Chapter 908: Sword Nine Great Perfection
Over the following month, Zhang Ruochen entered a frenzied state of cultivation, challenging Ling Feiyu once every three days.
Today marked their twelfth encounter.
Above the bamboo sea, chaotic sword qi surged, producing a "shua shua" sound.
At the center of the sword qi turbulence, two figures—one male, one female—moved rapidly, exchanging blows with exquisite sword techniques.
"Golden Dipper Facing the Sun."
Ling Feiyu held a long sword condensed from sacred qi, pointing it straight at the sky, radiating dazzling golden light.
A torrent of sword qi swirled around the blade before pressing down toward Zhang Ruochen ahead.
Zhang Ruochen stood upright, charging forward, guiding with his finger as he murmured, "Sword Three."
Over the past month, with Ling Feiyu as his sparring partner and guidance from sixteen Sword Saint ancestors, Zhang Ruochen's sword path had advanced by leaps and bounds, allowing him to cultivate Sword Three to Great Perfection.
"Boom."
Two powerful sword qi forces collided, and in an instant, tens of thousands of sword qi strands annihilated.
Among them, a three-foot-long sword qi pierced through the defenses of the Abyssal Ancient Sword, striking Zhang Ruochen's right chest with a "bang."
The force of the sword qi, penetrating the Meteor Invisibility Cloak, hit his chest, violently shaking his lungs.
Immediately afterward, intense pain radiated from his lungs, making it difficult for Zhang Ruochen to breathe.
Zhang Ruochen flew backward, crashing back to the ground, and did not continue the fight.
"Still the sixth move... still... just a little short..."
Zhang Ruochen's face was extremely pale as he mobilized sacred qi to his lungs, temporarily stabilizing the injury.
A faint sound of wind breaking rang out, and Ling Feiyu descended from above, standing on a layer of purple sacred mist, forming an incredibly beautiful, ethereal shadow.
"In just one month, from failing to block even my first move to now lasting five or six moves against me, such tremendous progress truly impresses me," Ling Feiyu said.
It was no wonder Ling Feiyu gave Zhang Ruochen such high praise. Over this month, she had witnessed his step-by-step growth.
Every three days, Zhang Ruochen made astonishing improvements.
If Zhang Ruochen maintained this pace of cultivation, Ling Feiyu was quite worried that one day, he would surpass her.
Such an achievement might seem unremarkable.
However, at the same cultivation level, Ling Feiyu had once defeated a Sword Saint in sixteen moves.
In other words, as long as Zhang Ruochen could withstand sixteen moves from Ling Feiyu, his sword path mastery would rival that of some Sword Saints.
Thus, it was evident that Zhang Ruochen, with a mere First-Step Half-Saint cultivation, blocking five or six moves from Ling Feiyu was an extraordinarily lofty accomplishment.
Zhang Ruochen sheathed the Abyssal Ancient Sword, exuding a proud aura, and stared at Ling Feiyu, saying, "Before I break through to the Saint realm, my sword path will surpass you."
A peculiar glint flashed in Ling Feiyu's eyes as she said, "Three hundred years of my cultivation—do you think you can surpass it just by saying so? The fact that you can exchange moves with me is largely due to the power of space and time."
"In true sword path, you still have a long way to go. Don't let temporary achievements cloud your judgment."
"Right now, you've only cultivated Sword Three to Great Perfection. Do you know what level I have reached?"
A sword cultivator who cultivated Sword Seven to Great Perfection could be titled a Sword Saint.
Eight hundred years ago, the unparalleled genius Xue Hongchen had forcefully cultivated Sword Ten to perfection, earning the title Sword Emperor.
Ling Feiyu, three hundred years ago, was the number one prodigy of the entire Kunlun Realm. Although few mentioned her sword path talent, she specialized in sword cultivation, and her sword path realm had likely reached an extremely high level.
Zhang Ruochen was naturally curious about just how far Ling Feiyu's sword path had progressed.
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen did not ask, Ling Feiyu still spoke up, saying, "Just three days ago, I comprehended the final layer of Sword Nine. I believe it won't be long before I cultivate Sword Nine to Great Perfection."
In truth, there was another thing Ling Feiyu did not say.
That was that her ability to comprehend the final layer of Sword Nine was also related to Zhang Ruochen.
While Zhang Ruochen was secretly learning her Nine Lives Sword Technique, she was also quietly studying the power of time and space.
It was by integrating her understanding of time and space into her sword path that she had grasped the final layer of Sword Nine.
Boasting—this was shameless boasting.
Any other Sword Saint would have been quite restrained, never revealing such a smug demeanor before a low-level Half-Saint to flaunt their achievements.
Yet, such behavior from Ling Feiyu did not surprise Zhang Ruochen at all.
Narrow-minded, hot-tempered, arrogant, domineering, and extremely tsundere. She had almost all the flaws of a woman.
At the same time, her beauty was breathtaking, her figure perfect, her intelligence outstanding, her talent unmatched, and she had become a Saint through the sword path. She also possessed most of a woman's virtues.
Although Huang Yanchen had some personality flaws, she was quite reserved, unlike Ling Feiyu's flamboyance and arrogance.
Zhang Ruochen dared not imagine what a troublesome character Ling Feiyu must have been in her youth.
Nevertheless, her sword path mastery truly shocked him.
Only a true sword cultivator could understand how profound the Wordless Sword Manual was. The deeper one went, the more obscure it became, and advancing even a single level was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
That Ling Feiyu had cultivated Sword Nine to Great Perfection in just three hundred years was a talent nearly on par with the Sword Emperor and the Empress.
Seeing the shock on Zhang Ruochen's face, Ling Feiyu was naturally quite satisfied. Beneath her veil, the corner of her mouth curled up.
Then, she transformed into a streak of purple light and vanished into the bamboo grove.
"What an arrogant woman. If I ever defeat her one day, I wonder if she can handle the blow?"
A strange thought crossed Zhang Ruochen's mind.
However, the thought vanished in an instant. After all, the gap between him and Ling Feiyu was too vast. Trying to surpass her now was indeed reaching for the stars.
Zhang Ruochen sat cross-legged in the bamboo grove, beginning to regulate his breathing and heal the injury to his lungs.
Over the past month, his progress had been immense. Not only had he cultivated Sword Three to Great Perfection, but he had also fully learned the Nine Lives Sword Technique. Although he had not achieved mastery, he could now wield it freely.
Additionally, Zhang Ruochen had made some headway in studying the True One Thunder Fire Sword Technique and the second level of the Time Sword Art, "Scale Eight Transformation," steadily advancing in his cultivation.
At this moment, Zhang Ruochen, while nursing his injury, reviewed the battle with Ling Feiyu, analyzing his mistakes during the fight.
"With my current strength, if I encounter an opponent like Feng Qin again, I should be able to win easily. My realm has also fully stabilized, so I can now swallow a Saint Yuan Pill and charge toward the Second-Step Half-Saint realm."
Every step up in the Half-Saint realm brought a massive increase in strength, and Zhang Ruochen naturally wanted to gain even more powerful cultivation.
...
...
As dusk fell, a bright full moon appeared above the clouds. Moonlight spilled onto the ground, piercing the formation barrier over the Zhenyu Ancient Clan, shrouding the entire world in a fantastical hue.
Wang Jie stood at the edge of the Sword Grave, gazing at the moon overhead. On his relatively handsome face, a twisted expression appeared. "Tonight, I will make Ling Feiyu and Zhang Ruochen pay a heavy price."
Beside Wang Jie stood an old man with white hair.
He was short, with a face full of wrinkles, but beneath his white hair, his eyes were threaded with crimson blood vessels.
This man was named Wang Jinsuo, an elder of the Wang Clan. By seniority, even Wang Jie had to call him Seventeenth Uncle.
Wang Jinsuo's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of temptation. "Anyone can see that Zhang Ruochen must be an Undying Blood Clan infiltrator. Yet Ling Feiyu desperately protects him and has even locked the other sword bearer, Xiang Zhengfeng, in the Nether Prison. I wonder if the Zhenyu Ancient Clan is ruled by the Clan Leader or by her?"
Wang Jie clenched his fists, gnashing his teeth in hatred. "That despicable Ling Feiyu not only got me thirty lashes from my father's dragon whip but also made me lose face before the clan. No matter what, I must take revenge."
"With your strength alone, young master, forget about taking revenge on Ling Feiyu. Even against Zhang Ruochen, you might not have much of a chance," Wang Jinsuo said calmly.
Wang Jie suppressed his anger, burying it deep in his heart. A grin spread across his face, showing confidence. "That's exactly why I must rescue Xiang Zhengfeng. As they say, an enemy's enemy is a friend. I'll use Xiang Zhengfeng's hand to eliminate Zhang Ruochen."
Wang Jinsuo shook his head. "Zhang Ruochen's backing is Ling Feiyu. With her protection, even if you rescue Xiang Zhengfeng, he won't be able to do anything to Zhang Ruochen."
"I naturally have other means to hold that bitch Ling Feiyu in check. Seventeenth Uncle, haven't you noticed that tonight is a full moon?"
Wang Jie pointed at the moon above, as if hinting at something else.
Wang Jinsuo squinted his eyes and laughed. "So that's it. Young master is indeed clever, leaving this old man in awe. On this full moon night, that person should have transformed into a bloodthirsty monster. If we release him... heh heh..."
A fierce killing intent flashed in Wang Jie's eyes, and he let out a sinister laugh.
Then, Wang Jie and Wang Jinsuo entered the Sword Grave, turning into two dark shadows as they rushed toward the Nether Prison.
(One more chapter to come.)