Chapter 250: Chapter 250: Eclipse Sword Technique
Outside the Silver Snowfield, temperatures had returned to normal. Green mountains lined both sides and birdsong rang out from time to time.
"Miss, there is no never-ending feast under heaven, I must leave now."
Shi Xiaole said with a smile.
Only now did Ye Yiyi come back to her senses, she couldn’t help but ask, "Are you...Are you really Shi Xiaole?"
The Heroes’ Contest was indeed a much-anticipated event.
As the top of the Young Heroes’ List, Shi Xiaole had indeed made a name for himself.
What was most important was that unlike those geniuses born in top martial clans, Shi Xiaole had no influential background, moreover, he hailed from the poorest Cloud Triangle. No one knew what he had been through, no one knew how he rose to the top, which made the already legendary Shi Xiaole even more mysterious.
Ye Yiyi remembered, before setting out, she heard her clan sisters discussing the young man standing before her, their expressions filled with unconcealed admiration.
As a young girl in the age of the flowering of youth, she had naturally fantasized about Shi Xiaole’s appearance. Who would have thought fate would be so miraculous, weaving an exhilarating journey for her and him?
"If you ever have the time, you can come and find me at the Golden Phoenix Tower in Cloud Triangle."
Shi Xiaole was not an arrogant person, just because Ye Yiyi had disclosed her secret to him, it made her worth befriending.
Ye Yiyi really wanted to invite Shi Xiaole to her family’s house, but when the words reached her lips, her face reddened and she wasn’t able to spit them out, only whispering, "Okay."
With a loud neighing, a divine, green jade horse came galloping like lightning. The young man leapt onto the horse, gave her a smile, and rode off into the wilderness.
"Shi Xiaole."
Dumbfounded, Ye Yiyi watched Shi Xiaole recede into the distance, a rare sense of desolation and loss filled her heart. Scenes from the past few days unfolded in her mind, unexpectedly evoking a sense of nostalgia and warmth.
...
Cloud Triangle, Golden Phoenix Tower.
The higher-ups were filled with gloom and despair.
The Revenge Gathering had dispatched a large number of people to investigate the whereabouts of the Jade Heart Orchid but there was still no news.
As for that batch of men who rushed to the Silver Water Region to look for it, most people did not hold much hope. Judging from the journey, by the time they arrived in the Silver Water Region, almost a month would have passed. The probability of finding the Jade Heart Orchid within a few days was so low it could be disregarded.
"Is the heavens really this cruel?"
Meng Qi sighed in anguish, this robust man, had lost a significant amount of weight.
In his younger years, when he was stranded on the streets, a beautiful woman took him in and cultivated him into the current Chief Steward of the Golden Phoenix Tower, a position higher than many of the elders.
He could not accept it, the hostess who was enchanting and full of vigor, was reduced to a bedridden invalid, needing constant care in every aspect of life.
Each time he thought of this, Meng Qi wished he could tear the Sky Evil Sect demon that attacked that day to a thousand pieces.
"Divine Doctor, is there really no other way?"
The third floor master looked at Gu Qinghui pleadingly.
"We only have ten days left. If we don’t have the Jade Heart Orchid by then, even if we get it afterwards, I will be unable to do anything."
Gu Qinghui said, completely unaware of how cruel her words were.
"Sigh."
Followed by another round of sighs.
Su Yanru lay in the inner room, listening to the voices outside, tears rolled down her cheeks. Now all she wanted was for Shi Xiaole to be by her side, but where was he?
"I’m just a burden now, will Lele find me bothersome someday?"
Su Yanru laughed bitterly. She could smile in face of any misfortune, but she couldn’t bear to imagine the one she cared about the most, looking at her with disgust.
Just as she was lost in her thoughts, the familiar sounds of footsteps reached her ears. The room suddenly fell silent, followed by a burst of laughter that Su Yanru did not understand.
"You’re saved."
The cold voice said, it was Gu Qinghui who came in.
Yet, Su Yanru only focused on Shi Xiaole beside her, disheveled and weary.
"He brought the Jade Heart Orchid."
Gu Qinghui pointed to the smiling Shi Xiaole.
Su Yanru suddenly felt an explosion in her brain, her body rigid, the figure of Shi Xiaole in front of her gradually blurred, becoming a haze, tears slid down her face and were gently wiped away by Shi Xiaole.
She gripped his hand with overwhelming emotion, her voice choked up, and she finally broke into tears...
When the people of the Revenge Gathering found out Shi Xiaole had brought back the Jade Heart Orchid, each of them was dumbfounded. Of course, Shi Xiaole wouldn’t be foolish enough to admit he’d been to Silver Snowfield, and he brushed off their questions with a casual excuse.
Although everyone did not believe his words, they knew that everyone had secrets and did not push too hard. Mainly because getting the Jade Heart Orchid could also benefit the Revenge Gathering. Otherwise, once the news spread that they failed to fulfill the requirement of the Revenge Token, it would definitely be a massive loss of face.
For the next three days, Gu Qinghui secluded herself in Ru Garden and asked the Golden Phoenix Tower to dispatch many top fighters to stand guard outside, in order to provide full treatment for Su Yanru.
Three days later, a haggard-looking Gu Qinghui emerged to announce the successful treatment. The people of the Golden Phoenix Tower cheered and celebrated.
Shi Xiaole finally let out a sigh of relief, his guilt slowly dissipating.
Probably due to the effects of the Jade Heart Orchid and other valuable medicinal herbs, Su Yanru’s recovery was quick. By the first month, she was already able to get out of bed and walk.
Moreover, according to Gu Qinghui, after the bones regenerated, Su Yanru’s tendons would be softer than before, allowing her to perform many movements that ordinary people couldn’t.
After the low period, the morale of Golden Phoenix Tower rose again, everyone doing their job, everything was moving in a better direction.
"Finally, my Sword Heart has reached 76% completion."
In the dead of night, within a room, Shi Xiaole relaxed his hand and the Three Purities leaf in his palm turned into a pile of fragments, falling onto the floor.
A single Three Purities Flower enabled his Sword Heart Realm to advance from 60% to 73%, whereas a single Three Purities Leaf only allowed his Sword Heart Realm to progress from 73% to 76%.
This was not merely an issue of efficacy, but more so due to the fact that the deeper one gets, the more difficult it becomes to comprehend the Sword Heart. If it were so easy, the Sword Heart Realm wouldn’t be so rare.
"When I have completely understood the Sword Heart, it will be time for my revenge!"
As he thought of the demon from the Sky Evil Sect, a strong murderous intent flashed across Shi Xiaole’s eyes.
Three days later, when the moon was full.
"Excuse me, host, would you like to engage in a free extraction?"
Upon the system prompt, Shi Xiaole remembered that today was the mid-month drawing time.
"Draw."
The square halo was bouncing up and down as if intentionally provoking Shi Xiaole, but he no longer felt anything from it.
Ding.
"Congratulations, host. You have drawn a mid-level second-tier sword technique - Duan Rang’s Eclipse Sword Technique."
Eclipse Sword Technique?!
Shi Xiaole, who was initially calm, was suddenly excited.
The name Duan Rang wasn’t alien to him. As the most persistent major antagonist in the Wind and Cloud World, his talent was not any weaker than Wind and Cloud, but changing fates had led the originally kind-hearted him onto a path of no return.
As the hereditary martial arts of the Duan family, the Eclipse Sword Technique always carried a great reputation in the Martial World. It was only in the hands of Duan Rang’s father, Southern Qilin Sword Master Duan Lu, that it lost its former glory.
This was not only due to Duan Lu’s cause, but also related to the several generations of relative peace in the Martial World. At that time, not to mention Wind and Cloud, Xiongba was nowhere to be seen, and Di Shitian and others were also in hiding.
Overall, the Eclipse Sword Technique appeared infrequently in the Wind and Cloud World and was even once defeated by the young Nie Feng. However, having received the system’s evaluation as a mid-level second-tier skill, its power was certainly not ordinary.
Most importantly, even if higher level martial arts were given to Shi Xiaole now, he might not be able to use them with his current cultivation.
Meteor from the Sky is also a mid-level second-tier sword technique, but it only has one move, and it’s too absolute. If it doesn’t hit, there’s no follow-up move. Getting the Eclipse Sword Technique now was just right.
In the quiet courtyard, Shi Xiaole swung the long sword in his hand.
Eclipse Sword Technique, also known as Eclipse Eight Forms, is a set of dominant and forceful sword moves, each improving on the last. Whether it was due to his attunement with the Sword Heart Realm or not, Shi Xiaole found that practicing Eclipse Eight Forms was not as difficult as he had imagined.
With a single motion of Qingfeng Sword, a fierce Sword Qi boiled and sprang forth, like the early rising Sun, radiating in all directions. Under the propelling force of the Sword Qi, the courtyard walls, the ground, and the big trees within a radius of three feet all displayed numerous tiny holes.
If ordinary martial artists were standing around, this single move would surely cause massive death and injury.
"What an extraordinary White Sun Dawning."
Shi Xiaole sheathed his sword and sighed.
In merely a month, he had managed to practice the Eclipse Eight Forms to a minor completion level, exhibiting power that could compete with a killing technique - Vortex of Wind.
After two more months, Eclipse Eight Forms progressed smoothly to major completion, with power vastly exceeding that of the Vortex of Wind.
However, transitioning from major completion to perfection, Shi Xiaole encountered trouble; for two continual months, he made virtually no progress.
"Where did the problem occur?"
Standing still, Shi Xiaole caressed the Qingfeng Sword, his black hair dancing in the wind. After a long pause, his brows lifted ever so slightly.
"I see, the Eclipse Eight Forms takes the path of Yang dominance, which inherently does not match the Internal Power of the Brahma-I Unity. If I persist in trying to bring out its inherent realm, I will never achieve perfection."
Shi Xiaole suspected that if he had cultivated a technique like the Nine Yang Divine Skill, he could have already perfected the Eclipse Eight Forms.
However, there was still a way out now. Since it was impossible to change the internal power, he might as well go along with it and see what effect a complete integration of Brahma-I Unity with the Eclipse Eight Forms can bring.
Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh.
Green sword shadows kept hovering and mingling, and Shi Xiaole’s figure was quickly concealed.
After ten days.
In the courtyard, a burst of a dense green light flushed and disappeared with continuous strange sounds, transforming the five leaves into flying ashes. A light breeze made the ash disappear into thin air.
If a swordsman with keen eyesight was here, they would have discovered that the leaves were shredded by the Sword Qi. The point was that there were so many Sword Qi that it produced a burning effect.
A perfected Eclipse Eight Forms should be unstoppable and dominant, but the one Shi Xiaole cultivated was somewhat less fierce and had a hint of charm.
A smile inevitably appeared on Shi Xiaole’s face.
After perfecting Meteor from the Sky and Eclipse Eight Forms, his sword technique could strike close, defend from afar, kill with one hit, and even hold a long-lasting battle - there were no weaknesses any more. Coupled with his recent breakthrough to the peak of Qi Absorption eighth layer, his strength had improved significantly once again.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
A group of fast horses galloped in the wilderness, raising up a trail of dust behind them.
"It’s all because of that Shi Xiaole, which has caused us to be so embarrassed."
A displeased girl sat atop one of the fast horses. Upon hearing this, the faces of others turned ugly as well.
The reason was simple - due to the transfer of a large number of personnel, the Revenge Gathering suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of the Divine Fist Clan. They were forced to concede the treasured land they had coveted for a long time.
Furthermore, several important figures in the Revenge Gathering were seriously injured. Out of respect, they had to personally come forward, hoping to invite Gu Qinghui to help with the treatment.
