7: The beginning of the wind shadow
In the following days, Ye Chen entered an even more frenzied state of cultivation.
The life-and-death struggle with the black-clad assassin had not only honed his combat awareness but also made him deeply realize the urgency of strength. That 'Instructor Lin' hidden in the shadows was like a sharp sword hanging over his head, ready to fall again at any moment.
He was no longer satisfied with just accumulating spiritual energy and began to consciously temper his Physical Body, repeatedly practicing those combat techniques from his memory suitable for low Realms, gradually fusing his past life's experience with his current body.
During the day, he practiced movement and finger techniques in the courtyard, utilizing every bit of spiritual energy to its limit; at night, he fully operated the Basic Qi Guiding Art to absorb Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, consolidate his cultivation, and impact his Bottleneck.
The medicinal power of that essence nurturing pill was completely refined and absorbed. His Body Tempering sixth level Realm had long since stabilized and was steadily advancing toward the Peak of the sixth level.
Ten days later.
Inside the quiet room, Ye Chen was surrounded by dense spiritual energy, his aura surging as he reached the limit of the Body Tempering sixth level. Without hesitation, he mobilized his entire body's spiritual energy like a raging tide and launched an assault against that invisible barrier!
"Boom!"
It felt as if thunder had exploded within his body. At that moment, his Hand Shaoyang Meridian burst forth with dazzling brilliance, becoming wider and more resilient. Even more Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was drawn in, surging frantically into his body and transforming into pure spiritual energy.
Body Tempering Seventh Level, achieved as naturally as water flowing into a channel!
The moment he broke through, a sense of power far greater than before filled his body, and his five senses became even sharper. He could even clearly 'hear' the subtle sound of leaves falling outside the courtyard.
[Ding! Detected host's cultivation has reached Body Tempering Seventh Level. Milestone task 'hidden dragon in the abyss' completion: 50%.]
The System's notification sounded at the perfect time.
Ye Chen slowly opened his eyes, a sharp glint swirling within them. He clenched his fists, feeling the power coursing through his body, a satisfied smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
His cultivation had reached the standard; next were the sword techniques!
With a thought, he opened the System interface again. In the task bar, the item 'Initially master a sword technique provided by the System' remained grayed out.
"System, how do I obtain sword techniques?" he asked in his mind.
[Method 1: Complete the 'hidden dragon in the abyss' task to obtain a random basic sword technique draw chance.]
[Method 2: Consume 500 System points to directly purchase a specific basic sword technique from the mall.]
[Method 3: After unlocking the Myriad Worlds Sword Tomb Elementary exploration permissions, there is a chance to comprehend them on your own.]
Looking at these three methods, Ye Chen frowned slightly. He didn't have nearly enough points for Method 2, and Method 3 required completing the task first. It seemed everything ultimately relied on the task reward.
"It seems I must 'initially master' a sword technique as soon as possible..." Ye Chen thought to himself. What was the System's judging criteria? Was it merely learning the Moves, or did it require a certain level of proficiency?
He pondered for a moment and walked into the courtyard. His gaze swept around, finally landing on the pile of wooden training posts in the corner.
Since he had no sword, he used his fingers as a substitute.
He closed his eyes, recalling the lowest-tier basic sword techniques he had seen in his previous life, as well as the swift Concept contained within that 'Wind and Thunder Sword Art' fragment.
Stab, hack, flick, hang, point, burst, intercept... the most basic sword Moves came to him with ease. At first, they were a bit stiff as this body was unfamiliar, after all. But soon, his past life's muscle memory and understanding of the Dao of the sword began to take effect, and his movements became increasingly fluid and precise.
The wind from his fingers pierced the air, making a 'chi chi' sound. He didn't use much spiritual energy, focusing more on finding that 'sword' feeling and familiarizing himself with this body's way of exerting force and the trajectories when performing sword Moves.
Once, twice, ten times... he tirelessly repeated these basic movements, his mind completely immersed. Gradually, his movements were no longer confined to fixed forms; they began to carry a hint of personal understanding and variation, becoming simpler, more direct, and also... more dangerous.
[Detected host is independently comprehending sword dao basics, evaluating compatibility...]
[Evaluation passed! Auxiliary analysis module activated!]
[Deducing and optimizing basic sword Moves according to host's physical data and spiritual energy characteristics...]
[Deduction complete! Exclusive basic sword technique generated: Wind Shadow Sword Art (Prototype)!]
A stream of information instantly flooded Ye Chen's mind. It wasn't a complete sword art, but rather techniques and knacks on how to exert force and circulate spiritual energy to make sword speed faster, trajectories more erratic, and power greater. It perfectly matched his current state and the 'Wind' Concept contained in that fragment!
Ye Chen's heart jolted, followed by wild joy! This System actually had such an auxiliary function!
He immediately performed the basic sword Moves again according to the optimized method in his mind.
"Chi!"
He pointed with his finger, and the speed was nearly thirty percent faster than before! The sound of the air breaking from his fingertip was even sharper, as if it had truly transformed into a blurry wind shadow!
It worked!
His spirits soared as he began to integrate this optimized force-exertion technique into every basic sword Move. Stabs were faster, hacks were fiercer, and flicks were more cunning... His figure shifted and moved through the courtyard, finger shadows flying as sharp gusts of wind from his fingers sliced through the air with a hissing sound. Later on, he even began to try connecting different basic Moves, simulating simple sword routines.
Although there were still no fixed names for the Moves, this 'sword art' performed based on System optimization and his own understanding already possessed impressive power, far exceeding the mundane martial arts learned by ordinary Quenching Body Realm Cultivators.
[Ding! Detected host has initially mastered self-created/optimized sword technique 'Wind Shadow Sword Art (Prototype)', proficiency: Initial Glimpse.]
[Milestone task 'hidden dragon in the abyss' completed!]
[Task rewards distributed: 300 System points, random basic sword technique draw chance x1, Myriad Worlds Sword Tomb Elementary exploration permissions unlocked!]
It's done!
Ye Chen stopped and stood still, sweat on his brow, but his eyes were incredibly bright. He finally possessed his first 'sword technique,' even if it was just a prototype.
"Draw random basic sword technique!" he ordered impatiently.
In his consciousness space, a giant phantom roulette appeared, divided into countless slots flashing with different colored lights, representing all sorts of basic sword techniques.
The wheel began to spin rapidly, then gradually slowed down after a moment until the pointer finally stopped on a slot emitting a faint green light.
[Congratulations host, you have obtained basic sword technique: Wind Chasing Sword Art (Yellow Rank Medium Grade)!]
The light dissipated, and an ancient green book floated before Ye Chen. On the cover were four bold, elegant characters—Wind Chasing Sword Art.
Ye Chen's consciousness touched the book, and a large amount of information regarding the Wind Chasing Sword Art's cultivation methods, energy circulation routes, and Move variations flooded into his mind. This was a complete basic sword technique, divided into three forms, pursuing extreme speed. Once practiced to Major Achievement, the sword would strike like chasing wind or lightning, possessing impressive power.
"Yellow Rank Medium Grade... just right for my current Realm!" Ye Chen was delighted. This Wind Chasing Sword Art coincided perfectly with the 'fast' philosophy of his self-comprehended Wind Shadow Sword Art (Prototype). They could complement each other and even fuse, allowing him to build combat strength more quickly.
He didn't immediately begin cultivating the Wind Chasing Sword Art, instead turning his gaze toward the new option on the System interface—[Myriad Worlds Sword Tomb (Elementary Exploration)].
Its icon was a broken sword thrust into endless tombstones, emitting a desolate, ancient, and dangerous aura.
"Myriad Worlds Sword Tomb..." Ye Chen murmured to himself, his eyes full of curiosity and a desire to explore. It sounded like a place that could allow him to rapidly improve his sword dao cultivation.
Just as he was about to try his first exploration, Uncle Fu's voice came from outside the courtyard gate again. This time, his tone carried a hint of gravity:
"Young Master Chen, the Young Miss requests your presence at the manor for a discussion; there are important matters to attend to."
Ye Chen's brow twitched. Ye Qingxue was looking for him? And at this time?
He suppressed the urge to immediately explore the Sword Tomb and replied, "I understand. I'll be there shortly."
His intuition told him that Ye Qingxue's invitation this time was likely inseparable from the assassination attempt he had just encountered and that mysterious 'Instructor Lin'.
A new storm seemed to be brewing.