Chapter 216 - 215: Flowing Wind Sword
Chapter 216: Chapter 215: Flowing Wind Sword
"Thank you. I’d like to see the Middle Grade Sword Weapons."
Fang Han said with a cupped-fist salute.
"This way, Junior Brother."
The Weapon Hall disciple turned to the side and led Fang Han to a specific section.
The racks in this area were filled exclusively with longswords of various styles and lengths. Their scabbards ranged from simple and rustic to ornate and magnificent, but every blade, without exception, radiated a piercing, sharp aura.
"Take a look, Junior Brother. This is the Autumn Water Sword, a tribute from the Hundred Weapons Pavilion. Its blade is forged from Cold Iron, making it incredibly sharp and giving it a chilling Sword Qi. It costs three hundred Contribution Points."
The Weapon Hall disciple explained, pointing to a longsword in a pale blue scabbard adorned with a wave-like pattern.
Fang Han glanced at it and shook his head slightly.
The sword was sharp, but its cold nature wasn’t a perfect match for his Wind Attribute Inner Qi.
Understanding, the Weapon Hall disciple led him further down the aisle.
"This Fiery Sun Sword, another tribute from the Hundred Weapons Pavilion, is infused with a trace of Red Flame Gold. Swinging it produces a scorching Sword Qi. It’s fierce and domineering, costing three hundred and fifty Contribution Points."
Fang Han shook his head again. Its intensely yang and fiery nature didn’t suit the deceptive, killing intent of the Wind Shadow Annihilation Sword.
The Weapon Hall disciple continued his presentation for Fang Han.
"The Flowing Cloud Sword. Its blade is light, and its strikes are as shifting as flowing clouds. It’s suited for swift and agile Swordsmanship. Four hundred Contribution Points."
"The Heavy Mountain Sword. It’s powerful and heavy, forged from Profound Heavy Iron. A single strike carries the might of a mountain. Five hundred Contribution Points."
...
Fang Han looked at sword after sword, constantly weighing the options in his mind.
They were all decent Middle Grade weapons, but he felt something was always slightly off. Either the element didn’t match his, or their special characteristics weren’t distinctive enough.
His search continued until the disciple led him to a rack deeper inside. The disciple pointed to a longsword of simple, ancient design, housed in an undecorated, dark cyan scabbard. Fang Han’s gaze froze.
"This sword is called Flowing Wind," the disciple began. "It was reforged from a broken blade an Elder from our Sect’s Artifact Refining Hall discovered in some ancient ruins during his travels."
The Weapon Hall disciple explained.
"An unknown Cyan Strange Stone was incorporated into the blade during reforging, making it incredibly tough. It has excellent conductivity and amplification effects for Wind Attribute Inner Qi. When swung, it generates a wisp of clear wind, slightly increasing the speed and stealth of your strikes. It’s an exceptionally good match for a Wind Attribute Martial Artist."
"Due to its special materials, its toughness and sharpness far surpass those of ordinary Middle Grade weapons. Therefore, it’s classified as a top-level Middle Grade weapon and costs nine hundred Contribution Points."
A flicker of excitement went through Fang Han.
’It amplifies Wind Attribute Inner Qi and even increases the speed and stealth of my strikes?’
’It’s practically tailor-made for me!’
He reached out and gently gripped the hilt.
It felt cool in his hand, the grip smooth. Its weight was perfect, the balance superb.
ZING!
He slowly drew the sword from its scabbard.
The body of the blade was a deep, dark cyan, as if steeped in the passage of time. It was as smooth as a mirror but cast no reflection, possessing a strange quality that seemed to absorb light.
The edge was as thin as a cicada’s wing. Though it appeared plain, it naturally exuded an indescribable sharpness.
Fang Han tried infusing a wisp of pure Inner Qi from his Profound Wind Technique into the blade.
VMMMM—
The blade emitted an extremely faint yet clear and resonant hum.
A gentle breeze seemed to dance across the dark cyan blade, causing the surrounding air to ripple faintly.
His Inner Qi flowed through the blade unimpeded, circulating perfectly. He could even feel a subtle boost, making his Inner Qi feel more condensed and swift.
"What a fine sword!"
A delighted glimmer shone in Fang Han’s eyes.
’This is the one!’
"I’ll take this sword."
Without further hesitation, Fang Han handed his Identity Jade Token to the disciple.
"An excellent choice, Junior Brother!"
The Weapon Hall disciple smiled as he took the Jade Token. He swiped it across an inkstone-shaped device on the counter, and with a faint flash of light, nine hundred Contribution Points were deducted.
He then took the dark cyan Sword Scabbard, sheathed the Flowing Wind Sword, and handed it to Fang Han.
"Congratulations on acquiring such a fine weapon, Junior Brother!"
"Thank you."
Fang Han accepted the longsword with due solemnity and hung it at his waist next to his Cyan Blade Sword.
’With this sword, I finally won’t have to worry about my weapon breaking in the middle of a fight.’
After leaving the Weapon Hall, Fang Han didn’t return to his quarters. Instead, he headed straight for a familiar clearing in the woods.
He needed to get accustomed to his new sword as quickly as possible.
The clearing was deserted. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, dappling the ground with light. Standing in the center, Fang Han slowly drew the Flowing Wind Sword.
The dark cyan blade shimmered with a subdued luster in the sunlight. He held his breath, centered himself, and began to practice the Wind Shadow Annihilation Sword.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
The glint of the blade was treacherous and unpredictable, and a sharp killing intent filled the air.
The feeling was completely different from when he used the Cyan Blade Sword.
His Inner Qi flowed more smoothly and felt more condensed within the blade. The speed of his Sword Techniques seemed a fraction faster, their paths more erratic and difficult to predict.
The whistling of the blade grew extremely faint, as if it had merged into the wind itself, making it far stealthier.
Fang Han was completely immersed in the wonderful feeling of the sword moving as an extension of his own arm. His Swordsmanship flowed with increasing ease and proficiency.
He practiced with exhilarating freedom until the sun began to set, finally stopping, though he wished he could continue.
The more he looked at the dark cyan longsword in his hand, the more he grew to love it.
"’Flowing Wind... Flowing Wind, Shadowless. They didn’t get the name wrong...’ "
Fang Han muttered to himself as he sheathed the sword, a sharp glint in his eyes.
’The sword is ready. It’s time to begin the next phase of my plan.’
He looked into the distance, his gaze seemingly piercing through the mountain ranges to fall upon the factions allied with Chu Feng.
’This time, I’m going to give Chu Feng a real headache!’
...
「The next morning.」
Fang Han pushed open the wooden door of Room C-7 and took a deep breath of the crisp, damp air, shaking the last vestiges of sleep from his mind.
He changed into a common cyan Disciple’s Robe, hung his new Flowing Wind Sword at his waist, and walked with a steady gait out of the Sub-Branch, heading toward the sect gate.
Along the bluestone path, there were already many disciples up early for cultivation or preparing to leave the mountain.
They gathered in small groups, talking in low voices, the topic of their conversation seemingly quite lively.
"...Did you hear? The Celestial Pride List was updated!"
"Really? Quick, tell me what’s changed!"
"In our Sect, Senior Sister Yun Muyao’s rank rose two places, from eighteenth to sixteenth!"
"Whew, in the top twenty of the Celestial Pride List, moving up even one spot is as hard as ascending to the heavens. Senior Sister Yun is really incredible!"
"What else? Of the nine senior brothers and sisters from our Sect who are on the Celestial Pride List, did any of the others’ rankings change?"
"Senior Brother Chu Feng... also moved up two spots, from one hundredth to ninety-eighth."
The chatter reached Fang Han’s ears, but his expression remained impassive and he didn’t break his stride, as if he had merely overheard some irrelevant gossip.
Beneath his calm exterior, however, he scoffed inwardly.
’Ranked ninety-eighth now, is he? Chu Feng, you can be smug for now. In another day or two, you won’t feel like smiling at all!’
Paying the discussions no more mind, he quickened his pace, passed through the majestic sect gate, and hurried down the stone steps leading off the mountain.
Once he was out of the sect gate and on the relatively deserted main road at the foot of the mountain, Fang Han scanned his surroundings to make sure no one was watching.
He immediately infused his legs with the Inner Qi of an Early Stage Sixth Grade Martial Artist and executed Flowing Wind Shadowless Step.
WHOOSH!
His figure instantly blurred into a barely perceptible wisp of cyan smoke, his speed so great it left only afterimages in his wake as he sped northeast along the main road.
His chosen target was Changping City, located five hundred li northeast of the Qingxuan Sect.
According to intelligence purchased from the Rain Pavilion, a family with the surname Deng resided in Changping City, and they were affiliated with Chu Feng.
The family’s strength was not to be underestimated. While they had no Sixth Grade Martial Artist, they boasted several Seventh Grade Martial Artists.
The current Patriarch, Deng Xiong, was a veteran Martial Artist who had reached the Late Stage of Seventh Grade many years ago. He had been at the peak of that stage for a long time, stuck at a bottleneck and unable to advance.
The family’s enterprises included medicinal herbs and mining, and they had accumulated considerable wealth.
Before breaking through to the Sixth Grade, Fang Han wouldn’t have been confident about infiltrating a heavily guarded family with multiple Seventh Grade Martial Artists. He couldn’t be sure he could sneak into their core compound to find and open their secret chamber without alerting anyone.
If he had tried to force his way in and been discovered, he would have been surrounded by several Seventh Grade Martial Artists. Even with his formidable strength, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t suffer an unexpected and disastrous failure.
As for slaughtering the entire Deng Family, he had no direct grudge with them and wouldn’t resort to annihilating a whole clan.
Besides, the consequences of such an act would be more than he could bear.
This wouldn’t be a normal clash between factions. If a powerful family were to be mysteriously massacred, the Government Office and the ruling Sect would not turn a blind eye. They would launch a full-scale investigation, and he would become the primary target, facing unimaginable consequences.
But now, having entered the Sixth Grade, his strength had taken a qualitative leap.
Furthermore, with his Mastery Level in the Middle Grade Breath Concealment Secret Technique, the Ten Thousand Transformations Concealing Breath Technique, and his Minor Achievement Level in the Top Grade Body Technique, Flowing Wind Shadowless Step, he was confident he could infiltrate the Deng Family estate unnoticed, find the secret chamber, and complete his "heist."
Several hours of travel at full speed would have been enormously draining for an ordinary Martial Artist. But for Fang Han, who had successfully converted his cultivation to the Profound Wind Technique and possessed a deep, pure well of Inner Qi, it was hardly a challenge.
Shortly after noon, the silhouette of a city appeared on the distant horizon.
Its walls were high and thick, its banners fluttering in the wind. It was Changping City.
Fang Han slowed his pace in a secluded spot outside the city and took a moment to regulate his breathing. Once his aura had settled, he joined the stream of people, paid the entrance tax, and walked into a city that was even more prosperous than Baiyun or Bibo.
The city was a bustling scene of prosperity, with streets full of carriages and horses, rows of shops, and a constant, weaving throng of people.
Fang Han wasn’t in a rush to ask for the location of the Deng Mansion. He first found a clean, ordinary-looking inn and took one of their better rooms.
After a simple meal in his room, he left the inn unhurriedly. He appeared to be strolling casually through the city, but he was secretly gathering information, trying to pinpoint the exact location of the Deng Mansion.
As one of Changping City’s most prominent families, the Deng Family’s estate was no secret. It didn’t take long for Fang Han to confirm that the Deng Mansion was in the city’s western district. It was quite conspicuous, covering a vast area.
He gave the impressive, red-gated, high-walled Deng Mansion a look from a distance, then turned and headed back to the inn without getting any closer.
Back in his room, Fang Han sat cross-legged on the bed. He closed his eyes and meditated, bringing his body and mind to their optimal state as he quietly waited for night to fall.
Time slipped by quietly. Outside the window, the sky darkened, the last sliver of daylight swallowed by inky blackness. One by one, the lamps and lanterns of Changping City began to shine.