Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Entry-Level Sword Control Technique, a Red-armored Demon Rat Appears
After this recent period of Cultivation, Zhang Chi’s overall strength had improved significantly.
His Divine Thought, in particular, had reached the level of the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.
This made his Cultivation go more smoothly and quickened his mastery of Magic. And while he hadn’t truly reached the Entry Level with his Wind and Thunder Sword Control Skill, he was beginning to see a glimmer of hope.
Each time he carefully recalled Chen Bufan’s demonstration from that day, he could remember it with perfect clarity and benefited greatly.
Of course, if he continued like this, it would still take him several years to reach the Entry Level in Swordsmanship.
And that was even considering the fact that his Divine Thought was constantly growing stronger.
Therefore, upon arriving outside Sword Testing Valley and seeing no one around, he decisively strode inside.
From the outside, the Sword Testing Valley looked like nothing more than an ordinary, narrow ravine. But the moment he stepped inside, a fierce, chaotic, and bizarre form of Spiritual Power—or rather, Sword Intent—blasted him in the face, carried on the howling wind.
Sweat immediately beaded on Zhang Chi’s forehead, and he fought the urge to turn and flee.
But he gritted his teeth and pressed on. After advancing another ten-odd *zhang*, he finally couldn’t bear it any longer. It felt as if a great mountain was crushing him.
At that moment, however, he finally activated the Jade Pendant. The immense mental pressure and all the negative emotions in his mind instantly vanished without a trace.
In the next instant, he was surprised to feel that his talent for the Sword Dao had received a temporary, massive boost within the valley.
Aspects of Swordsmanship that had previously puzzled him now became clear with a moment’s thought, and new insights even began to burst forth in his mind.
"Great! It really works."
Zhang Chi was overjoyed. He immediately cast aside all distracting thoughts and concentrated on practicing his Sword Control Technique.
Soon, half an hour had passed.
He could clearly feel that his mastery of the Sword Control Technique had deepened significantly.
The progress he made in that half an hour was equivalent to a whole month of hard practice outside the valley.
’I’ll go deeper and take a look!’
Elated, Zhang Chi immediately pressed forward.
With the Jade Pendant protecting him, he moved through the Sword Testing Valley completely unimpeded.
Before long, he had advanced over a thousand *zhang*.
’This spot is perfect. As for going any deeper, I’ll wait until my Cultivation has improved and the Jade Pendant can endure more. I’ll try again then!’
He stopped, however, and once again began to practice the Sword Control Technique.
This time, the enhancement was even more potent. It was as if the creator of the Sword Control Technique was personally instructing him, teaching by word and deed.
It was as if he’d been possessed by a genius of the Sword Dao; his skill with the Sword Control Technique progressed by leaps and bounds.
After practicing like this for another half an hour, he felt he had achieved more than if he’d been practicing outside the valley for an entire year.
However, the Jade Pendant was also nearing its limit, so he had no choice but to leave quickly.
After that, he made it a daily routine to spend over half an hour practicing his Swordsmanship here.
RUMBLE...
On the tenth day, inspiration suddenly struck. As his Flying Sword shot out, it let loose a cry like wind and thunder, and both its speed and power increased dramatically.
"Haha! The sound of wind and thunder... I’ve finally reached the Entry Level in Swordsmanship!"
Zhang Chi was overjoyed.
These past few days, he hadn’t just been practicing here; he also continued to train after returning to the Earth Fire Hall.
Furthermore, even with the Jade Pendant’s help, the fierce winds here had taken a heavy toll on him.
If he hadn’t been carrying the Four-direction Spirit Gathering Array with him, and didn’t have his Magic Robe and Spiritual Power for protection, the fierce winds alone would have been enough to tear him to shreds.
Fortunately, his efforts had finally paid off.
Not even the great Chen Bufan could have reached the Entry Level in Swordsmanship in just ten days.
After all, it was said that even now, Chen Bufan could only venture a hundred *zhang* deep into the Sword Testing Valley at most.
Now that he had reached the Entry Level of the Sword Control Technique, Zhang Chi felt as if his Flying Sword had a life of its own under his control.
Under the same circumstances, he could now easily defeat the person he was just a few days ago.
But Zhang Chi didn’t grow arrogant. He quickly calmed down and maintained his steady pace of Cultivation in Seclusion.
He estimated that in about another hundred days, he would be able to bring his Sword Control Technique to the stage of Minor Success.
By then, his Combat Power would skyrocket, and he could be considered one of the top cultivators in the entire Qi Cultivation Middle Stage.
Another ten-odd days passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhang Chi finally made significant progress in his Alchemy as well.
With his enhanced Divine Thought and all the time he had spent studying in the Cangwu Sect, his understanding of the alchemical arts was advancing by leaps and bounds, even without the guidance of an Alchemy Master.
He had now fully grasped the Tier One techniques.
Late that night, when all was still and quiet, he finally decided to officially begin refining a pill.
At that moment, however, a torrential downpour was raging outside.
In the rain, two black-clad, masked Qi Cultivation cultivators met furtively at the foot of the volcano where the Earth Fire Hall was located.
"Are you ready?"
"Ready. And you?"
"Same here."
"Alright, let’s make our move!"
After the two masked cultivators exchanged messages via transmission, they each took out several Spirit Beast Bags. With a surge of Spiritual Power, they released a total of eighteen Demon Rats.
Each Demon Rat was at least three feet long, with a fiery red body, sharp claws and fangs, and a hide covered in overlapping scales.
They also exuded fierce, powerful auras; all of them were at the Tier One Early Stage.
In the Immortal Cultivation Realm, items like Spirit Talismans, Ores, Spiritual Veins, and Elixirs, as well as creatures like Demon Beasts, are all divided into Tiers: One, Two, Three, Four, and so on, corresponding to the different major Realms of Cultivators.
The distinction is that the first four—Spirit Talismans, Ores, Spiritual Veins, and Elixirs—are further subdivided within each tier into Low, Middle, Upper, and Top Grade.
Each tier of Demon Beast, however, is divided into Early, Middle, Late, and Peak stages.
The classification for Cultivation Techniques, Spirit Stones, Magical Artifacts, and Magical Treasures is even simpler, consisting only of Low, Middle, Upper, and Top Grade.
Spirit Roots are categorized similarly, but with the addition of Celestial Grade, as well as Pseudo Grade or Inferior.
The strength of a Tier One Early Stage Demon Beast is comparable to that of a Qi Cultivation Early Stage cultivator. Furthermore, these were Red-armored Demon Rats, which were considered quite powerful even among beasts of the same tier.
Moreover, they are exceptional burrowers and are particularly fond of hot environments.
Once so many Demon Rats were released, they were certain to enter the volcano beneath the Earth Fire Hall and wreak havoc.
Even with the protection of the Grand Array, they would cause considerable damage and could even endanger the few servant disciples on duty, as well as any cultivators pulling all-nighters for Alchemy and Artifact Refining.
SWISH SWISH...
The moment they were released, the Red-armored Demon Rats caught the scent of the volcano. Following the two masked cultivators’ command, they swiftly charged toward the crater.
The masked cultivators didn’t follow. Instead, they stood their ground, watching from a distance.
"This job from the Xie Family is a real cakewalk, and the pay is great—way better than Outer Sect missions. I hope we get more gigs like this," the cultivator on the left transmitted with a chuckle.
"I know, right? All we had to do was get some Red-armored Demon Rats; we don’t even have to get our hands dirty. Plus, with this downpour, we won’t leave a single trace."
"The Sect will probably just assume these Demon Rats came up from underground, so there’s no way they’ll trace it back to us," the cultivator on the right transmitted, his mood just as cheerful.
"Exactly. But that Zhang Chi is in for some serious trouble this time. I already made sure there aren’t any powerful cultivators pulling an all-nighter for Alchemy and Artifact Refining in the Earth Fire Hall tonight."
"Just him and a few servant disciples? They won’t stand a chance against these Demon Rats. If they overestimate themselves and try to fight back, they might even get themselves killed."
"But if they hide and do nothing, they’ll live, but the damage from the Demon Rats will be even greater. Afterward, they’re sure to be severely punished."
"When that happens, the Xie Family just has to use the incident as a pretext to have Zhang Chi banished to some duty outside the sect, and it’ll be all over for him."
The cultivator on the left agreed completely, finally revealing the truth of their plot. But since they were speaking via transmission and the area was deserted, there was no one to overhear them.
Meanwhile, the Demon Rats met no resistance and had already entered the volcanic crater beneath the Earth Fire Hall.
