Mastering the Wings

Chen Yuan gripped the hilt of the Seven Kill Sword and smoothly returned to the top of the cliff. He landed beside Chen Xin, withdrew his Martial Soul, and said:

"Teacher, jumping off cliffs is very effective. In such a perilous state, the stimulation caused my blood and Soul Power to gradually open up my blood vessels and meridians, flowing into the Golden Feathered Wings. I can already control them enough to make them twitch slightly, but I'll need even more stimulation to fully master them."

Chen Xin stood with his hands behind his back. Hearing this, he chuckled and looked at Chen Yuan as he said casually:

"You brat, you've certainly got guts. But it isn't entirely a bad thing. Go on. Master the Golden Feathered Wings as soon as possible—it will be a tremendous help to your future cultivation. This is an External Soul Bone that can grow alongside its owner."

Chen Yuan nodded, turned, and walked back to the cliff's edge. He bent his legs slightly, then sprang forward and leaped off the cliff once more.

He let his body fall, experiencing the same sensation as before. The violent feeling of plummeting swept through his entire body—danger, excitement, surging blood, and raging Soul Power continuously coursed through every part of him, opening pathways and entering his Golden Feathered Wings.

By the time dusk approached, Chen Yuan had jumped more than thirty times in succession. The hundred-zhang cliff was bringing him less and less stimulation, but today's gains had been immense.

Although both his body and Golden Feathered Wings were covered in injuries, he could now retract the Golden Feathered Wings into his body. At last, he could wear clothes again. Otherwise, looking like some bird-man, he truly could not put on clothes without cutting two holes in the back.

Night fell. Chen Xin and Chen Yuan roasted some bird meat over a bonfire, ate it with dry rations until they were full, then entered a cave to rest.

Chen Yuan did not sleep very soundly. He felt something unusual in his back—soreness, numbness, and swelling. After thinking it over, he could only come up with one explanation: under the nourishment of his blood and Soul Power, his Golden Feathered Wings were repairing the damage caused by his cliff jumps during the day. With that, he stopped worrying about it.

The next day, Chen Yuan was full of energy. After carefully choosing, he selected another cliff seven hundred zhang high. Only that could meet his needs and provide even stronger stimulation.

The results were outstanding. Chen Yuan could already control his wings well enough to remain suspended in the air for extended periods, though his flight was not agile enough. At most, it could be used for travel; it was still unsuitable for combat.

On the third day, Chen Yuan increased the intensity again and chose a cliff sixteen hundred zhang high, towering into the clouds in magnificent grandeur. He jumped straight off it.

Perhaps it was the accumulation from over a hundred cliff jumps, or perhaps the stimulation from this jump was powerful enough, but all his blood vessels and meridians were opened, forming a perfect circulation with his body. As his blood flowed, the Golden Feathered Wings became strong and powerful. As his Soul Power flowed, the Golden Feathered Wings truly became as easy to control as his own limbs, fully under his command.

Under the azure sky, white clouds drifted leisurely as a gentle breeze blew. Suddenly, a golden figure streaked across the heavens. From closer up, one would see that the golden figure was Chen Yuan.

The Golden Feathered Wings on his back spanned over six meters. Every feather emitted a faint golden glow. After being nourished by his blood and Soul Power, the feathers had extended outward like daggers, making the wings' edges serrated. The pair of wings now resembled two sharp blades.

Chen Yuan flew through the sky, sometimes flapping his wings to shoot upward in an instant, sometimes folding them to dive downward. He shifted and maneuvered with exceptional agility. This was the enormous harvest of his past few days.

That was not all. Chen Yuan had once flown between two stone pillars, swinging the Seven Kill Sword in his hand repeatedly. Both pillars fell in response. Each enormous pillar required two or three people to encircle it with their arms, yet Chen Yuan could chop them down as easily as cutting vegetables.

He could accomplish this for two reasons: the sharpness of the Seven Kill Sword, and the speed boost brought by flight. Chen Yuan's current strength could no longer be measured simply by his cultivation level or Spirit Rings... Though he was only a Soul Elder, ambushing and cutting down a group of Soul Ancestors would certainly not be difficult.

After a long while, Chen Yuan finally descended from the sky. As he returned to the ground, he retracted the Golden Feathered Wings into his body and put on a set of Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect robes. Every use of the External Soul Bone burst his clothes, so later on, he had simply stopped wearing an upper garment.

At this moment, Chen Yuan looked at Chen Xin and said with a smile:

"Teacher, I've already mastered the Golden Feathered Wings. I believe they will become a tremendous aid to me in the future."

Chen Xin nodded. As though he had suddenly thought of something, his expression became somewhat serious as he said:

"Yuan'er, Spirit Bones have always been treasures coveted by every Spirit Master. Once discovered, they often lead to murder for the sake of seizing the bone. Although an External Soul Bone, unlike the other six major Spirit Bones, does not drop after its owner is killed, not every Spirit Master can recognize it as an External Soul Bone. So do not use the Golden Feathered Wings lightly. Teacher will not always be at your side, and I fear someone may take desperate risks. Still, now that you have Flight Ability, there will not be many who can keep you behind."

Chen Yuan understood the stakes and naturally would not take risks lightly. He nodded and replied:

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder, Teacher."

Seeing this, Chen Xin said no more. With a thought, his body rose into the sky. He still stood with his hands behind his back, carefree as an immortal, before saying:

"It's time to return to the sect. You have Flight Ability now as well, so follow behind me and return to the sect on your own. Consider it another form of training."

Chen Yuan immediately summoned his Martial Soul. He reached out and grabbed, and as white light flashed, the Seven Kill Sword appeared in his hand. One yellow and two purple Spirit Rings rose beneath his feet.

"Third Soul Skill, Sword Wings Soar!"

The Seven Kill Sword grew larger, becoming roughly two meters long and half a chi wide. It floated in midair before swiftly descending, hovering horizontally before Chen Yuan.

Now that he had successfully mastered the Golden Feathered Wings, he also needed to practice Sword Flight properly.

Chen Yuan jumped onto the Seven Kill Sword. Unsteady at first, his body swayed repeatedly. He quickly adjusted himself—first adjusting his center of gravity, then regulating his Soul Power output to ensure that he and the Seven Kill Sword reached a state of balance.

After a moment, he finally steadied himself. Soul Power flooded into his legs, and like an old tree taking root, he stood firmly atop the Seven Kill Sword.

A smile appeared on his face. Chen Yuan formed a Sword Finger with his hand, raising it first before pointing it forward. He whispered:

"Rise, go!"

The Seven Kill Sword slowly rose. Once it reached the same height as Chen Xin, it flew toward him.

Chen Xin noticed the situation behind him and nodded inwardly before controlling his speed and flying forward.

To accommodate Chen Yuan, who was still unfamiliar with Sword Flight, their return to the sect took quite some time.