C3 One Strike
Although Sun Bing was rather excited that he was finally able to cultivate, he knew that it was not easy for him to obtain his strength. Thus, he had already taken a rest long ago.
The next day, before the sun bloomed and illuminated the land, he had already woken up.
The past ten years' experience made him extremely crave for power. Even after he was told to be unable to cultivate, he would still practice the sword arts every single day. Now that he was finally able to cultivate, he did not want to waste any time.
Sun Bing was already sixteen years old, and the geniuses of the Sun family had even reached the eighth level of the Body Tempering Realm. They were all just a step away from the peak of the Body Tempering Realm and once they moved forward, they would reach the Qi Refining Realm. Therefore, he did not have the right to gloat over himself.
It was due to this that Sun Bing had encouraged himself to boost his fighting spirit, to the point where he had even forgotten to eat and sleep.
Due to the fact that he did not have any other cultivation techniques, he could only practice a simple set of basic Swords Arts. However, ever since he had started cultivating the "Sword Refining Art", although each strike seemed extremely ordinary, there was a hidden ability to it.
As the old saying went, "It takes ten years to forge a fine sword, and it could be seen that it was extraordinary."
This set of basic Swords Arts that Sun Bing was proficient in had gradually turned slow and steady. Now that it had seemed less flashy, plainer, and more impressive. Therefore, for the outsiders, they would mock him thinking it was nothing but some basic skills.
But if one took some time to observe it, he would be able to feel that his mind submerged into the Sword Arts, even their heart would be beating along with the movement. The pressure within the Sword Arts was also getting greater. For someone with higher Sword Arts than Sun Bing's watching him practicing too long, it might cause his death by affecting his blood to flow abnormally.
This was how extraordinary the "Sword Refining Art" could be. It not only tempered one's heart but also improved one's ability. On the other hand, it helped to improve the quality of the body and sharpened the blade. Although the sword art may look ordinary, the power was greater than one could imagine.
Sun Bing who was practicing did not realize this, yet he felt that there was a slight change within his body after he calmed himself down. He completely immersed himself in the sword art. A leaf slowly floated down, gently touched his wooden sword and then fell onto the ground.
If one took a closer look, one would notice that the leaf had actually split into two upon reaching the ground. There was not even a strand of fiber connecting the leaf that had been sliced into two.
Even a sharp metal sword would not be able to do this, yet it was easily done by a wooden sword. One could imagine how sharp was his blade.
After a good long while, Sun Bing had finally completed his sword art training. Heaving a long breath while his body was somewhat drenched in sweat. However, he definitely felt good in the training, feeling as if his blood was boiling.
"The sword art is truly extraordinary after cultivating it." Sun Bing could not help but sigh.
Even if it was the simplest swords art, after one cultivating session, he would still need a long period of rest. This was because he would feel as if the body had been hollowed out.
"It seems that your body's condition has improved." Suddenly, a clear and cold voice passed his ears.
Sun Bing turned his head and saw Sun Yanran's beautiful figure standing there, quietly looking at him.
"Thank you for your concern. I'm fine." Towards Sun Yanran, Sun Bing felt quite grateful. Only he knew that this seemingly aloof and beautiful woman in front of him was actually warm-hearted.
Although his foster father was not nice to him, the elder step-sister he had was capable. In the eyes of the outsiders, they were unrelated, but she had always used her own way to help Sun Bing.
During the monthly salary payment, everything would go smoothly with her presence. Even if she wasn't there, she would usually give him a certain amount of money the following day to fulfil his basic needs.
For all these years, Sun Yanran had taken care of him many times due to his reckless cultivation and injuries. It could even be said that if not for this person, Sun Bing would have died a long ago.
Looking at her cold and charming face, Sun Bing's tough heart could not help but exclaim within, "Perfect."
At the same time, he felt touched. Previously, it was because of his inferiority, adding on to the fact that the difference in their status was too great, he did not dare think of it. Now, he had started to think about it, yet it was still too soon to tell. After all, he already had the opportunity, he believed that he would amaze everyone in the future.
Facing Sun Bing's fiery gaze, Sun Yanran felt somewhat embarrassed. Fortunately, her personality was slightly indifferent, thus, no one could notice her change in expression.
There was a moment of awkwardness between them, but after a long while, Sun Bing finally said softly, "I'm fine now. It's better for you to leave first. It wouldn't be good if others see you here." After all, the disparity between them was too great. If outsiders were to see this, they would spread the rumor about them.
As for Sun Bing, it wouldn't have much of an impact on him since his reputation was already bad enough. On the other hand, Sun Yanran couldn't afford to have her reputation astonished. Besides, Sun Bing's pride wouldn't allow him as a good-for-nothing to match up with such a beauty.
Sun Yanran lightly nodded, turned around, and left. There seemed to be an indescribable bond between the two of them.
Looking at her beautiful figure disappearing into the distance, a hint of determination flashed through Sun Bing's eyes.
However, before he could start his practise once again, a sudden noise sounded from the forest nearby.
"Who's there?" Sun Bing frowned. He was extremely familiar with his surroundings, so he knew that there would not be any large beasts around. Thus, the noise was clearly made by humans.
"Eh, I didn't expect you to actually notice me. You're pretty smart. From the looks of it, you seem to have pretty much recovered from your injuries. Your body condition is unexpectedly fine." After a while, Sun Yang slowly walked out from the forest.
Now that he could cultivate, his physical quality had improved quite a lot, so in the span of a night, the wounds on Sun Bing's body had basically healed. It was just that he currently did not have the mood to answer his questions.
Sun Yang did not care about Sun Bing's attitude in the slightest, instead, he mocked, "I've never thought that trash like you would actually be so familiar with the Eldest Young Mistress. This is such a big secret. Originally, I was just short of money, so I came to rob you. But now, it seems that I could sell some information."
Then he burst into laughter.
Sun Yanran's beauty was considered well-known among the entire Falling Cloud Town and countless men had their crush on her. Once this news spread, those who had a crush on her would surely give him a good beating.
This made Sun Bing squint his eyes as he did not expect such a coincidence to actually happen. When he thought about the humiliation he had once suffered for one hundred and twenty times, a sinister look flashed across his eyes as he said coldly, "If that's the case, whether the old or new grudges, let's settle it once and for all. I can't let you live any longer."
"Oops, a good-for-nothing like you actually want to kill me? Do you even have the strength to? Since you've spoken today, I'll show you no mercy," With that, Sun Yang actually gave a sinister laugh, "Tell me, what would happen if I were to kill you?"
A cold light flashed as a Fine Iron Sharp Sword appeared in Sun Yang's hands, emitting a chilling glow under the dazzling morning sun. He then dashed towards Sun Bing. "I'm at the 3rd level of the Body Tempering Realm. I actually use a sword to kill a small fry like you, you should be proud of yourself, shouldn't you?"
Regardless of Sun Yang's attack, Sun Bing was behaving indifferently as he looked at him calmly. At that moment, only he knew the sword that he had been training with for the past ten years had finally awakened. After ten years of preparation, not only was it filled with Sun Bing's grudge and hard work, but this move was the embodiment of his spirit.
With so much willpower involved, the power behind this strike was not something Sun Yang, who was at the third level of the Body Tempering Realm, could withstand. A chilling light flashed in the forest, following by a miserable scream.
When he looked again, an arm holding an iron sword had already fallen onto the ground. Blood gushed out and dyed the surrounding soil in red. Even a tree from a distance away had been sliced in half by the sword light.
At this moment, Sun Yang used his left hand to covered his wound while his eyes were filled with deep fear, "Y-you, when did you start to cultivate? How did you become so strong?" He could not think of how Sun Bing, who had always been just a cripple, would be able to unleash such a powerful move.
Sun Bing was still standing there with his sword, as though too much of his energy had been consumed by the sword, his face turned ashen. However, he still stood without saying a word, as if he was an unsheathed sword.
"It's not that I'm too strong, it's that you're too weak." Towards his former biggest enemy, Sun Bing did not show the slightest mercy. In his heart, there was even a slight disappointment.
This made Sun Yang fall into despair due to that he was full of confidence when he arrived. He never thought that he would be slapped back to reality, leading him to be unable to accept it, "No, that's impossible. Even if you can cultivate, the gap between us shouldn't be that big. You only used one move."
Sun Bing sighed softly as if he was slightly upset, "Did you know that I've been waiting a whole ten years for this day. In these ten years, you have beaten me a hundred and twenty times, fifty-one times with outer injuries, twenty-five times with broken hands, thirty-six times with broken legs, and eight times with internal injuries. There were times when I was even on the verge of death."
"You will never know that in these ten years, regardless of whether it is windy or stormy, intense heat or extreme cold, I have never stopped practicing Swords Arts."
"Although this is only a single strike, it contains all my spirits which I have been preparingfor ten years now through intense heat and extreme cold. But you will never understand."
Sun Bing's voice was calm as if he was not talking about his own experience at all. However, it was this calm voice that terrified Sun Yang even more, and at the same time, he roared in fear, "I beg of you, please let me off. At first, I only wanted to seize some money from you. Later on, Sun Long was the one who ordered me to do so. Please forgive me."
With that, Sun Bing's eyes revealed a menacing look. Sun Long was known as the number one genius in Sun family, and he was extremely infatuated with Sun Yanran. However, he had once seen Sun Yanran taking care of Sun Bing. Sun Bing did not expect him to take revenge in such a way. Undoubtedly, he was a schemeful man.
Since he had already found out the reason, Sun Bing sneered coldly, "Don't worry, they will go down and accompany you soon." With that, he prepared to wield his sword.
Sun Yang was even more terrified by his action. He retreated continuously while shouting, "I'm a member of the Sun family, you can't kill me!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, he was already dead. A trace of fresh red blood dripped down from the black wooden sword. As Sun Bing lightly flicked the sword, the humming of the sword instantly echoed in the forest. The fresh blood on the wooden sword was immediately shaken off, and could no longer be seen.
Although this was the first time Sun Bing had killed someone, he felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation, as though the gloom in his heart had been let loose. Looking at the corpse on the ground, he said indifferently,
"A member of the Sun family? You're just a servant. If you really think about it, I'm still a Young Master! Just wait for a moment. Someone will go down to hell to accompany you soon."
With that, he disposed the corpse and cleaned up the blood stains on the ground.