"How amazing!"
Fang Chen stared at the sword in his hand. He knew it had to be a treasure.
He glanced around instinctively. Only when he saw no one nearby did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Could this be some peerless divine sword buried beneath the dust? If I claim it with a drop of blood, will it be mine?"
The thought sent a rush of excitement through Fang Chen. Deciding to try it, he pressed the index finger of his Left Hand against the Sword Edge and dragged it hard across the edge.
Slice!
His finger split open at once. Bright red blood welled out and was absorbed by the sword.
"It really absorbed it!"
Fang Chen's eyes lit up as he watched his blood vanish into the blade. His heart raced. He knew only spiritual treasures could absorb blood.
About ten breaths later—
Hum!
The sword shuddered violently, shaking off the dirt caked onto its Sword Body. Rust still covered it, though, leaving the metal pitted as if a dog had gnawed on it.
Spiritual energy rushed in from all around and flowed into the sword. Red lines appeared across its blade, spreading like the veins of leaves until they covered it entirely. When Fang Chen turned it over, he saw two ancient characters engraved on the Sword Body: "Floating Immortal."
The hilt grew hot in Fang Chen's hand. He tried to let go, but his palm seemed glued to it. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not shake it off.
"So hot! It's burning! Ah..."
Fang Chen wanted to scream in pain, but he was afraid the sound would draw someone over.
If someone heard him and came to snatch the sword, he would lose out badly.
Clenching his teeth, he endured the pain. The sword slowly turned red, then melted into a lump of liquid that seeped into his palm.
He stared at his palm. A tiny black sword lay there like a tattoo, marked with strange symbols and giving off a faint black glow.
After a few breaths, the sword mark slowly disappeared, but Fang Chen could still feel it.
"It's gone?"
To Fang Chen, what he had just seen was utterly astonishing.
The sword had gone into his body. How was he supposed to use it now?
Just then, his palm trembled. Black light flashed, and the Floating Immortal Sword appeared in his hand. It felt much lighter now—about ten pounds, a full ten times lighter than before.
"Huh? That's amazing!"
Fang Chen froze for a moment. He had not expected the Floating Immortal Sword to come out on its own, much less grow lighter.
"Back you go!"
At a thought, the Floating Immortal Sword vanished and returned to his palm.
"Come out!"
With another thought, the Floating Immortal Sword appeared again.
"Back you go! Come out!"
Fang Chen repeated the commands in his mind. The Floating Immortal Sword appeared, then vanished back into his palm.
"This feels great!"
Fang Chen stared at the Floating Immortal Sword in his hand and frowned. "But what exactly are you good for? You don't even have an old master's soul inside you."
The Floating Immortal Sword looked extraordinary, but he still had no spiritual root.
Without a spiritual root, he could not cultivate. Even with this sword in hand, his strength would not improve much.
"Forget it. I'll study it later. The Floating Immortal Sword looks sharp enough. Cutting Exquisite Bamboo with it should be easier!"
Fang Chen walked up to a stalk of Exquisite Bamboo and swung the Floating Immortal Sword down at it.
Crack!
The Floating Immortal Sword bit into the bamboo, leaving a deep gash.
Hum!
At the same time, Fang Chen felt a cool current enter his palm through the hilt and flow along his meridians throughout his body. It felt wonderfully soothing.
The current was faint and disappeared in barely a breath.
"What happened?"
Fang Chen narrowed his eyes and swung at the bamboo again.
Clang!
The Floating Immortal Sword chopped off another piece. The hilt trembled slightly, and another cool current flowed from his palm through his body.
Fang Chen kept swinging the Floating Immortal Sword, chopping at the Exquisite Bamboo again and again.
Cool currents flowed into him from the hilt without stopping.
The moment he stopped, the flow vanished.
Fang Chen stared at the Floating Immortal Sword and murmured, "Do I only get that mysterious current when I cut something? If so, I wonder whether cutting Stone will work."
He looked around and spotted a large Stone not far away.
It stood as tall as a person, covered in moss and weeds.
Floating Immortal Sword in hand, he walked over and struck the Stone.
Clang!
Sparks flew. A powerful recoil knocked the Floating Immortal Sword back, and Fang Chen felt a warm current enter his palm through the hilt and spread throughout his body. Warmth suffused him.
"It worked? But why was the current warm when I struck Stone?"
Fang Chen frowned, then swung his sword into the earth before him.
Hum!
The Floating Immortal Sword trembled slightly. A faint current entered his palm, much weaker than the one he had gained from striking Stone. It was neither cool nor warm.
"Even cutting the ground gives me something!"
Fang Chen's eyes lit up. He was now certain that as long as he cut something with the Floating Immortal Sword, he could absorb mysterious energy from it.
Each strike gave him only a little, but drops of water could fill a river. If he kept at it, that energy would build up day after day, and he would grow stronger.
He had no spiritual root. For now, this was the only way he could improve his strength.
He gazed at the Floating Immortal Sword, a glimmer in his eyes, and murmured, "I wonder what I'd gain by cutting Demonic Beasts—or people?"
Right then, Fang Chen genuinely wanted to find someone to try it on. Unfortunately, there was no one nearby.
Even if there had been, he would not have dared to attack them. He was still a weakling; charging in to cut someone would be courting death.
"I'd better stick to bamboo. That's safer!"
Fang Chen made up his mind. If he kept his head down and grew stronger, one day he could ride over immortals and trample sages.
Striking Stone brought him energy too, but it left him unbearably hot and drenched in sweat. The energy from cutting bamboo made him feel clearheaded and refreshed.
Besides, cutting bamboo earned him money. He could make one tael of silver per stalk—a fortune for Fang Chen.
An opportunity like this did not come along every day.
For now, cutting bamboo was his best choice.
Floating Immortal Sword in hand, he returned to the Exquisite Bamboo and resumed chopping.
Before you continue