Chapter 209: Sword Art Perfection, Green Jade Icy Radiance Tower

Ye Rong blinked forcefully. His eyelids felt like they couldn’t hold up much longer; waves of weariness and soreness washed over him.

He mechanically harvested each aquatic demonic creature before him one by one. The repeated notifications of Experience Points gained were his only motivation. Every once in a long while, he’d glance at the Experience Bar for the Qingcheng Sword Art, only to see it had barely crawled forward.

Amidst this seemingly endless wait, a blissful, light “squeak” finally sounded. The Qingcheng Sword Art automatically dropped off the Dao Scrolls cultivation panel. The twentieth layer, the Perfection Realm, was finally reached.

“The Qingcheng Sword Art has been cultivated to its current maximum layer, Layer 20 Perfection. Cannot continue cultivation!”

He practically tore himself out of the game instantly. He only gave the properties of the perfected Level 20 sword art a quick glance, without any deep observation.

An incredibly deep sleep lasting over ten hours later, he finally felt recovered and logged back into the game.

…

Qingcheng Sword Art, Layer 20, Perfection Realm. Can enter water via Sword Flight, with underwater speed reduced by half. Can carry one passenger while flying. When controlling a flying sword with this art, Green Jade Icy Radiance Towers appear. The quantity relates to layers of the Qingcheng Qi Refining Method, with one tower added every five layers.

Each Green Jade Icy Radiance Tower increases flying sword attack power by 5%, doubles the attack range, and reduces the speed of enemy flying swords within the sphere of the tower’s icy light by 10%.

Ye Rong casually flicked his sword, Casting Snow. Three Green Jade Icy Radiance Towers materialized alongside its chilling Sword Light. Cold stars glittered within them; they were crystal clear. Rings of green light spun around their structures, dazzlingly brilliant, like breathtaking works of art impossible to look away from.

Compared to Jianggong Wangyue’s two towers during the Sect Minor Competition, Ye Rong had one more tower, and its green light was noticeably denser.

Moreover, these towers appeared automatically; activating them consumed no True Qi, making them extremely convenient to use.

Three towers meant his flying sword attack power increased by 15%, his attack range tripled, and enemy flying swords within the green light had their speed reduced by 30%.

The Qingcheng Sword Art at Layer 20 Perfection Realm – the goal Ye Rong had toiled towards for so long – was finally accomplished.

Its properties did not disappoint his expectations. They were exceptionally formidable. It was indeed true that when a Qingcheng Dao Scroll reached layer twenty, earth-shaking, massive changes occurred.

As a school of large-headed fish with wide mouths and sharp teeth swam by, Ye Rong swung his Sword Light. Attacking with the Green Jade Icy Radiance Towers accompanying him for the first time felt markedly different. Enveloped by the green light, the group of fish was swiftly smashed to pieces within moments.

Beyond the literal stats boosting him, Ye Rong also sensed he could control his two flying swords with much greater ease and precision. It felt like his entire field of vision was now within his attack range; he never felt like his power was draining.

When both flying swords flew out simultaneously, six Green Jade Icy Radiance Towers shimmered. From afar, it looked like a string of tiny bells was attached to the swords.

One collision between the towers blasted Level 50 large-headed fish into paste and blood water, as if Ye Rong’s Strength had multiplied. These aquatic demonic creatures stood no chance against his Sword Light.

Before this, clearing such a group would have taken at least half an hour, and probably not been entirely successful – usually, two or three would escape. Now, it took less than ten minutes to fully convert them into Experience Points without a single escapee.

“Finally… finally cultivated one Dao Scroll to perfection. It really was… not easy!”

Ye Rong burst into tears. He had only cultivated four Dao Scrolls, fewer than even the average Player. Take Pecking Chicken, for example. He’d cultivated three sword arts alone, totaling seven scrolls. This had previously scattered his focus too much, leaving him without any single high-level technique that truly stood out.

The Qingcheng Sword Art could now be considered fully accomplished, having completed all required merits and reached its peak. Though he’d heard it might be possible to push its level cap even higher later, that was a distant future matter, beyond his current concerns.

The Chongxu True Scripture was useful, but reaching Volume Five of the Qian scroll required a staggering eight million Experience Points, and he didn’t possess the following volumes yet.

The requirements for the Immovable Wisdom King Sword Art were even lower. This Buddhist sword art currently had no need for further investment of Experience Points.

Without much hesitation, Ye Rong placed the Qingcheng Qi Refining Method onto his Dao Scrolls cultivation panel. His fighting prowess was deeply intertwined with this cultivation method – their connection was solid.

He had held onto two days of Ancestral Hall training time without rushing in. Besides intending to accumulate more training slots, he wanted to raise his Qingcheng Qi Refining Method higher, aiming to push it towards the Perfection Realm in one go within the Ancestral Hall.

Additionally, it would be best if he could raise his own Level higher. He now understood that the benefits a Player could gain in the Ancestral Hall depended on the entry Level; higher levels meant greater rewards.

He changed his Experience Points allocation back to a 70:30 ratio. Given the situation, the allure of Level was stronger again for Ye Rong now.

Not only was he just one level away from equipping the Nine Glazed Golden Lamp, but several excellent eighth and ninth-rank clothing items also awaited him, just four or five levels out of reach.

Moreover, he had two Sixth-Rank Starry Sand Flying Swords. Their level requirement wasn’t that far off—certainly not like that pair of Seventh-Rank Flying Swords, which offered no motivation due to their unobtainable level.

For the next four or five days straight, Ye Rong was immersed in a rhythm of frantic yet efficient monster grinding. During this period, he accidentally aggroed another Boss lurking in the Tuojiang River Basin, which chased him relentlessly for half a day.

Luckily, this colorful Water Spider, sporting two alarmingly huge claws, wasn’t terrifyingly strong. At the very least, escaping remained an option—it wasn’t as impossible as facing an overpowered monster like the Tuojiang Divine Turtle. Its strength paled in comparison to that freak.

Its body was covered in dark, fuzzy fur, with complex, ominous patterns on its back vaguely resembling a fiendish hell devil. Swimming close was utterly silent, ghostly, almost undetectable.

Ye Rong only noticed when the Devil Water Spider was extremely close. The shock sent his heart pounding wildly.

If a timid girl encountered such a horrifying aquatic demon, she’d probably lose all courage to fight; escape would be her only thought on registering the terror. Even Ye Rong felt chills run down his spine.

The giant Devil Water Spider’s rowing claws were pitch black, its whole body dim, making it hard to clearly make out its form within the river water. At a glance, it just seemed like a moving devil pattern.

Upon close inspection, fuzzy furry claws gleamed with sharp, chilling light—truly formidable.

This chase lasted almost two full hours before Ye Rong barely managed to shake off the Devil Water Spider behind him.

To avoid such trouble again (who knows if he’d run into the Tuojiang Divine Turtle and needlessly die), he switched grinding locations entirely, heading for the White Water River instead.

Although grinding efficiency slightly decreased, at least safety could be guaranteed here on its secure currents. This small tributary, along with the Black Water River, had been thoroughly investigated by the Green Emperor Alliance. Every aquatic demon currently posing a threat to members had been cataloged fully here and elsewhere monitored.

The highest-level monster in the White Water River was merely an Elite Tier Dragon Carp, around Level 70. This Dragon Carp slept most of the time and rarely surfaced. So even if Ye Rong were supremely unlucky and encountered it, he felt confident he could definitely escape unscathed in time without issue, especially with preparation.

The next day, he reached Level 45 and successfully equipped the Nine Glazed Golden Lamp, becoming the first Sixth-Rank Treasure in his Talisman Slot.

The Nine Glazed Golden Lamp. Could unleash 1 to 9 strands of Qian Flame True Fire at will. Each strand inflicted over 200 damage. If all nine erupted together, the destructive power became shockingly terrifying. Of course, True Qi consumption was equally, terrifyingly high. Even with Ye Rong’s Qi Value, the full blast could only be sustained for under twenty seconds before depleting his reserves entirely.

However, after witnessing Level 60 aquatic demons turn into piles of white bones in mere seconds beneath nine simultaneous Qian Flame True Fires several times over, Ye Rong found himself thoroughly impressed – more than satisfied – with the Nine Glazed Golden Lamp’s raw power.

“A Sixth-Rank Treasure capable of unleashing astonishing, almost unreal power instantly at critical moments.” That was his official assessment of it.

Over the following days, his Level increase didn’t pause or stagnate.

Equipped with a rare artifact focused solely on boosting Experience Points gain rate like the Shangqing Blessing Token, plus the bonuses from his Rainbow Set, when Ye Rong truly committed to grinding, his pace was actually quite brisk, barely slower than concentrated specialists honed for grinding efficiently.

It was only due to various quests and unexpected incidents before that had caused his Level to lag slightly behind other elite players focused purely on progression instead.

This concentrated period of intense grinding finally allowed him to ascend to Level 48. Only two levels remained between him and Level 50 – a player’s first qualitative leap milestone as they crossed a major cultivation threshold. Even his Qingcheng Qi Refining Method climbed by one layer during this time.

Moreover, he held that Golden Qiu Dragon Blood Elixir. Once consumed, any Player above Level 50 would ascend one full level instantly upon taking it, skipping arduous training entirely through its potent essence.

Naturally, such a potent effect delivered maximum value only when used at Level 49. For Ye Rong, this meant reaching Level 49 alone was equivalent to instantly breaching the Level 50 barrier. Unlocking a second Weapon Slot became immediate upon leveling up then. Further amplified by the Neither-Thought-Nor-Non-Thought Sword Scabbard, he could directly equip a third flying sword alongside his usual pair immediately upon reaching that milestone.

A pair of pale blue wind wings suddenly pierced through the layers of river water, settling before him and transforming into an exceptionally nimble, light and agile flying sword.

Detaching the Flying Sword Message attached to it, Ye Rong read its contents once, Ruo You Suo Si.

Shortly after, a frosty streak of icy white Sword Light surged out of the White Water River, streaking towards the direction of the Qingcheng Sect in a swift, determined flight.