With a little "treasure" now nestled in his dantian, Xu Qian felt like he had wind beneath his feet whenever he walked these past few days. Everyone seemed more agreeable, and even the prisoners in Block E thought the young guard had been smiling more lately, as if he were no longer so gloomy.
Of course, on the surface, he was still the same diligent, somewhat timid Xu Qian who was afraid of getting into trouble. But no one knew that every night, after returning to his quarters, he would "stroke" the pale green Sword Intent Seed with his mind like a lovesick fool, savoring the fierce intent it contained and dreaming of the wonderful life he would lead, sword in hand, roaming the world—cautiously, of course.
Just "looking" at it wasn't enough. Xu Qian was itching to try out the Sword Intent Seed's practical effects. Before, that thread of qi sensation could attach itself to things, but it always felt like scratching an itch through a boot—he could never quite get the job done. Now that he had the complete "seed," everything felt different!
That afternoon, he was assigned to sweep a passage that had been abandoned for a long time. Few people ever came there. It was piled with junk and thick with dust, making it the perfect testing ground.
Xu Qian gripped the battered broom, its bristles nearly worn away, and lazily dragged it over the dust while glancing furtively in every direction to make sure there wasn't even a mouse around.
[This is the spot!]
He took a deep breath and walked over to a corner. A few old bricks there had grown moss from the damp. They looked quite sturdy.
He gripped the battered broom and imagined it was a sharp sword. At the same time, he sank his awareness into his dantian and cautiously reached out to the Sword Intent Seed turning slowly within.
"Little treasure, give me a hand. I'm counting on you!"
A thought stirred!
The pale green Sword Intent Seed quivered slightly. A pure, fierce intent was instantly roused, surging swiftly along a set path through his meridians toward his right hand, which gripped the broom!
Unlike the sluggishness he'd felt when that faint thread of qi sensation had attached itself to something before, this time the intent flowed with effortless smoothness! It was as if the Sword Intent Seed had been made to command and amplify this very power!
In almost an instant, Xu Qian felt as though an invisible, intangible blade of qi, sharp beyond compare, had coated the end of the battered broom in his hand!
This "blade of qi" wasn't a physical thing. Rather, it was a projection of energy formed when Sword Intent stirred his own Longevity True Qi and combined it with an intent capable of cutting through anything!
Though the projected True Qi was extremely thin and still far from becoming genuine Sword Qi released from the weapon, its attachment to the broom had already brought about a qualitative change!
Xu Qian didn't use any fancy moves. He simply gripped the broom and casually swung it at the thickest of the green bricks in the corner—the simplest, most direct strike imaginable!
The movement was easy and graceful, like brushing away dust.
There was no earth-shaking boom, only an almost imperceptible sound that was nevertheless crystal clear—
"Shhk—!"
Like a sharp knife slicing through tofu.
The battered broom head, wrapped in that invisible blade of Sharpness, passed through the middle of the green brick without the slightest resistance!
The brick remained motionless for a moment. Then its upper half slowly slid down along a cut smooth as a mirror, hit the ground with a "clack," and shattered into several pieces.
The cut surface was frighteningly smooth, without a single rough edge!
Xu Qian held his pose, broom still outstretched, and stared dumbfounded at the two halves of brick on the ground and the broom in his hand, which was completely unharmed—if a little dirtier.
[What... the hell?! It actually split?!]
He'd expected the power to increase greatly, but he hadn't imagined the result would be this ridiculous! That was a real brick! And he'd barely put any strength into the swing! He'd done it purely with the projected True Qi drawn out by the Sword Intent Seed and that fierce intent—cutting through iron as if it were mud... well, brick as if it were mud?
The feeling was incredible! So... transcendent!
This was completely different from fighting with brute strength or rudimentary techniques! It was a refined use of power, a qualitative leap! At last, he truly understood what the word "transcendent" meant in this Immortal Martial World!
An indescribable rush of excitement surged through him. He almost couldn't stop himself from throwing back his head and howling, letting the heroic spirit in his chest burst free.
[Ahhh—this guy can project True Qi too! Even if I can only project a tiny bit, and it needs a medium, it still counts!]
The little man in his heart was already dancing like crazy.
But just as that howl was about to burst from his throat, he shuddered and remembered his grand plan to "play it safe."
[Calm down, Xu Qian! Calm down!] He pinched his thigh hard, baring his teeth at the pain, and finally managed to suppress the urge.
Like a thief, he glanced around again to make sure no one was there.
Then he hurriedly crouched and scooped up the two halves of the brick, stuffing them beneath a messier pile of junk nearby. He even scuffed the brick dust and debris across the floor with his foot, covering up every trace.
When he'd finished, he dusted off his hands, picked up the "heroic" broom, and went back to sweeping as if nothing had happened.
Before you continue