Chapter 74: Although We Have No Grievances

Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Although We Have No Grievances

Within the bamboo forest, by the stone wall.

Ever since Liu Chen began practicing his swordsmanship, the silence here had been broken.

The moss-streaked stone wall let out a grating, cracking sound under the assault of his Sword Qi. Liu Chen sheathed his Cyan Steel Sword and took a step back. In the next instant, countless fine cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.

Stone fragments rustled down. Liu Chen narrowed his eyes; whether it was dust or debris, it was all deflected away by his Body Protection Technique the moment it neared him.

In the distance, two figures came running over in a hurry. It was his two junior sisters, who couldn’t resist coming to investigate after hearing the commotion.

The dust quickly settled. Ji Suyao’s eyes went wide, but before she could cry out in alarm, Ye Linglong clamped a hand over her mouth.

From their perspective, the stone wall that their Senior Brother had ravaged beyond recognition was gone, replaced by a pile of rubble.

And the Senior Brother they had been worried about was now sitting on the rubble, examining the Spirit Sword in his hand.

"A Spirit Sword really is a bit more powerful than a Bamboo Sword."

Noticing his two junior sisters, Liu Chen put away the Cyan Steel Sword. He was very satisfied with this Spirit Sword. Although he had never used any other Spirit Swords, this one felt incredibly natural in his hands, living up to his expectations.

Never mind that it came with the Golden Body Technique; Liu Chen felt that the Spirit Sword alone was worth a serving of Spiritual Cuisine.

"Sorry to make you worry. The Spirit Sword’s power is greater than I imagined."

Liu Chen let out a breath. Now that he had confirmed the power of the Cyan Steel Sword, he decided it was best to go back to practicing with his old Bamboo Sword. Otherwise, the entire bamboo forest might be at risk.

As for whether his lack of familiarity with the Cyan Steel Sword would be a problem during the official trial, that wasn’t a concern. The sword had already undergone Blood Recognition, so it wouldn’t affect the power of his Swordsmanship.

"As long as you’re all right, Senior Brother."

Ye Linglong managed to force a smile despite her shock, but the astonishment in Ji Suyao’s eyes lingered.

"Suyao and I won’t disturb your practice any longer, Senior Brother."

Ye Linglong glanced at Ji Suyao, shook her head, and dragged her away.

Back in the bamboo forest, Liu Chen released his Bamboo Sword and used the Sword Control Technique to practice his Basic Sword Skill in mid-air. If all went according to plan, the Sword Control Technique would be his ace in the hole for the trial.

At dinnertime, Senior Brother Yang brought him a Jade Pendant. Liu Chen performed the Blood Recognition and wore it casually. Besides being activated by Spiritual Power, these Magical Artifacts also contained some inherent Spiritual Power of their own, allowing them to provide automatic defense.

Liu Chen wasn’t worried about enemies in the Body Tempering Realm, but he was wary of those in the Meridian Passage Realm, especially ones who might launch a sneak attack. He had used that very method to kill a local ruffian who had been constantly looking for trouble with him, so he knew exactly how infuriating it could be to be on the receiving end.

The combination of a higher Realm and the element of surprise was something one had to guard against.

The ninth day of the eighth month arrived as scheduled. At dawn, Senior Brother Yang brought a necklace and two thousand Spirit Stones. The number of Body Protection Magical Artifacts Liu Chen possessed had now increased to three.

His morning Body Tempering training went as usual. After finishing his own, Liu Chen watched his two junior sisters consume Purple Bamboo Grass for their Body Tempering while he used the time to cultivate his Withering Skill.

As his junior sisters were nearing the end of their Body Tempering, Liu Chen slowly closed his eyes. At that moment, he felt as if he were in a lush green bamboo forest. A breeze swept through, and the forest withered before his very eyes, eventually turning into a pile of ash.

The bamboo forest slowly vanished, replaced by the image of a human’s Spiritual Veins. The same breeze blew past, and Liu Chen ’saw’ the Spiritual Veins wither rapidly. Unlike last time, however, at the end of the Spiritual Veins, there seemed to be something resembling a seed.

This object withered along with the Spiritual Veins, ultimately disappearing completely.

[Withering Skill: Unique]

’What a powerful Magic,’ Liu Chen mused. ’Not only can it wither the Acquired Spiritual Veins a Cultivator has formed, but it can even corrode their very Origin. The only drawback is that it can only be used on Cultivators of a lower Realm.’

Although he had chosen this unique path for the Withering Skill himself—to the point where he could even rename it now that it had reached the "Unique" stage—Liu Chen was still deeply shaken now that he had succeeded.

’This is much stronger than I imagined.’

Liu Chen pulled his thoughts back from the Withering Skill. This Magic had reached the peak of its Proficiency. There was another aspect of the proficiency panel that Liu Chen found most incredible: he didn’t have to worry about his understanding of a spell diminishing from lack of use.

After his Withering Skill became unique, Liu Chen turned his attention to its counterpart, the Recovery Technique. Originally, after today’s practice, the Recovery Technique would have only been three hundred proficiency points away from becoming unique.

But achieving the unique stage with the Withering Skill had elevated his understanding of Spiritual Veins to a new level. Today, he could definitely grind the Recovery Technique’s proficiency all the way to its limit.

His original plan was to be finished by the afternoon. However, the influence of the unique Withering Skill on the Recovery Technique’s proficiency exceeded his imagination. He had barely finished half of his planned practice for the Recovery Technique when he once again found himself in that bamboo forest.

Unlike the forest of the Withering Skill, which had been reduced to ash, this bamboo forest was a withered yellow, but Liu Chen could still see faint traces of Spiritual Veins within the bamboo stalks.

A breeze formed from the Recovery Technique swept past, and the Spiritual Veins within the bamboo began to slowly grow. A touch of emerald green quietly emerged.

In an instant, the entire bamboo forest burst with life. A phantom of a human body slowly appeared, and its barely-there Spiritual Veins began to mend under the influence of the Recovery Technique.

[Recovery Technique: Unique]

’Reversing Life and Death truly is a taboo. Whether for a Spirit Plant or a Cultivator, if that final spark of their Origin is extinguished, all they can do is wait for death.’

Liu Chen opened his eyes. If the Withering Skill’s effect had exceeded his expectations by touching upon that very Origin, then the Recovery Technique’s effect was entirely as he had predicted.

The only thing that had changed was the speed at which the Spiritual Veins could be repaired. As long as the core Origin of a Spirit Plant remained intact, Liu Chen could restore its original medicinal properties. But if the Origin itself was damaged, there was nothing he could do.

’If the members of the Nangong Family have some special Body-Protecting Technique, the Withering Skill could come in handy. We have no grudge against them, but Cultivators are still human, and humans have emotions.’

Liu Chen narrowed his eyes. The trial would have its risks; that was a given. But whether it was the Three Immortal Sects or the various Noble Families, they would surely prepare Body-Protecting Techniques for their favored disciples. In a situation where a fatal blow might not be possible, the Withering Skill would be quite useful.

-----------------

"How’s your mastery of it coming along?"

In the Bamboo Garden, the Grand Elder couldn’t help but ask as he watched Yang Haichen, who was still trying to figure out the Divine Movement Technique. A full day was enough time to test his disciple’s Talent for this particular Magic.

"Master, you yourself said this is an Advanced Magic that even some in the Meridian Passage Realm can’t learn."

Yang Haichen was speechless. He could understand the Cultivation Technique his master had written down, but he just couldn’t master it. Forget about figuring it out on his own; he couldn’t even cast it while following the instructions step-by-step.