Chapter 272 - Sword Ripple of Ten Channels
“When you left the School of the Martial Market, you gave me ten drops of Half-Saint’s Essence. With the potency of those, it was not hard to reach the Advanced Stage of the Black Realm.”
Kong Xuan stood by the pond, her slender body like a willow branch. Her skin was emitting white light, and there was a pair of seven-colored peacock wings.
After Zhang Ruochen had left, Kong Xuan could not refine the Half-Saint’s Essence directly. She could only drop it into the bathing pool to absorb its Saint Power through bathing.
After totally absorbing 10 drops of Half-Saint’s Essence, her martial cultivation made a great leap and reached its current level.
Zhang Ruochen nodded and took out one storage bracelet. He gave it to Kong Xuan and said, “This storage bracelet belongs to you from today on!”
As Zhang Ruochen’s personal maid, Kong Xuan certainly knew the use of the storage bracelet. She stretched out her hands, took the bracelet, and bowed to Zhang Ruochen. “Thanks very much, Master.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “There are 20 drops of Half-Saint’s Essence and 10 pieces of Three Leaf Holy Clover in the bracelet. That should be enough for you to reach the Completion of the Black Realm. It seems that you haven’t started to practice the martial technique.”
“No.” Kong Xuan said.
Zhang Ruochen thought for a moment and said, “Then, I will pass you a martial technique at Superior class of Spiritual Stage, Sword Ripple of Ten Channels.”
Hearing the words “Superior class martial technique of the Spiritual Stage”, Kong Xuan’s eyes lit up. But she hesitated and said, “Master, I have low talent and my cultivation is at the Advanced Stage of the Black Realm right now. Even if she practices the martial technique in the low-class of Spiritual, it will take a lot of time. If I want to succeed in practicing a Superior class martial technique of the Spiritual Stage, it will take lots of time, and I may not be able to succeed.”
Zhang Ruochen smiled and said, “You are worried that practicing the martial technique would interfere with your exercises.”
“It is indeed a big problem for other warriors. But, you don’t need to worry, because you stay in the School of the Martial Market most of the time and rarely fight with others. I will teach you a martial technique, and never think that you can succeed instantly. When you practice Peacock Canon, you only need to spend some time to comprehend the Sword Ripple of Ten Channels. Maybe you have a high comprehension ability, and you can learn it very soon.”
“I understand! Thanks very much for your martial technique.” Kong Xuan said.
Actually, the reason Zhang Ruochen was going to teach Kong Xuan the Sword Ripple of Ten Channels was that he was going to practice it himself.
Zhang Ruochen sat by the pond cross-legged and picked up a branch to draw a person’s left hand and five Meridian Lines on the palm.
Zhang Ruochen pointed at the picture on the ground with the branch and said, “Every warrior can open up the Hand Meridian, and the Hand Meridian is connected with ten fingers. You only need to infuse the Genuine Qi to form a Genuine Qi stream out of your fingertip. It is just like this!”
Zhang Ruochen infused the Genuine Qi into his forefinger and pointed it out.
SWISH—
A Genuine Qi blast flew out from Zhang Ruochen’s finger and broke through the trunk of a big tree in the distance, leaving a wineglass-sized hole.
“Master, you are awesome! Is this the Sword Wave?”
Kong Xuan looked at Zhang Ruochen respectfully, like she was looking up to a Saint.
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, “This is just a Genuine Qi bolt, not the Sword Wave. A Genuine Qi bolt can penetrate trees, stone, or even iron. But it can’t break the protective Genuine Qi cover of a warrior of the Earth Realm, or pierce the Celestial Bodyshield of a warrior at the Heaven Realm.”
“How can I practice the Sword Wave?” Kong Xuan asked curiously.
Zhang Ruochen replied, “First, you have to practice the Sword Comprehension and refine 10 fingers, so every one of your fingers is turned into a sharp sword. You integrate the Sword Comprehension into the Genuine Qi, and a Genuine Qi bolt will certainly become a Sword Wave.”
Kong Xuan asked, “What should I practice now?”
“Practice the Sword Comprehension.”
Zhang Ruochen took out his Abyss Ancient Sword and swung it through the air.
Nine Sword Breath flew toward a stone wall dozens of meters away. It hit the wall with a smash, knocking chunks of stone from it. Where the stones had been on the fall spelled the word, “SWORD.”
The writing of the word “SWORD” was lively and vigorous, and each of the five letters was equally deep. The power had been applied very evenly.
Zhang Ruochen pointed at the word “SWORD” and said, “The word ‘SWORD’ shows the ability of my Sword Comprehension. You perceive it on the stone wall! You can start to practice Sword Ripple of Ten Channels when you reach the Initial Stage of the Sword Following the Heart.”
“I will never let you down, and I will reach the Initial Stage of the SSword Following the Heart as fast as possible.”
Kong Xuan sat below the stone wall cross-legged and looked at the word “SWORD”. She meditated on it.
“She is practicing Peacock Canon which will help her understand the Sword Comprehension.”
Seeing Kong Xuan take an hour to sit quietly and meditate, Zhang Ruochen nodded in satisfaction, turned around, and left. He walked out of the School of the Martial Market and went straight to Liu Chuanshen’s mansion in Devil Martial City.
He had something important to discuss with Liu Chuanshen.
After one of his arms was broken, Liu Chuanshen had been staying in Devil Martial City to recuperate and enjoy the treatment of the silver gowned Elder.
Liu Chuanshen was talking about the Martial Arts with an elder in his mansion that day. They were drinking tea and talking about swordsmanship. 10 maids attended each of them.
Liu Chuanshen smiled, “Brother Yan, you deserve to be No.1 on the Profound Board. You made a great breakthrough a few months after breaking the shackle, and you reached the Completion of the Earth Realm from the Initial Stage of the Earth Realm, which impresses me very much.”
Yan Lixuan smiled. “I was stuck at the Completion of the Black Realm for 40 years. In that period, although my Martial Arts Realm had no breakthrough, my Martial Arts experience, knowledge, martial technique practice, and Spiritual Power all reached the Heaven Realm long ago. And with the practice resources over the last 40 years, once I reached the Earth Realm, I made a succession of breakthroughs smoothly. Furthermore, I just reached the Completion of the Earth Realm. I don’t know if I can reach the Heaven Realm and become a martial arts legend.”
Liu Chuanshen said, “You are too modest! With your current strength, even the top master on the Earth Board may not be your match. If you were not over 50 years old, your name would certainly be on the Earth Board. With your accomplishments in Martial Arts, it’s just a matter of time before you reach the Heaven Realm.”
Yan Lixuan was very confident in himself, and he sighed. “Thanks to Zhang Ruochen. If he doesn’t open up my heart knot, I’m afraid I will be stuck in the Completion of the Black Realm forever.”
“Speak of Zhang Ruochen, I really feel that the younger generation will surpass the older. He has had a strong rise in just two years. I’m afraid that I’m no match for him.” Liu Chuanshen sighed. “I see him becoming more mature step by step. His speed of practice is rare in the world. I wonder how much he can achieve!”
An old servant walked over and said, “Master, Zhang Ruochen from the School of the Martial Market is here.”
Liu Chuanshen and Yan Lixuan looked at each other and smiled at the same time.
“Send him in quickly.” Liu Chuanshen said hurriedly.
A moment later, behind the old servant, Zhang Ruochen walked into the mansion and saw Liu Chuanshen and Yan Lixuan drinking tea.
Yan Lixuan greeted him remotely, “Zhang Xiaoyou, we meet again!”
Zhang Ruochen took a look at Yan Lixuan. He felt a strange sense of recognition before he remembered who he was.
This old man was No.1 of the Profound Board, and his name was Yan Lixuan. He was a very powerful old man.
Yan Lixuan, who could practice the Boundless Sword Technique, a sword technique of the Superior class of the Spiritual Stage, to the succeed at the Black Realm. Many warriors at the Earth Realm could not do that.
So, Yan Lixuan had made great accomplishments in the Martial Arts.
Of course, learning that sword technique had given him a heart knot. For 40 years, his cultivation did not improve a bit.
Eventually, his martial cultivation had reached the Completion of the Earth Realm.
It was true that once one made the breakthrough, cultivation could be boundless.
“Has your cultivation almost reached the Heaven Realm?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
Yan Lixuan squinted his eyes and smiled. He said, “I’m old, and my Spiritual Blood hasn’t been as powerful as usual. It is said that you killed Huo Jingcheng and Commandery Princess Zhenling from Yuntai Suzerain.”
Zhang Ruochen felt Yan Lixuan’s war intent and smiled, “Predecessor Yan, if you want to exchange techniques, I will fight to the finish any time.”
“Good! I was defeated by you last time, and I have hoped to have a rematch. Well, there’s no time like the present. Let’s fight today.”
Yan Lixuan stood up suddenly and his momentum changed instantly, his body like a blade.
Bam!
Yan Lixuan struck one palm on the stone table, and the tea from his cup splashed up three meters.
PHEW!
Yan Lixuan shot a frosty blast from his palm, freezing the tea into a glittering, translucent ice sword.
SWISH!
Although Yan Lixuan was more than 60 years old, he did not look old and clumsy at all. He was full of vitality. He passed over the pond surface like lightning and stabbed at Zhang Ruochen with the sword.
Yan Lixuan’s Sword Comprehension had reached the Peak of Sword Following the Heart. He had only one step before he reached the realm of Heart Integrated into Sword.
His accomplishment on sword technique was certainly not usual. It seemed to be an ordinary stab, but it contained endless danger.
Zhang Ruochen picked up a grass blade randomly and held it with two fingers.
When Yan Lixuan’s ice sword was about one meter from Zhang Ruochen’s chest, Zhang Ruochen stuck out his finger and aimed the grass between Yan Lixuan’s eyes.
It was just a grass blade, but in Yan Lixuan’s eyes, it was no different from a magic sword.
If he kept moving forward, the grass would pierce between his eyes and into his Qi Sea.
He was forced to pull back his ice sword instantly and perform a sword technique in the Superior class of the Spiritual Stage, the Boundless Sword Technique.
“Boundless Killing!”
He swung the ice sword and made it into sword shadows filling the sky, which stabbed toward Zhang Ruochen.
The Boundless Sword Techqiue deployed by Yan Lixuan when he was at the Completion of the Black Realm had less than a tenth of the power he deployed now.
A sword technique at the Superior class of Spiritual Stage could only be deployed by the support of powerful cultivation.
At this moment, Boundless Sword Technique became more subtle and powerful.
It was just a sword, but it felt like flood pouring in, leaving nowhere to hide.