Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Xue Changqing’s Challenge
It was a second-class lower-grade Stone Touching Skill, named Air Floating Skill.
Different from normal Stone Touching Skills, the mystery of this one was that, not only it formed a qi whirlpool at the Dantian, but it also used special means to make the qi whirlpool fluctuate up and down. Through the fluctuation transmitted to the outside world, one can detect the aura of the Mystic Crystal Stone.
Just looking at the degree of mystery, it was stronger than the Illusory Form Great Method.
Of course, the Illusory Form Great Method was incomplete, otherwise it would be hard to say which one was better. But the world is so vast, it’s too difficult to collect the following volumes of the Illusory Form Great Method, Shi Xiaole didn’t need to wait here, wasting time.
Furthermore, the Stone Touching Skill was different from internal power, which emphasized the use and changes of the qi whirlpool, so it wouldn’t be much influenced by a switch.
The place where the One-legged Demon was killed was not far from Peach Forest Town. Two days later, Shi Xiaole quietly returned to Shi Mansion in Peach Forest Town and then began to enclose himself for cultivation.
In the courtyard, by the pond.
There were subtle fluctuations emanating from Shi Xiaole, which warriors couldn’t perceive.
These fluctuations were like silk threads, sometimes finely interlaced and sometimes coarse and long, and they infiltrated the earth and the surface of the water at a certain floating frequency.
"Air Floating Skill, accomplished."
With his aura withdrawn, Shi Xiaole let out a long breath.
In just twenty days, he had mastered the Air Floating Skill. This speed, if revealed, would absolutely shock a bunch of Stone Touching Masters.
The reason for this speed was twofold.
First, Shi Xiaole himself had outstanding comprehension.
Second, and most importantly, he had the system space.
Originally, to cultivate the Stone Touching Skill, one had to continuously simulate the state of the qi whirlpool in the Dantian, and each time endure the risk of the whirlpool exploding. Even the most talented Stone Touching Masters had to be careful.
But Shi Xiaole was different. The limitless system space allowed him to try various methods recklessly without worrying about damaging himself. If he couldn’t progress quickly under such conditions, he might as well just hang himself.
"The Grand Wuxia System not only ensures that I have an endless stream of martial arts but also allows me to practice the Stone Touching Skill, enhance comprehension, and find Mystic Crystal Stones to increase my internal power. My conditions are better than many others."
At this moment, Shi Xiaole had a great ambition in his heart. Dominating his peers should not be his goal. He wanted to suppress all men, women, old and young in any realm, any place, unparalleled. As long as he was there, he would be the strongest.
Suppressing his restless mind, Shi Xiaole ate a bit and continued to cultivate.
Ten days later, the Air Floating Skill was perfected.
The perfected Illusory Form Great Method caused Shi Xiaole’s perception to reach fifteen meters. At this moment, with just a little release, the perception formed by the whirling qi suddenly spread from fifteen meters to a full twenty-five meters.
Even if he didn’t use the qi whirlpool, Shi Xiaole felt that his senses were much sharper when he closed his eyes and felt more aligned with heaven and earth.
After all, the qi whirlpool is the aggregation of the body, qi and spirit. Now that the quality of the qi whirlpool had improved, it meant that his body, qi and spirit were also enhancing and his mind was naturally stronger.
What surprised Shi Xiaole the most was that his comprehension had improved far more than he expected.
But he quickly understood.
At first, when he was cultivating the incomplete Illusory Form Great Method, although his comprehension seemed to have improved only a little, his mind had been damaged then. The improvement in comprehension only showed up after his mind had been restored.
While the Air Floating Skill was a complete second-class lower-grade Stone Touching Skill in itself, it was stronger than the Illusory Form Great Method. The enhancement it brought about could not be simple.
"My current comprehension is equivalent to always having the state of possessing three Qing leaves."
As he pondered the martial arts problems for a long time, Shi Xiaole came to a conclusion, so excited that he almost laughed out loud.
This was a concept.
Originally, Shi Xiaole’s comprehension was already extraordinary, ranking at the top in all of Qingxue State. Now, even if he kept a low profile, he dared to assert that in Qingxue State, there would be very few who could compete with him in terms of comprehension.
The improvement of comprehension brought changes in all aspects.
First of all, it was the Brahma-I Unity internal power.
Looking at it now with Shi Xiaole’s current perspective, he easily discovered many issues that he had overlooked and missed in the past.
In just a month, Brahma-I Unity went from 55% realm to 60% of the great success realm.
As a result, along with Shi Xiaole’s cultivation, he had soared all the way from the early Qi Absorption Realm ninefold to the peak of the Qi Absorption Realm ninefold.
Then there was the Sword Heart.
Before, with the three Qing leaves in hand, the Sword Heart had changed from 73% to 76%.
And now, Shi Xiaole had no concerns about time and was able to fully extract knowledge from the sword arts he was practicing. After he exhausted the accumulated accumulation, the Sword Heart went smoothly from 76% to 80%.
In the yard, Shi Xiaole gently wielded his sword, and a green sword qi cut a six-inch-deep mark on the surface of the pond, as if dividing the pond into two halves. It wasn’t until two breaths had passed that the water surface joined together again.
"With my current strength, it would take only ten strokes to defeat who I was three months ago."
Shi Xiaole’s heart was filled with relief. He wished he could immediately find an opponent to validate it, but that would probably be very difficult.
His current qualities, be it cultivation, internal power, flying skill, moves, or state of mind, can all be said to be extremely strong in the Qi Absorption Realm. If one had to describe it, it would probably be a peerless master of the Qi Absorption Realm.
Such a person has always been rare, after all, people have limited energy. For elites of large sects, they can’t stay in the Qi Absorption Realm for a long time. As for those who have no hope of breaking through, they can’t meet the standards set by the Martial World.
Only the most outstanding individuals of each generation had the qualifications to wear this title.
And if Sword Heart is included, sorry, it would be fair to call Shi Xiaole an invincible master of the Qi Absorption Realm. Of course, to prove such invincibility needs a record of continuous victory in battles.
"After such a long delay, it is time I should return."
Another period has passed and New Year’s Eve is approaching. This time, Shi Xiaole planned to return to spend it with Su Yanru. Because he had a premonition that after this homecoming, he wouldn’t be back to Cloud Triangle for a long time.
...
The cold wind was howling, snowflakes were fluttering.
There were a few pedestrians on the long street, but the taverns with lit charcoal fires were quite lively. Patrons were drinking warm wine, chewing on peanuts, freely discussing matters of the martial world, feeling utterly satisfied.
A young man, dressed in white from head to toe, with radiant blue eyes, walked down the long street, which instantly brought all activities in the surrounding taverns and restaurants to a halt.
Everyone recognized this man, for he was too famous and too easy to identify.
One of the two prodigious swordsmen of Qingxue State, the ’Ice and Snow Swordsman,’ Xue Changqing.
"Xue Changqing, stop."
Five people suddenly flew in from a distance and landed squarely in front of Xue Changqing, the one in the lead barked.
"Do you need something?"
Xue Changqing stopped in his tracks.
"We heard that you’ve been heading south, and have successively defeated thirty-two Xuan Qi tri-layer experts. The most formidable person among them couldn’t even withstand three of your sword strikes."
The leader revealed a matter that had yet to circulate, which immediately shocked the martial world patrons who were listening in.
The people who would dare to challenge Xue Changqing couldn’t be ordinary Xuan Qi tri-layer experts. Yet, the most capable among them couldn’t even withstand three of his sword strikes?
Just how formidable has Xue Changqing become?
"We, the Qishan Five Righteous, want to learn from you."
The literal moment the words of the man in the lead fell, the four men at his side immediately formed their stances, clearly indicating a do-or-die situation.
"I know the Qishan Five Righteous. Although each of them is just a beginner in the Xuan Qi tri-layer cultivation, they have practiced a group attack array system. It is said that they once fought hundreds of moves against a Xuan Qi quad-layer expert."
"This is going to be interesting. Through them, we should be able to gauge the true strength of Xue Changqing."
The crowd was greatly excited.
"Very well."
Xue Changqing’s words confused everyone, but no one dwelled on it. That’s because the Qishan Five Righteous had made their move.
The five of them, like five phantoms, appeared around Xue Changqing. Their disparate weapons, when wielded, intertwined to form a dazzling and bewildering area.
"You are too slow."
Knowing that he’d be at a disadvantage once he got caught in their formation, Xue Changqing acted before the Qishan Five Righteous made their move. With one sword strike, the condensed icy sword Qi vanished in an instant, melding perfectly with the snowflakes in the air.
Crack!
"Not good."
Number three among the Qishan Five Righteous was forced back over a dozen steps by the Sword Qi. The yet-to-be completed array system was thrown into disarray in an instant. Xue Changqing brandished his sword once more, the long white sword light splitting into four segments. It seemed to cut through the void as it seared into the minds of the other four Righteous.
Plop plop plop plop.
The four of them spurted blood simultaneously and flew backward.
With just two sword strikes, Xue Changqing emerged victoriously.
Hiss!
The surrounding murmurings were promptly extinguished, like flames being doused.
"If it were a real battle, Xue Changqing might not have been able to fend you off. But he’s not a stupid piece of wood. Why would he wait for you to complete your formation before making his move?"
On a roof edge stood a young swordsman, gallant, with his hands clasping his sword. Hearing his words, number three among the Qishan Five Righteous roared, "Stop making flippant remarks."
His rebuttal was met with a Dragon Roar Sword Light that whisked past him, barely three inches away. Had it been any closer, he would’ve been split in half. He immediately turned pale with fright.
"The Dragon Roar Sword Light, he must be the ’Wandering Dragon Swordsman’ Yue Tianlin."
Someone was startled and shouted in surprise.
"Now that the sideshow is over, isn’t it time for the main event? We’ve been waiting for a long time on this journey."
On the other side, three young swordsmen stood, each with their distinctive traits: one was proud, one was indifferent, and one was eccentric.
Some people, as if struck by a realization, pointed at the four and shouted, "Could they be Yue Tianlin, Guan Duli, Situ Changkong, and Nangong Yang? My goodness, what are they planning to do by gathering together?"
"It seems, they are waiting for someone."
"But who are they waiting for? Who is worth their while?"
The crowd’s confusion didn’t last. Soon they saw Xue Changqing turn and look at a certain inn; the warfires in his blue pupils surged, "Brother Shi, come out. I’ve anticipated this duel for far too long."
At those words, some people’s hearts began pounding uncontrollably, unable to rein in their excitement. The person who made Xue Changqing travel south and had the four young swordsmen willingly trailing along, and whose surname is Shi; there must be only one in the whole of Qingxue state.
The second floor window was opened, and a tall figure appeared on the long street. He was dressed in azure clothes, a long sword hung by his waist, his elegance was extraordinary. If not Shi Xiaole, then who else could it be?
