Mid Qi Refining Stage

Su Fan, who had already despaired, suddenly found it hard to believe.

But Ye Tianhe added, "Those few sword moves you used that day had some skill to them. Let's spar for a bit later..."

Su Fan quickly nodded. He finally understood why Ye Tianhe was looking for him.

He's truly a Sword Maniac.

All he thought about day in and day out was practicing swordplay and killing people.

Ye Tianhe put down his wine cup, excitedly stood up, and pulled Su Fan out.

"Let's go... we can drink more later..."

Su Fan quickly grabbed him, smiling, "Senior, there's no rush. Let's drink first..."

After only a few drinks, Su Fan was pulled by Ye Tianhe into the courtyard.

Ye Tianhe didn't even draw his sword, standing with his hands behind his back in the courtyard.

"Use the swordplay and footwork from that day. Don't hold back, come on..."

Su Fan took out that broken sword from his Storage Bag, gripped the hilt with both hands, and was about to swing when he suddenly remembered something.

"Senior, you can't use a Flying Sword..."

What a joke. I saw the power of a Flying Sword that day.

If a Flying Sword was unleashed, this small courtyard might not exist anymore.

Hearing Su Fan's words, Ye Tianhe on the other side couldn't help but laugh and cry.

"I started learning the sword at seven. I swing my sword no less than ten thousand times a day. Do you think we Sword Cultivators can't fight without using Flying Swords?"

Su Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief. The thought arose, and his body already drifted diagonally towards Ye Tianhe.

Ye Tianhe's eyes lit up. To have practiced the Wind Riding Art to such a level was no simple feat.

As he was momentarily distracted, a flash of lightning suddenly appeared under Su Fan's feet, and his figure instantly vanished from his original spot.

The "Lightning Ghost Step" at the perfected realm was nothing like before. A distance of four to five meters was covered in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, Su Fan had already arrived beside Ye Tianhe and swung his greatsword fiercely.

"Tidal Slash..."

The Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes at the micro-observational realm had already formed a hint of an unstoppable aura.

Clang!

Ye Tianhe drew his long sword and casually slashed.

Su Fan directly felt an extremely dazzling sword light, like a bolt of lightning, blocking the sharpness of his Magic Sword.

Bang!

A tremendous force almost made Ye Tianhe's sword fly out of his hand, and his body retreated several steps.

He was stunned on the spot.

Where did this kid get so much strength? How heavy is that broken sword?

He had been tricked, but instead of being angry, he was even more excited.

Su Fan pressed his advantage, his feet flashing with lightning again, his figure instantly reappearing at the opponent's side as he swept his greatsword out.

"Limitless Slash..."

Clang!

An invisible sword intent easily deflected Su Fan's greatsword.

After all, he was a Sword Cultivator. Despite suffering a slight disadvantage just now, he regained the upper hand with a counter-slash.

Su Fan was not discouraged. His figure flickered out several meters again, appearing beside Ye Tianhe.

With his right foot as the pivot, he swung his greatsword in a circle and slashed horizontally again.

"Whirlwind Slash..."

The two exchanged blows in the courtyard, fighting dozens of rounds.

Su Fan knew clearly that only the first strike had held any real advantage.

After that, Ye Tianhe was purely using him to practice his sword.

He had grown up playing with swords, and every strike contained sword intent.

Facing the fierce and powerful Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes, he could easily resolve each one with a casual sword strike.

Su Fan also got fired up, and the Dao Seed within his body exploded.

Blazing, dazzling electric light instantly enveloped his Magic Sword, and he madly attacked Ye Tianhe.

Seeing the purple electric light on his Magic Sword, Ye Tianhe's eyes immediately lit up.

He swung his long sword, blocking Su Fan's Magic Sword.

A scorching current surged into his body, and his movements instantly froze.

"Not good..."

His spiritual power circulated rapidly through his meridians. He retreated more than a dozen steps in an instant, finally managing to expel the current from his body.

Su Fan finally seized a sliver of an opportunity, brandished his magic sword, and unleashed nine consecutive slashes.

But he still didn't seize the opportunity, as Ye Tianhe easily neutralized them with a few casual sword strikes.

There was no helping it; the two were two realms apart.

"I'm not fighting anymore, I'm not fighting..."

Su Fan panted heavily. He had unleashed over a hundred consecutive slashes just now, pouring his full strength into each one.

Even with his robust physique, he was starting to feel the strain.

Ye Tianhe chuckled, "Your physical body is well-honed. Aside from not using a flying sword, I've done my best."

"Your swordsmanship talent is excellent. If I had met you twenty years ago, I would have definitely brought you back to my sect."

Su Fan shook his head like a rattle drum upon hearing this.

Get real.

Sword Cultivators were all like lunatics, only knowing how to fight and kill day in and day out.

He would rather die than do that.

Ye Tianhe looked at him with a smile, saying meaningfully, "A Lightning Body Tempering path is rarely seen..."

Su Fan almost burst into tears. Do you think I want this?

"There's no choice; my aptitude isn't good..."

Ye Tianhe said with a half-smile, "It's a bit like the Demonic Sect's methods..."

Su Fan's face turned pale. Just as he was about to retort, he saw the other party wave his hand.

"The ancient Body Cultivation Path was divided into Immortal Sects and Demonic Sects. If we really go back, in the past, we Sword Cultivators were the Demonic Sect, haha..."

Su Fan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Current Sword Cultivators were even more ferocious than the Demonic Sect.

Ye Tianhe glanced at the battered sword in Su Fan's hand.

"Where did you get this sword?"

"I found it at a blacksmith's shop. It cost one Spirit Stone."

After speaking, Su Fan handed the sword to Ye Tianhe.

As a Sword Cultivator from a major sect, he was bound to be knowledgeable and might be able to help him identify it.

Ye Tianhe took the magic sword and, with a whoosh, almost dropped it on the ground.

He gripped the hilt with effort and laughed, "Good heavens, this must be two to three hundred pounds! What material is it made of..."

Seeing Su Fan shake his head, he held the magic sword with both hands, brought it closer, and examined it carefully.

After a long while, he shook his head and said, "I can't tell either. My master should know."

Su Fan almost laughed. Go find your master just for a broken sword? Forget it.

Ye Tianhe took out a jade slip from his storage bag and handed it to Su Fan.

"This is a sword art I accidentally obtained in a secret realm. Your sword dao talent is good, take it and study it. Although the sword techniques of ancient Body Cultivators are incredibly powerful, with your current cultivation, you won't be able to unleash much of their power."

Su Fan was surprised that Ye Tianhe would give him a sword art.

Are all Sword Cultivators this straightforward? We've only just met, and he's giving away a sword art just like that.

He took the jade slip and said sincerely, "Thank you, senior..."

Ye Tianhe waved his hand with a smile.

"This sword art is useless to me, but it might be of some use to you."

After Ye Tianhe left, Su Fan returned to his cultivation room.

He sat cross-legged on the cushion and lit an incense stick in the nearby censer.

This was Soul Calming Incense, and one stick cost one Spirit Stone.

It was made from several precious and rare spices, with the raw material being powder from Soul Nurturing Wood, a wood-attribute spiritual entity.

Soul Calming Incense could gather one's thoughts, nourish one's spiritual sense, and aid in cultivation.

Just now, while sparring with Ye Tianhe, he had vaguely sensed a breakthrough opportunity.

Su Fan popped a Yellow Spirit Pill into his mouth.

He cleared his mind, focused solely on his dantian, and entered a state of self-forgetfulness.

He circulated the Primordial Chaos Technique, and the "Spirit Gathering" magic array on the Immaculate Treasure Robe drew all the surrounding spiritual energy into his body.

Unknowingly, he became completely immersed in his practice. After an unknown amount of time, Su Fan regained consciousness.

A cold aura spread through his limbs and bones, as if every cell was stimulated by the chilling sensation.

His body trembled uncontrollably, every inch of flesh and blood exuding a sense of excitement.

"Broke through..."

Su Fan opened his status panel and let out a long sigh.

[Name] Su Fan
[Lifespan] 36/92 years
[Realm] Qi Refining Fourth Layer: 1/100
[Cultivation Methods]
1. Primordial Chaos Technique (Tier 1): 34/100
2. Body Tempering Art (Tier 2): 115/200
3. Demonic Saint Body Art (Tier 1): 100/100
4. Nether Demon Forging God Art (Tier 2): 13/200
[Spells]
1. Qi Gazing Art (Microscopic): 615/800
2. Light Body Art (Microscopic): 727/800
3. Spirit Concealment Art (Microscopic): 598/800
4. Xingyi Quan (Microscopic): 451/800
5. Void Spirit Art (Minor Accomplishment): 55/200
6. Corpse Control Technique (Minor Accomplishment): 47/200
7. Object Manipulation Technique (Minor Accomplishment): 99/200
8. Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes (Microscopic): 523/800
9. Spirit Possession Corpse Control Technique (Minor Accomplishment): 32/200
[Skills]
1. Green Lamp Talisman (Beginner): 65/100
2. Evil Warding Talisman (Great Accomplishment): 35/400
3. Water Repelling Talisman (Minor Accomplishment): 105/200
4. Armor Horse Talisman (Minor Accomplishment): 95/200
5. Arrow Repelling Talisman (Minor Accomplishment): 158/200
6. Muting Talisman (Minor Accomplishment): 110/200
[Spiritual Powers]
1. Lightning Eye Dharma Eye (Great Accomplishment): 35/400
2. Lightning Ghost Step (Great Accomplishment): 317/400

Su Fan had finally entered the Mid Qi Refining stage, no longer a low-level cultivator in the cultivation world.

At least in Shaoyang Market Town, among the many rogue cultivators, a Mid Qi Refining cultivation base was definitely considered middle-tier.

To put it this way, among the over ten thousand rogue cultivators near the market town, less than 30% might have reached the Mid stage, and less than 10% the Late stage.

The vast majority of rogue cultivators were still stuck in the Early Qi Refining stage; cultivators with white hair who were still in the early stages were a common sight.

After breaking through to the Mid stage, Su Fan's dantian had expanded significantly, and his spiritual energy had nearly doubled.

His eyes narrowed, and his divine sense quickly spread outwards, extending over sixty feet before stopping.

Everything within a two-hundred-meter radius was under his control.

The modifications from the Lightning Dao Body had greatly increased the lower limit of Su Fan's divine sense.

Coupled with the daily cultivation of the "Nether Demon Forging Divine Art," his divine sense had become even more condensed and pure.

Currently, Su Fan's divine sense strength was comparable to that of a Late Qi Refining cultivator.

The saying goes, everything else is bullshit, cultivation is the foundation.

It was now midnight.

Su Fan went to the small courtyard outside and took a deep breath.

The long march had finally taken its first step.

He took out the jade slip from Ye Tianhe and placed it against his forehead.

Transmission jade slips usually came from sects; unfortunate rogue cultivators didn't have such privileges.

This small jade slip, through object-to-spirit transmission, recorded the entire sword art's text and images.

A moment later, Su Fan put down the jade slip.

This sword art is called the "Purple Cloud Thunderous Sword Art." It allows one to control their sword with spiritual power, making it swift as lightning.

When cultivated to its peak, with a mere thought, the flying sword can shoot out, killing enemies thousands of miles away.

No wonder Ye Tianhe said it was useless to him; ordinary people simply can't practice it.

Perhaps he thought Su Fan could control lightning, which is why he gave him the sword art.

But how could he know that Su Fan himself was essentially a giant electric baton.

Moreover, cultivating this sword art has its prerequisites. One must possess a lightning-element flying sword and nurture it with lightning year-round.

Where would he find a lightning-element flying sword?

A sword cultivator's flying sword is completely different from ordinary magic tool flying swords.

Simply refining a five-element flying sword for a sword cultivator costs at least several times more than a magic tool flying sword.

Not to mention rare lightning-element flying swords; the refining materials alone are difficult to gather.

Furthermore, any exotic magic treasures like those of lightning, ice, or wind elements require highly experienced refining masters to forge.

Sects with long legacies, like the Ziyang Sword Sect, have their own Sword Tombs.

When disciples pass away, their flying swords return to the Sword Tomb, waiting for newly initiated disciples to choose.

He'd put it away for now; he couldn't practice it anyway.

For the next few days, Su Fan stayed at home consolidating his cultivation.

Su Fan's schedule was packed every day. He practiced the Primordial Chaos Technique twice, morning and evening, and the Shadow Demon Forging Divine Art once at night.

Both cultivation methods were fundamental to his practice, so they were non-negotiable.

During his other free time, he mostly practiced the Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes and Xingyi Quan, and between cultivation sessions, he'd brush up on various spells and spiritual powers.

In addition to these, he also had to set aside time for making talismans. He was almost never idle.

Despite this, after entering the Mid Qi Refining Stage, he had been considering whether to learn a few mid-grade spells.

Although his Light Body Art, Qi Gazing Art, and Spirit Concealment Art had all reached the Subtle realm, his starting point was too low. If he didn't experience mid-grade spells, he would always feel a sense of dissatisfaction.

After careful consideration, Su Fan decided to give it a try.

He would learn one mid-grade spell first and see how it went.

He chose the mid-grade "Wind Riding Art." It was essentially an upgraded version 2.0 of the Light Body Art, but its power was not just a little bit stronger.

Of course, casting the "Wind Riding Art" required significantly more spiritual energy, and learning it was also more difficult.

Su Fan didn't take it too seriously. How much harder could it be than calculus?

However, he underestimated the difficulty of mid-grade spells.

By noon the next day, he hadn't even grasped the basics.

Little did Su Fan know that the spell books he bought at the market town were all common, mass-produced items.

For talismans and spells, low-grade ones were fine, but for mid-grade and above, the information recorded in books became very vague, lacking any true transmission.

Sects and immortal cultivation families would set up halls for imparting techniques, with dedicated personnel responsible for teaching.

As a rogue cultivator, where could he find someone to teach him?

Su Fan could only rely on his own exploration, but after so much time, he hadn't even touched the doorstep.

Looking at the "Detailed Explanation of Mid-grade Spells" he bought at the market town, his liver ached with anger.

He had spent thirty Spirit Stones on this useless book, but it was of no help whatsoever.

This was too much of a bullying.

"Damn it, I'm not learning anymore..."

Su Fan was so angry he wanted to throw the book away. Before he could, a person suddenly appeared before him.

He was startled and was about to draw his sword when he realized it was Ye Tianhe.

"Senior..."

Ye Tianhe nodded, ignored him, and walked straight towards the house.

"It's fine, you do your thing, I'll just sit here for a bit..."

Su Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. You're really making yourself at home.

"Please, Senior, make yourself comfortable..."

Ye Tianhe didn't turn around, just waved his hand.

"What's for lunch? That demonic beast meat last time was good, do you still have some..."

What else could Su Fan say? He didn't know whose house this really was.

"Yes, I'll steam some later..."

Ye Tianhe nodded with satisfaction and turned around as he entered the house.

"Oh right, what are you doing?"

"Uh... learning a spell..."

"Aren't you a Talisman Master? Why are you learning that? You'd be better off practicing your sword with that time..."

A spark of inspiration flashed in Su Fan's mind, and he quickly asked, "Senior, you know the Wind Riding Art, right...?"

Ye Tianhe nodded, asking in confusion, "Didn't you already learn the Wind Riding Art? I saw you use it last time."

"Senior, what I used last time was the Light Body Art..."

"What..."

Ye Tianhe stared at Su Fan, completely bewildered.

"Do it again..."

Su Fan nodded. With a thought, he moved like a piece of paper, seemingly blown by the wind and floating up.

With a "swish," he was on top of the courtyard wall opposite.

Ye Tianhe was even more confused. What the hell...

You call this the Light Body Art?

After a long while, he finally recovered.

"Alright, if you say so..."

So what if it's faster? Can it be faster than my sword?

Ye Tianhe walked over, took the "Detailed Explanation of Mid-grade Spells" from Su Fan, and flipped through it casually.

Then he looked up, frowning, and asked, "Where did you buy this book?"

"Uh... at the market town..."

Ye Tianhe smiled and shook his head, then with a "swish," he tore the book in half.

You bastard...

Su Fan's eyes turned red. That was thirty Spirit Stones.

Can Sword Cultivators do whatever they want?

If I could beat you, I would have killed you with a sword long ago.

Before he could get angry, Ye Tianhe took out a jade slip from his Storage Bag and casually tossed it to him.

"Stop reading those trash books, they'll mislead you..."

After saying that, he glanced at Su Fan with disdain and turned to go inside.

For low-level spell jade slips like this, you could find them anywhere in a small sect, lying on the ground, and no one would pick them up.

Even so, sects strictly prohibited these things from entering the market town.

Of course, Sword Cultivators were an exception.

They had always disdained Talismans, spells, and the like.