Chapter 395 - 207: Hiding the Edge in Simplicity, Elder Gu You Returns

Chapter 395: Chapter 207: Hiding the Edge in Simplicity, Elder Gu You Returns

After a moment of contemplation, Yang Wenqing lightly flicked his sleeve. Accompanied by the clear, ringing cry of a sword, the Cyan Peak Short Sword transformed into a stream of cyan-gold light and flew out from his sleeve, hovering silently about a foot from his side.

"Come on, Lan Ying. Let’s find somewhere more spacious," Yang Wenqing said, then started walking outside. He needed a wide-open area to test the technique he was just beginning to formulate.

Lan Ying chirped in affirmation and flew down energetically from the rafters, landing steadily on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder, its sapphire-blue eyes filled with curiosity.

The man and the owl exited the vast, magnificent pavilion. Yang Wenqing didn’t go far, finding a natural stone platform just behind it, jutting out from the cliff face.

The stone platform was flat and wide, roughly a hundred feet square. On one side was a verdant cliff face with dangling vines, and on the other was a sheer, open drop, offering a view of the endless, jade-green sea and the rising sun on the horizon.

"This is it!" Yang Wenqing planted himself in the center of the stone platform.

Lan Ying flew up from his shoulder and sensibly perched on a higher rock at the edge of the platform. It scanned the surroundings vigilantly, the very image of a loyal guardian.

The Cyan Peak Short Sword hovering beside Yang Wenqing began to hum and tremble softly. At the same time, he split his focus, sending a part of his consciousness deep into his body to mobilize his pure Five Yang Qi and capture the free-roaming gold and fire qi between heaven and earth.

He had to divide his attention: using the short sword as an anchor to conceal the magic’s volatile edge, while also manipulating his Five Yang Qi to harmonize the two conflicting energies.

Had Yang Wenqing not already condensed a True Spirit Sea and recently undergone extensive practice with the Golden Fire Skill, he wouldn’t have even been qualified to make the attempt.

As he continuously infused it with Five Yang Qi and shaped it with his Divine Sense, the blade of the Cyan Peak Short Sword gradually took on a soft, jade-white glow—a sign that it was saturated with Five Yang Qi. The sword’s gentle, trembling hum also shifted, deepening into a low, metallic resonance.

Next, the gold and fire qi from the world were channeled to different aspects of the blade. The pale white gold qi, carrying an unstoppable, piercing intent, was drawn into the very core of the cutting edge. The crimson fire qi, imbued with explosive, incinerating heat, was guided to the blade faces immediately flanking that edge.

Under the mediating influence of the Five Yang Qi and the physical confines of the sword itself, these two conflicting types of foreign Spiritual Qi were actually coexisting peacefully.

The air around the blade’s edge began to warp, a sign of spatial instability caused by the extremely condensed and conflicting energy field.

Yang Wenqing had to maintain absolute focus, preserving the fragile balance between the gold and fire qi within the blade. If they clashed prematurely, the result would be a shattered sword and a grievously injured wielder.

Lan Ying perched nervously on the rock, its sapphire-blue eyes glued to the Cyan Peak Short Sword.

Now!

A sharp glint flashed in Yang Wenqing’s eyes as he locked onto a massive boulder a thousand feet away. His intent shot out like a bolt of lightning...

"Go!"

The Cyan Peak Short Sword let out a piercing shriek and shot forth as a streak of light. The core of the streak was no longer cyan-gold but an almost invisible, rippling distortion. Only at the very tip of the blade was there a single, pin-sized point of white light, so brilliant it was impossible to look at directly.

It was even faster than the ’One-Line Sky’ sword move from his Sword Control Technique, for it carried not only kinetic energy and Sword Qi, but also the combined, piercing power of gold and fire, which had been bound within the blade and was now desperate for release.

POP—!

A faint yet soul-piercing sound echoed as the point of light struck the massive boulder.

The instant the blade touched the boulder, the brilliant white point at its tip struck first. Using the blade itself as a conduit, it focused its entire power into a single "point," piercing inward with absolute focus.

HISS...

Like a red-hot poker plunging into solid ice, a thumb-wide, impossibly deep hole appeared in the hard boulder where the sword had struck. The walls of the hole were smooth as a mirror, displaying a strange, crystalline texture—the result of the rock being instantly vaporized and then re-solidifying.

Immediately following this, the latent power of the fire qi—which had been guided along the blade’s faces—erupted along the path of the cut...

BOOM!!!

A searing line of fire blasted out along the score mark.

Amid a grating CRACK, the massive boulder shattered as if rigged with explosives. First, the core around the central hole disintegrated into dust. Then, the outer shell split into several large chunks along clean fissures. Finally, the entire thing collapsed with a deafening roar.

Its attack complete, the Cyan Peak Short Sword flew back, its Spiritual Light now slightly dimmed, and circled gently around Yang Wenqing.

Yang Wenqing immediately sat cross-legged on the stone platform, gasping for breath. The single strike had placed an astonishing strain on both his Five Yang Qi and his Divine Sense.

But the results were staggering!

’...Now *this* is truly worthy of the name "One-Line Sky".’

Yang Wenqing regulated his breath for a moment. He looked at the now-docile short sword in his hand, a fervent glint in his eyes.

Lan Ying flew over and nuzzled Yang Wenqing’s cheek.

"Excellent! Using the sword as a vessel for magic, concealing its power within the blade, and harmonizing gold and fire... Wenqing, with this move, you’ve taken your first steps toward fusing skill and sword!"

A clear, bright voice, filled with unconcealed admiration and delight, rang out from a small path on the cliff face beside the platform.

Yang Wenqing looked toward the sound. A streak of pale blue light flashed past, and his master, Qin Huaiming, was standing at the edge of the platform, hands clasped behind his back. He was smiling at Yang Wenqing, having clearly witnessed the entire event from the sidelines.

"Master!" Yang Wenqing scrambled to his feet and bowed respectfully. Lan Ying landed obediently on his shoulder and bobbed its small head toward Qin Huaiming.

"No need for formalities."

Qin Huaiming waved a hand. He walked closer, his gaze resting on Yang Wenqing’s face. "To not only grasp the rudiments of the Golden Fire Skill in such a short time, but to then integrate it with your own Sword Control Technique... Wenqing, your insight and daring far surpass what I possessed at your age."