Chapter 517: Chapter 516: Self-Created Sword Move
In the desolate plains, a figure clad in black made a desperate escape, swerving left and right before suddenly leaping into a distant forest where he finally stopped to catch his breath.
"In my 236 years in the Martial World, I’ve never been this humiliated."
The cloaked figure was none other than the Shadow Lord who had narrowly escaped from Kuangyun City.
During this time, the Shadow Lord had become a public enemy in the Martial World of the Xuanwu State. Every sect was hunting him. From a respected Lord to a despised rat, one can only imagine the humiliation and anger in the Shadow Lord’s heart.
And the cause of all this was that young man, Shi Xiaole!
"The great hunt has just begun. I must find a solution, or else I am doomed." His elderly eyes flickered continuously, and finally, the Shadow Lord squinted: " Although this will result in heavy losses, in order to survive and take revenge, I have no other choice."
Three days later, the blood-soaked Shadow Lord staggered into a village bordered by mountains and rivers, heading straight towards the interior to a small country garden filled with green vegetables.
Whoosh!
Just as he stepped in, a flash of white light nearly severed the Shadow Lord’s arm at the shoulder. The Shadow Lord called out: "Spare me, it’s me, your fellow brother."
"Oh, if it isn’t Brother Shadow, what a rare guest."
In the vegetable garden, a man dressed as a farmer faced away from the Shadow Lord, busy watering flowers, and laughed: "I heard Brother Shadow has recently become a famous figure in the Martial World. Why have you taken time off to come here? My place is small, it can’t accommodate too many people."
Recognizing the coldness in the other’s voice, as if afraid he would attract the attention of Martial World masters, the Shadow Lord quickly replied with a laugh, "Brother Spirit Mist is overthinking. I have come here bearing good news."
Once martial artists reached a certain level, their titles were often more widely used than their names. Therefore, for these ’old monsters’ who had lived for over two hundred years, they were accustomed to addressing each other by their titles.
The farmer was known as Spirit Mist Lord. Despite his ranking as one of the weakest Lords, his skill in the Array System was unmatched in Xuanwu State, ranking within the top ten if not top five.
Therefore, even higher ranking Lords would hesitate to provoke him.
"Good news? You have one unit of time to explain."
Spirit Mist Lord still hadn’t turned around.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, the Shadow Lord said, "Brother Spirit Mist, have you ever heard of the Illusion Lord?"
Spirit Mist Lord hummed in response.
The content of each line must be provided.
In the six hundred-year history of Xuanwu State, numerous masters of the Array System had emerged, but the Illusion Lord was undeniably the best. Of course, he knew about him.
"Brother, I know Brother Spirit Mist has been laying low these years, not to retire from the Martial World, but to surpass your predecessors. Coincidentally, not long ago, I learned of the location of the Illusion Lord’s hidden dwelling. I believe that if Brother Spirit Mist can obtain the Illusion Lord’s inheritance, you will surely make great strides. By then, the Spirit Mist Lord should be called the Spirit Lord."
The atmosphere in the vegetable garden suddenly surged, startling the Shadow Lord. Before he could react, a rosy-cheeked face with a white beard appeared in front of him.
"Is this true?"
Feeling the invisible killing intent around him, the Shadow Lord knew he must remain vigilant. In Spirit Mist Lord’s territory, his strength could compete with a high-ranking Lord.
"I’m willing to swear by my martial spirit! Brother Spirit Mist, this information was indeed the trade chip offered by Xiahou Jinlun. Otherwise, why would I risk such a danger and involve myself in the dispute of the Twin Cities?"
Spirit Mist Lord chuckled, neither confirming nor denying it.
The Shadow Lord cursed the old fox under his breath and continued with a smile on his face, "Brother, I have obtained the location of the Illusion Lord’s dwelling from Xiahou Jinlun and verified it myself. However, the method of opening it is in his hands alone. Now that he has been killed, I have come to seek cooperation with Brother Spirit Mist."
The entrance to the Illusion Lord’s dwelling was heavily guarded by numerous arrays. The Shadow Lord guessed Xiahou Jinlun either had no faith in opening the dwelling alone or thought it too dangerous, hence needing his help.
Although he had wondered why Xiahou Jinlun didn’t turn to his grandfather with this secret but to him, a stranger, now was not the time to consider such matters. The pressing matter was to find a partner and withstand the enemy.
The Shadow Lord believed that the Spirit Mist Lord would certainly comply. Few martial artists on the Dragon Gate Realm level, especially masters of the Array System, could resist the temptation of the Illigan Lord’s dwelling.
Even if the news was unverifiable, he would inevitably want to see for himself. Not to mention, he had also sworn by his martial spirit’s heart.
"So you want me to help you, to fight off the masters pursuing you, and offend the major sects?"
Spirit Mist Lord scoffed.
"It’s cooperation! The dwelling of the Illusion Lord is not far from here. With Brother Spirit Mist’s support, you might obtain a great opportunity, why refuse? If luck is on our side, we may not even encounter a master along the way. Of course, before this, Brother Spirit Mist must first swear by his martial spirit’s heart, promising not to betray or conspire against me."
The killing intent in Spirit Mist Lord’s eyes intensified. Just as the Shadow Lord grew restless and was about to escape, Spirit Mist Lord suddenly burst into laughter: "Deal!"
As he spoke, he flicked his finger.
Thirteen white air arrows condensed and shot out towards different directions from within the vegetable garden.
With a series of groans...
Twelve concealed figures fell to the ground, while one tried to retreat and ran: "Spirit Mist Lord, do you dare to assist the Shadow Lord and become an enemy to the Martial World of Xuanwu State?"
"As long as you are eliminated, who would know?"
Spirit Mist Lord’s fingers swiftly flicked, producing a barrage of white air arrows that shot out rapidly.
"Reverse Universe!"
The escapee, a low-ranking Lord, had just formed a rotating ring of Vigorous Air in front of him when numerous air arrows pierced it, turning it into a sieve. Behind the sieve, a mist of blood sprayed, and the scene returned to silence.
Without even releasing a single cry, the low-ranking Lord was completely annihilated.
"Brother Shadow, we need to hurry. Let’s set off immediately."
Spirit Mist Lord, after taking an oath that he wouldn’t cross the bridge and tear up his promise, calmly spoke up.
"Ha-ha, good."
Shadow Lord, on the other side, was cold sweating in silence.
He knew that on one hand, Spirit Mist Lord was eliminating his enemies. On the other hand, there were certainly elements of deterring Shadow Lord himself. An Array System master as he was should be deeply careful.
...
Floating on the bubbling brook were the small yellow petals. An intense storm last night knocked down the distant sweet osmanthus forest, infuriating the flower farmers to endless cursing.
However, for the local residents, basking in the fragrance of damp osmanthus flowers was a rare enjoyment in life.
There was a bamboo house in the lower half of the creek.
The bamboo door was open, letting out a young man in blue who seemed to only be seventeen or eighteen years old, looking quite refined.
Taking a deep breath of fresh air, basking in the early morning sunshine, the blue-clad young man showed a satisfied smile. It was Shi Xiaole, who had left Kuangyun City alone and had greatly altered his appearance.
While staying in Kuangyun City, despite his high status, there were too many rules. It was nowhere near as laid-back as when he was alone.
Having been in Sweet Osmanthus Village for half a month, Shi Xiaole would go out early and return late every day. He spent much of his time in the sweet osmanthus woods. Not that he was taking advantage of the beautiful scenery, but to relax his mind and stimulate his inspiration.
These days, Shi Xiaole has reached the peak among his peers in terms of raw strength, but he didn’t slacked off. Being at the top doesn’t mean being number one. What he wanted was to be invincible, with no rivals within his rank.
It would be difficult to raise his cultivation in the short term, so he decided to improve his true intentions and kung fu moves, to continue his diligent research, and to push his limits in every aspect.
Once again in the peach woods, Shi Xiaole drew the longsword from his waist and began to swing it.
Day after day.
Every few days in Sweet Osmanthus Village, due to its geographical location, a wind would blow and it would rain. When this happened, people would stay indoors to enjoy the rain, with the exception of one person in the peach grove, constantly practicing the sword.
Shi Xiaole did not activate the Vigorous Air to protect his body from the wind and rain on purpose. To get in touch with nature and comprehend the Wind True Intent, he must truly touch it and understand it.
Allowing his whole body to be drenched, his face swept by the fierce wind, Shi Xiaole’s heart was incredibly calm.
Half an hour later, the rain gradually subsided.
"It seems that understanding 40% of the top-level True Intent is harder than I thought."
With his mind blank, Shi Xiaole couldn’t help but shake his head in a wry smile.
Ever since a long time ago, his Wind’s True Intent had reached the peak of 30%, and was only a step away from 40%. But this step, if not for an amazing comprehension, would be hard to cross.
Don’t look at the fact that people like Yu He have grasped 50% of the top-level True Intent, but they have practiced more than a decade longer than Shi Xiaole, who is still ahead in the same age group.
Shaking the water droplets off the blade, Shi Xiaole suddenly thought of something.
"Maybe, I should proceed with the sword technique."
The precursor of True Intent is Intent Realm, which is understood from the moves. Then, can it be reversed and create sword techniques from True Intent to deepening the comprehension of True Intent?
All the sword techniques Shi Xiaole cultivated were from the system, but those gained from others ultimately belonged to others. He has long wanted to try to create a set of sword techniques that truly belonged to himself.
Now was the perfect opportunity.
"Let’s base it on the Wind True Intent. The sword techniques created this way would highly coincide with the True Intent, and their power might exceed expectations."
So far, the number of sword techniques that Shi Xiaole has practiced has reached an astonishing hundreds, including dozens of second-rate sword techniques. One could say that his background is even more profound than many Lord-level swordsmen.
Now these backgrounds have formed a storm of inspiration in his mind, where a large number of ideas pour out every minute.
Half a month.
One month.
Like a man possessed, Shi Xiaole waved his sword techniques, sometimes fierce, sometimes gentle, sometimes profound and unpredictable, sometimes comically naive. The sun and the moon rose and set while the sweet osmanthus flowers around him gradually fell to the ground and withered.
His sword strokes became ordered from unorganized and began to reveal a terrifying aura.
Into the second month.
"Gentle Breeze Passing the Court."
Shi Xiaole struck a sword towards the front. The Sword Qi was almost invisible, and in the silence, a big tree in front was cut in half, the section as smooth as a mirror.
This sword was so obscure that most Dragon Gate Realm masters couldn’t sense it at all, just like the name Shi Xiaole gave it, Gentle Breeze Passing the Court, silent.
The weak Sword Qi suddenly went berserk in a split second. Shi Xiaole unleashed a horizontal slash, with countless Sword Qi jabs being launched. The lower half of the slashed tree instantly became a vertical honeycomb. Sunlight shone through the dense holes and made the tree’s surface faintly transparent.
This move was named Heartless Wind and Rain, launching violent Sword Qi in an instant, making it unavoidable for enemies. Its killing power was even stronger than Gentle Breeze Passing the Court.
However, the most terrifying was the third sword move.
As the sword was launched, Shi Xiaole and his sword became almost vague, both covered by an eerie white Sword Qi. With a thunderous roar, the tree in front disappeared instantly, not even splinters were clear.
This move was called Wind Rolling and Thunderclap, indicating the imposing Sword Qi that could tear apart even thunder.
