I made the entire cultivation world cry

Chapter 153 Black Gold Jade Bamboo (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Afternoon, in the Solomon's Seal Forest.

The Azure Jade Bamboo, lacking its eerie atmosphere, soars into the clouds, its joints carved like jade, gleaming with a cold metallic luster.

When the wind blows, the bamboo leaves rustle, and tiny golden rays flow between the veins of the leaves, as if thousands of golden snakes are swimming through the gaps in the leaves.

Jiang Yi walked into the barren circular clearing. The bamboo swordsman's hat lifted slightly, and his withered bamboo-like knuckles gripped the hilt of his sword tightly. The entire jade bamboo forest suddenly fell silent.

The bamboo swordsman clearly still remembered Jiang Yi, and his whole body was tense, ready to strike.

Jiang Yi stopped opposite him, not in a hurry to draw his sword, but first took off the gourd from his waist, uncorked it and took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

Zhao Cangyun dragged Shang Shixu along, and Shen Puning pulled Xin Wushuang along. The four of them stood outside the arena, their eyes burning with anticipation, waiting to see what would happen.

Once ready, Jiang Yi drew his sword immediately at zero frames.

Zheng!
The bamboo swordsman moved like a ghost, and before the sharp whistling of the sword tearing through the air could reach his ears, the bamboo sword had already cleaved three inches from Jiang Yi's face.

Zhao Cangyun's pupils shrank sharply; this speed was more than three times faster than when he fought him before.

"This rotten bamboo hasn't even reached its limit yet?" Zhao Cangyun cursed inwardly, suddenly feeling a sense of frustration.

Curtain style!
In a flash, Jiang Yi flipped his wrist, and the bamboo sword slashed diagonally upwards, precisely striking the opponent's sword blade at its seven-inch mark, which was the weakest point where the bamboo swordsman could exert his power.

The crisp sound of the two swords clashing created a shockwave, and the bamboo swordsman's sword strike was forcefully deflected, the sword vibrating and emitting a piercing buzzing sound.

"Wow--"

Shen Puning, being an outsider, couldn't see the intricacies of the situation; she only felt that Jiang Yi was incredibly strong!

The bamboo swordsman's swordplay suddenly changed; the bamboo sword, which had been shaken apart, swung its tail like a serpent, its tip aimed at Jiang Yi's throat.

Jiang Yi stepped back and leaned back. As the bamboo sword grazed past her nose, she suddenly twisted her wrist and pressed down on the sword.

The power of coiling silk!
The green bamboo sword, like a vine entwining a tree, spiraled and twisted along the opponent's sword spine. The two bamboo swords rubbed together, producing a piercing, sharp sound. Amidst the flying sparks, the bamboo swordsman's swordplay was thrown off balance.

Zhao Cangyun's eyes lit up. He knew this move. That night, when Liu Taozhi came to attack, his senior sister used this move to deflect Liu Taozhi's sword.

In the arena, the bamboo swordsman's swordplay grew increasingly swift, each move aimed directly at vital points, seemingly aiming to win through speed.

Jiang Yi remained calm and composed, each block and dodge precisely timed to the opponent's arm length limit; an inch more would be a waste of energy, an inch less would result in bloodshed.

"Thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-nine..."

Xin Wushuang silently counted, while Shang Shixu nervously gripped the jade flute.

With a single move, the Bamboo Swordsman used Iron Chain Across the River, his sword's spine precisely deflecting Jiang Yi's sneak attack. The instant their weapons clashed, Jiang Yi suddenly released his grip and discarded his sword.

Stick close to the mountain!
Jiang Yi struck him with his shoulder and elbow, sending the bamboo swordsman staggering back three steps.

Zhao Cangyun and Shen Puning both stared wide-eyed. Zhao Cangyun exclaimed in shock, "You can do that?"

"Tie Shan Kao" is a fighting technique used by ordinary martial artists, not a sword technique.

Jiang Yi seized the opportunity to catch the bamboo sword falling from the sky, shouting, "Behold my Heavenly Gang Demon-Subduing Sword!"

Jiang Yi stepped onto the Heavenly Gang, and the Green Bamboo Sword instantly transformed into nine afterimages.

The nine sword shadows were difficult to distinguish from the real ones. The bamboo swordsman used the hilt of his sword as an axis to draw circles and parry. After seven consecutive clanging sounds, the remaining two sword shadows left shallow marks on his shoulder.

Zhao Cangyun was secretly alarmed; if it were him, he could only block five swords at most.

Jiang Yi turned the tables, his sword strikes becoming even faster. He effortlessly executed the thirty-six forms of the Heavenly Gang Subduing Demon Sword, like a cascading river.

The bamboo swordsman was forced to retreat in defeat, raising clouds of dust beneath his feet.

"Ninety-six, ninety-seven..."

As Xin Wushuang counted, Jiang Yi's sword suddenly trembled, and the bamboo swordsman's weapon swung high into the air.

"It's now!"

Jiang Yi's green bamboo sword slid down the spine of the opponent's sword, the blade sparking a series of sparks as it went straight for the hilt.

The bamboo swordsman quickly twisted his wrist to try and deflect the attack, but Jiang Yi's sword suddenly slashed upwards.

When the celestial forces unite, all evil will be vanquished!
The green bamboo sword transformed into a white rainbow piercing the sun, and with a crisp clang, the bamboo swordsman's bamboo sword flew out of his hand and into the sky.

Before the longsword could hit the ground, Jiang Yi's sword tip was already poised at the bamboo swordsman's throat. The wind stopped, and the forest fell silent.

Only the bamboo sword that had flown up spun and plunged into the ground, its hilt trembling and humming slightly.

"Concession!"

Jiang Yi sheathed his sword, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and a carefree smile appeared on his lips.

"Ninety-nine moves," Xin Wushuang said in a deep voice.

Shen Puning's mouth was wide open in exaggerated surprise, and Shang Shixu could not hide his surprise as well. Although Zhao Cangyun never mentioned Jiang Yi to him, he had vaguely guessed Jiang Yi's background based on his observations.

"it is good!"

Zhao Cangyun cheered loudly and clapped vigorously.

While my own defeat was heartbreaking, my senior sister's victory was gratifying.

The bamboo swordsman's hat was slightly raised, and behind the mask, there seemed to be a pair of invisible eyes, gazing intently at Jiang Yi. That gaze pierced through the void, carrying the relief of finally being freed from millennia of loneliness.

The next moment, fine cracks spread from the edge of the bamboo swordsman's mask, and a clear, crisp sound came from the bamboo-like body.

The verdant bamboo stalks faded at a visible speed, bulging and swelling at each joint, and unexpectedly blossomed with clusters of tiny, jade-white flowers.

The petals, as thin as cicada wings, with a pale golden halo flowing along their edges, trembled gently in the wind as they detached from the branches and scattered into countless specks of light.

The withered bamboo joints quickly turned yellow and shrank, as if all vitality had been drained away, and finally disintegrated into fine ash that fell down.

Only a lone bamboo sword remained, stuck diagonally in the ground.

The surrounding azure-gold bamboo rustled, and specks of golden light spilled from the bamboo leaves, converging into a river that circled above Jiang Yi's head before soaring into the sky, as if bidding farewell to the bamboo swordsman on his journey.

Jiang Yi sheathed his sword and stood there, bowing solemnly to the spot where the bamboo swordsman had vanished. Then his gaze fell on the bamboo sword that was stuck diagonally in the ground.

She stepped forward slowly, her fingertips lightly touching the blade, which hummed.

"Senior's swordsmanship is profound; I have learned a great deal from you."

Jiang Yi said in a low voice, pulled out the bamboo sword, and put it back in its original place. The moment the sword tip entered the ground, a faint golden pattern appeared on the ground, which disappeared in an instant.

Looking up, Jiang Yi saw the golden-leafed black bamboo that the Bamboo Swordsman was guarding.

This bamboo is carved like black jade, with dark gold patterns flowing between the bamboo joints. At the top, clusters of golden leaves are as thin as cicada wings, but their edges are so sharp that they seem to be able to cut through the void.

Jiang Yi took a deep breath and reached out to grasp the bamboo.

hum!
In an instant, the entire bamboo forest moved without wind, and thousands of green and golden bamboos trembled in unison. The golden light on the bamboo leaves flowed like rivers flowing into the sea, all rushing towards the black bamboo.

Complex runes appeared on the surface of the bamboo, resembling the Dao patterns naturally generated by heaven and earth, containing the primordial power of the three elements of earth, wood, and metal.

The black bamboo contracted on its own as if it were alive, its joints cracking, and quickly coiled around Jiang Yi's wrist into a black jade bracelet. Three gold leaves adhered to the bracelet's body, its sharpness concealed, yet one could still feel the sharpness of the Geng metal, enough to cleave mountains.

Ten thousand bamboos give birth to a black bud, which transforms into gold and jade over ten thousand years.

This bamboo is an anomaly among the green bamboo varieties; only one black bamboo seedling can be nurtured from tens of thousands of bamboo groves.

After ten thousand years of growth, absorbing the richness of the earth's soil and the vitality of the wood element, it finally condenses at the top into a golden leaf formed from the ultimate metal element.

The bamboo is indestructible and possesses the power to guard against mountains; ordinary magical treasures cannot harm it in the slightest.

The golden leaf is incomparably sharp, even more so than the sword energy that a sword cultivator has honed for a hundred years. With a single thought, it can transform a leaf into a blade and slay the enemy invisibly.

Jiang Yi gently stroked the black bamboo on her wrist, feeling a surge of vitality and profound power flowing through her meridians and resonating with her foundation in earth and wood.

As the golden leaf trembled slightly, an invisible sharp force slashed a bloody mark on its fingertip.

It already possesses such power even before it has been activated, and this is only the raw material of black bamboo. If it were taken back and made into a magic weapon, who knows what kind of power it would have.

With a long sigh of relief, Jiang Yi had obtained everything he wanted in this secret realm.

She sat down on the ground and took out the storage bags containing the magical treasures of Qin, Zhang, and the other three.

"Come on, let's divide the spoils together!"

　See you tomorrow~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)