Chapter 104: The First Formation of the Sword Qi

No one knew how much time had passed before Qin Hongxiu opened her eyes, appearing somewhat bored, and casually discarded the sword energy she had just formed. Lin Ze looked down with a pang of regret, suddenly feeling an urge to rush down and retrieve it. That was sword energy! Even the sword energy comprehended from a lower-tier technique could easily pierce the protective aura of a Golden Core cultivator. In other words, merely holding such a thing would force even a Golden Core Immortal to take notice, let alone the fact that this was derived from the superior Moonlight Sword Sutra. Only Qin Hongxiu would dismiss it so disdainfully.

Lin Ze glanced at her helplessly, recalling the terrifying scene when she exerted her full strength; her disregard for the Moonlight Sword Sutra seemed all too natural. Meanwhile, the other cultivators departed with laughter, and soon the black clouds descended. Everything unfolded as usual. The woman by his side, wielding her heavy sword, plunged into the surging black flames. Even with a perfected Nine Tribulations Sword Body that made her as sharp as an immortal sword, she ultimately met the fate of death and dissolution. The scene before him turned once again to shades of gray.

[Character has died]
[Simulation ended]
[Reward: Innate Moonlight Sword Intent]

Lin Ze opened his eyes, quietly stowing the silver radiance in his palm into his sleeve. Even after the grand competition in the outer sect, Qin Hongxiu’s trust remained extremely low, barely enough to extract a character card—drawing only sword intent was to be expected. For Lin Ze at this moment, its value was only slightly greater than a sword pellet that could be bought with a single spirit stone. Yet he felt no discouragement; rather, he was slightly excited as he opened the simulator again.

To Yu Huan, the Taoist beside her had merely paused his steps, but she noticed his expression change—from anxious to a faint hint of confidence. She looked puzzled, not knowing what had happened. Lin Ze, watching the repeated “character has died” prompts on the panel, had grown indifferent, even numb, to Qin Hongxiu’s demise. Yet the light in his eyes burned brighter. Until, after the seventh simulation, he was rewarded with a surprising delight:

[Reward: Innate Moonlight Sword Qi]

Suddenly, a three-foot-long silver light appeared in his palm; its fierce aura shocked Yu Huan beside him. The girl instinctively squinted, not daring to look. Had it been any other time, Lin Ze would have been overjoyed.

This was undoubtedly the most powerful weapon he had encountered so far—the sheer force of this sword qi far surpassed the Frost Sword Qi he had absorbed into his body. If, back in the abandoned medicine mountain, Lin Ze had wielded this, he would not have needed Qin Hongxiu’s intervention; he could have easily cleaved the white fox in two, whose cultivation had not yet recovered. Unfortunately, it was of little use in his current situation. Besides, what he truly sought was not the rewards drawn from the simulator. He put away the sword qi carelessly, not even bothering to glance at it.

He entered the character card for the eighth time... then the ninth, until he had exhausted all his attempts for the day. Yu Huan noticed Lin Ze’s gaze becoming increasingly unfocused, an inexplicable sharpness emanating from him. Silver radiance flowed from beneath his feet, spreading swiftly throughout the forest. The leaves quivered, producing a loud rustling, and countless startled birds tried to escape, but were slowly entwined by the silver light, which, despite its gentle appearance, subtly radiated murderous intent.

“So this is how it is,” Lin Ze thought, searching for a word to describe his current state. Epiphany. In Qin Hongxiu’s mind, the little figure representing her understanding of the sword was something Lin Ze had watched ten times, only managing to grasp seven or eight parts. His Innate Moonlight Sword Sutra had always been stuck at the perfected stage, never truly reaching the final step. The bottleneck, which had resisted breakthroughs for decades, even centuries in simulation, finally began to loosen.

The stage of mastery!

“Still not enough,” Lin Ze furrowed his brow. Qin Hongxiu had practically chewed up this sword technique and handed it to him, yet he still struggled to absorb it fully. Releasing Yu Huan’s hand, he simply sat down on the ground. The girl stood dumbfounded beside him, noticing that Lin Ze had fallen into contemplation. Wanting to leave, she hesitated, intimidated by the sword qi he had just revealed.

Fortunately, Lin Ze gave her little time to waver. Soon, a smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “So, this is how it is.” He raised his right palm to his eyes; at his fingertip, a faint aura emerged. Sword intent gives birth to sword qi, sword qi condenses into sword energy. He happened to already possess a strand of sword qi. Drawing the Moonlight Sword Qi from his sleeve, he infused the aura at his fingertip into the silver light. In the blink of an eye, the silver light shrank several times, becoming only as thick as a thumb and as long as a forearm.

The previously fierce aura also withdrew, now resembling an ordinary beam of moonlight. Yet this light could easily pierce the chest of a Golden Core cultivator.

“What is that?” Yu Huan swallowed, letting go of the short blade she had been gripping. That dagger was her lifeline, but she released it because she sensed keenly that, before the moonlight in Lin Ze’s hand, even a thousand blades could not save her for more than a breath.

“Something that will make it less easy for us to die,” Lin Ze said, tossing her two strands of sword intent, which he had just drawn nine times. “Throw away your broken blade.”

Sword intent is something a cultivator condenses from their techniques, similar to a magical artifact. Lin Ze had previously used Frost Sword Intent to sever Zhang Jialin’s arm; if he could use it, others could as well. It would not allow a Qi Refining cultivator to defeat a Foundation Establishment one, but it gave the former a chance to kill the latter—say, if the Foundation Establishment cultivator let their guard down.

Yu Huan carefully accepted it, the elusive touch of the silver radiance making her uneasy. Though light as a feather, it felt far more dangerous than her two short blades.

…
…
Above Prison Dragon Mountain.

The cultivators were bantering when Qin Hongxiu suddenly frowned and glanced back. She had left a mark on a certain demon, and now that mark seemed to be rapidly approaching her.

“Sister Qin, where are you going?” a cultivator asked, puzzled.

“I’m restless. Just going for a stroll.”

Standing with her heavy sword, Qin Hongxiu suddenly vanished from sight.

Damn fox demon, do you think you belong here?

Moments later, she intercepted a demonic cloud, about to speak when a seductive figure emerged from the mist, the fox’s alluring face full of distress.

“What are you here for?” she asked.

The fox rolled her eyes. Truthfully, every day this killing god survived was torment for her—better dead than alive. But recalling the smile on Lin Ze’s face, the one that seemed to have everything under control, she shuddered and reluctantly turned her head. “I’m here to deliver a message.”