Chapter 20: Sharp Edge

“These crescent hooks are rather good. With the two attackers cooperating, the pulses of icy energy surge; quite the fine magical tools!” Mu Yuan watched as the woman in yellow managed to hold them off and wasn’t in any rush to intervene. Observing the battle between the three of them let him learn the different styles.

The three fought silently, no one speaking. But the two attackers clearly recognized that the woman in yellow possessed considerable skill. Though they held the advantage, it would be impossible to overcome her unscathed. The slightly taller one began coaxing, “Fellow cultivator, why stubbornly resist? Hand over the spiritual treasure you obtained in the Dragon Tomb, and we brothers will let this matter rest. If you’re killed, the treasure will end up with us anyway!”

The woman in yellow paid no attention to his words. The talismanic seals on the longsword in her hand blazed intensely, like stars in the dark night. They swirled about as powerful Sword Qi tangled into a giant net. Like a huge serpent exhaling, it expanded outwards inch by inch. Yet, the countless swirling crescent-shaped icy blades surrounding her were incredibly tough. Every inch the sword net expanded was excruciatingly difficult. Streams of Zhenqi poured continuously from within the woman, transforming entirely into flying Sword Qi. After expanding just three feet, her limbs started to feel weak. She panicked and focused, pulling her Zhenqi back, no longer forcing it.

Witnessing this, Mu Yuan felt genuine admiration. “Having a proper magical tool certainly makes things easier. Like me, I can only cast Greenwood Divine Radiance through my iron sword, unable to unleash true Sword Qi! Only after reaching the Sixth Layer Core Formation can you truly emit raw Sword Qi! So much Sword Qi! What I use now is just illusory Zhenqi sword light. It might fool ordinary folk, but confronting true Qi Refining Practitioners? Useless flashiness, totally ineffective! Though now I possess the Dragon Soul Sword, capable of gathering light into Qi… even stronger than that woman in yellow!”

Only by gathering light into Qi could mastering the art of the sword truly begin. All later stages – like Sword Qi Division and Qi Condensation into Threads – were built upon this foundation. Clearly, this woman in yellow had wielded her sword for some time, reaching the level of Sword Qi Division and weaving a sword net. She must have poured great effort into it!

The benefits Mu Yuan gained from the Dragon Soul Sword were immense. Not only could he soar flying on a sword, he could also meticulously study many swordsmanship techniques. He possessed great innate talent and had worked hard on his swordplay. Achieving light-to-Qi shouldn’t be difficult. Now, observing the woman’s swordsmanship, he pondered briefly and immediately grasped the crucial point!

Gathering light into Qi was merely foundational sword cultivation. Mu Yuan had been previously hampered by the lack of a suitable magical tool, making this feat impossible. Once equipped with a superior treasure, he contemplated deeply and could now wield its power naturally.

“Time to help her!” Mu Yuan muttered inwardly. He suddenly leapt out, channeling the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force. Thunder crackled around his palm; wind and cloud surged beneath his feet. Moving faster than lightning, he shot like an arrow beside the one who had spoken earlier and unleashed a powerful strike!

With a flash of lightning, a loud crackling erupted like frying beans. Accompanied by a mighty surge of force, it boomed through the air, visibly tearing a path right through it!

The Dragon King’s Dynamic Force combined the speed of lightning, the might of thunder, and the changeability of water – incredibly potent. It blended hardness with softness, fused Yin and Yang. Exploding the air with speed and raw power, it hurtled straight for the back of the tall man in grey!

This man was fully focused on suppressing the woman in yellow. He never saw this coming. The change occurred in an instant! Fortunately, his Qi Refining cultivation was no joke; his meridians were fully opened, senses keen. Frantically, he swung his crescent hook backward! Icy Zhenqi erupted. A fleeting arc of crescent light flashed out, meeting Mu Yuan’s Dragon King’s Dynamic Force head-on!

“Heh heh,” Mu Yuan chuckled softly. Tidal Flow surged from his palm, coalescing into a coil of water! Mid-flight, it condensed into a Flood Dragon! Lightning immediately surged onto it, the water conducting the power, making it even more formidable! The Dragon King’s Dynamic Force already used water energy as a conduit, but it paled compared to the mastery found in dedicated water cultivation techniques like Tidal Flow. The grey-robed man’s Zhenqi was of the icecold path, freezing water solid. Using pure Tidal Flow against him risked limitations. Though Tidal Flow could freeze water into ice, its real strengths lay in water’s changeability, vastness, and ferocity; freezing wasn’t its forte. Mu Yuan also tested its power combined with the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force, deploying both simultaneously with the goal of crushing his foe instantly!

Indeed, though the grey-robed man reacted swiftly, it was too rushed. His Zhenqi couldn’t shift smoothly enough. The water Flood Dragon, now electrically enhanced, slammed into his hook! A thunderous BOOM filled the air! Countless electric sparks engulfed the grey-robed man. In a flash, he was scorched black and flung through the air. His hair stood on end. He coughed violently, spewing mouthfuls of blood! Clearly gravely injured. He wouldn’t die immediately, but climbing back up in the short term? Impossible!

With this man gone, the pressure on the woman in yellow lessened dramatically. Her sword net expanded wildly, ballooning suddenly and rebounding fiercely. Even Mu Yuan was caught within its grasp! Streaks of Sword Qi filled the skies, tearing violently downward!

The woman in yellow was clearly taken aback. She gasped in alarm! The other grey-robed man, bearing the brunt of the sudden pressure, found his crescent arc shattered! Hundreds of Sword Qi shafts pierced his limbs! Desperately protecting his vitals, he hurled his hook, activating a defensive light shield, and tried to flee!

Mu Yuan shifted lightly, his palm opening. Instantly, hundreds of Sword Qi beams erupted from his hand, blasting apart the falling sword net! The Dragon Soul Sword was forged from Dragon Clan soul essence, existng between tangible and intangible forms, changing at will. While activating invisible Sword Qi weakened its power somewhat, it still easily allowed Mu Yuan to devastate the sword net.

The Dragon Soul Sword was refined by that ancient dragon soul over a thousand years of toil! Intended to oppose legendary weapons like Nezha’s fire-tipped spear and Yang Jian’s three-pointed, two-edged blade – its inherent power was colossal! Essence extracted from dozens of dragon corpses, lingering dragon souls within the Dragon Tomb infused within… it approximated the might of an ancient dragon! The old dragon soul poured endless wisdom and effort into its making. Even though Mu Yuan’s magical power was currently low, the woman in yellow wasn’t high level either. Her weapon, just a seal-enhanced tool, was no match for Dragon Soul Sword Qi. It shattered completely upon contact!

“And where do you think you’re going?!” Mu Yuan thought. Despite the power of the Dragon Soul Sword, he dared not reveal it to the world. He knew the proverb: “The common man is innocent; his treasured jade makes him guilty.” He could only use it covertly, not openly. He still needed a magic weapon to use publicly. The two men’s crescent hooks were of good quality, perfect for his current cultivation level. Icy treasures – while not an ideal match for Tidal Flow control – could still work reasonably well, especially since Tidal Flow included icecold Divine Abilities! To pass these up would be foolish!

The Flood Dragon he had conjured earlier, having already defeated one grey-robed man, hadn’t dispersed yet. Rumbling with thunderous resonance, Mu Yuan pointed at it! With a deep roar, it whipped its tail and surged forth, slamming headlong into the back of the fleeing grey-robed man!

A chain of explosive cracks sounded like a string of firecrackers! The protective icy light surrounding the grey-robed man shattered into splinters under the impact! He was catapulted bodily several yards ahead, crashing to the ground, motionless!

“Heh heh!” Mu Yuan chuckled. Suction force pulsed from his palm as he willed it! He gave a strong pull, yanking both crescent hooks into his grasp. They felt heavy and solid in his hands, crafted of excellent material. Touching them felt like grasping ice blocks – bitingly cold! They vibrated intensely, struggling to break free. Mu Yuan suppressed them with his magical power and quickly sealed them away into the Green Gourd.

Having the Dragon Soul Sword meant he didn’t need to rely on the gourd, burdened with vast dark water essence, during combat. Besides, this gourd wasn’t intrinsically powerful with complex enchantments, merely possessing natural marvel properties enhanced by past masters of Tidal Flow. Its spatial holding capacity was immense, making it perfect for storage.

Though previous owners had added offensive spells allowing it to launch Sword Qi – specifically the Canglang Water Sword – Mu Yuan disliked whipping out a gourd in battle. Unless he reached the mastery level of those sages, where treasures resided within their spirit, responding to thought without needing external projection, just raising a hand to unleash water swords…. That day wasn’t today. He preferred keeping the gourd purely as a storage treasure, storing the two hooks, adding to his gains. Eyeing the two incapacitated men in grey robes, he pondered the complex question: should he “uproot the weed to prevent future trouble,” or adhere to “Heaven cherishes life,” and earning greater spiritual merit by sparing them? Meanwhile, the woman in yellow had already collected her magical tools and approached to express her thanks.

Mu Yuan had no choice but to respond modestly. Exchanging information, he learned the woman was named Lin Fangjing. She belonged to the prestigious Sect, Shenxiao Dao, personally taught by the formidable Yuan Tiangang! Compared to Mu Yuan’s sect, Longevity Palace, Lin Fangjing’s background held far greater renown.

Mu Yuan was in his original appearance. Befriending a disciple from such a major sect was certainly beneficial. He saw no reason to hide anything and clearly stated his origins. Lin Fangjing explained the cause of the incident: she had obtained a cluster of dragon essence within the Dragon Tomb. It was this treasure that sparked the fierce battle when these two men learned of it.

Mu Yuan understood instantly. Dragon Essence was even more miraculous than dragon bones. Though dragon bones were superb for crafting artifacts, they were still external materials. Dragon Essence, forming part of a dragon’s soul, carried fragments of the wyrm’s memories! Within potentially lay Dragon Clan cultivation methods. Even if they didn’t, absorbing the essence strengthened one’s own consciousness – profoundly valuable!

Aside from the ancient dragon soul itself, the other dragons within the Dragon Tomb lay truly dead, their spirits scattered. Normally, their dragon essence would have vanished too. Yet, potent sealing formations across the tomb confined this pure, immaculate energy within! The benefits for Qi Refining Practitioners absorbing it were immediately obvious!

In the Cultivation World, techniques existed specifically to devour others’ spirit essence or Primordial Spirit to augment oneself. The most infamous was the Soul-Snatching Ghost-Control Grand Art, employed within the Heavenly Demon cult. Its reputation was huge and highly despised within orthodox circles, partly fueled by intense jealousy!

The Soul-Snatching Ghost-Control Grand Art – as the name implied – forcibly extracted an opponent’s spiritual essence to directly strengthen one’s own. Far superior to mere Qi absorption! But this technique was a double-edged sword. The advantage lay in growing one’s consciousness while simultaneously gaining knowledge of the victim’s cultivation arts and life experiences – vital for cultivating both Dao and heart. The downside? The chaotic, disordered memories could corrupt the cultivator’s own consciousness. A single misstep risked mental breakdown, madness, or insanity!

For a cultivator like Lin Fangjing, just starting out, obtaining pure, uncontaminated dragon soul energy – retaining memories without living thought – was an incredible boon! Naturally, it attracted envious eyes.

“Seems the old dragon soul intentionally left this, ensuring Dragon Clan legacies wouldn’t vanish entirely. Though he transmitted his Dragon King’s Dynamic Force to me, Dragon Clan arts are numerous as hairs on an ox, counting them is impossible! Ensuring some pass down to future generations can only be a good thing!” Mu Yuan observed Lin Fangjing. Her eyes were clear and bright; faint Lingguang rippled over her form; her spirit was pure and her bones refined – a gifted natural cultivator! Only then did he grasp the greater purpose.

“Lin Fangjing practices Shenxiao Dao techniques, specializing in governing thunder and lightning. Mastering the Dragon King’s Dynamic Force would surely complement that perfectly! Why didn’t the old dragon soul pass his legacy to her, instead choosing me?! Could I really be so remarkably talented that he was instantly struck with affection for a promising disciple? Ha ha!” Mu Yuan indulged his inner narcissism, finding it suddenly rather funny. A chuckle escaped his lips before he could stop it.