Dragon Steed Sword Qi

"Junior Sister Qiu Jin'er might never come here again."

Zhong Yue's soul bathed in lightning as he toyed with the Sword Token, sensing the vast, surging sword intent within it. Thinking of that bright and sunny girl, he felt somewhat dispirited and mused, "I don't even know where she lives, so there's nowhere I can go to find her. I'll have to wait until I become a qi refiner, enter the Inner Court of Sword Gate, and return this Sword Token to her."

Sword Gate's requirements for Inner Court disciples were extremely high. One had to comprehend the Spiritual Body and become a qi refiner. Though there were many disciples in the Upper Court, only a handful could probably enter the Inner Court each year.

This was an enormous threshold, separating ordinary people from qi refiners. Outside the gate were mortals; inside were qi refiners possessed of divine abilities.

"The sword intent within this Sword Token isn't bad. It should be an extremely profound technique from Sword Gate."

The Kindling Child awoke. A tiny flame leaped out of the Dragon Scale Sword. It was about as tall as Zhong Yue, who stood atop the Dragon Scale Sword bathing in lightning; both were little figures only an inch tall.

The two tiny fellows sat together. Looking at the enormous Sword Token before him and sensing its sword intent, Kindling praised, "The sword intent within the Sword Token is extremely profound. The Sword Pattern contains a deep and abstruse technique. I'm afraid it's beyond your ability to fully comprehend right now."

Zhong Yue's soul transformed into Suihuang's dragon-headed, human-bodied, dragon-tailed form. Sitting cross-legged, he bathed in lightning to temper his soul and nodded. "I sensed the technique hidden within this Sword Pattern too, but it's a technique only qi refiners can cultivate. I truly can't figure it out."

"Can Sword Gate's qi refiners fully comprehend this Sword Pattern?"

Kindling was startled. "Comprehending the technique hidden within a Sword Pattern requires tremendous wisdom. Even a naturally formed Spiritual Body could comprehend at most forty or fifty percent. It seems Sword Gate truly has many exceptionally gifted qi refiners!"

Zhong Yue was somewhat bewildered and muttered, "Didn't Junior Sister Qiu Jin'er say that most qi refiners know this Geng Jin Sword Qi? Why does Kindling describe it as so difficult to comprehend?"

He puzzled over it endlessly, unaware that the Geng Jin Sword Qi Qiu Jin'er had mentioned referred only to the thirty-six types of totem patterns within the Sword Token, not the Sword Pattern itself.

"This sword technique is called Geng Jin Sword Qi? Why give it such an inappropriate name?"

Kindling was baffled. Studying the technique contained within the Sword Pattern, he instructed Zhong Yue, "A technique consists of skill and method. Skill is the inside—the way of cultivation. Method is the outside—the divine ability, the transformation of cultivation into power. That's why it's called a method gate! What is a method gate? Why is there a 'gate' in the name?"

Zhong Yue's heart stirred at those words. "A gate is a portal! What the human body contains is cultivation. To transform cultivation into a divine ability, into power and might, one needs a portal through which to release it. Thus it's called a method gate!"

Kindling nodded approvingly. "Exactly. Your Sword Gate's name conceals profound mysteries, but few of Sword Gate's qi refiners can comprehend this point. They blindly learn the sword without understanding its principles. This Sword Pattern is a cultivation technique. Skill requires a Spiritual Body to cultivate, while the method is simpler: combine the Sword Pattern with other totem patterns and it can be cultivated. It can change in myriad ways, as free and effortless as one wishes, and once unleashed, no one can tell the technique's true form. Strange... Is this really a technique that every Sword Gate qi refiner possesses?"

Even he, with his vast knowledge and having lived from the Fire Epoch Suihuang era until now, could not help feeling puzzled.

Zhong Yue was somewhat disappointed. "If I don't form a Spiritual Body, I can't cultivate it?"

"Only after forming a Spiritual Body can you refine the essence of this sword qi, drawing energy from all things under heaven and earth to forge it. But that's the path ordinary qi refiners take to cultivate this sword qi!"

Kindling sat on the sword's edge, swinging his legs back and forth with great smugness. "The Kindling inheritor has no such restrictions. Though you aren't a proper Kindling inheritor, I still need to rely on you to find the pure-blooded Fuxi Divine Clan. If your abilities are too weak, won't it be my reputation that suffers? I'll display the mysteries of this Sword Pattern for you, so you can first understand them."

A curtain of light shot from the big-headed little flame's eyes, like a grand screen slowly drawing open, illuminating every detail of the Sword Pattern on the Sword Token.

The Divine Eye opened between the brows of Zhong Yue's soul and looked toward the Sword Pattern. This Divine Eye could appear only when his soul had transformed into Suihuang's form. Zhong Yue discovered that when he used this eye to look at things, everything became clearer, as if it could see through illusion and reveal reality.

It was through the third Divine Eye of his soul that he saw the only Sword Pattern totem on the Sword Token.

The Sword Pattern's lines grew clearer and clearer. From a distance, it looked like a Sword Gate—a sword-shaped portal—with sword qi inside.

The portal grew larger and taller, becoming increasingly imposing.

Numerous dragon-like and serpent-like patterns suddenly appeared across the portal. These were the totem patterns contained within the Sword Pattern!

The Sword Pattern itself was a totem pattern. No one had expected this totem pattern to be so complex, constructed from countless other totem patterns!

Zhong Yue studied it closely. He saw countless totem patterns that looked like great dragons and giant pythons coiling around the gateposts. Uneven, twisting, and winding, they appeared ancient and magnificent, shaking the soul!

Gradually, the Sword Gate before him reached a hundred zhang in height, while Zhong Yue became as tiny as a flame, only an inch tall. The hundred-zhang portal already seemed ten thousand zhang high in his eyes, yet even at that height, the totem patterns on it remained extraordinarily complex!

The actual structure of this totem pattern was so complicated it was utterly hair-raising!

"Even a totem pattern this complex is still several times simpler than visualizing Suihuang."

Zhong Yue examined the Sword Gate without the slightest thought of backing down. He had already witnessed a technique so complex it defied imagination—the Fire Epoch Palace Suihuang Visualization that Kindling had taught him!

The Fire Epoch Palace Suihuang Visualization was truly complex, truly vast as a sea of smoke, truly beyond imagination!

Though he had roughly visualized the Fire Epoch Palace Suihuang Visualization, he still could not visualize the finer totem patterns that composed the Fire Tree, Fire Epoch Palace, and Suihuang.

To fully visualize the Fire Epoch Palace Suihuang was an incomparably vast undertaking, far surpassing this Sword Gate, and it required an incredibly powerful spirit to accomplish.

Zhong Yue's spirit had now transformed into a three-thousand-mu sea of consciousness. Even if he released all his spiritual power, he estimated he could visualize only one finger of Suihuang in his complete form!

"Actually, the foundation of this... well, this Geng Jin Sword Qi is also visualization."

Kindling harbored deep resentment toward the name "Geng Jin Sword Qi," believing it utterly ruined the technique, and said with some reluctance, "It involves nurturing a Sword Gate in the sea of consciousness and nourishing sword qi. But it doesn't rely entirely on spiritual power to nourish the sword qi; it relies on the energy of all things under heaven and earth. If you possess a Spiritual Body, you can refine metal qi from metal and iron, wood qi from trees and forests, water qi from rivers and lakes, and fire qi from volcanoes and the sun, transforming them into your own sword qi. It's far more than mere Geng Jin Sword Qi. But you haven't formed a Spiritual Body yet, so you still can't refine sword qi from all things under heaven and earth."

"Extract sword qi from all things under heaven and earth?"

Zhong Yue could not help yearning for it. Deeply impressed by Sword Gate's qi refiners, he said, "A technique possessed by everyone is already so marvelous and unfathomable. Sword Gate's legacy is truly powerful. Kindling, is it really impossible to cultivate without forming a Spiritual Body?"

Kindling was smug. "You can't refine sword qi from all things under heaven and earth right now, but you have Beast God Essence. The Beast God Essence has already been refined by the Beast God. You only need to control it to refine Beast Sword Qi."

"Beast Sword Qi? What kind of strange name is that?"

"It's actually sword qi in the form of a Dragon Steed."

Kindling thought for a moment. "Beast Sword Qi does sound unpleasant. Why not call it Dragon Steed Sword Qi? You can use the essence within the Beast God's inner core to refine Dragon Steed Sword Qi. For now, study this Sword Gate carefully. Once you've perfected it, draw Beast God Essence from the Beast God's inner core and fill the Sword Gate with it."

Zhong Yue blinked. "Kindling, is there anything I need to be careful about?"

"No. Relax and cultivate boldly. I guarantee there won't be the slightest danger..."

A moment later, Zhong Yue's soul was invaded by the ferocious Beast God Essence. It transformed into a Dragon Steed standing amid the lightning, blasted black by thunderbolts, and glared furiously at the little flame on the sword.

"Well, there might be a tiny bit of danger."

Kindling spoke somewhat guiltily. "But it's not that dangerous. Just be careful."

Zhong Yue spent half a day refining the excess Beast God Essence before his soul recovered to Suihuang's form. Using his spiritual power, he constructed the Sword Gate and cautiously drew Beast God Essence into it, refining it within.

More than ten days later, he finally refined the Dragon Steed Sword Qi. This Dragon Steed Sword Qi was five chi long and shaped like a flying, charging Dragon Steed. It was incomparably sharp and filled with a beastly killing intent as vast as a sea of blood!

Once the Dragon Steed Sword Qi emerged, even the air seemed about to burn, turning scarlet as fire!

With a thought, Zhong Yue summoned the Dragon Scale Sword and struck it against the Dragon Steed Sword Qi. With a sharp hiss, the Dragon Steed Sword Qi was severed by the Dragon Scale Sword, and he could not help frowning.

"Where would it be so easy to surpass a soul weapon after only a dozen days?"

With another thought from Zhong Yue, the Dragon Steed Sword Qi, split into two, reformed itself. He mused, "The Dragon Scale Sword was forged from Mysterious Iron and Mysterious Gold, and among Upper Court disciples' soul weapons, it's considered top-grade. If Dragon Steed Sword Qi could sever the Dragon Scale Sword after only ten days of cultivation, that would be absurd. But Dragon Steed Sword Qi has an advantage over soul weapons: it doesn't require a Soul Sacrifice. Even if the sword qi is destroyed, I won't suffer much harm."

He pointed a finger, and the Dragon Steed Sword Qi fell into the sword case. With a slight hook of his finger, the Dragon Steed Sword Qi flew out again and entered his brow, continuing to absorb Beast God Essence as it grew stronger and more stable.

This sword qi improved day and night, while the totem patterns composing the Sword Gate grew clearer and tougher by the day. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Dragon Steed Sword Qi surpassed the Dragon Scale Sword.

"The year-end Unrestricted Duel is coming soon. I wonder how powerful my Dragon Steed Sword Qi can become before the Unrestricted Duel?" Zhong Yue thought.

Suddenly, the Kindling Child leaped up and clapped his hands. "I've thought of a great name! From now on, Geng Jin Sword Qi doesn't need to be called Geng Jin Sword Qi anymore. The sword qi formed by this technique can change in myriad ways, refining the essence of all things under heaven and earth into sword qi. It shall be called Great Freedom Sword Qi!"

"Great Freedom Sword Qi?"

Zhong Yue was stunned for a moment and suggested, "Wouldn't Great Sword Qi of Freedom sound better?"

"It shall be called Great Freedom Sword Qi—it has more grandeur! With a wave of your hand, sword qi as massive as mountains comes crashing down. Tell me, is that impressive or not?"

----On May Day, while everyone else is on holiday, House Pig is still laboring away at his writing, tears streaming down his face. Brothers, don't only play and read novels—remember to cast your recommendation votes too!