Wisps of smoke curled upward as the flowing-gold Years Incense burned softly, like every tick of a clock running backward, like every grain of sand flowing upstream in an hourglass.
A green stone dropped into the tranquil lake, sending ripples through time.
The image trembled like the surface of a shaking lake, just like An Le's turbulent heart at that moment.
As the tremors spread, everything before his eyes slowly became clear.
Dusk clouds hung thick, and pure snow like white feathers drifted down from the heavens, blanketing the mortal world.
A timely snowfall promised a bountiful year.
On the broad snowy ground, a young girl danced with her sword. She wore brocade robes, and despite the falling snow, Qi and blood surged within her body like dragons and tigers, driving away the cold as steam rose from her.
The woman was none other than Madam Hua—or rather, the young Madam Hua.
The young Hua Jiebing's gorgeous face was flushed red by her Qi and blood. Her eyes brimmed with worry as she gripped a long, slender sword, its blade like a thread of spring rain descending upon the world.
The sword was named Spring Rain, one of Hua Jiebing's personal swords.
"Failed again. Is this Collapsing Sword really that difficult?"
Still a young girl at the time, Hua Jiebing was innocent and lively. Pouting her red lips, she suddenly hurled her sword out the next moment. Spring Rain shot through the air as Qi and blood circulated through Hua Jiebing's body, surging forth like a sweeping heatwave.
The pure snow was flung into the air. Hua Jiebing charged forward and leaped up. After being tossed aloft, Spring Rain fell back down. At the instant it descended, Hua Jiebing clenched her fist and punched the end of the Sword Hilt, erupting with tremendous force.
Boom!
An invisible blast of air burst outward. Spring Rain whistled away, but veered crookedly off course and smashed into the snow, gouging out a trench of white.
Hua Jiebing landed, her delicate brows knitting together.
Another failure left Hua Jiebing, who was learning swordsmanship for the first time, somewhat discouraged.
She sat in the snow with her lips pursed, seemingly sulking. Only after a long while did she raise her head. A trace of mischievous cunning suddenly appeared on her lovely, radiant face. Her eyes swept around, and after confirming that no one was nearby in the snow...
The girl climbed to her feet, patted her backside, and scampered over to seize Spring Rain.
She took a deep breath. Then, bolstered by her mind, Spring Rain shot out. The girl ran like a cunning hare and leaped into the air.
As she neared Spring Rain, the girl clenched her fist, her Qi and blood blazing like a furnace. In an instant, her crimson lips opened round as she shouted.
"Hiya! Watch my Collapsing Sword!"
Her cry shattered the snowflakes drifting close to her body.
In an instant, the girl's fist struck the Sword Hilt. A muffled thunderclap exploded, like a rumble behind the clouds, bursting into deafening thunder!
The Spring Rain Sword instantly became a mad dragon emerging from an abyss. Amid the snow filling the sky, it tore out a pale rice-white stream of air, as though the atmosphere itself had been sliced apart. It carried a shrill howl and a thunderous roar, as if heaven and earth were collapsing!
Boom!
A pit five meters wide suddenly exploded across the snowy ground.
Inside the pit, all the pure snow had melted into snowmelt. The slender Spring Rain stood quietly embedded over a foot into the ground. The portion of its blade still exposed trembled faintly, radiating scorching heat.
In the distance, the girl cheered and jumped about on the snow, her smile as brilliant as the warm spring sun.
"Hiya, watch my Collapsing Sword!"
The girl skipped across the snow. As she ran to retrieve her sword, she continued making punching motions.
Innocent and carefree, she was like a spirit amidst the snow.
The scene began to blur and spread in rings, until it finally vanished.
An Le emerged from the scene of time, unable to calm himself for a long while. The corner of his mouth twitched, and his expression turned strange.
Mainly because this scene of time had shown him another, rather adorable side of Madam Hua. Still, that was only normal.
Just like before, when he saw the aloof Fairy Yun Rou clench her fist and say, "Charge, charge, charge!" in that embarrassingly childish manner.
Peering into time always revealed sides unknown to others.
The corners of An Le's lips rose, and he inexplicably found it amusing.
"Hiya, watch my Collapsing Sword!"
An Le clenched his fist, tried swinging it forward, and casually called out the words Madam Hua had once shouted.
For no reason, he felt delighted.
If he shouted such words in front of Madam Hua, what kind of expression would she make? Would she simply slap An Le to death on the spot?
The more An Le thought about it, the more amused he became.
At the same time, the light screen appeared before him.
Obtained Time Dao Fruit: Collapsing Sword Force (0/10 strands) Note: Collapsing Sword Force (Dao Fruit): A unique method of exerting force through the fusion of Qi and blood and the mind. It can be applied to swords and arms, and may increase the power of swordsmanship attacks.
His eyes brightened slightly. By watching Madam Hua perform the Collapsing Sword, he had condensed the Dao Fruit, Collapsing Sword Force. From the Dao Fruit's description, he learned that Collapsing Sword Force was a method of exerting force, used for attack.
What did An Le lack most right now?
The Sword Waterfall Diagram was a mind-cultivation method, a visualization technique. After all, it was not an offensive sword art. Although the Five Animal Body Tempering Technique contained attack techniques, it was still a body-tempering method.
He did not actually possess any proper offensive methods.
The appearance of Collapsing Sword Force somewhat made up for An Le's deficiency in attack methods. From Madam Hua's scene of time, Collapsing Sword Force could be considered a swordsmanship technique.
"I wonder, when using Collapsing Sword Force, would shouting 'Hiya, watch my Collapsing Sword' grant an additional boost in power?"
The corner of An Le's mouth lifted as the thought came to him.
The setting sun slowly sank, disappearing behind the western mountains. Its lingering rays charmingly illuminated the spring scenery, painting the mortal world in a blaze of brilliant purples and reds.
An Le opened his eyes. The Old Scholar Tree rustled under the spring breeze, bringing with it a different kind of ease.
After waiting a while, Old Man of the Imperial Ancestral Temple had yet to arrive. An Le rose to his feet and began trying to practice Collapsing Sword Force beneath the Old Scholar Tree.
Although condensing the Dao Fruit meant he had gained an introductory grasp of it, becoming proficient still required An Le's own attempts and comprehension.
He removed Bamboo Sword Green Mountain from his waist. Recalling how the young Madam Hua had wielded her sword in the scene of time, he figured that Madam Hua's cultivation at the time had likely not surpassed the Fifth Realm, so he could still gain something from it.
After gathering himself for a moment and simulating the Collapsing Sword several times in his mind...
An Le exhaled. The bamboo sword in his hand suddenly flew upward. He controlled it with Collapsing Sword Force, his Embryonic Breathing mind spreading out to hold Green Mountain hovering slightly in the air. The Qi and blood within him, having reached the peak of Opening Qi and Blood, erupted in a torrent. The next instant, he clenched his fist and smashed it against the Sword Hilt.
As for that line, "Hiya, watch my Collapsing Sword," the youth felt slightly embarrassed and ultimately did not say it aloud.
Boom!
An invisible blast of air exploded where his fist collided with Green Mountain's hilt, sending the scholar tree leaves scattered across the courtyard floor dancing up.
The Collapsing Sword instantly shot forth with a shriek, astonishingly fast and fierce as thunder, slamming into the Old Scholar Tree.
Bamboo Sword Green Mountain pierced into the Old Scholar Tree. Where sword met trunk, scorching heat and strands of entangled Sword Qi spread out. The impaled Old Scholar Tree seemed to shudder, its leaves falling in rustling showers.
An Le stood quietly in place, recalling the way he had exerted force just now. The fusion of mind and Qi and blood was still rough, but it truly possessed a unique power.
Collapsing Sword Force... what an overbearing method of exerting force.
An Le considered that if he applied it to his arms and used it with the Bird Form or Tiger Form, the explosive power would not be something to underestimate.
If he faced Hu Jingang again, Hu Jingang might die even more cleanly.
The roughness in circulating that Collapsing Sword Force made An Le rather uncomfortable. With a thought, he applied the two strands of grey Time Qi he had drawn from Madam Hua to the Dao Fruit, Collapsing Sword Force.
In an instant, the grey incense pillar ignited, and drifting scenes emerged.
The scenes were all of Madam Hua practicing Collapsing Sword Force, showing the moments when she had achieved modest success.
Along with them came that incredibly infectious shout of encouragement: "Hiya, watch my Collapsing Sword!"
A smile hung on An Le's lips. The next moment, he abruptly opened his eyes, pulled Green Mountain from the Old Scholar Tree, and prepared to try once more.
At the entrance to the courtyard, the lingering glow of sunset spilled down.
The old man stood quietly beneath the crimson clouds in plain robes, holding a bamboo staff. One hand held a scroll painting. He did not disturb An Le as he practiced, and instead watched with great interest.
Perhaps An Le had not noticed the old man. Even if he had, his mind was unwilling to divide its attention at that moment.
His Embryonic Breathing mind flowed out and controlled Bamboo Sword Green Mountain as it rose into the air. Qi and blood coursed within his body like a rushing river. An Le lunged forward, operating the Tiger Form. Collapsing Sword Force gathered in his fist and sword, and with one punch, he struck Green Mountain's Sword Hilt.
Boiling Qi and blood and his mind clung to Bamboo Sword Green Mountain. The sword shot out like a cannonball, as swift as lightning flashing behind clouds, and stabbed fiercely into the trunk of the Old Scholar Tree.
The bamboo sword had no edge, yet it drove the Old Scholar Tree to the brink of ecstasy and agony.
Even the bark of the Old Scholar Tree's trunk was blown apart in many places by the strike, scattered by the force to expose a smooth patch.
Green Mountain remained, while the setting sun reddened again and again.
Old Man of the Imperial Ancestral Temple stood at the entrance, his long brows lowered. On his wrinkled face was a blank stare as he gazed at that Tattered Bamboo Sword embedded in the Old Scholar Tree, its blade gently swaying.
Faintly, the old man seemed to hear Bamboo Sword Green Mountain give a clear, joyful sword cry.
Once more, the words the youth had spoken when first grasping the bamboo sword came to mind: "I find Green Mountain most enchanting; Green Mountain must see me just the same."
The old man suddenly smiled. Regret was like snow blanketing the mountains, yet when the rising sun came, it vanished with the smile.
The youth and Green Mountain had met too late.
That bamboo sword which had accompanied him for three hundred years had perhaps found its new master.
How wonderful.
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