Flowing Cloud Sword Technique

After reaching the summit, Fang Chen set down the water jug, summoned the Floating Immortal Sword, and walked over to the great boulder. He brought his sword down on it.

Clang!

Sparks flew. The Floating Immortal Sword left a shallow mark on the Giant Stone, and a domineering current surged from its hilt into his palm, then swept through his entire body.

"No problem!"

A faint smile touched Fang Chen's lips. Instead of striking again, he began clearing the Moss from the boulder. It covered the carved writing, and he could not read a word until he removed it.

It took Fang Chen a full One Hour to clear all the moss from the boulder.

"Finally done!"

Fang Chen stood before the Giant Stone and looked up at the writing carved into it. It contained the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, complete with cultivation Incantations and sword moves. The one who had carved it was True Monarch Liuyun.

"A legacy left by a True Lord!"

Fang Chen was startled. A True Lord was a powerful cultivator of the Spirit Transformation Realm.

In the Barbaric Realm, above the Qi Refining Realm came Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Spirit Transformation...

Nascent Soul Cultivators were called True Persons.

Cultivators of the Spirit Transformation Realm, meanwhile, were called True Lords.

In the Glazed Sword Sect, most of the current Elders were in the Nascent Soul Realm, while the masters of the various peaks were in the Spirit Transformation Realm. Only the sect master and the Supreme Elders had reached the Void Integration Realm.

The sword technique carved into the stone before him had been left by True Monarch Liuyun. It had to be extraordinary.

Excitement rose in Fang Chen. He had thought the technique on the stone was nothing special. He had never expected it to come from a True Lord.

The sword technique on the stone ran to over two thousand characters, without a single mark to separate them. Fang Chen, like anyone else who read it, had to decide for himself where each phrase ended before he could begin to work out its meaning.

"This sword technique looks powerful. If I can learn it, I'll definitely beat Zhang Tielin!"

Fang Chen studied the carved characters, then began swinging the Floating Immortal Sword at the stone. Waves of domineering energy poured from the sword into his body. When that energy reached his mind, his spirits surged.

Fang Chen knew that the Spiritual Power flowing into him from the Floating Immortal Sword could temper his flesh and make his body stronger. It could also be refined into True Qi, thickening the True Qi within him, and it could strengthen his soul.

Spiritual Sense was a special kind of perception rooted in the soul. The stronger the soul, the stronger the Spiritual Sense.

Under the effect of the domineering energy, Fang Chen felt a hundred times more alert. His thoughts quickened, and he could remember almost anything he saw. Soon, he had memorized the entire technique on the boulder.

Once he had committed it to memory, Fang Chen kept striking the boulder with the Floating Immortal Sword. Aided by the domineering energy pouring into his body, he circulated the Glazed Qi Refining Art while working through the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique in his mind.

Clang... clang... clang...

A loud bell rang out.

The Outer Sect Disciples living on the various mountains around Azure Cloud Peak emerged from their quarters and rushed toward the summits as fast as they could. Today was the Azure Cloud Sect's Spirit Gathering Day.

Spirit Gathering Day was when the Spirit Gathering Arrays atop the mountains of the inner and outer sects were activated.

The Spirit Gathering Arrays opened once a month, for One Hour each time.

While a Formation was active, Spiritual Qi filled it. Cultivating or studying a technique inside would bring twice the results with half the effort.

Neither Inner Disciples nor Outer Sect Disciples would pass up such an opportunity.

That included Zhang Tielin, who had been injured fighting Li Yanshan yesterday.

Although Zhang Tielin had taken a Healing Pill after returning from Dog Head Ridge, his wounds had not fully healed. The pill he had taken was not high-grade, after all; those were too expensive.

Supported by his two lackeys, Zhang Tielin reached the summit of Golden Bull Ridge.

Many people had already arrived. They stood inside the Spirit Gathering Array.

Raised Stone Platforms filled the Formation, each carved with numerous Formation Runes and meant for the disciples to sit on while cultivating. The closer a Stone Platform was to the center, the better its cultivation effects.

For that reason, disciples in both the inner and outer sects held challenges before the Spirit Gathering Arrays opened. A disciple with a lower-ranked platform could challenge the one above him. If he won, he claimed the better position.

A disciple could challenge only the person in the adjacent position. Someone in tenth place, for example, could challenge ninth place, but not skip ahead to challenge Number Eight.

"What happened to Zhang Tielin? He looks hurt."

"How did he get injured?"

"I heard his younger brother in the menial workers' district was killed by a good-for-nothing with no Spiritual Root. That good-for-nothing became an Outer Sect Disciple, but none of the mountains would take him, so he ended up at Dog Head Ridge. Zhang Tielin went there yesterday to avenge his brother, only to get beaten up by Li the Half-Blind!"

"Li the Half-Blind from Dog Head Ridge is that strong? Strong enough to hurt Zhang Tielin?"

"Hmph. Li the Half-Blind is ruthless. A barefoot man doesn't fear someone in shoes, and he fights like he has nothing to lose. It's no surprise he hurt Zhang Tielin!"

"So that's what happened. With Zhang Tielin injured, he won't be able to hold on to his position today!"

"Right. Liu Sanqiang definitely won't let this chance pass him by!"

The disciples around the Spirit Gathering Array talked among themselves.

As soon as Zhang Tielin appeared, Liu Sanqiang challenged him.

Liu Sanqiang held the thirtieth Stone Platform, while Zhang Tielin held the twenty-ninth.

Zhang Tielin conceded at once. He knew that in his current condition, he could not beat Liu Sanqiang, so there was no point fighting him.

"Hahaha! Thank you, Senior Brother Zhang Tielin!"

Liu Sanqiang could not help laughing when Zhang Tielin conceded. He gave him a slight fist salute.

"Bastard!"

Zhang Tielin gritted his teeth in fury, his hatred for Fang Chen deepening. If Fang Chen had not killed his brother, he would never have gone to Dog Head Ridge for revenge or been injured. He poured all his anger onto Fang Chen.

His younger brother had been killed. If Zhang Tielin did not avenge him, the other Outer Sect Disciples would laugh at him. That was why he had gone after Fang Chen the moment he heard the news. He had never expected Li Yanshan to protect Fang Chen with his life and end up injuring him.

The others began issuing challenges as well.

The Spirit Gathering Array would not open until noon, but everyone without special permission had to reach the summit Two Hours before it opened.

That gave them plenty of time to challenge one another.

Meanwhile, Fang Chen kept hacking at the Giant Stone with the Floating Immortal Sword, working through the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique in his mind.

The Spirit Gathering Array at Dog Head Ridge had long since been destroyed, so it could no longer gather Spiritual Qi.

Two Hours passed. Fang Chen spent the entire time working through the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, but he still had not found a way to make sense of it.

He frowned and sighed. "This Flowing Cloud Sword Technique is far too difficult. It doesn't even mark where the phrases end. More than two thousand characters could be arranged in countless ways. How long am I going to be at this?"

Though he had made no headway with the technique, Fang Chen had absorbed a great deal of domineering energy over those Two Hours. His physical strength had grown considerably, and his True Qi had increased as well. It had been time well spent.

Just then, the Spirit Gathering Arrays on the various mountains activated. Spiritual Qi from the surrounding area rushed toward them.

Buzz, buzz, buzz...

Fang Chen saw the stone before him begin to tremble. Azure Runes appeared across its surface, and a sharp Sword Intent radiated from it.