The disciples of Yin Sword Mountain stood across the waterway, gazing at the gradually quieting tea house in the distance.
"That leader, so young, yet resolute and ruthless."
"His blade technique is sharp and fierce; it must have taken him twenty years to hone it..."
"We've been in the Capital City for quite a while, but why have we never heard of such a figure before?"
The disciples focused on martial arts were awed and remarked.
Meanwhile, the disciples focused on cultivation shook their heads repeatedly.
"His cultivation fate isn't deep—just a worldly martial artist."
"How could someone like him possibly achieve enlightenment on the path of immortality?"
"What a pity he has a good face; if he were to cultivate, who knows how many sisters might succumb to worldly desires."
...
Amid the chatter, a teenage girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old, holding a horsetail whisk, slowly walked into Zhou Yitang's seven-foot radius.
"Master, the senior sisters and junior sisters are all talking about that man."
She was Zhou Yitang's apprentice, named Lu Ying, the only one who could call Zhou Yitang "Master." She playfully asked:
"Master, are you looking at him as well?"
She didn't expect her master to give a positive response, nor did she expect an answer at all.
In Jianghu, there wasn't anyone who didn't know that Zhou Jianjia would only act with her sword, never with her words.
As before, her master wouldn't answer. She would simply let her be mischievous, finally sighing helplessly and shaking her head.
Lu Ying believed so.
Then, she rambled on by herself:
"The martial arts might be remarkable, but alas, a killing blade, a living sword—these are inherently at odds with our Yin Sword Mountain."
Her words came to a sudden halt, for Lu Ying heard her master's voice.
"Hmm."
The female crown inclined her head slightly.
"Hmm... hmm?"
Lu Ying was stunned, as if she'd seen fire in the water.
She blinked her eyes, her lips slightly parted, full of shock and disbelief.
"Ma... Master... is he a genius in martial arts, a rare phoenix among mortals? Or perhaps others are wrong, and his cultivation fate is profound? Did he unintentionally sever his Three Corpses and Nine Worms..."
Lu Ying knew this person truly had an aura of brilliance, whether in martial arts or appearance. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stirred such discussions within the tea house. But for even her master to be drawn to him—it was undeniably shocking. What, exactly, had caught her master's eye?
Across the wide waterway, where green waves glimmered, in the tea house, the female crown stared out into the distance and softly spoke:
"He's thinner."
Lu Ying was first astonished, then perplexed.
Her master had arrived in the Capital City earlier and waited for several days—just to say a single, cryptic sentence?
The senior sisters and junior sisters of Yin Sword Mountain were all discussing his cultivation affinity, martial arts techniques, and even his appearance, yet her master said, "He's thinner"?
Lu Ying was taken aback, carefully glancing at her master's expression.
In those cold, clear eyes, her gaze was complex.
It carried deep hatred, yet also a trace of... tender affection.
......…
[Conditions fulfilled, Resentment Yin-Yang Technique triggered]
[Resentment Yin-Yang Technique initiation: Two hundred and ten years of foreign True Qi can be absorbed at a rate of thirty percent, yielding seventy years' worth of True Qi. Min Ning's negative emotions grant an additional five years of True Qi.]
Chen Yi looked at the negative emotions and greedily eyed Min Ning.
Eventually, he deliberately dismounted his horse and slowly walked toward the courtyard.
Min Ning, standing still on her horse like a wooden statue, could not move for a long time. After a prolonged silence, she clenched her fists tightly—so tightly that blood began to drip.
Blood seeped from her palm as Min Ning came to her senses, her silver teeth nearly grinding to pieces.
So that's why...
So that's why he didn't act against Sister...
So this was the reason... This was the truth!
Min Ning placed her hand on the hilt of her blade, consumed by the desire to sever the man's head with a single strike.
Yet after a long deliberation, considering her sense of righteousness, she finally relinquished her grip on the blade. Turning away, she quietly smeared the blood onto her face.
She vowed to remember this day of disgrace!
Upon returning to the courtyard, Chen Yi was washing his hands by the water jar and glanced at the interface.
[Remaining True Qi: Eighty-seven years.]
Looking at this abundance of True Qi, Chen Yi then reviewed the cultivation techniques he had mastered.
[Flood Dragon Severing Blade Technique (Intermediate Level), Star Absorbing Technique (Fragment, Beginner Level), Eagle Falling Skill (Unlearned).]
Apart from the Yin Yang Technique, these were the three martial arts he presently controlled.
After calculating, if he could cultivate all these techniques to perfection, he would be just one defensive martial technique away from achieving early-stage invincibility.
With that in mind, Chen Yi did not hesitate to channel the True Qi into the Eagle Falling Skill and Flood Dragon Severing Blade Technique.
As for the Star Absorbing Technique, after the recent near-death experience from overloading his body, Chen Yi decided against rushing its cultivation.
With too much foreign True Qi, his meridians couldn't withstand the strain. It would be wiser to wait until he acquired elixirs at the Praying Place before pursuing refinement.
A fine blade technique could slice through iron as if it were mud. Meanwhile, practicing Qinggong to its peak would allow one to move through a field of flowers without letting a single petal adhere. No matter how strong an opponent might be, even if their might could overturn mountains, if they couldn't land a hit, they'd eventually be worn down to death.
[You channel painstakingly cultivated True Qi into the techniques, each word and phrase of the cultivation texts flowing through your meridians.]
[In your mind, the Eagle Falling Skill and Flood Dragon Severing Blade Technique begin automatic deduction and comprehension.]
[In ten years, as you study Eagle Falling, you adopt the principle of investigating things to their utmost. Eagles strike opportunistically, aiming directly for their target's vital points. You are astonished to find that Eagle Falling Skill and Flood Dragon Severing Blade Technique—one waiting cautiously for an opening and the other embodying latent potential—complement each other, synergizing into an excellent offensive style.]
[In twenty-three years, thanks to insights from the Flood Dragon Severing Blade Technique, your understanding of Eagle Falling Skill is greatly enhanced. Your movements transform into those of an eagle, poised to strike at any moment and claim your adversary's life.]
[After twenty-six years, you attempt further derivation, delving into the Flood Dragon Severing Blade Technique through the Eagle Falling Skill. This unconventional approach surprisingly deepens your comprehension of both techniques.]
[Eagle Falling Skill (Perfected Mastery)] [Flood Dragon Severing Blade Technique (Perfected Mastery)]