Chapter 412: Chapter 411 Maple Forest Cottage
With the Wind True Intent added to Wind God Leg, Shi Xiaole’s speed had reached an uncatchable level.
However, the speed of Qu Buping was no less.
As a high-ranking practitioner of the Dragon Gate Realm, his body flows with highly refined Vigorous Air, which, once stimulated, explodes like fuel, rapidly accelerating him forward. Over time his distance from Shi Xiaole didn’t widen, but rather began to close.
"Iron Hand Ruthless!"
Qu Buping’s palm turned black as iron and lunged towards Shi Xiaole’s back. Where his palm force went, there was a violent burst of air in the void along the way.
Shi Xiaole’s back of the head seemed to have grown eyes, continuously targeting the weak zone of the palm force, swinging one sword after another. After being continuously weakened by the Sword Qi, the palm force by the time it reached Shi Xiaole had less than thirty percent of its original power remaining, which he easily evaded.
"Such a strong mental power?"
Qu Buping’s face took on an incredibly ugly look.
The power of Shi Xiaole’s swordsmanship was less than half the power of his palm force, and yet every single strike was precisely executed. Qu Buping admits to himself that even if he were on the same realm, he wouldn’t be able to do what Shi Xiaole does.
"This child must die, Iron Cloud Flying Sleeve!"
After executing six or seven moves that only slightly injured Shi Xiaole, Qu Buping was greatly dissatisfied. Fearing that Shi Xiaole might pull out some unique techniques, he swished around his long sleeves and finally resorted to his secret skill.
Under the effect of Vigorous Air, Qu Buping’s long sleeves were as hard as iron, instantaneously transforming into a gray band, charging at Shi Xiaole. The aftermath, incredibly, shattered the surrounding trees into mere sawdust.
Using his internal power to its extremes, Shi Xiaole touched the tree in front of him with his left foot and spun around, fully executing Clear Wind Thirteen Forms.
Boom!
Light green Sword Qi hit the gray band, merely dimming it slightly while it was shattered itself.
The gray band continued its momentum, rushing forward at high speed. Although Shi Xiaole used this brief opportunity to escape quickly, he was inevitably hit by Vigorous Air. His face turned pale, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.
Just as Qu Buping was about to deliver the death blow, Shi Xiaole didn’t seem scared at all but calmly stood in his place.
Whoosh!
A dark ray descended from the sky. Initially a dot, it quickly expanded and finally exploded into a sheet of black fireworks.
This sheet of black fireworks was so brilliant that everything seemed painted black. It radiated a dismal glow, affecting the marrow of those present.
Qu Buping’s triumphant expression abruptly changed. Showing a terrified look as if seeing a ghost, he had no time to kill Shi Xiaole but managed to retreat speedily, caring little about his life.
A few flecks of fireworks grazed his body and as they exploded, his demon-protective Vigorous Air was punctured causing holes filled with blood. Before the blood could splatter, it evaporated into nothingness by the extreme heat.
A scream echoed far and wide.
"Ephemeral Fireworks, damn it, how does the woman have Ephemeral Fireworks."
Qu Buping retreated several hundred meters, first stopping the bleeding with acupressure, then drove out the residual force of the fireworks from his body using his full strength. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ephemeral Fireworks", one of Tang Sect’s Hundred Secret Weapons and recognized by Martial World as one of the most bizarre and beautiful hidden weapons. Once it is activated, fireworks scatter in all directions, and life is as fleeting as fireworks - short-lived and easily extinguished.
Qu Buping was glad. The Ephemeral Fireworks that were thrown at him were not authentic Ephemeral Fireworks but some sort of imitation; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived.
"I’d better not run into you all again."
As the smoke from the fireworks cleared, Shi Xiaole had already disappeared from the area. Qu Buping could only grit his teeth in anger.
...
"Brother Shi’s calm demeanor really admires junior sister."
In a grove of trees, the young woman in black was giggling as she looked at Shi Xiaole.
"The lady’s talent for sitting on the mountain and watching the tigers fight also deserves admiration."
Shi Xiaole said blandly.
With his mental power, how could he not know that while he was fighting with Qu Buping, this girl in black was near, her revealed flying skill and breath was no less than his. She could have helped him then.
"Brother Shi, I wasted a good hidden weapon while saving you."
The girl in black looked put out.
Shi Xiaole just smiled and didn’t respond.
At the last moment, he was ready to crush Maple Forest Red Leaves, estimating that the girl in black wouldn’t sit back and do nothing. And just as he predicted.
If Shi Xiaole hadn’t guessed wrong, this girl in black was planning to wait until he was killed before using the hidden weapon to be the beneficiary of the ensuing chaos.
Even more so, Shi Xiaole had a feeling that there was more than one hidden weapon on the girl in black. But because she had to save him, she used the inferior one.
Of course, even without the girl in black, Shi Xiaole would have been able to escape if he had given it all, but he would’ve been more severely injured.
"Brother Shi, you heal first, this young lady will guard for you."
The girl in black looked eager to help.
Shi Xiaole retreated a few steps, looked at the three Maple Forest Red Leaves in his hand, and said, "Lady, be sure not to come near. Otherwise, I might crush the leaves in my nervousness."
"Not at all."
The girl in black had a smile on her face, but her eyes were deep and unreadable.
Shi Xiaole’s injury was not severe and with the aid of the Faceless Divine Skill, his injuries soon stabilized.
The three continued on their journey.
With the three Maple Forest Red Leaves, despite the location of the Maple Forest Cottage constantly shifting, it could still be easily detected by the three people, and could adjust their direction in time.
Compared to them, Qu Buping, who only had a piece of Maple Forest Red Leaves, was in a much more distressing situation. His perception was intermittent, and eventually, the gap between him and Shi Xiaole grew wider and wider.
Two days later.
The three Maple Forest Red Leaves in Shi Xiaole’s hand began to tremble. Along with this vibration, transparent ripples appeared in the sky.
"The Maple Forest Cottage is only visible to the world on the seventh day of July each year. At other times, one must pass through its Array System barrier."
The face of the girl in black shone brightly.
Even Young Master Xuanmu, who had been jealous all the way, could not hide his internal excitement.
The masters on the Earth Ranking are the most powerful individuals in the whole Flying Horse Dynasty. Each of them possesses earth-shaking abilities and represents an insurmountable monument in the hearts of countless people in the Martial World.
If they could receive instruction from the Maple Forest Shelter Master, even just for a day, it would be equivalent to the insight gained from several decades of normal cultivation, beneficial for a lifetime.
"Are there really clues about my parents in there?"
Shi Xiaole was unable to restrain his emotions.
Especially considering that the couple, Shi Xuanzhong, once lived in the Maple Forest Cottage, he was extremely curious.
Under the guidance of the girl in black, Shi Xiaole shot the three Maple Forest Red Leaves into the center of the sky’s ripples.
The next moment, the sky’s ripples trembled more intensely, eventually tearing open. Shi Xiaole and the others quickly walked in.
The scene before them changed drastically.
The forest was gone, replaced by a stunning red world. Everywhere they looked, there were maple leaves. The ground was covered with a thick layer of leaves. Occasionally, a gentle wind would blow three or two leaves.
The red sunset in the distance, reflecting the dazzling halo with their strides, added a poetic and picturesque feel to this peaceful and harmonious world.
"Is this the Maple Forest Cottage?"
Young Master Xuanmu couldn’t help exclaiming.
In the vastness of Mirror State, Xuanmu had seen similar sceneries, but those places couldn’t compare with the Maple Forest Cottage.
It wasn’t that the scenery wasn’t as beautiful, but the difference in artistic conception.
Anyone who came here would become calm and no murderous intentions would arise.
The maple forest was vast, and at some point, a mist rose from the ground.
Shi Xiaole suddenly discovered that the girl in black and Young Master Xuanmu were gone.
In the fog, a blurry figure appeared in front of him, moving hands and legs, as if practicing a set of wonderful martial arts.
"Practice as shown."
The voice echoed, and with Shi Xiaole’s mental concentration, he was unable to discern the direction from where it originated.
Shi Xiaole thought to himself: This must be the test of the Maple Forest Cottage. It seems that it won’t be easy to meet the Shelter Master.
In the absence of a specific standard, Shi Xiaole did not conceal his shortcomings and immediately immersed himself fully, practicing according to the movements of the figure.
This was a mid-level martial art of the second tier, for a genius like him, it would still take about ten days to practice. But here, Shi Xiaole discovered that his already horrifying wisdom was even stronger, just like an unstoppable power. After only two hours, he had already achieved proficiency.
The figure in front disappeared.
Shi Xiaole took a step forward.
The second figure was practicing an upper-level martial art of the second tier. It took him approximately six hours to achieve proficiency.
"If such a level of comprehension can be maintained, in ten years, who in Mirror State could be my opponent?"
On the other side, Young Master Xuanmu’s face was filled with a maddening color.
He initially practiced a top-tier martial art from the third level, which only took him three hours. The second time, he practiced a lower-tier martial art of the second level which took him eight hours. Such speed was dozens of times faster than his normal state, wasn’t it?
Thinking of Shi Xiaole, Young Master Xuanmu looked sly. If the Shelter Master could enhance his comprehension in a short period of time, there might be a way to maintain this level of comprehension for a long time.
...
"It’s weird. Given such comprehension, why do I still have no clue when studying the Death Claiming Fifteenth Sword?"
With Shi Xiaole’s foundation, after going through 80% of the Death Claiming Fifteenth Sword, he had always been stuck. He originally wanted to rely on his suddenly enhanced comprehension to improve a little more, but found no progress at all.
The third figure appeared, practicing a lower-tiered martial art of the first-tier — a Sword Art!
Shi Xiaole’s heart pounded. He was obsessed and intoxicated, and involuntarily began to practice similarly.
This time he really indulged himself. It took him an entire two days and two nights to achieve proficiency in this sword art.
The fog dissipated.
"Very good. You and that girl are the only two individuals I’ve seen in decades."
The voice that had echoed earlier rang once again in Shi Xiaole’s ear.
Under the setting sun, the man slowly approached. He was wearing a pure white gown with an embroidered maple leaf, a colorful tassel draped over his shoulder, and his clear and graceful face was filled with a smile.
Instead of approaching, Shi Xiaole turned and fled.
"Since you’ve come to the Maple Forest Cottage, why would you and the lady feel the need to leave?"
The Shelter Master’s smile remained unchanged. With a pull of his hands to the left and right, Shi Xiaole and the girl in black were sent backward at the same moment.
