Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 275 Unusual Movement
After that, Song Yan returned to his regular life of cultivating his mind, practicing martial arts, and honing his swordsmanship.

His physical condition is gradually returning to its peak.

In his spare time, he also tried to refine new elixirs.

Since it was just an experiment and not a serious study, I chose the simplest pill suitable for Foundation Establishment cultivators: the Spirit Nourishing Pill.

In fact, after establishing his Dao foundation, Song Yan's cultivation speed increased to some extent.

If supplemented by the Spirit-Absorbing Sword Formation, even without taking pills, the cultivation speed can barely reach the level of a single spiritual root.

That is why Song Yan now focuses almost entirely on refining high-grade pills.

All the mid-grade and low-grade pills that were refined were sold.

Only high-grade pills with pure spiritual energy would he consume and refine as an aid in his cultivation.

The cultivation of one's spiritual realm is carried out simultaneously with the development of divine sense and swordsmanship.

Although I haven't yet experienced firsthand how difficult each stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm is, I can make a rough estimate.

To reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage of cultivation without any external help or elixirs, it would probably take more than ten years...

Not to mention breakthroughs, late-stage Foundation Establishment, perfection, and finally reaching the Golden Core realm.

"The road ahead is long and arduous..."

However, in the cultivation world, once you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, no one cares about the age at which you break through to a minor realm or the time it takes.

Because everyone's circumstances are different, this has no reference value.

For example, some cultivators practice cultivation methods that are more focused on health preservation, so their cultivation speed is inherently slower.

However, because their lifespan is slightly longer than that of ordinary cultivators, they have more opportunities to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Some cultivators advance rapidly in their cultivation, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage much earlier than others.

However, it is easy to have an unstable foundation, and it is not easy to condense the golden elixir.

At least in a place like the Chu Kingdom, there are only two possible outcomes for Foundation Establishment cultivators to attract people's attention.

Ultimately, there are those who achieve the Golden Elixir and those who fail in their pursuit of the Dao.

It's alright, Song Yan still has several hundred years of lifespan left, and the future holds infinite possibilities.

It is worth mentioning that during this period, the focus of sword practice has been placed on the Observation Sword Eye.

Ever since the strain from practicing the Eye Technique a long time ago, the cultivation of the Void Observation Sword Eye has always been secondary.

I haven't spent too much time or effort on it.

However, after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, Song Yan would feel a slight soreness in his eyes whenever he used his pupil technique.

Unlike the previous time when I was exhausted from cultivation, this feeling was extremely similar to the feeling of being fully cultivated and about to break through.

Especially after mastering the complete sword intent at Longtan Mountain and performing the Reversal of Heaven and Earth technique to bring the dead back to life, this feeling reached its peak.

Think about it, breakthroughs in realms and changes in spiritual consciousness are not things that can be achieved in a short time.

As for his other skills, he was focused on cultivation, especially the sword formation technique; trying to learn too much at once would be counterproductive.

Improving one's Vision Sword Eyes before heading to the battlefield would be a significant advantage.

Therefore, Song Yan resumed his practice of this pupil technique.

Inside the quiet room, the Spirit-Capturing Sword Formation was in operation, and the flying swords slowly floated, drawing in the surrounding spiritual energy.

Song Yan sat cross-legged on the futon, his hands forming a hand seal, and sword energy spontaneously flowed around his body, with countless small swords appearing and disappearing within it.

With his mind calming down, he slowly began to circulate the mental technique of the Observing Void Sword Eye.

Inside the Sword Mansion, the lotus flower seemed to be gently swaying as if blown by an invisible breeze.

With each flow of the mental technique, a sword aura, like a clear spring, flows over the lotus petals, washing away the dust and shimmering with light.

However, this training was different from the past.

At first, it ran smoothly, just like always.

But gradually, Song Yan felt an unusual burning sensation in his eyes, as if a cold, clear sword aura was surging deep within his eyeballs.

The burning sensation struck his divine sense directly, even overshadowing the coolness of the sword energy.

He closed his eyes, but instead of darkness, he was filled with a blinding golden light, and the phantom of a lotus flower slowly rotated in the golden light.

The originally peaceful and gentle spiritual mist around him suddenly became violent, forming a visible vortex that surged wildly into his eyes!

Pain! Excruciating pain!

It was as if their eyes were being forcibly gouged open, and then filled with new, even more powerful forces.

Song Yan gritted his teeth, his body trembling slightly, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat instantly soaking through his thin inner shirt.

This pain was even more unbearable than when Xin Shan killed himself.

It was torture.

However, he did not forcibly stop the operation of the mental technique. Instead, he focused even more intently on guiding the violent torrent of spiritual energy.

Om-!
At one point, the excruciating pain reached its peak, and then slowly disappeared like the receding tide!

The sour feeling was still there, and Song Yan did not open her eyes immediately.

Two lines of clear tears dripped down her cheeks.

After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes.

In the quiet room, it moves without any wind.

An indescribable sharpness emanated from his eyes.

The eyes were still a deep gold, but upon closer inspection, one would find that the mysterious patterns within them were now different.

The lotus flower, which was originally a single petal, has become two petals.

A dreamlike mist surged and disappeared from the heart of the lotus.

"call--"

Advancing in this eye technique is truly unpleasant; my eyes ache terribly.

He casually wiped away his tears and looked down.

I originally thought I would shed some bloody tears or something, but it turned out to be just ordinary tears.

Song Yan let out a long sigh, sensing the change in his eyes.

He casually cast a fireball spell, which hovered in the air as he carefully examined the surroundings.

"Um……"

Although it will take more time to feel the difference, the strange changes in spiritual energy in my eyes have become quite clear now.

At least the effect of observing emptiness seems to have become stronger.

He reached out and took out a low-grade spirit stone and a mid-grade spirit stone from his Qiankun bag.

Under this gaze, the spiritual power and impurities contained within the spirit stone become incredibly clear and three-dimensional.

The flow of spiritual energy within it is clearly visible in every detail.

Mid-grade spirit stones contain far fewer impurities than low-grade spirit stones, and their spiritual energy is also more condensed.

After playing with it for a while, I put it away.

"good."

But clearly, the effects of advanced eye techniques go far beyond this.

He focused his mind, his gaze falling on a wisp of spiritual mist floating in the air.

With a thought, a dreamlike aura surged and dissipated from the golden light in his eyes.

In his eyes, two lotus petals swirled gently.

Sword energy surged from his body towards his eyes.

Just then, the ordinary wisp of spiritual mist suddenly became illusory and distorted under this gaze.

A solid, milky-white sword shadow materialized out of thin air at the location of that wisp of spiritual mist.

As soon as it took shape, it carried a hint of ethereal change and moved toward the stone wall of the quiet room.

puff.

The stone wall was immediately cut open, but under Song Yan's control, the cut was not very deep.

However, the sword shadows dissipated, turning into specks of spiritual light.

The sword mark on the wall also disappeared without a trace.

That wisp of spiritual mist still floated in the same spot, as if everything that had just happened had never occurred.

Some of the effects of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Sword Intent can actually be activated through the Observing Void Sword Eye...

"interesting."

Song Yan had already experienced the power of sword intent firsthand.

If it can be controlled solely through eye techniques, even a fraction of its effect would be enough to make it difficult for many opponents to defend against.

The soreness from the breakthrough in his pupil technique was still there. The golden light in Song Yan's eyes faded, and he slowly closed his eyes to rest.

……

Several days later. In the Endless Treasury.

Song Yan sat cross-legged beside the inky waterfall, observing the movement of his illusory sword pupils and staring at the ink pool.

The inner demon fled, and indeed, the eerie demonic figure was no longer there.

For some reason, the Ink Pool and the Heavenly Waterfall still exist.

He turned his head and looked at a flute floating beside him.

Since Song Yan acquired this ancient flute with its tail, he has been thinking of finding a big buyer to sell it for spirit stones to help with his cultivation.

At first, I didn't have time to manage it, and later I couldn't find a suitable opportunity, so I almost forgot about it.

A few days ago, Xiaohe said she wanted to go somewhere between mountains and sea.

Besides helping Xiaohe improve her strength, Song Yan also wanted to give her something useful to protect herself.

After much thought, I realized that this flute seemed to be related to spirits and monsters, so I decided to give it to Xiao He.

After leaving the Endless Treasury, Song Yan walked out of the meditation room, but did not see Xiao He in the cave.

He pondered for a moment, then released his divine sense to scan the area.

She then walked out of the cave. At that moment, Xiao He was sitting on a large rock in the bamboo forest, gazing at the sea of ​​clouds and mountains in the distance.

Snake Baby hugged her knees with her little hands, rested her chin in the crook of her arm, and stared into the depths of the clouds, as if some unresolved secrets were hidden in the rolling clouds.

Song Yan slowly floated up and sat down beside her.

"Xiao He".

Upon hearing the sound, Xiao He raised her head blankly, seemingly still not quite understanding what was happening.

But then Song Yan handed her the flute he was holding.

"Huh? What's this... a flute?"

She blinked, and the childlike sorrow in her eyes was somewhat diminished by curiosity.

Actually, Xiaohe had seen this flute before.

But her memory is so bad that she has already forgotten.

The Taotie flute was held in Xiao He's hand; it was neither too big nor too small, just the right size.

A black cloud was carved at the end of the flute, and a sword tassel was hung on the broken part of the cloud by Song Yan.

“Hmm,” Song Yan’s voice was gentle, “This flute is called Taowei, and it’s considered an antique.”

"Now, I'm giving it to you."

"Given to me?"

Xiao He sat up straight instantly, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Yes, Xiao He, you are exceptionally talented. I imagine it won't be long before you break through your cultivation level and become a second-tier monster."

"When we go to the mountains and seas with Fellow Daoist Bai Qi, we may not see each other for a long time."

"You have such a bad memory, I'm afraid you'll forget me."

Song Yan laughed heartily: "When you see it, won't you think of me?"

"My memory isn't that bad..."

Xiao He offered a defense, but held the Taotie flute in her arms as if it were some rare treasure.

The flute felt cool and smooth to the touch, with a jade-like feel. The ancient black cloud patterns on it gave her a strange sense of familiarity.

Come to think of it, this seems to be the first time Yan Yan has ever given me something so elegant.

In the past, if she wanted something delicious, a toy, or something pretty, she would pester Yan Yan to buy it for her, and Yan Yan would agree.

But offering something proactively and asking for it are two different things.

This time, he gave it to me of his own volition, and it was such an exquisite and elegant object.

Hehe, Yan Yan must like me.

Snake Baby chuckled foolishly, his laughter barely concealing his joy.

"You really gave it to me, so I can't take it back."

“Of course,” Song Yan nodded gently, “this thing seems to have some connection with spirits and demons, so it won’t be of much use to me to keep it.”

"Xiao He is a monster; she'll only be useful if I give her to you."

He wasn't really sure what the flute's specific uses were, but since he didn't need it himself, giving it to Xiaohe would be perfect.

At this moment, Snake Baby couldn't hear any useful words. Her face was flushed with excitement, and her previous worries were thrown to the winds by this surprise.

She fiddled with the flute with great affection, then mustered her courage and clumsily brought the flute horizontally to her lips.

She took a deep breath.

"puff--!"

With a forceful blast, the flute immediately emitted a dull, unpleasant sound that echoed through the bamboo grove courtyard, startling even herself.

Song Yan couldn't help but chuckle: "That's not how you brag, is it?"

He gently took the Taotie flute from Xiao He's hand: "Here, I'll teach you."

Song Yan wasn't very good at playing the flute, but he had learned a little from Mr. He in Shiliang Town when he was young, so he had a grasp of the basics.

He adjusted his grip on the flute, pressing his fingertips against several holes near the mouthpiece.

"Look, gently cover this area with your fingers like this, don't press too hard, with your fingertips pointing towards the air vent."

He held the flute horizontally to his lips: "Relax your lips slightly, and exhale gently like this, without using too much force."

"Woo——"

He exhaled softly, and the flute produced a fairly steady sound.

"Wow!" Xiao He's face lit up again. "Yan Yan, you're so amazing! How can you do everything..."

"I've learned it, I've learned it, let me try it."

She excitedly snatched the flute, mimicking Song Yan's posture, puffing out her cheeks, and carefully aimed it at the mouthpiece.

This time she held back a bit of her strength.

"Woo..."

Although his breathing was still a little unsteady and his voice was sometimes high and sometimes low, it was still recognizable as a musical note.

Xiaohe was overjoyed and completely forgot her earlier troubles.

She tried again and again, from only being able to produce one or two single notes to being able to barely produce three out-of-tune sounds in a row, having a great time.

Although the sound she produced was intermittent and off-key, it did not dampen her enthusiasm at all.

This is a treasure that Yan Yan gave her; he's the one teaching her!

She looked down at the flute in her arms, feeling that it was more precious than all the candied hawthorns, marbles, and toys she had begged for before combined.

This is Yan Yan's heartfelt gift.

She even secretly tied a red ribbon that she had taken from her own head to the end of the flute as her own mark.

"Once you get the hang of it, you might discover its wonders."

Song Yan patted her head and said, "Whether you go to the mountains and seas or not, it will accompany you."

"Yes!" Xiao He nodded vigorously.

They kept trying and practicing playing, watching the sunset.

Suddenly, Song Yan had a thought and stood up.

He leaped and landed on the bluestone.

"Go back to your cave soon."

He turned back and said something to Xiaohe.

Xiaohe enjoyed spending time with Song Yan, but she knew that Yan Yan had her own things to do.

"Know it."

Song Yan returned to his cave dwelling and went straight into the quiet room.

He frowned slightly and took out the Nuo god mask engraved with "Master Jia" from his Qiankun bag.

At this moment, the mask is gleaming with an unusual light.

A wisp of spiritual energy rippled outwards from it in concentric circles.

Song Yan did nothing to it.

Without a second refinement or the infusion of spiritual power, why did it suddenly change?
Could it be because he played the Taotie flute?
It's unlikely. Neither he nor Xiaohe used any spiritual power or demonic energy; they were just playing it like a musical instrument, so it shouldn't have any effect.

"..."

Song Yan was silent for a moment, then gently put it on her face.

Before me was still that familiar black fog.

This time, however, faint voices could be heard coming from within the black mist.

(End of this chapter)