39: Breakthrough by leveraging momentum

Lin Feng's figure unfurled as he sped directly toward a mountain Peak in the distance where signs of people were relatively scarce.

There, Peaks rose one after another, and the forest was deep and secluded.

Stepping with the Willow Catkin Following Wind Step, his figure shuttled quickly through the mountain forest, searching for an ideal location for his Breakthrough.

As he skimmed past a bamboo grove, he suddenly heard a sharp sound of air being sliced ahead.

Lin Feng's heart stirred. He quietly restrained his Aura and looked forward under the cover of the dense bamboo grove.

On a small clearing ahead, a young man dressed in white with a posture as upright as a sword stood silently with his eyes closed.

That back profile seemed a bit familiar; could it be the Senior Brother from the Preaching Cliff that day?

He held no sword in his hand, but his fingers were held like one. With every casual sweep, streaks of incredibly condensed Sword Qi whistled out, accurately striking down the bamboo leaves drifting in the air. Every leaf hit instantly turned to powder.

What shocked Lin Feng even more was that the young man was enveloped in a pure Sword Intent, as if he himself were a peerless, malevolent sword drawn from its sheath.

Under the influence of this Sword Intent, the qinggang sword on Lin Feng's back actually trembled slightly, letting out an almost inaudible wail.

'It's him. That Senior Brother Chu who possesses the Ancient Sword Soul.' Lin Feng immediately recognized the man, his heart filled with solemn respect.

Not daring to disturb him, he was about to retreat quietly and find another place.

However, perhaps because Lin Feng's gaze lingered a bit too long, or perhaps because Senior Brother Chu's spiritual perception was too sharp.

Just as Lin Feng was about to Move his feet, Senior Brother Chu suddenly stopped his movements, and the Sword Intent around him instantly vanished.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze piercing directly through the shadows of the bamboo and landing on the spot where Lin Feng was hiding.

"Who is watching?"

Lin Feng was startled. Knowing he could no longer hide, he had no choice but to brace himself and step out from behind the bamboo grove, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Outer Sect Disciple Lin Feng. I was passing through this place by chance and saw Senior Brother's divine sword techniques. I lost myself for a moment and stopped, disturbing Senior Brother's quiet cultivation. Please forgive me, Senior Brother."

Senior Brother Chu's gaze swept over Lin Feng, pausing for a moment especially on the long sword behind him that was still slightly trembling. His brow twitched.

"Qi Refining Fifth Layer Peak, with solid spiritual power and light footwork. You have some foundation." He spoke indifferently, seemingly a bit surprised that Lin Feng could remain calm under the Sword Intent he had unconsciously emitted, but he didn't ask further. He simply waved his hand. "There is residual Sword Qi here, which is of no benefit to your Breakthrough. Find somewhere else."

Hearing Senior Brother Chu tell him to leave, Lin Feng's heart stirred.

Although the Sword Qi here was fierce and the residual Sword Intent carried a sharpness that could crush one's spirit, for him, this omnipresent pressure could temper the already active and restless spiritual power in his body, making it even more condensed.

Opportunities are found within danger.

Instead of leaving, he cupped his hands again. "Senior Brother is absolutely right. However, I believe that while Sword Qi is sharp, it can also hone one's edge; while Sword Intent is proud, it might not be impossible to borrow it. I have the audacity to ask to use this place to perform my Breakthrough. I hope Senior Brother will grant permission."

Hearing this, a flash of genuine surprise finally crossed Senior Brother Chu's calm eyes.

He sized Lin Feng up again. An Outer Sect Disciple at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer actually dared to take the initiative to borrow his Sword Intent for a Breakthrough?

This boy was either arrogantly ignorant or... he truly had some courage and something to rely on.

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, a sliver of the Sword Intent that had previously vanished suddenly leaked out, instantly enveloping Lin Feng.

Lin Feng felt his breath hitch, and his bones seemed to make soft cracking sounds. However, his eyes grew brighter, and the heaven-stealing vine swayed slightly in his Sea of Consciousness.

Gritting his teeth to endure, he circulated his Cultivation Technique, guiding his boiling spiritual power to launch an assault on the bottleneck of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.

At the same time, he integrated the intent he had felt from the Sword Intent—that of moving forward undeterred and slashing through all obstacles—into his own spiritual power.

'Break!'

Lin Feng's Aura suddenly surged, and his surging spiritual power flowed incessantly.

Qi Refining Sixth Layer, achieved.

And at the moment he successfully broke through and his Aura leaked out, the heaven-stealing vine also completed its analysis of the Sword Intent. It released the fluctuations produced during Lin Feng's Breakthrough, merging them into the surrounding Sword Intent Domain.

Senior Brother Chu, who had been standing as still as a rock, actually trembled slightly.

He clearly felt that the Outer Sect Disciple before him had not only truly used the pressure of his Sword Intent to complete a Breakthrough, but even more incredibly, the mental will produced at the moment of Breakthrough had actually touched his own incredibly pure "Delusion-Slaying Sword Intent" in return.

It was... a completely different kind of Sword Intent.

To his Sword Intent, which pursued the Dao of Slaying and Extinguishing, it was as if he had seen another possibility.

Senior Brother Chu slowly turned around, "looking" at Lin Feng in a true sense for the first time. His gaze was as sharp as a sword, as if he wanted to see through him completely.

"You..." he spoke, "how did you do it?"

Lin Feng suppressed the surge of spiritual power after his Breakthrough and met Senior Brother Chu's gaze, saying frankly, "I am dull-witted. I simply felt that Senior Brother's Sword Intent is like a mountain, while my Breakthrough is like a seedling. Even though the mountain's weight presses down, a seedling can still break through the rock. I merely emulated this principle, using the pressure to temper myself in search of a chance at life."

"Using pressure to temper oneself... in search of a chance at life..." Senior Brother Chu repeated the words, lost in thought.

He was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he looked up. "Your Comprehension Ability lies not in the complexity of Moves, but in pointing directly to the heart. In the path of the sword, you indeed have a bit of... unconventional charm."

His tone paused slightly before he finally said indifferently, "If you have doubts about sword techniques in the future, you can come to Divine Sword Peak to find me."

Having said that, without waiting for Lin Feng's response, his figure flickered and vanished into the depths of the mountain forest in an instant, leaving no trace.

During these days, Lin Feng frequently traveled back and forth between Hundred Flowers Peak and Cloud Bamboo Peak.

Luo Linger enthusiastically showed Lin Feng several types of spirit plant seedlings she had newly cultivated, her fingertips glowing with a faint green light.

Lin Feng observed seriously and timely raised several questions regarding spiritual energy channeling and soil improvement. He hit the nail on the head, causing Luo Linger's eyes to light up as she explained even more carefully.

"Junior Brother Lin, you really understand much more than they do."

Just then, two sword lights galloped over one after another, landing outside the Immortal Cave and revealing their forms.

Both had arrogant expressions, but they glared at each other with hostility, clearly having just gone through an argument.

"Wu Fan. Is your Sword Evasion Technique a loach burrowing through mud? You're blocking my way."

"Sun Mang. Your Fire-Fiend Sword Qi is what stinks. Following behind you is simply torture."

The arguing stopped abruptly. Both of them simultaneously caught sight of Lin Feng standing beside Luo Linger.

Wu Fan sized Lin Feng up, his brow furrowing. "Hmm? Why is this Outer Sect kid here again? Junior Sister Linger, why do you always hang out with this kind of low-cultivation Outer Sect Disciple? What could he possibly know about spirit plants?"

Sun Mang also immediately turned his spearhead and echoed, "Exactly. An Outer Sect Disciple at the Qi Refinement Stage running to Hundred Flowers Peak every few days to pester Senior Sister Linger. I think his intentions are completely improper."

Hearing this, Luo Linger's pretty face turned stern. "Senior Brother Wu. Junior Brother Sun. What nonsense are you talking about? Junior Brother Lin has quite a few insights into the way of spirit plants, much more than you..."

She originally wanted to say "much better than you," but feeling it was inappropriate, she stopped herself abruptly and glared at the two of them huffily.