76: proficient

One month's time quietly passed by in focused cultivation.

In the back mountains of Hundred Flowers Valley, there was a secluded stone forest for trials.

Qin Feng stood focused and still, facing a hard granite rock as tall as two people. He did not draw his sword, but slowly raised his right index and middle fingers, pressing them together like a sword.

Inside his body, the Primordial Unity Qi Art quietly circulated, and his pure, majestic Internal Energy gathered toward his fingertips like a hundred rivers returning to the sea. Simultaneously, the invisible "Sword Heart" in his chest trembled slightly, and a sharp, pure Sword Intent rose, merging with his Internal Energy.

His eyes narrowed, and a wisp of pale gold energy suddenly erupted from his fingertip! The energy was incredibly solid, and though only as thick as a little finger, it radiated a heart-palpitating sharpness and a vast aura of Pure Yang Qi!

"Finger Sword Among Flowers!"

"Swoosh—Bang!!!"

The pale gold Finger Sword Qi shot through the air, moving so fast it left only an afterimage, accurately hitting the center of the granite!

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a dull "thud," like the sound of metal and stone cracking.

In the next moment, centered on the point where the Finger Sword Qi struck, countless fine cracks instantly spread across the entire boulder like a spiderweb! Then, with a groan of being overwhelmed, the massive granite collapsed with a crash, shattering into countless irregular stones with surfaces as smooth as a mirror!

Dust filled the air.

Qin Feng slowly withdrew his finger, looking at the mess before him, a flash of amazement and satisfaction in his eyes.

"What incredible power! This is only at the Proficient level; if cultivated to Great Perfection, its power might truly rival a Heaven Rank Martial Skill! As expected of a Red Opportunity!" he whispered to himself, feeling the residual heat and sharpness at his fingertip, his heart full of expectation for the future of this finger technique.

During this month, besides his hard cultivation of the Finger Sword Among Flowers, another important gain was using his authority as a Gold-Medal Deacon to select one free Cultivation Technique per year. He chose the Hundred Flowers Sword Scripture (Volume 1) from the third floor of the Library.

Although the Hundred Flowers Sword Scripture was Earth Rank Intermediate, its sword principles were exquisite and its Moves complex, blooming like a hundred flowers. It balanced offense and defense, perfectly complementing the Finger Sword Among Flowers, which was direct and sought ultimate sharpness. Relying on his Sword Heart talent, he had also cultivated the Hundred Flowers Sword Technique to the Proficient level within this month.

Along the way, he also learned the Hundred Flowers Palace's movement technique, the Butterfly Steps, and a true Breath Concealment Art.

Sinking his mind inward, the System panel quietly emerged:

[Name: Qin Feng]

[Age: 17]

[Rank: Mid-stage Great Martial Master] (Disguise: Martial Artist Peak - Maintaining a low profile)

[Talent: Sword Heart (Elementary), Sword Bone (Elementary)]

[Cultivation Technique: Primordial Unity Qi Art (Second Layer Perfection)]

[Martial Skill: Finger Sword Among Flowers (Proficient), Hundred Flowers Sword Technique (Proficient), Qingfeng Sword Art (Perfection), Butterfly Dance Steps (Perfection), Breath Concealment Art (Major Achievement)...]

[Status: Peak]

His strength was steadily improving, and his trump cards were becoming more abundant.

Of course, among the System intelligence refreshed this month, besides the Blue Opportunity of the Hundred Flowers Sword Scripture, there were many more Sect gossips that left him between laughter and tears:

1. [White] That rigid Deacon Zhao Feng from the Hall of Discipline privately writes romance novels under the pen name "Passionate Swordsman." They circulate among a small group of female Disciples, and the content is extremely sentimental and moving.

2. [White] Junior Sister Zhou, the female Disciple in charge of caring for the "Phantom Sound Butterflies" in the Spirit Beast Garden, has taken a liking to Senior Brother Liu from the Dining Hall, who is skilled at making pastries. The two often date in a corner of the Spirit Beast Garden under the guise of feeding Spirit Beasts and testing new pastries.

3. [White] A certain Elder Qian from the Outer Sect loves collecting various styles of wigs because his own... hair volume is worrisome.

4. [White] A female lecturer surnamed Sun from the Hall of Transmission appears serious but actually has a crush on a handsome male deacon surnamed Wu from the Alchemy Workshop. Every time she goes to the Alchemy Workshop, she pretends to bump into him by chance but has never dared to start a conversation.

5. [White] Two inner Sect female Disciples, because they both liked a newly arrived handsome male Instructor (who teaches basic cultivation theory), competed secretly in class and tripped each other up, nearly causing a duel. They were punished by the Instructor to copy the Sect rules a hundred times.

Qin Feng shook his head and tossed these nonsensical gossips out of his mind. Cultivation resources needed to be exchanged for contribution points, and staying behind closed doors forever wasn't the way. It was time to take on some Sect missions to earn contribution points and gain some experience.

He tidied his clothes, disguised his aura at the Martial Artist Peak, and walked out of the Green Bamboo Courtyard.

Not far from the courtyard gate, he saw a familiar, charming figure waiting under a flowering tree by the roadside; it was Xiao Chun.

Not having seen her for a month, Xiao Chun seemed to have blossomed more, her figure becoming increasingly elegant. Wearing a well-fitting Hundred Flowers Palace Disciple uniform, she looked fresh and lovely. Seeing Qin Feng, she immediately jogged up to meet him with a sweet smile, her aura surprisingly reaching the Martial Artist Peak!

"Big Brother Qin! You've finally come out of seclusion! I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Xiao Chun's voice was full of joy.

Qin Feng looked at her cultivation level with some surprise and nodded approvingly: "Not bad, you've made fast progress."

Receiving the praise, Xiao Chun smiled even more sweetly and then waved the Mission Token in her hand. "Big Brother Qin, are you going to the Mission Hall? I also happen to want to take a mission for some experience. Can we... go together?"

Her eyes were full of anticipation, as if she were afraid Qin Feng would refuse.

Looking at the young girl's expectant gaze and thinking that he wouldn't be at ease letting her go on a mission alone, Qin Feng nodded: "Alright, let's go together."

"Great!" Xiao Chun cheered and naturally walked to Qin Feng's side, heading toward the Mission Hall with him.

Sunlight filtered through the lush leaves and flowers, spilling over them and casting dappled shadows on the bluestone path. The steady youth and the charming girl formed a harmonious picture.