Fleeting Light Shadow

Su Yu suppressed the churning discomfort in his stomach and quickly approached the bloody, mangled remains.

Black Fiend's corpse was unrecognizable. His black iron mask had shattered into several pieces, scattered on the ground mixed with dark red flesh.

Su Yu forced himself to stay calm and quickly searched through the dismembered limbs, finding the storage bag embroidered with dark patterns.

I have to leave immediately...

Su Yu stifled the urge to vomit and unfolded his map, scanning it rapidly.

When he saw the red boundary line marking the territory of Level 3 Yao Beasts, Su Yu's pupils constricted sharply.

His panicked escape just now had actually led him into a dangerous area of the Monster Forest!

Without a moment's hesitation, Su Yu channeled all his Spiritual Power and shot off like an arrow loosed from a bow, heading in the direction of Crescent Valley.

He deliberately avoided the beast trails along the way, choosing only the secluded paths overgrown with thorns.

An hour later, as the setting sun painted the sky blood-red, Su Yu finally found a hidden cave. The entrance was concealed by dense vines, and the interior was dry and ventilated.

Su Yu cautiously inspected the cave one more time before slumping down in the deepest part of the cave.

Su Yu slumped in the depths of the cave, feeling the faint fluctuations of the ancient sword in his soul, his mind a whirlwind of thoughts.

What exactly is the origin of this sword?

Su Yu murmured to himself.

An existence that even Level 3 Yao Beasts feared. If outsiders were to know, it would likely attract the covetous gazes of countless powerful individuals.

I must keep it a secret!

Su Yu secretly made up his mind, then shifted his attention to Black Fiend's storage bag.

The surface of the storage bag was covered with a faint restriction that those without Divine Sense reaching the Spirit Condensation Realm could not break.

Su Yu's brow furrowed as he pondered a way to break it.

Suddenly, the ancient sword in his soul trembled slightly, and a wisp of formless Sword Intent shot out, precisely striking the restriction on the storage bag.

Crack--

The restriction shattered, and the seal of the storage bag loosened quietly.

Su Yu was stunned, then his face broke into a smile: "Brother Sword, thank you!"

He solemnly cupped his hands in the direction of the ancient sword, his tone sincere.

"We're even regarding you absorbing my Spiritual Power for the past five years. From now on, if I obtain any Beast Cores, I'll let you absorb them first."

The ancient sword vibrated gently, as if in response, then fell silent, showing no further movement.

Su Yu injected a wisp of Spiritual Power into it, and the contents of the bag clearly appeared in his Divine Sense.

Hundreds of Spirit Stones, emitting a faint blue glow, were neatly stacked. Their purity indicated they were Low-grade Spirit Stones.

A stack of banknotes, roughly estimated to be worth over a hundred thousand taels of gold.

In addition, there was a manual with a black cover and a crimson jade slip emitting a bloody aura.

Su Yu rubbed the crystal-clear Spirit Stones in his hand, feeling the pure Spiritual Power flowing within them. Suddenly, an idea struck him: I wonder if Brother Sword can absorb the Spiritual Power from these Spirit Stones?

He held a Spirit Stone in his hand and asked softly, "Brother Sword, do you need this Spirit Stone?"

However, the ancient sword remained as silent as ever, not even a ripple of fluctuation.

Strange... Su Yu's brow furrowed slightly, and he withdrew the Spirit Stone thoughtfully.

Could it be that Brother Sword is only interested in Beast Cores?

Putting this question aside for the moment, Su Yu picked up the blood-colored jade slip emitting a chilling aura.

As Su Yu's Divine Sense touched the surface of the jade slip, three scarlet characters suddenly appeared--Blood Burning Technique!

Blood Burning Technique! Su Yu's pupils contracted sharply, his fingers tightening involuntarily.

Isn't this the forbidden technique secretly passed down by the Lin Family? It seems Black Fiend was indeed a killer sent by the Lin Family!

A cold rage surged from the depths of his heart, and Su Yu clenched the jade slip tightly.

"Lin Family! When I am strong enough, I will ensure there is no place for the Lin Family to stand in Skywind City!"

Suppressing the anger in his heart, Su Yu carefully studied the contents of the jade slip.

This Blood Burning Technique involved burning one's own vital blood as a price to temporarily enhance one's cultivation realm.

Although its power was astonishing, each use would deplete some of his Blood Essence.

This kind of technique, like drinking poison to quench thirst...

Su Yu let out a cold laugh and placed the jade slip deep within his storage bag.

I'll keep it for now and plan to cultivate it later when I find spiritual medicine to replenish my Blood Essence. Cultivating it now would be equivalent to destroying my foundation.

Finally, Su Yu's gaze fell upon the manual with the black cover.

Four large, flamboyant gilded characters, Fleeting Light Shadow, flickered faintly in the dim light.

Opening the first page, a line of small text caught his eye: A Human-grade High-tier movement technique. If cultivated to Greater Accomplishment, one can move like fleeting light and shadow, disappearing without a trace.

It's a movement martial skill! Su Yu's eyes lit up.

Having experienced the life-and-death struggle just now, Su Yu deeply understood the importance of exquisite movement techniques in combat.

This precious Human-grade High-tier martial skill was like charcoal in winter!

Su Yu couldn't wait to start comprehending the key principles. He saw the manual recorded: "Fleeting Light, seemingly real yet illusory; Shadow's Trace, swift as startled swan..."

As he read deeper, Su Yu gradually became immersed in the profound mysteries of this exquisite movement technique, completely losing track of time.

The sun set, its dying rays like blood, casting the Swift Wind Valley in a deep crimson hue.

A slender figure weaved through the wolf pack, his robes fluttering, his movements flickering like an illusion.

More than a dozen Swift Wind Wolves bared their fangs, their claws tearing through the air, yet they couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes.

The youth's steps were light, like Fleeting Light Shadow, each turn and dodge perfectly timed, as if he had already predicted every pounce from the wolf pack.

Roar—

A Swift Wind Wolf lunged with a furious howl, its claws aimed straight for his throat, but it only grasped a wisp of afterimage.

The youth flickered, appearing on the other side of the wolf pack, a slight smile on his lips, his eyes gleaming with confidence.

"Almost there." He whispered, his gaze suddenly sharpening.

Clang—

A clear sword cry echoed through the valley. The youth's aura erupted, and his sharp Sword Intent swept out like a sudden storm.

In an instant, cold light flashed, sword shadows danced like lightning. The dozen or so Swift Wind Wolves didn't even have time to howl before they fell to the ground, each with a hair-thin bloodstain on their throats.

"Still a little short..." Su Yu sheathed his sword and stood, his brow furrowed.

For the past half month, he had practiced the Fleeting Light Shadow day and night. Now, he could easily toy with the Swift Wind Wolf pack, but he was still one step away from Lesser Accomplishment.

"As expected of a Human-grade High-tier movement technique, it's several times harder than Flowing Cloud Sword Style," Su Yu lamented inwardly.

When he had first practiced the Human-grade Mid-tier Flowing Cloud Sword Style, he had achieved Initial Accomplishment in just one day. But Fleeting Light Shadow had taken him a full three days just to grasp the basic footwork.

To hone his movement technique, he had specifically come to Swift Wind Valley, using the Swift Wind Wolf pack as his opponents.

These wolf packs usually moved in groups of three to five, occasionally appearing in groups of a dozen or so.

But with Su Yu's current strength, even a Level 1 High Rank Swift Wind Wolf couldn't withstand a single strike from him.

Roar—

A deafening wolf howl echoed from the distance, filled with rage and unwillingness.

"It's here again?" Su Yu's lips curved into a smile, completely unfazed.

He had already figured out the habits of the Silverback Wolf King over the past half month.

Whenever the wolf pack suffered heavy losses, that Level 2 Initial Rank Wolf King would angrily pursue them.

However, Su Yu's soul perception far surpassed ordinary people. He could detect its presence from five miles away.

Coupled with the terrifying speed of Fleeting Light Shadow, the Silverback Wolf King, despite its furious roars, could only watch as he made his escape.

"One hundred and three..." Su Yu tallied his spoils, a smile appearing on his face.

In these past few days, he had killed over a hundred Swift Wind Wolves, obtaining more than eighty Beast Cores.

Ten of these were fed to the Ancient Sword, while the remaining energy allowed his cultivation to advance further, reaching the Peak of Qi Refining Realm Eighth Layer!

If this continued, breaking through to Qi Refining Realm Ninth Layer would be just around the corner!

Su Yu clenched his fist, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.

He looked up towards the depths of the valley, where the Silverback Wolf King's roars still echoed.

"Next time, perhaps I can try..." A sharp glint flashed in Su Yu's eyes.

"Facing this Wolf King head-on!"