C9 Chapter 9
Deep beneath the Black Wind Mountain Range, Hua Hsing found himself in a small, confined space. The air there seemed richer in spiritual energy than in the outside world. "What is this place?" he wondered aloud, his voice echoing faintly in the darkness. The unfamiliar surroundings made him wary. He could barely make out the walls enclosing the empty chamber around him. As he pondered his situation, the large opening above him suddenly vanished. "What just happened?" he muttered, puzzled.
Determined to understand his surroundings and find a way out, Hua Hsing took out a fire starter from his Space Ring. With a flick, he produced a small flame, and the dark chamber was instantly filled with light. Only then did he realize how small the space truly was. At the front sat a meditation cushion. "It seems this place was once used for cultivation. I wonder who trained here," Hua Hsing said softly.
He walked up to the cushion and inspected it carefully, but found nothing unusual. He then turned to the four surrounding walls and examined them closely. After a short while, he discovered four diagrams carved into them. On the first wall, a line of small text appeared above an image of a man holding a longsword and practicing a sword technique. "Golden Light Sword Arts." Hua Hsing read the small inscription and learned that the four diagrams on the walls represented four incomplete sword forms from the Golden Light Sword Arts.
"The Golden Light Sword Arts consist of seven sword forms in total. When complete, they can rival even a lower-grade cultivation technique in power."
"If any disciple of the Azure Edge Sword Sect is fortunate enough to come here, you may cultivate the last four moves of the Golden Light Sword Arts."
At the very bottom, three words were written: Qih Nantian.
"Qih Nantian? Could it be that legendary disciple of the Azure Edge Sword Sect?" Hua Hsing was astonished when he saw the name.
Qih Nantian had once been utterly inconspicuous in the Outer Sect, but during a disciple competition, he unexpectedly displayed the Golden Light Sword Arts. Even though it was only the incomplete first three moves, its power was overwhelmingly fierce. Only then did all the disciples realize that the true number one of the Outer Sect had always been Qih Nantian. From that day on, he entered the Inner Sect. A year later, however, he vanished without a trace.
Qih Nantian's disappearance shook the entire Azure Edge Sword Sect, yet in the end, not the slightest clue was ever found.
"I never imagined this would be Qih Nantian's Cultivation Land," Hua Hsing remarked with mild surprise.
Back then, Qih Nantian was hailed as the hope for revitalizing the Azure Edge Sword Sect. He rose like a comet, only to disappear just as suddenly.
"How did Qih Nantian get the last four moves of the Golden Light Sword Arts?" Hua Hsing wondered aloud. Unable to figure it out, he decided not to dwell on it. With the last four moves of the Golden Light Sword Arts now before him, Hua Hsing was thrilled.
Wasting no time, he quickly committed all four of the final moves to memory.
"My level has reached the peak of Qi Refining Stage Level Two. If I take the Barrier Breaking Pill, I might reach Level Three," Hua Hsing said. He then decided to consume the pill.
Sitting cross-legged on a cushion, Hua Hsing swallowed the Barrier Breaking Pill. As soon as it entered his body, he felt its effects spread instantly through his limbs and bones. A surge of warmth flowed continuously within him, and he sensed the surrounding spiritual energy entering his body and refining it.
As the pill's effects were about to dissipate, Hua Hsing still did not feel any sign of a breakthrough. "Could it be that I cannot break through?" he wondered.
However, just as the last trace of the pill's power was about to fade, his Golden Heart began to beat rapidly again. Each beat released a powerful aura from within it. Hua Hsing absorbed the final trace of the pill's effects, and his body strengthened to a new level, emitting a cracking sound.
In the next moment, Hua Hsing's eyes snapped open, and a faint smile appeared on his face. "Qi Refining Stage Level Three." At the final moment, the Golden Heart's pulse had helped him break through successfully to Qi Refining Stage Level Three. "If I were to face Ma Shan and Douzhi now, I could defeat them instantly," Hua Hsing thought. The gap between Qi Refining Stage Level Three and Level Two was enormous.
After reaching the third level of the Qi Refining Stage, Hua Hsing felt that his strength had become even more formidable. He believed that in the Outer Sect, very few disciples could match him.
"Re Yunzheng, Jiaang Xue, the humiliation you gave me, I will repay it in full," Hua Hsing said coldly.
After advancing, Hua Hsing began searching for an exit. An hour later, he emerged in a secluded area within the inner part of the Azure Edge Sword Sect.
"I finally made it out. This time, the gains were substantial," Hua Hsing said as he looked at the towering ancient trees around him.
Hua Hsing had been in the Black Wind Mountain Range for almost a month and was ready to return. He had achieved his training goals, found the Black Spirit Grass, and even encountered several unexpected opportunities.
"I'll look for it."
Hua Hsing crouched down and began searching for the Barrier Breaking Pill. Before long, he found a small box and opened it. Inside lay a pitch-black pill, resting quietly within the box. On the Ancient Sword Continent, there were many Pill Refining Masters who could produce extraordinary pills. The most common were pill refining apprentices, followed by Pill Refining Masters, and above them were Pill Refining Great Masters. Pill refining apprentices could produce ordinary pills, which were not considered especially precious to a sect. Pill Refining Masters, however, could create extraordinary pills, and such pills were already quite valuable. As for Pill Refining Great Masters, they were able to refine Origin-grade pills, treasures so rare that they were nearly impossible to purchase at any price.
"My cultivation has already reached the peak of Qi Refining Stage Level Two. If I take the Barrier Breaking Pill, I may have a chance to break through to Qi Refining Stage Level Three," Hua Hsing said.
After that, Hua Hsing decided to take the Barrier Breaking Pill. Sitting cross-legged on the cushion, he placed the pill into his mouth and swallowed it. As soon as the Barrier Breaking Pill entered his body, he felt its medicinal power instantly spread out, flowing toward every part of his body. A wave of heat surged continuously within him. Hua Hsing felt the hot current move through his body, and at the same time, the surrounding cosmic spiritual energy continuously entered him, tempering his physique.
Yet when the medicinal effects of the Barrier Breaking Pill were about to fade, Hua Hsing still did not sense any sign of a breakthrough. "Could it be that I can't break through?" he thought to himself.
Just as the final trace of the Barrier Breaking Pill's medicinal effect was about to fade, the Golden Heart suddenly began to beat rapidly once again. With each powerful pulse, Hua Hsing felt a formidable aura burst forth from within it. As his body absorbed the last remnant of the pill's power, his physical form was strengthened to a new threshold, and cracking sounds echoed from within him. In the next moment, Hua Hsing snapped his eyes open, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Qi Refining Stage Level Three." At the final critical moment, the beating of the Golden Heart had helped Hua Hsing successfully break through to the third level of the Qi Refining Stage.
