with that Destiny.

"The Qingfeng Swordsman and the Azure Blade Fairy had an unusual relationship..." Lin Yan muttered to himself.

After more than a month of such continuous liveliness, the Disciples and sect members trying their luck finally quieted down.

Night fell, and Qingzhu Peak gradually quieted down.

Lin Yan changed into black fitted attire, avoided the Outer Sect Disciples scattered across the peaks, headed straight for Qingzhu Peak, and quietly went up the mountain along a little-known path.

The moonlight was like water, spilling over the sea of Bamboo, casting a silvery glow.

The Immortal Cave that had emerged from the mountain's belly stood quietly on the mountainside, and the characters "Qing Feng" on the Stone Gate shimmered with a faint cyan light under the moonlight, as if waiting for something.

Lin Yan stood before the Stone Gate, took a deep breath, and raised his hand to gently stroke the surface of the Stone Gate.

When his fingertips touched the sharpest pattern on the Stone Gate, the entire Immortal Cave suddenly trembled slightly, as if a sleeping giant beast had opened its eyes.

"Creak..."

The Stone Gate opened slowly, emitting a long, soft sound, as if spanning a thousand years of time.

Lin Yan's heart jolted, and he stepped into the Immortal Cave without hesitation.

The Stone Gate closed automatically behind him, cutting off the outside world.

The interior of the Immortal Cave was smaller than imagined; it was a deep, secluded corridor.

Glowing Spirit Stones were embedded in the walls, emitting a soft cyan light that illuminated the path ahead.

At the end of the corridor was a small courtyard enclosed by a Bamboo fence. The courtyard walls and fences were all built from green Bamboo; despite passing through ten thousand years, they were still as straight as new, though the surface was covered with the marks of time, and fine cracks were faintly visible at the Bamboo nodes.

In the center of the small courtyard was a small terrace paved with bluestone, on which stood a single, lonely Bamboo.

The Bamboo was dark gray all over, its nodes shriveled, its leaves sparse and withered, curled up, showing almost no signs of life, as if it were an old Bamboo that had been dead for a thousand years.

However, when Lin Yan's Divine Sense swept over this Bamboo, he was suddenly jolted.

At the seventh node of the Bamboo, there was a faint, extremely dense cluster of wood essence surging; the essence was like a lump of solidified amber, or perhaps a drop of sealed nectar, exuding an ancient and mellow aura.

"Could this be... bamboo heart dew?!" Lin Yan's breath hitched.