Phantom Shadow Demon Trace

Volume II: Phantom Shadow Demon Trace, Chapter 11: One Sword, One Palm, One Escape

Tang Ruowei gripped the hilt and tugged hard twice, but it wouldn't budge. Tang Ruowei gave it her all, yet she still couldn't snatch the Flying Sword from Bai Qiuran's hand. Finally, just as she prepared to open her mouth and bite his palm, Bai Qiuran took one last lingering look at the Kun Ling Sword before letting go.

"So, is this single strike the most suitable combat method for me?"

"Treat it well. Treat it like your husband—no, treat it like your own children!" Bai Qiuran paused, looked at his own palm, and added, "I mean under normal circumstances. If you can practice this thrust until you can retract and release it at will, then, to say the least, no one at your same level will be able to block this sword, unless they possess some special means or techniques."

Tang Ruowei pouted aggrievedly and said, "I don't want to beat others up; I just want to protect myself from that female monkey on the mountain."

"That's it." Looking at the Flying Sword radiating brilliant light above her Purple Mansion through internal vision, Tang Ruowei seemed to recall something and asked, "Now that I can control a sword, shouldn't you teach me a move or two?"

"Right, Master." Bai Qiuran withdrew his gaze and said sheepishly, "I wouldn't actually fight you for it."

Bai Qiuran raised an iron sword. Tang Ruowei keenly sensed a force of primal magnetism radiating from him. Then, using that primal magnetism combined with his own strength to control the iron sword, he struck out with a casual thrust.

The primal magnetism combined with his True Essence to produce immense power. A black sword light flashed, and a massive black rock on the black mountain peak was split right down the middle by his strike.

Tang Ruowei puffed out her cheeks and said, "So, did you see my thrust clearly? Could you block it?"

Tang Ruowei opened her eyes and said, "The result is just such a simple thrust?"

"If you can kill an enemy with a single move, why bother with so many flashy techniques?"

"Techniques, you say?" Tang Ruowei thought for a moment, seemingly grasping the key point, and fell silent.

"But am I just going to rely on this one trick to get by?"

"Treating it like my children is fine, I suppose."

"And here I thought you were bragging for so long, telling me to settle down and build a solid foundation."

"You have the nerve to say that."

"Indeed, now that you have reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, it is time to teach you how to protect yourself and beat others up. Furthermore, there are some new cultivation methods that it is time to teach you as well."

Bai Qiuran gripped the hilt of the Kun Ling Sword tightly, murmuring to his little disciple, "Dreaming that one day, after I break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, I will use the True Essence within me to sign a blood pact with a Flying Sword of every attribute. I will pilot a colorful Flying Sword Array and fly over the graves of those who once mocked me to go for a joyride..."

Bai Qiuran retorted. After snatching the sword, Tang Ruowei hurriedly used the blood pact method she had already learned to bind the Kun Ling Sword, then stored the Flying Sword within her Purple Mansion.

Although it was an imperial technique, the Mysterious Dragon Technique—which was merely a mortal martial art—obviously could not compare to the Qingming Sword Technique created by the founder of the Azure Nether Sword Sect, the Immortal Daoist Qingming.

Tang Ruowei rolled her eyes at him. The result was that while Tang Ruowei's foundation continued to improve steadily, her combat techniques, experience, and moves had not progressed in the slightest. Yet, the inhabitants of Seven Star Peak included not only her and Bai Qiuran, but also many spirit beasts that had gained sentience by absorbing the Spirit Qi of Seven Star Peak.

"Beating others up is fine..."

"Why are you so nervous..."

"Let go! Master!" Tang Ruowei asked.

The other spirit beasts were mostly at the Qi Refining Stage. Tang Ruowei could barely manage to fend them off using the moves from the Mysterious Dragon Technique she had once practiced, combined with the cultivation brought by the Great Evolution Primal Magnetism and the physical strength from the Fortune Body Forging Technique. However, that female monkey was not only at the peak of the Qi Refining Stage, but it had also somehow learned the complete sword techniques of the Azure Nether Sword Sect.

Bai Qiuran instructed, "Ruowei, I have always taught you to learn to think about the principles behind appearances, and combat is no different. In the battles of Cultivators, the most important thing is never any single aspect. Those with a deep foundation of cultivation can split mountains and shatter rocks with a simple punch or kick, even without using any moves—one force breaks ten clever tricks. But exquisite moves can compensate for a lack of cultivation, while miraculous spells, bizarre movement techniques, and mysterious arrays can compensate for a lack of both cultivation and moves. Finding the combat style that best suits you among these aspects is the best way to improve your own combat power."

Bai Qiuran nodded and said, "This is the combat style I have thought of for you so far. In the future, you must learn to think about your own combat style."

Bai Qiuran rubbed his nose and said nothing.

"I have always had a dream."

Tang Ruowei stared blankly as Bai Qiuran sheathed his sword and asked, "Master, is that it?"

The next morning, on the top of the black mountain peak next to Seven Star Peak, Bai Qiuran reluctantly handed a Flying Sword with earth-yellow spirit light flowing across its surface to Tang Ruowei.

"Who cares about you! Didn't you lose this sword to me?!"

"This sword is named Kun Ling."

"Fine then, watch closely." Bai Qiuran was clearly well-prepared. He took a plain, unremarkable iron sword from his Storage Bag and said to Tang Ruowei, "Normally, since you have joined the Azure Nether Sword Sect, I should teach you the Qingming Sword Technique created by my mentor. However, during the years you spent working hard to reach Foundation Establishment, I pondered for a long time and felt that the Qingming Sword Technique is too light and agile, which doesn't suit you, as you possess the Earth Spirit Root and wield the power of primal magnetism. So, I simply dismantled the sword technique and created a new one specifically for you. You can learn the first move now; watch carefully."

The result was that Tang Ruowei was whipped until she was teary-eyed and sent back, only to be laughed at by the heartless Bai Qiuran for the entire afternoon.

For these past six years, apart from the Fortune Body Forging Technique and the Great Evolution Primal Magnetism, Bai Qiuran had not taught Tang Ruowei a single move.

That afternoon, the maiden, enraged by the female monkey's second provocation, was beaten black and blue by the monkey using a branch it had casually picked up from the wilderness, leaving her entire backside covered in red welts.

Perhaps with Bai Qiuran's instruction or tacit approval, these spirit beasts would deliberately come to cause trouble for Tang Ruowei while she was cultivating, bathing, or occasionally going up and down the mountain. The worst of them was that female monkey, who had once shown off its chest muscles to provoke Tang Ruowei in the hot spring.

Bai Qiuran nodded and said, "What else do you want?"

"Don't look at this move as just a plain thrust. The essence of it lies in how you coordinate the flow of your own True Essence and the power of primal magnetism to maximize the power of the Flying Sword. To execute this move, your foundational strength must at least be at the Foundation Establishment Stage."

Bai Qiuran rolled his eyes and thought for a moment.

"There is also one palm technique and one movement technique. This one sword, one palm, and one escape are enough to let you run rampant within the scope of the Foundation Establishment Stage."