Li Zhexian was seized by Feng Bailong and carried in a leap straight off the cliff.
Their figures plummeted at breakneck speed.
The violent currents nearly tore at his eyelids, making it almost impossible to see.
After dozens of breaths, a sudden force yanked him hard.
His feet finally touched solid ground.
Li Zhexian staggered a step before regaining balance.
He looked up at once.
Before him was a strange, funnel-shaped mountain hollow.
Gale-force winds howled and collided within it, the surging air carrying a chill that seeped into the very bones.
On the walls of the hollow—
Countless intersecting grooves had been carved out by the fierce wind.
But what seized Li Zhexian's gaze were the faintly glowing, blue-gray crystal clusters nestled within the cracks of those wind-scoured grooves.
"Senior Feng Bailong, this is…"
Feng Bailong smiled, cutting him off.
"No rush to speak of that."
"Little friend Zhexian, you should first explain matters to your companion."
"My humble Wind Sword Sect cannot withstand her wrath."
"Hm?"
Li Zhexian froze.
At that moment, from the cliff's rim above, a blaze of heavenly light poured down.
Bang!
A wave of pure light power crashed downward.
His vision was filled with dazzling brilliance.
For a moment, all before his eyes was blinding white.
When the glare faded slightly, what entered his sight was a pair of six pure, immaculate wings.
Qian Renxue had leapt from the thousand-zhang cliff after them!
Now—
She stood in front of Li Zhexian, placing herself between him and Feng Bailong.
Her eyes, blue as an icebound lake, shimmered with light, while her peerless features were shrouded in a frost of killing intent, locked squarely onto Feng Bailong.
Li Zhexian hurriedly stepped forward, moving to stand between Qian Renxue and Feng Bailong.
He blocked the sharp hostility in her gaze.
"Senior Feng Bailong brought me here to comprehend the Sword Dao. He means no harm."
Qian Renxue's eyes fell on Li Zhexian's face.
She realized she had overreacted—and perhaps misunderstood Feng Bailong. The icy edge in her gaze faded quickly.
Catching the look Li Zhexian gave toward Feng Bailong's direction—
Qian Renxue pressed her lips together, lowered her eyes, and said softly:
"My apologies, Senior Feng Bailong."
Feng Bailong waved a hand, his smile undiminished.
Qian Renxue gave Li Zhexian another glance.
Only then did she fold away her wings and obediently step aside.
"Little friend Zhexian…"
Feng Bailong turned toward the wind hollow.
"The Wind Sword Sect is situated within the Wind-Gathering Mountain Range."
"These mountains, by their unique terrain, draw the winds from all eight directions."
"And this place is the very core wind-eye of the range."
"Wind-eye…"
Li Zhexian's gaze swept once more across the roaring gale within the hollow.
He lingered a little longer on those blue-gray crystal clusters, sighing from the heart.
"This is truly a masterpiece of nature."
Feng Bailong nodded in agreement.
"The wind here is immense and unmatched. Even the ambient Spirit Power of heaven and earth is imbued with the wind's sharpness and agility."
"Here, listening to the wind's howl, sensing its true essence, and thereby catching your own sword's hum—will yield twice the result for half the effort."
"Little friend Zhexian may come here often in the future to train and comprehend."
Li Zhexian bowed deeply.
"My thanks, Senior."
"No need for formality."
Feng Bailong smiled.
"This wind-eye is a public cultivation ground available to all disciples of the Wind Sword Sect. It's hardly some rare resource."
"Public?"
Li Zhexian glanced around.
Aside from the howl of the wind, there was not a single person.
He couldn't help but look puzzled.
Though his eyes were bound in black silk, Feng Bailong's perception was keener than sight.
"Look at the wind-marks on those stone walls…"
"The wind-attribute Spirit Power here is indeed rich."
"But the gales are so fierce that ordinary people cannot endure them."
"A Spirit Elder could not last the time it takes to burn one stick of incense; even a Spirit Ancestor would feel as if their bones were scraped by knives—intolerably painful."
"Thus, disciples seldom come here. As for the elders…"
Feng Bailong's tone paused slightly.
A faint, nearly imperceptible trace of regret colored his voice.
"They rely more on quick gains from sword formations, putting advancement in strength first."
"They consider comprehending the wind's essence too slow, and so disdain to come here."
From that sigh—
Li Zhexian could feel a measure of helplessness in Feng Bailong toward his sect's current state.
Feng Bailong opened his rough palm, revealing a strip of lightweight black silk fluttering slightly.
"Little friend Zhexian, to hear the wind and comprehend the Dao, you must wear the Wind Binding Gauze."
"It will help you clear distractions, making it easier to attune to the wind's intent and improve efficiency."
As though afraid Li Zhexian might misunderstand, he added:
"When you truly grasp the wind's intent and hear your sword's hum, you may take it off yourself."
Li Zhexian took the black silk, feeling its cool touch between his fingers. He smiled.
"Senior worries too much."
"To wear this black silk… it carries a certain carefree elegance."
His words brought a brief image to Feng Bailong's mind of everyone in the sect wearing black silk, and he shook his head helplessly.
"Those disciples only think of hastening their sword formations, forgetting that listening to the wind is the foundation of the Wind Sword."
"If they had but one percent of your talent and diligence, little friend Zhexian, I would be content."
Li Zhexian was about to respond humbly—
But Feng Bailong continued:
"Listening to the wind and comprehending the sword is no overnight feat."
"In my youth, I bound my eyes and listened to the wind for more than a year before I could faintly grasp a trace of sword intent."
"You already have the seed of wind's intent in your heart, and your talent is exceptional. Your progress will be far faster."
"But remember—do not rush. The Wind Sword Sect will prepare a residence for you. Stay in peace here, no matter how long it takes."
"Your generosity, Senior, I will remember well."
Li Zhexian thanked him once more.
He then looked toward the blue-gray crystal clusters on the stone wall.
"Senior, I have one more question…"
"Those crystal clusters—might I take some? I am willing to offer payment in exchange."
Feng Bailong tilted his head slightly, his ears catching the faint scraping sound of the crystals in the wind's howl.
"Do you mean those Wind Spirit Crystals, little friend?"
"They are like icicles formed after heavy snow—merely the product of the gales here condensing over many years."
"Though they contain wind-attribute Spirit Power, they also carry a trace of destructive energy that is hard to refine. The sect must regularly clear them away."
"If you have use for them, take as much as you wish—no need for payment."
"Thank you, Senior!"
Li Zhexian's heart leapt, his eyes flashing with barely contained excitement.
Wine-making!
He could brew again!
Wind Spirit Crystals were recorded among the myriad spiritual ingredients in the Brewing's Records!
Though not as wondrous as the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well—
They were precisely the key ingredient for a peerless brew known as "Wandering Spirit Wind Essence."
If one drank it—
Their body would be shrouded in a light, agile breeze, their speed greatly enhanced.
Li Zhexian was not one to forget a favor.
Just as he had shared the "Ice Flame Immortal Dew" brewed from the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well with Dugu Bo—
Though he could no longer complete the plan to cultivate the Molten Frost Spirit Vein Body step-by-step,
When the Wandering Spirit Wind Essence was finished—
He would share it with the Wind Sword Sect as well.
"With the 'Wandering Spirit Wind Essence,' cloaking myself in the wind's lightness, surely I'll gain extra insight into the wind's true meaning."
Comprehending the wind's essence was indeed important—
But the thought of personally brewing and tasting this entirely new immortal wine—
The wine-bug in Li Zhexian's stomach rolled restlessly, and a burning thirst surged into his throat.
His lips quirked upward before he could stop himself…