Sword Sect Outer Sect

Chapter 339 Li Yi's Invitation
The bamboo grove courtyard was in a mess, with puppet fragments scattered all over the ground.

Song Yan sat cross-legged on the spot, breathing softly.

With that single finger strike, all the sword energy within the Zhendao Sword Mansion was instantly drained.

The subtle tingling sensation from my fingertips had not completely subsided, and the empty feeling spread along my meridians throughout my body.

one Year.

Since Xiao He left with Bai Qi to search for the mountains and seas, Song Yan's life has returned to the ascetic rhythm of cultivation.

Over the past year, aside from consolidating his own realm and cultivating swordsmanship, he has spent almost all his time comprehending this finger technique.

The method of pointing the sword is right here, but it took Song Yan two or three months to barely understand and read through the whole thing.

This sword-pointing technique, aside from its ancient and obscure language, has an incredibly complex energy flow path that involves the flow between many subtle meridians and acupoints.

In his early training, he couldn't even fully guide a wisp of sword energy to follow that specific trajectory.

Each attempt was a trial and error, and the slightest carelessness would cause his blood and qi to surge, the sword energy to backfire, and his tiger's mouth to go numb and his meridians to ache.

With his mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation, far surpassing the profound foundation of other cultivators at the same level, coupled with his exquisite control over sword energy gained from years of sword dao alchemy, he still felt so strained.

That's when I understood why the specific requirements for the wooden figure were so high.

After careful calculation, he realized that if an ordinary cultivator were to use their spiritual power to activate this finger technique, the difficulty would likely be even greater.

One needs at least the cultivation level of the late Foundation Establishment stage to be qualified to attempt it.

The Six Void Heavenly Falling Sword Finger actually consists of one guiding force and six sword fingers.

However, only one sword finger technique was recorded in this wooden puppet, named Shaochong Sword.

That guiding force seemed to allow ordinary cultivators to temporarily imbue their spiritual power with the properties of sword energy.

Then he performed this skill.

However, since Song Yan is a sword cultivator, he can skip this step, so it is naturally irrelevant.

As for the fact that there was only one sword finger among the wooden figures, Song Yan didn't feel it was a pity.

He couldn't bite off more than he could chew; this one move, the sword pointing, alone would have kept him studying and pondering for countless years.

I had even thought that once I mastered this skill, I would combine the Green Snake in the Sleeve with the True Essence of Swordsmanship to perform it.

Looking back now, I realize how wonderful my initial idea was.

Let's focus on mastering this finger technique first.

This Shaochong sword style is characterized by its penetrating power, speed, and explosive force.

However, even mastering just one finger is far more difficult than expected.

Every morning after gathering the purple aura of the rising sun, he would immerse himself in the courtyard, repeatedly using his sword energy to simulate the subtle and complex trajectory of the energy flow within his body.

Then, guiding the experiment, he gathered sword energy at his fingertips, held back, and carefully probed into those subtle branches that were rarely used in daily life.

Failure is the norm.

Nine out of ten attempts will result in the sword energy dissipating or rebounding due to a slight deviation in some aspect.

Only once can one barely complete a cycle, and even then, it's far from enough to trigger the sword-pointing skill.

Until a few months ago, on a full moon night, Song Yan was practicing the method of combining sword formations.

In his mind, he saw the world of sword intent of Jin Guiren, where Sect Master Zhong Min casually summoned ten thousand swords to pay homage, his sword intent reaching the divine.

Perhaps it was a stroke of inspiration that led to a sudden enlightenment.

As he casually unleashed the Shaochong Sword Stance, the sword energy within his body seemed to be imbued with sentience, spontaneously circulating along that complex trajectory.

When the mind is clear, the sword moves with the mind.

A pure, ethereal light suddenly shone from the fingertip, then dissipated after a moment.

After that moment of inspiration that night, he finally began to truly grasp the basics of Shaochong Sword cultivation.

Although the success rate is still not high, perhaps only one or two out of ten attempts will succeed, each success deepens his understanding of the technique.

Looking at the Foundation Establishment stage puppet on the ground, Song Yan had a more intuitive understanding of the power of the Six Void Heaven Falling Sword Finger.

He slowly walked up to the puppet, only to see a smooth, charred hole pierced through its chest, and the core array patterns inside were completely shattered.

When activated, this puppet's shell is strong enough to withstand the full force of a Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivator's attack.

However, under Shao Chong's sword momentum, it was as if made of paper, instantly pierced and completely destroyed.

"If it had hit a cultivator..."

Song Yan clicked his tongue inwardly in amazement.

“Ordinary cultivators in the early or middle stages of Foundation Establishment, without special protective magic treasures or defensive techniques, probably wouldn’t even have time to react.”

"The protective spiritual power will be pierced through along with the physical body in an instant, severing life force and causing immediate death."

"Even a cultivator in the late Foundation Establishment stage would be either dead or crippled if they took this finger head-on, or at least severely injured and on the verge of death, losing their ability to fight."

This power far surpasses most of the sword techniques he currently possesses, making it one of his trump cards.

However, behind its immense power lies an equally enormous cost.

Looking at the empty Sword Palace within his body, the once golden Sword Lotus now seemed to have dimmed a bit.

With just this one-finger thrust sword technique, all the sword energy in the Zhendao Sword Mansion was drained.

This is only one of the six illusions; if all six sword techniques were unleashed simultaneously...

Song Yan couldn't imagine what kind of vast cultivation level would be required to support that.

Moreover, given his current rudimentary understanding and control of this finger technique, the success rate remains an issue.

It works sometimes and doesn't work sometimes, which can be quite fatal in a life-or-death battle.

However, Song Yan was not impatient. The wooden dummy used to teach this finger technique was brought from the Central Region by Yuanzhen.

It's normal that the cultivation threshold is high; it's certainly not something one can master overnight.

He sat cross-legged on the bluestone, closed his eyes, and began to fully circulate the Purple Cloud Dao Scripture, greedily absorbing the rich spiritual energy gathered by the Spirit-Seizing Sword Array.

Within the Sword Palace, sword energy was replenished once more.

Just then, a sound came from the talisman at the entrance of the cave.

It seems someone came to visit.

Song Yan tidied up the mess in the courtyard before walking to the door. Outside the barrier, the person who came was his disciple Xiao Ju, whom he hadn't seen for many years.

They lifted the barrier and led her into the courtyard.

"Disciple has met Master."

"Don't be so formal," Song Yan waved his hand.

Deep down, Song Yan didn't really consider Xiao Ju his apprentice.

His original idea was simply to have the Daijian Sect accept another outer disciple.

So he always treated Xiao Ju as his junior sister, without any airs of a master.

How have you been lately?

The two chatted as they walked into the cave.

Xiao Ju told him about her recent situation in detail.

Over the years, Xiao Ju's cultivation has progressed rapidly. She is now at the ninth level of Qi Refining and has already begun preparations for Foundation Establishment.

When Song Yan asked Xiao Ju about sword intent, she was still somewhat confused. Over the years, she had studied the matter of sword intent while traveling.

All that is known is that a sharp and brilliant idea did indeed arise in the Heavenly Venerable Temple that day, but it is not known whether it was true or not.

It was only when her master asked her today that she was able to confirm that it was sword intent.

“Every sword cultivator’s sword intent is different. Even if you comprehend the sword intent left by your predecessors, the sword intent you eventually cultivate will be very different from theirs.”

Song Yan said, "A sword cultivator's cultivation is almost entirely based on sword intent, so most of the time, you have to rely on yourself on this path, and I can't help you much."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ju shook her head repeatedly.

In her eyes, her master had done so much for her, almost to the point of feeding her.

If you're still not satisfied, then you're really heartless.

However, Song Yan was actually quite interested in Xiao Ju's sword intent.

After all, the only living sword cultivators he could come into contact with were Xiao Ju and the sect leader. Now that Xiao Ju had begun to develop sword intent, he naturally wanted to investigate further.

"By the way, the sword intent of a sword cultivator is usually accompanied by some special effects. Over the years, have you felt anything special when you are controlling your sword?"

Xiao Ju pondered for a moment, but ultimately shook her head: "It seems not."

"Hmm..." Song Yan pondered for a moment and said, "Come, let's have a friendly spar."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ju's eyes widened: "...Me?"

To this day, it seems that this is the first time the master and apprentice have sparred.

Song Yan had already gotten up, and Xiao Ju naturally followed him into the courtyard.

"Use all your strength and unleash your sword intent to attack me. Hold back and go all out."

"Yes, Master."

My master is incredibly powerful; with my limited abilities, there's no way I could possibly harm him.

Xiao Ju then put aside many distracting thoughts and stood still in the courtyard.

At this moment, her face was tense, her expression showing both reverence for her master and a spirit of eager anticipation.

She took a deep breath, and a faint light suddenly shone from the depths of her Sword Palace Qi Sea.

With a flick of his finger, the flying sword Lianli emitted a clear and melodious hum, and his entire demeanor suddenly became somewhat sharp.

Swords flashed and gleamed in the courtyard, their sharpness overwhelming.

However, when this sword energy and light landed on Song Yan, it was like a mud ox sinking into the sea.

His skill level far surpassed Xiao Ju's; many of his sword techniques were easily dissipated by the protective sword energy that flowed naturally around him.

"Master..."

Xiao Ju tried several times without success, her breath hitched slightly, and she looked somewhat uneasy.

She knew that her meager cultivation was insignificant in front of her master, and she feared she might disappoint him.

"It's alright, continue."

It’s weird.

Golden light surged between Song Yan's eyes, but he still couldn't discern anything special about Xiao Ju's sword intent.

What is going on.

Is it because Xiao Ju's sword intent is too weak and has not yet shown any special effects, or is there a problem with my testing method?

After several more attempts, Song Yan realized that Xiao Ju's sword energy was starting to falter, so he decided to stop for the time being.

His sleeves billowed, and from within, the Azure Serpent Sword Qi surged forth, unleashing several condensed sword energies as faint as wisps of smoke, almost invisible to the naked eye.

Like a serpent emerging from its hole, it is silent yet incredibly swift.

It wrapped around Xiao Ju's wrists, ankles, and waist.

However, just as the sword energy was about to touch her skin and clothing, a sudden change occurred.

The sword energy didn't bind Xiao Ju the moment it touched her; instead, it flowed away from her body.

"what?"

Song Yan was taken aback. He then activated the green snake hidden in his sleeve again, which wrapped around Xiao Ju's hands, trying to interrupt her sword flight.

Unexpectedly, the scene from before reappeared. The sword energy had no effect on Xiao Ju, flowing past her protective sword energy and dissipating behind her.

"Um……"

Song Yan had some guesses in his mind.

Xiao Ju's sword intent effect might be a means to automatically remove some control or restraint.

In Song Yan's eyes, this was not particularly amazing; it might provide immunity to some rudimentary disruptive spells in battles between low-level cultivators.

However, its effectiveness will likely be limited when facing stronger opponents in the future.

With a slight thought, Song Yan felt a surge of sword energy around him, and five white sword shadows slowly flew out from the Endless Treasury.

If you look closely, you can see that the edge of the sword light has a faint crimson color spreading.

Roaring sun.

The sword formation took shape in an instant.

However, at this moment, Song Yan deliberately suppressed the power of the formation to an extremely low level, leaving it almost only with a control effect.

Xiao Ju was in the center of the sword formation, and she immediately felt unprecedented pressure.

Although she knew that her master had already suppressed countless auras and would not harm her.

But at this moment, a feeling of emotion couldn't help but arise in my mind.

"Are Master's opponents facing this kind of sword aura?"

Such a sense of oppression is enough to render even an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator incapable of moving.

However, at that very moment, the faint light deep within Xiao Ju's Qi Sea burst forth with brilliance.

A thin ripple, resembling water waves, suddenly covered Xiao Ju's entire body and rippled outwards a few inches.

She was unaware of the changes happening to her body, only feeling a lightness all over her.

Song Yan was slightly startled.

A cultivator at the Qi Refining Realm was actually able to move around within the Howling Sun Sword Formation.

Judging from Xiao Ju's current state, the most basic flow of sword energy and the pressure of the sword formation still made her feel uncomfortable, and her movements were far less agile than usual.

However, the control effect of the sword formation did not actually work on her.

At this moment, Xiao Ju didn't delve into the matter further; she was focused solely on unleashing her remaining sword energy to attack Song Yan.

The flying swords moved swiftly and smoothly, unaffected by the Roaring Sun Sword Formation.

"I see."

With a thought, the sword light and karmic fire that filled the sky receded like a tide, instantly calming the bamboo forest and leaving only scattered bamboo leaves.

Xiao Ju was slightly out of breath. Her master hadn't said anything, and she didn't dare to stop. At this moment, her body was completely exhausted.

Her hair was stuck to her cheeks with sweat, and her face was still a little pale.

"Master..."

"The effect of your sword intent seems to be that it can make you immune to the opponent's control techniques."

Song Yan clicked his tongue in amazement: "Try to comprehend it carefully."

"Yes...Master."

Xiao Ju's sword intent was not as simple as she had initially imagined.

When the sword intent flows, it is not bound.

With her Qi Refining Level 9 cultivation, she is at least immune to the lowest level of restraint techniques used by Foundation Establishment cultivators.

As expected of my disciple, his unrestrained will is quite in line with my swordsmanship.

Song Yan was somewhat envious.

While Xiao Ju was recovering her sword energy, Song Yan explained to her some of the things he had learned about sword intent over the years.

Let her figure out the rest herself.

It was only at this moment that Xiao Ju remembered what important business she had come here for.

She handed over a communication talisman somewhat shyly: "Master, I encountered Uncle-Master Li Yi at Jiangxian Pass."

"He told me to give this communication talisman to my master when I returned to the sect. I forgot while chatting with you just now, hehe."

"Oh?"

Song Yan and Li Yi hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Thinking about it, it's quite poignant. The path of cultivation is endless, and even among these friends in the sect, there's little interaction.

"What is it?"

Xiao Ju pondered for a moment and said, "It seems to be the Nangong family of Jiangxian Pass, who will be holding a grand event soon."

The Nangong family?
(End of this chapter)