Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 307 Elixir
Senior Zhou Ziyin and General Bai Qi were actually from the same era?

Song Yan pondered.

Doesn't that mean that all I need to do is search through ancient texts and find out the era in which General Bai Qi was active in the Immortal Dynasty, and I can roughly know that at least at that time, sword cultivators had not completely disappeared from the world?

Now, as I walk further and further down the path of sword cultivation, I feel more and more the power of sword cultivation.

He was just an ordinary Foundation Establishment stage sword cultivator; it was unimaginable what kind of scene it would be if those Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation stage sword cultivators made a move.

How could such exceptionally powerful individuals simply vanish from this world so quietly...?

Even if you don't have the ability to uncover the real mystery or find out the reasons behind it, you can still avoid repeating the same mistakes and take precautions.

Once he made up his mind, he put away the sword.

He took out the jade tooth scepter and probed it with his divine sense.

The sword technique recorded in this jade scepter is the one that Zhou Ziyin's master, the Daoist Qianya, taught to Bai Qi.

His name is Wuyou.

It's unclear whether Senior Qianya did this to accommodate Bai Qi's identity as a martial artist, or if it was simply the way it was.

Wu You was actually a close-combat sword technique.

However, it's not a big deal. Even within the Taixu Sword Chapter, there are several sword control techniques that were modified and evolved from sword moves in the mortal martial arts world.

Ultimately, the original purpose of sword control techniques is to extend the attack range of flying swords, so that one can eventually take the enemy's head from a thousand miles away.

The name of this sword style is quite meaningful, though I wonder if it's just a coincidence.

This sword style does not emphasize killing, but rather the natural changes.

Perhaps it was originally designed to guide cultivators to comprehend their own sword intent and better understand the Dao of the Sword.

In this light, it's not surprising that Bai Qi gleaned the essence of the sword of slaughter from this experience.

After carefully studying the Wuyou Sword Technique, Song Yan put away the Jade Tooth Jade.

I stumbled onto the path of sword cultivation by accident, took many detours, and comprehended sword intent very late.

I wonder what kind of understanding Xiao Ju has of sword intent now.

Song Yan always felt that he hadn't fulfilled his responsibilities as a mentor and had always been a hands-off manager, which made him feel somewhat guilty.

If the seal is copied and engraved onto the jade slip in a rigid and meticulous manner, it is unknown whether the same effect will be achieved.

This item can be left to her later so she can use it to comprehend the essence of swordsmanship.

He also put away the jade tablet.

Song Yan picked up the ancient jade from the Immortal Qin Dynasty and played with it in his hands for a while.

If there's anything worthwhile from this trip that's truly useless, it's probably this item.

According to Qin Xijun, those two tiger tallies might still be useful, or they could be sold as materials for spirit stones, which would also be of some value.

But this ancient jade is probably only suitable for collection.

General Bai Qi said that this item might be related to the fate of the Qin Dynasty, but the Qin Dynasty has already perished, so whether it is related or not is no longer important.

This jade doesn't feel warm and smooth like ordinary jade; instead, it feels icy and cool to the touch.

It's quite interesting to keep it as an antique.

If cultivating immortality only involves training, killing, and seizing treasures, it would be too monotonous.

This vast world of cultivation still has many interesting things worth exploring.

Take antiques, for example.

"I wonder what those powerful ancestors who like to collect and play with ancient jade are really doing..."

He thought and thought, but couldn't figure out what was so fun about it.

No rush, maybe you're just not old enough yet.

After that, Song Yan returned to his previous ordinary life of cultivation.

Besides the usual spiritual cultivation and spiritual energy training, and the cultivation of divine sense.

Song Yan also devoted more energy and attention to the practice of swordsmanship.

On the one hand, the fusion of the three sword formations is not a simple superposition; there is still a long way to go in this regard.

Judging from the difficulty of cultivating the Sword Domain and the various prerequisites it requires, if it can be successfully cultivated, this would probably be Song Yan's most powerful offensive method during the Foundation Establishment stage.

On the other hand, he would also take time to practice the Wuyou Sword Style and comprehend its essence.

In fact, after years of application and comprehension, the Sword Intent of Mirror Flower and Water Moon, although not yet reaching a state of divine mastery, has at least become quite perfect.

It's just one step away from success.

However, this killing intent progressed slowly.

Song Yan was not in a hurry. Sometimes he would even hold the unmoored boat in his hand and try to imitate Bai Qi's state of conquering and killing on the battlefield with his physical strength.

About three months later, Xiao Ju returned to the sect from Red Maple Plain.

As soon as she returned, she went to visit him.

After chatting for a while, Song Yan also gave her some pointers, clearing up some of her recent confusion about cultivation.

"Xiao He, here, take this!"

She took something out of her storage bag; it was a new mechanical device.

This is amazing!

It turned out to be a small mechanical figure, and it seemed that by moving the mechanical parts inside, the figure could perform different actions.

"Wow……"

Snake Baby's eyes lit up; it was completely captivated by this thing.

"Wow, where did you buy this?"

Even Song Yan was intrigued.

"Reporting to Master, this was not purchased. Several months ago, I went on a mission with Uncle-Master Li Qingfeng."

"After we cleared out the demonic cultivators from the Demon Ruins, we rescued some of the cultivators they had captured. This was a gift from one of them."

Xiao Ju recalled for a moment: "It's strange, that person had no cultivation, was locked in a cage, but didn't seem afraid, and just kept playing with this mechanical toy."

"Later, I helped him break the spell, and he gave this item to me."

Song Yan raised an eyebrow, not taking it to heart.

There are so many strange and wonderful people in this world.

Xiao He interjected, "What's so strange about that? Since we're locked up anyway, this is a good way to pass the time."

"I'd still play even if I got caught."

Song Yan flicked her forehead: "If no one rescues you after you get arrested, you'll end up as a snakeskin bag."

"Uh……"

Snake Baby imagined it for a moment and shuddered.

Song Yan suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, where is your Uncle Qingfeng?"

"Uncle Li has been collecting precious medicines and elixirs lately, I heard he's preparing to establish his foundation."

"There are still some items needed for Foundation Establishment that require merit points to exchange, so they are still at the front lines."

"I see," Song Yan nodded.

"By the way, Master."

Xiao Ju then took out an ancient-looking flying sword from her Qiankun bag and presented it to Song Yan.

"This is an ancient sword that I found by chance."

Xiao Ju said, "Master seems to have a special fondness for this type of flying sword. I don't know what the mystery is behind it, so I've come to offer it to Master."

Song Yan was taken aback at first, then laughed.

He said gently, "Okay, that's thoughtful of you."

The flying sword was right in front of him, but Wujinzang didn't react at all, so it probably wasn't the ancient sword he was looking for.

However, as the master, he didn't want to spoil the mood, so he accepted it first.

Even ordinary flying swords are fine as long as they are resilient enough to be used in sword formations.

Or perhaps it could be refined again in the Fire Pool of the Realm and returned to Xiao Ju in the future.

"Master, then this disciple will not disturb you any longer."

"Okay, let's go."

Song Yan nodded.

After seeing Xiao Ju off, he saw Snake Treasure holding the mechanical figurine in his arms, not playing with it, but just staring at him with an "unfriendly" expression.

Song Yan glanced at her, held the sword Xiao Ju had presented in front of him, examined it carefully, and casually said, "Hmm? What are you looking at?"

Xiao He leaped into Song Yan's arms, pressing her forehead against his head: "Sister Xiao Ju gave me toys!"

"When are you going to give me back my flute...?"

"What flute?"

"It's the one you gave me, the black one and the red one."

Snake Baby gestured with her little hands.

"Oh, a taotie-tail flute?"

"Yes, yes."

"Didn't I already give it to you...?"

Song Yan didn't care at all, but was puzzled, thinking that Snake Treasure's memory was confused.

Xiao He tilted her head, thought carefully for a moment, and seemed to have confirmed something. "Song Yan! You can't fool me, I'm telling you."

She stared at him intently: "You took it back later!"

Song Yan was slightly taken aback and frowned.

Did you take it back?

For a moment, the cave became quiet.

Xiaohe stared into his eyes: "You can't lie to me just because I have a bad memory!"

Song Yan did not deny it immediately. He thought for a moment and asked, "Xiao He, do you remember when I took it back?"

"It was in Red Maple Plains that you said you were going to leave for a while."

That was before I left my temporary cave in Red Maple Plain and headed to the Immortal Drinking Pavilion.

"I don't think I mentioned the flute back then, did I?"

Xiaohe nodded: "Yes, but you came back not long after you left."

Song Yan frowned slightly, his heart sinking.

"Come back again?"

He was silent for a moment: "And then? What did I say?"

"You said there were many monsters in the place you went to this time, and you wanted to borrow this flute. You promised to return it to me when you came back..."

Song Yan asked, "Xiao He, does that person look exactly like me?"

"Yeah, exactly the same."

She pondered for a moment: "But when I handed him the flute, I smelled something different about him."

"I thought you secretly took a dump."

"..."

Xiao He seemed to have figured something out, her bright little mind working at lightning speed: "Yan Yan, isn't that you?"

Song Yan remained silent for a moment.

"No, but I guess so."

He already had some guesses in his mind.

Xiao He's snake eyes also have the ability to see through illusions, and quite impressively at that; ordinary illusions and tricks cannot fool her.

Then it seems there are no other possibilities.

Aside from his long-standing inner demons, he couldn't think of anyone else so bored as to impersonate him to fool children.

"Whoa-!"

Xiao He suddenly pouted, and in the blink of an eye, she burst into tears: "Was Xiao He tricked?! I'll never get the flute back! Waaah..."

"That was the first time Yan Yan ever gave me something!"

Song Yan was amused by her appearance and flicked her forehead: "What nonsense are you talking about? I've given you a lot of things."

"This time is different! This time is different! Waaah—"

Snake Baby cried so heartbreakingly that it saddened all who heard it and brought tears to their eyes.

"Don't cry, don't cry... Oh, we can get it back."

"hold head high?"

Snake Baby's wailing stopped abruptly.

But her little nose was still snoring.

"really?"

"Of course it's true, why would I lie to you?"

Song Yan said gently, "I promise you."

"Well."

After coaxing her for a while, Snake Baby finally calmed down a bit and went off to play.

Looking at Xiao He, Song Yan touched his nose, let out a long breath, and began to ponder alone.

"This little demon is hiding its head and tail, and it's fine if it doesn't dare to confront me head-on."

They even steal things from children.

"Really..."

He's got a death wish.

……

As time went on, the retreat of the Demon Ruins cultivators became increasingly apparent.

Occasionally, battle reports would come from the front lines of Red Maple Plains, mostly about how many demonic cultivators had been successfully wiped out.

The demonic cultivators, who had initially made a great show of force, seemed to have lost their momentum and retreated further north like the receding tide, suffering a series of defeats.

Although everyone knew that this might not be the final victory, everything was looking up, and most of the cultivators in the Chu Kingdom's cultivation world felt relieved.

The atmosphere in the cultivation world is much more relaxed than before.

The most obvious change is that the market is now bustling with people, and the lively and relaxed atmosphere of the past has been restored.

Lingyuanze Market, evening.

A tall, slender young cultivator wore a half-mask that covered his face, and his aura was not visible.

And so I mingled among the bustling crowd.

However, his refined demeanor still attracted the attention of many female cultivators along the way.

"That won't work. We still need to find a secret method to change our appearance."

He pondered in his heart.

This person was none other than Song Yan.

"If all else fails, just ask Gou Sheng for one; it'll only cost a few spirit stones."

In fact, he had noticed this method of disguise before.

Since the invasion of the Demonic Ruins, he has killed many demonic cultivators and also found some scriptures on this path.

However, either the cultivation methods were disgusting and bizarre, or the effects were poor, so Song Yan didn't like them.

So it's been delayed until now.

"It's important to get down to business first."

We walked to the center of the market and stopped in front of Jubao Pavilion.

Song Yan frequented this Jubao Pavilion. Several years ago, he even bought a damaged talisman here.

The products are of good quality, and the prices have always been reasonable.

Good reputation.

This time, Song Yan came here to try his luck and see if he could find the medicinal herb he wanted.

Years have passed, and this place remains unchanged.

Business was booming; several Qi Refining Realm cultivators were haggling with their shop assistants.

Upon seeing Song Yan enter the shop, a waiter came forward to greet him.

"Sir, what would you like to buy?"

Behind the counter, a slightly overweight middle-aged monk was flipping through an ancient book.

Hearing that a guest had arrived, he habitually looked up and then looked down.

Suddenly he paused, then raised his head and carefully examined Song Yan.

"I am looking for a medicinal herb called Wood Spirit Life-Giving Ginger. I wonder if you have it here."

"Xiao Wang."

The waiter was pondering something and hadn't answered when he heard the shopkeeper call him back.

"Go and serve the other guests."

Zhou Baogui stood up from behind the counter at some point and came forward to greet him personally.

"Yes."

"Fellow Daoist, please come upstairs."

Song Yan recognized the man as soon as he entered the shop.

This is Zhou Baogui, the steward who sold me the incomplete talisman back then.

However, it seems that he has now completely taken over and become the manager of this Jubaoge.

Song Yan didn't ask any more questions and followed Zhou Baogui upstairs.

After passing several Foundation Establishment cultivators who were selecting items on the second floor, the two sat down in a private room.

A maidservant brewed a pot of spiritual tea for the two of them and, before leaving, made sure to unlock the soundproof barrier around the place.

"Now that Fellow Daoist Song has established his foundation, I must change my address and call him Senior."

Zhou Baogui picked up the teapot and poured tea for Song Yan.

Song Yan was slightly startled, raised an eyebrow, remained silent for a moment, and then simply took off his mask.

He revealed a young and handsome face, but with a slightly tired expression.

"Manager Zhou is very perceptive."

(End of this chapter)