Wind-Swept Flowing Cloud Sword

Dawn light was faint, the mist not yet dispersed.

In Su Yu's courtyard, sword light flowed like a ribbon, refracting brilliant radiance under the rising sun.

Cloud Rise!

With a soft shout, the blade traced a perfect arc.

The air in the courtyard suddenly stagnated, and a nearly tangible Wind Wall took shape three feet around Su Yu.

This Wind Wall was several times more solid than ten days ago, with faint cloud currents swirling within it, easily deflecting falling leaves.

The sword momentum didn't end; the second form followed in succession.

Thirteen Sword Shadows, real and illusory, interwove in the air like layered clouds, dazzling the eye.

Most astonishingly, three clear cloud patterns materialized in the void at the peak of the sword's momentum, lingering long without fading.

This was the mark of the Flowing Cloud Sword Style's Lesser Accomplishment—the manifestation of cloud patterns!

As he sheathed the sword, the third form erupted abruptly.

A condensed Sword Qi shot through the air, blasting a bowl-sized crater into the Sword Testing Stone ten paces away, sending gravel flying.

The power of this strike was several times greater than when he first learned it.

Still not enough... Su Yu lightly stroked the blade, his brow slightly furrowed.

Five days ago, he had already broken through to Lesser Accomplishment, but true Great Accomplishment was still a distance away.

The sword manual recorded that only reaching the realm of Nine Clouds Manifestation counted as Great Accomplishment.

Sheathing the longsword, Su Yu looked toward the rising sun.

For ten days, he had practiced swordsmanship by day and cultivated the Qi Nurturing Technique by night. Though his cultivation hadn't broken through, it had improved considerably.

The Ancient Sword lay quietly in his Sea of Consciousness; he hadn't used it for several days.

External power is, after all, external power. Su Yu muttered to himself.

These days of bitter training had made him understand more clearly that the true path of a strong person must be walked step by step on one's own.

Though Beast Cores could rapidly boost cultivation, they were ultimately less solid than spiritual power gained through one's own practice.

With that thought, he decided to return the sword manual first.

After all, the Su Family's rules forbade long-term borrowing of high-tier martial arts.

Uncle.

In the family head's courtyard, Su Tianheng was reviewing clan affairs. Seeing Su Yu arrive, he set down his bamboo slips.

Yu'er? Here so early—have you encountered a problem in your training? Su Tianheng asked kindly, his gaze sweeping over the sword manual in Su Yu's hand, already guessing its purpose.

I've memorized the Flowing Cloud Sword Style, so I've come to return it. Su Yu respectfully handed over the manual.

Su Tianheng paused briefly, then showed a knowing smile: Human-grade Mid-tier sword techniques are indeed not easy. You've trained for a short time—don't be discouraged!

After speaking, seeing Su Yu calm and composed, not looking discouraged, Su Tianheng felt somewhat relieved.

The path of cultivation values steady progress. Su Tianheng stood and patted Su Yu on the shoulder.

Su Yu smiled without answering.

How has Su Yan been lately? Su Yu changed the subject.

That kid got some kind of inspiration and locked himself in the training room for seven days and nights. Su Tianheng shook his head with a wry smile.

Meals have to be delivered to his door.

Su Yu's lips curled slightly: Maybe with the Grand Tournament approaching, Little Yan'er wants to win glory for the family.

Another ten days passed. The ground of Su Yu's courtyard was covered with crisscrossing sword scars.

Su Yu stood still in the yard, the Azure Edge Sword in his hand gleaming coldly under the morning light.

This Human-grade Low-tier longsword had been collected from the family armory five days ago—its blade long, its edge like frost.

Remembering how the iron sword that had accompanied him for so long had shattered under the strain of practicing the Flowing Cloud Sword Style, Su Yu couldn't help but gently stroke the blade.

Zheng—

The sword let out a clear, resonant hum, as if responding to its master's touch.

Unlike the previous common iron, this Azure Edge Sword could perfectly bear his current Sword Qi, leaving no worries when wielding it.

Over these ten days, the Qi Gathering Pills rewarded from the family Grand Tournament had been exhausted. Though the training speed had only increased by about Thirty Percent, the foundation was solid.

Still one thread short...

Su Yu stared at the blade. The Flowing Cloud Sword Style he had just performed could already manifest eight cloud patterns—only one step away from Great Accomplishment.

But it was this final layer of window paper that, no matter how hard he trained, he couldn't pierce.

Sheathing the sword, he looked up at the sky, trying to find inspiration from nature.

The clouds in the sky shifted and gathered, then scattered.

Su Yu's gaze gradually froze, and in his Sea of Consciousness, it was as if a thunderclap had exploded.

I see!

The essence of the Flowing Cloud Sword Style lies not in its form, but in its artistic conception.

My past training was too rigidly bound to the moves, and I lost the true meaning of the sword art.

The Azure Edge Sword left its sheath once more. This time, Su Yu's sword techniques had completely changed.

His sword momentum was no longer stiff and mechanical, but as natural and effortless as flowing clouds and water.

As the stance unfolded, the Qi wall condensed solid, like stacked cotton wool.

As it cycled, eighteen Sword Shadows flickered between reality and illusion, and finally nine cloud patterns bloomed in the air, lingering long without dispersing.

The final move was earth-shattering—a bluestone twenty paces away shattered on impact, and the rising dust hung in the air for a long time.

The Flowing Cloud Sword Style was finally perfected. Su Yu let out a long breath, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.

But this wasn't enough. In the next ten days, he would merge the Gale Sword Momentum into it and create his own killing move.

Time flew like a white colt passing a crack.

Over those ten days, Su Yu's courtyard sometimes howled with gale winds, sometimes swirled with cloud vapor.

After ten consecutive days of bitter training, Su Yu's courtyard was utterly transformed.

The bluestone ground was covered in sword scars of varying depths; some marks were an inch deep, with fine Wind Blade cuts still lingering at the edges.

Half the branches and leaves of the old locust tree in the corner had withered—collateral damage from uncontrolled Sword Qi.

On the evening of the seventh day, Su Yu stood holding his sword, his body drenched in sweat.

His left hand formed a sword seal, his right hand held the longsword pointing diagonally at the ground, the tip trembling slightly.

Suddenly, a fierce wind burst from the sword's edge, sweeping up all the fallen leaves in the courtyard.

Then the Flowing Cloud Sword momentum unfolded, and those leaves actually coalesced into cloud patterns in the air, lingering for a long time.

Still not quite there... Su Yu frowned.

Though these two forces coexisted, they could never truly merge. Like two parallel streams—seemingly harmonious, but in truth clearly divided.

Late on the ninth night!

A sudden torrential rainstorm swept over Skywind City, yet Su Yu continued practicing his sword in the courtyard.

The rain soaked his robes, but it sharpened his perception.

By the light of a lightning flash, he suddenly noticed a wondrous phenomenon.

The clouds in the storm weren't static—they were constantly shifting forms, swept along by the gale, yet still retaining their essence as clouds.

I see!

It wasn't about making two forces coexist, but like the clouds in this wind and rain—using the wind as momentum and the clouds as form!

He immediately adjusted his sword path, no longer deliberately distinguishing between the Gale Sword Momentum and the Flowing Cloud Sword Style.

When the sword move began, it was like clouds rolling; when it shifted momentum, it carried the violent ferocity of the gale.

Gradually, strange air currents began to appear around the sword's edge, sometimes raging like tornadoes, sometimes churning like a sea of clouds.

Finally, when a Sword Qi wrapped in the momentum of wind and clouds shot into the sky—

This sword strike possessed both the unpredictable changes of flowing clouds and the sharp, domineering force of the gale. Its power was more than double that of the pure Flowing Cloud Sword Style!

Su Yu sheathed his sword and stood, watching the slowly dissipating cloud vortex in the sky. A smile curled at the corners of his mouth. "Wind and cloud complement each other, flowing and transforming... I'll call it the Wind-Swept Flowing Cloud Sword."

Even a Human-grade High-tier martial art is probably no better than this. Su Yu lovingly wiped the sword blade and decided to keep this move hidden as a trump card.

With his current strength, ordinary Qi Refining Level 9 cultivators were no longer a threat.

But thinking of that monstrous genius Lin Tian from the Lin Family, Su Yu still felt the pressure.

That guy surely had his own hidden killing moves as well.

Feeling the surging Spiritual Qi within his body, Su Yu showed a satisfied expression.

This month of bitter training, aided by the Qi Gathering Pill, had pushed his cultivation to the peak of Qi Refining Level 7. It was time to break through.

In the Quiet Room, Su Yu sat cross-legged.

As the cultivation technique cycled, the Spiritual Qi in his dantian began to boil.

The pale yellow light orb spun at high speed, absorbing all the surrounding Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth.

The Spiritual Qi in his meridians surged like a great river, constantly battering against the realm's barrier.

With a soft shout, Su Yu's aura suddenly exploded upward.

The shackles of Qi Refining Level 8 shattered on cue, and newborn Spiritual Qi flowed joyfully through his body, several times thicker and more powerful than before the breakthrough.

Opening his eyes, Su Yu's gaze was like lightning.

At this moment, he no longer feared any genius of the younger generation in Skywind City.