Demonstrating the Sword Technique

Crack! Clatter!

Loose stones were still raining down the mountain.

Li Yanshan stared at the boulder blocking the road. His expression shifted slightly. "That looks like the Stone from the summit!"

"Let's take a look!"

Leaning on his cane, Elder Yun slowly walked toward the boulder. Li Yanshan followed him.

Up close, Elder Yun and Li Yanshan were certain it was the boulder on the summit that bore True Monarch Liuyun's sword technique inheritance. But only half of it was there.

Elder Yun frowned. "The other half must have fallen into the pool just now. Why would the Stone suddenly split for no reason? And how did it fall down the mountain?"

Li Yanshan thought for a moment. "Could that kid Fang Chen have done it?"

Elder Yun snorted. "You think that kid could split this Stone?"

Li Yanshan shook his head. Forget Fang Chen—even he lacked the strength to split it.

Elder Yun said to Li Yanshan, "Go up the mountain and find out what happened!"

"All right!"

Li Yanshan nodded and prepared to head up for a closer look.

Just then, he spotted a figure racing down the mountain. "It's that kid Fang Chen!"

Elder Yun looked up at Fang Chen, his gaze sharpening. "That kid's steps are light and nimble, and he's fast. His mastery of the Misty Turtle Step has surpassed both yours and mine!"

"Mm."

Li Yanshan nodded. He had known that for some time.

A short while later, Fang Chen reached the foot of the mountain. Seeing the soaked ground and fish flopping everywhere, he looked startled. "Uncle Li, Elder Yun, why are there so many fish on the ground?"

Li Yanshan's face darkened. "I was about to ask you! A huge boulder just fell into the pool below and sent these fish flying. If Elder Yun and I hadn't reacted quickly, the Stone would have crushed us to death!"

Elder Yun looked at Fang Chen. "Fang Chen, what exactly happened?"

Rather than answer directly, Fang Chen picked up a branch from the ground. "Uncle Li, Elder Yun, watch!"

With that, Fang Chen gripped the branch and began demonstrating the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique before them.

He performed the entire technique as smoothly as drifting clouds and flowing water, leaving Li Yanshan and Elder Yun staring in amazement.

"What sword technique is that?"

Li Yanshan stared at Fang Chen in disbelief. Fang Chen had used no True Qi while performing the technique, yet they could both see its tremendous power.

"It's the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique!" Fang Chen replied at once.

"The Flowing Cloud Sword Technique?"

Li Yanshan and Elder Yun widened their eyes. They knew the inheritance on the summit's Stone had been left by True Monarch Liuyun, which was why everyone called its sword technique the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique.

But neither of them could understand the sword manual carved into the stone, so neither knew what the real Flowing Cloud Sword Technique looked like in practice.

The technique Fang Chen had just performed was graceful and nimble, like drifting clouds and flowing water. Yet it concealed killing intent and held tremendous power. If Fang Chen said it was the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, he was probably right.

Nearly every Outer Sect Disciple on Azure Cloud Peak knew that a True Lord had left a sword technique inheritance on Dog Head Ridge.

Dog Head Ridge had once been one of Azure Cloud Peak's main inner sect peaks because of that True Lord's inheritance. But for thousands of years, no one had succeeded in mastering the sword technique. Its spiritual vein had also dried up, reducing the former main peak to its present state—beneath even an ordinary outer sect hill.

Now, at last, someone had mastered the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. And that person was a kid without a Spiritual Root.

Li Yanshan and Elder Yun could hardly believe what they had seen.

Only after a long while did they recover. Elder Yun asked Fang Chen, "What happened to the Stone?"

Fang Chen thought for a moment. "While I was training on the summit, mysterious green Runes suddenly appeared on the Stone's surface. Then the surrounding Spiritual Qi gathered around it, and the Stone suddenly split apart..."

Fang Chen left out the part where he had struck the Stone with the Floating Immortal Sword.

Li Yanshan and Elder Yun both frowned. To them, the whole affair was far too bizarre.

But considering Fang Chen had even mastered the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, perhaps there was nothing to be surprised about.

Li Yanshan looked at Fang Chen strangely. In his eyes, the kid was a monster. Only yesterday, Fang Chen had brought the Misty Turtle Step to the great mastery realm; today, he had mastered the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique. If he had not seen it himself, he would never have believed it—not even if someone beat him to death.

What a shame he has no Spiritual Root!

Li Yanshan thought this to himself. Fang Chen's comprehension defied the heavens, but his lack of a Spiritual Root was a fatal weakness. It meant his cultivation would advance very slowly.

Just then, five streaks of Rainbow Light whistled toward Dog Head Ridge. They were five disciples from the Enforcement Hall, traveling by Sword Flight.

They had been patrolling nearby when they heard a tremendous commotion from Dog Head Ridge, so they had rushed over to investigate.

The five Enforcement Hall disciples froze at the sight of the boulder lying across the road. Their patrol captain immediately asked Elder Yun and Li Yanshan, "What happened here?"

"We don't know either," Elder Yun said. "The Stone fell from the summit just now. One piece landed on the road, and the other fell into the pool!"

As he spoke, Elder Yun pointed toward the large pool beneath the Great Elm Tree.

The Enforcement Hall captain's face darkened. "Go check it," he told his men.

"Yes!"

The four disciples nodded. Two walked toward the boulder on the road, while the other two went to the pool. There, they spotted the other chunk of Stone, only a third of it protruding above the surface. The water was murky, and many fish inside it were floating belly-up.

They did not enter the water. After glancing at the Stone from the pool's edge, they left.

The other two Enforcement Hall disciples circled the boulder on the road, then returned to their captain and reported what they had seen.

The Enforcement Hall captain kept a grim face. "Let's take a look at the summit."

With that, he flew toward the summit on his sword. His four men immediately followed on theirs.