Chapter 303: Chapter 302: Divine Sword Slash, Three Talents Association (Host Ding pleads for subscriptions)
A blow from a Spiritual-Passage Realm master at the pinnacle of the ninth level, even if casually delivered, is still terrifyingly powerful. Like a bursting firecracker, it causes the very air to explode, and even before it nears, it already fills Black Hibiscus and the two others with profound despair.
Jing Xincheng’s response is swift. Almost the same instant the elder with the horse-like face makes a move, he responds with a powerful palm strike in the air, shaking the heavens.
However, Shi Xiaole is already locked onto by the elder’s martial aura. Despite Jing Xincheng’s quick response, he can only watch helplessly as the attack rushes towards Shi Xiaole, powerless to prevent what seems to be an inevitable crippling.
A vision of Shi Xiaole’s arm shattering and long screams of pain crowd Jing Xincheng’s mind, giving rise to unprecedented killing intent.
Hiss!
An and one-of-a-kind Sword Heart emanates from Shi Xiaole, protecting both himself and the other three. The elder’s Internal Power, the moment it comes into contact with the Sword Heart, instantly splits in two like a cloth against a blade, not raising a ripple.
"What?!"
The elder with the horse-like face widens his eyes, suspecting his sight has failed him.
"Divine Sword Slash."
A light but somehow demonic voice rings out, as Shi Xiaole, using the power of the Sword Heart, made a move.
This was not a mortal slash. Its strength and the dynamics of its technique are beyond any mortal comprehension. It seems simple, but within it lies all the variability of the world.
This is because this slash, whether by angle, timing, power, or speed, has been delicately calculated. It sends gods and ghosts alike fleeing; anyone facing it won’t survive!
Black Hibiscus’s blade is a common one, however, the blade light cast by Shi Xiaole’s slash seems to possess all the power in the world, bringing disaster and dread to his opponent.
Even Jing Xincheng’s palm energy is split in half, scattering in the wind.
The blade falls.
Shi Xiaole heaves a sigh, kneeling down with exhaustion. He had withstood the pressure from the elder’s attack far too long, receiving no small injury.
"Young Hero Shi, is this blade technique something you invented yourself?"
Awe in her eyes, Black Hibiscus almost worships Shi Xiaole. She would never forget the dominance and confidence of the moment the young man swung his blade.
"No, it’s a technique my master taught me."
"What’s your master’s name?"
"His name is Ding Peng, he’s the master of Round Moon Villa."
"I wish I could meet him."
"He’s retired from the Martial World, abandoned the use of his blade, but he’s still the best swordsman I know. Because even with a wooden blade in hand, he is a divine blade master."
The two casually continued their conversation.
Heh, heh, heh...
Not far away, the aging elder breathes heavily, his eyes hollow as if he were dead. As he tries to speak, an exertion too great for his body, he collapses, his body splitting in two.
The cut is smooth and flat, as if it had been polished.
Black Hibiscus, who was talking, freezes.
Jing Xincheng freezes.
Everyone present was dumbfounded.
"This, this?"
Master Yinyi can’t take her eyes off Shi Xiaole for a long time. The single stroke of his blade just now reached the very limits of a Spiritual-Passage Realm master. How did he manage it?
"Someone, clean this up. No one is to speak of what happened tonight."
Jing Xincheng is the first to react, and issues orders in a deep voice.
Everyone replies in unison.
After Master Yinyi hauled away a severely dispirited Lingyu, Jing Xincheng had someone take Black Hibiscus and the others to recuperation and flew over to Shi Xiaole’s side. She put one hand on his back and used her own power to heal his injuries.
Assured that he was free from danger, Jing Xincheng exhaled, saying, "Martial Uncle, you’ve had a hard night. Your elder sister failed to protect you."
She doesn’t ask about what happened with that stroke of his blade. Everyone had secrets. The more mysterious and powerful her younger Martial Uncle was, the happier she would be.
"It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself."
Shi Xiaole reassured her.
In his room.
After swallowing a healing pill and utilizing Jing Xincheng’s aid to digest it, Shi Xiaole’s condition stabilized quickly. With confidence, he knew he would be fully recovered within a month.
This time, using the Primordial Life Heart Sutra and five hundred reward points to exchange for the Divine Sword Slash, he not only killed the elder with the horse-like face. The experience also provided Shi Xiaole with a marvelous understanding.
The way of the blade was not the same as the way of the sword, but there were similarities.
In that moment, Shi Xiaole fully felt the state of mind of Ding Peng: aloof, unyielding, detached, with a mind free of all swords, manipulating them at will.
That was a level far surpassing Sword Heart. Even merely a taste of it would prove extremely beneficial for Shi Xiaole in the future.
"Some people, even with a divine blade in hand, can never become the true masters of the blade. What’s most important is the person wielding it."
Shi Xiaole’s eyes hardened.
...
With the fervent treatment of the nuns of Red Jade Temple, Black Hibiscus and the other two were saved. However, their wounds were great, and they would not be able to practice martial arts for a while.
"Young Martial Uncle, Lingyu is tight-lipped. She refused to tell us the whereabouts of the children."
In the Buddhist room, Jing Xincheng was troubled.
Killing Lingyu could vent their anger, but then they would lose the chance to find the children. Not killing her and she stubbornly refuses to talk. They can’t very well raise her there for nothing.
"Let me try."
Shi Xiaole’s method, of course, is the Soul Transfer Great Method. After using it a few times, Lingyu’s resistance gradually weakened, and in the end, she revealed the secret.
As it turns out, the Red Jade Temple was a secret base as early as a few decades ago, specifically for the capture and transport of special children.
After Liu Yingying and Jing Xincheng took over the base, that secret force wanted to eliminate them for a time.
However, Liu Yingying had a complicated background, and many in the government and the Martial World were secretly paying attention to her. In order not to startle the snake by hitting the grass, they had not taken action yet.
"Who do you belong to?"
Shi Xiaole asked.
"The Three Talents Association."
Lingyu answered.
The Three Talents Association?
Jing Xincheng shook her head. Despite her expirence, she had never heard of this organization either.
"What about you?"
"I am the daughter of the Morning Sun Chapter’s Helmsman from the Three Talents Association."
Shi Xiaole exchanged a glance with Jing Xincheng. No wonder that horse-faced old man was so anxious.
Shi Xiaole then asked many crucial questions, but unfortunately, Lingyu couldn’t tell much. It was obvious that the Three Talents Association was very strict in controlling information.
Using the method Lingyu revealed, Shi Xiaole and others found an underground tunnel in her room. They walked into the tunnel and saw many children.
These children were shabbily dressed and very scared of strangers. However, their bodies were not particularly harmed. After verifying, however, it turns out some children were missing.
"Where has this Three Talents Association taken the children?"
Master Yinyi said furiously.
The crowd continued down the tunnel and came upon a secret room - the presumed living quarters of the horse-faced old man. It would have been convenient for him to keep in contact with Lingyu and transport the children from there.
The exit of the tunnel was on another side of the mountain, not far from the official road. One could only imagine how much thought the original designers had put into it.
At that moment, a group of nuns combined their efforts and sent the children back to the town. The parents, having heard the news, rushed to embrace their children, crying incessantly.
"Red Jade Temple is not a place to stay any longer."
It’s regrettable to see such a predicament only after investigating.
Turns out, over the years, children in many remote villages and towns often disappeared. Combining this with the information revealed by Lingyu, Jing Xincheng believed that the Three Talents Association was a massive and surprisingly powerful establishment.
Luckily, each Chapter of the Three Talents Association functioned independently and didn’t contact the higher-ups directly, which prevented any tracking but also resulted in delayed information; this provided a chance for a safe escape of the nuns.
"Where do you plan to go?"
"Don’t worry. Over the years, Xincheng has secretly formed a small force. Although small in number, it’s secret. There are many footholds in Great Cold State that won’t be discovered."
Jing Xincheng’s statement intrigued Shi Xiaole.
He had a long way to go, and whether it was finding his parents or doing any other investigation, it required a lot of energy and manpower. Was he going to do all these all by himself?
Two days later.
The nuns quietly left in batches.
"Little Martial Uncle, are you sure you don’t want to leave with us? What if the Three Talents Association finds you..."
Jing Xincheng tried to persuade persistently.
"Don’t worry. Aside from your people, no one knows that I’ve stayed at Red Jade Temple before, the Three Talents Association won’t discover."
Shi Xiaole said, laughing.
Jing Xincheng sighed with disappointment. She had already attempted to convince him multiple times and knew that Shi Xiaole had made up his mind. After all, a young man of great talent should experience the challenges and tribulations of the Martial World to polish his true brilliance.
Moreover, by the time the Three Talents Association investigates here, their attention will undoubtedly be on the master and herself, so there is no need to worry about Little Martial Uncle.
"Young Hero Shi, will we meet again?"
Black Hibiscus asked Shi Xiaole. Her wounds, along with those of her two underlings, had not healed, so she would be traveling with Jing Xincheng temporarily.
"You love defending justice, and I love seeing the world, we are all people from the Martial World, so eventually, we will cross paths again."
Shi Xiaole replied with a smile.
Black Hibiscus laughed as well.
She had already decided that once her wounds healed, she would continue wandering around the Martial World and rectify injustice. Shi Xiaole’s words reaffirmed her belief.
All feasts must come to an end. At the foot of the mountain, everyone said their tearful goodbyes and went their separate ways.
...
White Mountain City was a not-so-famous small city.
But this was also the necessary hub to reach the sacred ground for geniuses in Great Cold State, Silver Bull Horn. There were constant influx and exodus of people, especially numerous young Martial World people.
"Hey, I think I just saw the Wind and Cloud Young Sword Marquis. He seemed to be heading towards Silver Bull Horn."
"Is that so? The Wind and Cloud Young Sword Marquis attained the fourth layer of Silver Bull Horn a few years ago, why would he go again? Could it be, he intends to reach the fifth layer this time?"
"Wow, it’s been almost a century since someone successfully reached the fifth layer of Silver Bull Horn. The Wind and Cloud Young Sword Marquis is always proud and ambitious, so maybe he really is aiming for that."
Inside a certain inn, everyone was chattering excitedly.
"Even with the Wind and Cloud Young Sword Marquis’s talent, successfully reaching the fifth layer would be exceedingly difficult."
"You wouldn’t know this, but just a few days ago, the 23-year-old Wind and Cloud Young Sword Marquis mastered the Sword Heart, which is no less remarkable than the Sunset Young Sword Marquis."
There were exclamations all around.
Over the past hundreds of years, the Tidal Waves Sword Marquis mastered the Sword Heart at the age of 32, which was already a martial world record. However, the talent of this era was even more extraordinary, mastering the Sword Heart at the age of 23, which would have been unimaginable in the past.
Many have already proclaimed the Sunset Sword Marquis as the number one talented swordsman in the Great Cold, with unmatched brilliance.
There was noisy chatter inside the inn. Upon hearing the news, many people rushed towards the Silver Bull Horn immediately.
At that moment, Shi Xiaole woke from deep meditation in his room on the second floor of the inn.
