Grass Treading Flight

Having lain in wait outside the Mountain God Temple for a long time, Shen Yi finally managed to catch a wild rabbit. He drew the notched saber from his waist and threw it like a hidden weapon.

With a whoosh, the rabbit was pinned to a wooden stake.

Then he skinned the rabbit, washed it clean by the stream, skewered it with a branch, and roasted it over the fire.

Before long, oil began to drip and sizzle.

Waves of aroma wafted, filling the air.

Shen Yi tore off a rabbit leg and handed it to Qin Jianghe, then tore off another for himself, chewing it heartily before swallowing it down.

Too bad there's no seasoning.

Only dry meat, not fragrant and delicious enough, but sufficient to replenish strength and Blood Essence.

Qin Jianghe looked at the saber sheath at Shen Yi's waist:

"Little brother, are you skilled with the saber?"

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow, saying noncommittally:

"I know a little about both saber techniques and fist techniques."

Qin Jianghe didn't notice Shen Yi's unusual behavior and continued:

"I saw you draw your saber just now, as if it were an extension of your arm, so your saber technique must be very good, but your saber is not up to par."

Qin Jianghe gestured with his hand.

Shen Yi threw the saber to him without a care.

Clang.

The saber was drawn.

Qin Jianghe ran his fingers along the blade, as if he were a doctor taking a pulse, then placed his finger on the end of the blade and flicked it.

A crisp hum rang out.

"Ordinary goods from a blacksmith shop. The blade has rolled edges and nicks, so I won't say much more. Just now, listening to its sound, there was a discontinuous feeling, so I imagine there are already cracks inside."

"If you use it to fight against others, you might end up getting hurt by it instead. Little brother, I suggest you discard this saber."

Qin Jianghe reached for the broadsword with a deep red hilt that he carried with him and tossed it directly to Shen Yi:

"Take a look at this one."

Shen Yi stretched out a hand and caught the broadsword.

He released his inner force.

With a clang, the broadsword vibrated out of its sheath, leaping into the air like a fish leaping over the dragon gate.

"Good inner force!"

Shen Yi ignored Qin Jianghe's praise; his attention was drawn to the blade in mid-air.

It was a broadsword with a thick back, three feet long, its blade a deep gold that gleamed in the sunlight.

The blade appeared to be cleanly broken off at about two-thirds of its length.

Only half of the broken blade remained.

But Shen Yi had excellent eyesight.

He saw at a glance that it wasn't a break, but that the sword was inherently a broken blade, the blade spinning in the air...

Then it landed steadily in Shen Yi's palm.

Array Breaker Art inner force poured out like a river.

Flowing along his arm and through the blade, unimpeded, the broken blade humming as if with joy.

Qin Jianghe chuckled:

"How is it?"

Shen Yi was generous with his praise:

"The blade is heavy and thick, the edge as cold as frost, and the flow of inner force is unobstructed, allowing for the greatest possible activation of the blade's aura and the full power of the saber technique."

"A truly fine saber!"

Qin Jianghe nodded with satisfaction.

There was a hint of pride in his eyes: "Naturally. The Broken Blade Hall is named after this very broken blade."

Shen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, asking tentatively:

"Give it to me?"

Qin Jianghe's smile froze.

Not only did it freeze, but it also became stuck on his face, creating a strange silence.

Shen Yi acted as if he didn't notice the strange atmosphere.

Still, he couldn't put down the Broken Blade.

Qin Jianghe said helplessly, "Little brother, your temperament is really like a blade, every sentence cutting to my vital points."

"I was indeed thinking of getting you a new blade."

"But not this Broken Blade."

"This Broken Blade was forged by the Xue Family, whom the gang hired at great expense."

"Throughout the Raging Tide Gang, in its thirteen halls, each has a divine weapon to guard it, and the Broken Blade is precisely the symbol of the Broken Blade Hall."

"Hmm."

"So, you can't give it to me."

Shen Yi finally knew when to advance and retreat, understanding that the other party's hall-guarding weapon couldn't just be given to him like that.

Qin Jianghe chuckled:

"If little brother likes it."

"Why not join the Raging Tide Gang? In the future, whether you lead a hall or rise to the main altar, you'll have the opportunity to be granted a divine weapon."

Shen Yi raised the blade in his hand.

He reached out and flung the scabbard away.

With a clang.

The scabbard swallowed the blade accurately, then drew an arc, and with a whoosh, it stuck in the ground in front of Qin Jianghe.

"As for joining the gang, we'll talk about it later."

Shen Yi sucked the rabbit meat in his hand clean.

"If you're full, we should get on the road."

Qin Jianghe sensed that Shen Yi had reservations and didn't seem to want to get involved with gangs, so he didn't force the issue.

He stood up, leaning on the Broken Blade with both hands.

"I'm ready to go anytime."

It was already afternoon.

Shen Yi and Qin Jianghe left the Mountain God Temple.

They headed downstream along the mountain range towards Clear River.

The Broken Blade Hall was located on the plain formed by the confluence of Clear River and Source River. It wasn't hidden, but it was heavily guarded.

Although the two were roughly following the river's direction.

They were still traveling through the mountains.

This made it easier to conceal their movements, and even if they encountered an ambush, it would be easier to escape encirclement.

On the way, Qin Jianghe taught Shen Yi the secrets of light body techniques.

The light body technique he taught was called Grass Treading Flight.

In terms of quality, it was only a Third-Rate martial art.

This light body technique had only one advantage: it was light and agile, extremely fast, and could tread on grass as if flying.

Shen Yi watched Qin Jianghe demonstrate the footwork once and had already recorded it into the system:

[Martial Art]Grass Treading Flight
[Quality]Third-Rate
[Realm]Uninitiated

Although the quality of this light body technique wasn't high, he happened to be lacking one.

Shen Yi didn't hesitate and immediately chose to invest 1 year of cultivation time into practicing the light body technique.

[You begin to study Grass Treading Flight. With the foundation of the Wind Severing Blade and Bone Dislocation Hand footwork, your Grass Treading Flight progresses quickly.]
[After six months of cultivation, your Grass Treading Flight reaches the Elementary Realm.]
[After ten months of diligent practice, your understanding of light body techniques deepens further, and your Grass Treading Flight reaches the Mastery Realm.]
[After one year of cultivation, your understanding and application of Grass Treading Flight allows you to move at will. Using it with internal energy, you can lighten your body and leap, treading on grass as if flying.]
[Host]Shen Yi
[Cultivation]First-Rate
[Martial Arts]Wind Severing Saber Technique (Perfection), Bone Dislocation Hand (Mastery), Array Breaker Art Fragment (Perfection), Grass Treading Flight (Mastery)
[Unique Skill]Listening Wind Slash
[Cultivation]Remaining 8 months

Grass Treading Flight reached Mastery.

Shen Yi immediately felt his body grow lighter, able to leap several dozen feet with ease.

However, to avoid raising suspicion, he still pretended to diligently practice Grass Treading Flight in front of Qin Jianghe.

And to Qin Jianghe's dumbfounded amazement.

His progress could be described as a thousand miles in a single day.

By nightfall.

Shen Yi would circulate his Blood Essence to heal Qin Jianghe's internal injuries.

Striving to help him recover his strength as quickly as possible.

According to Qin Jianghe, his strength, when at his peak, was at the Acquired Realm, a level higher than Shen Yi's First-Rate state.

Only below the Innate Realm.

But on the boat, he had directly endured the impact of the explosion, and then forcefully used his internal energy to fight at Old Jiang's house, compounding his injuries.

His current strength.

At most, he could withstand a flurry of attacks from a Second-Rate expert.

There was no way he could manage anything higher.

And so, after about a day and a night of travel.

Shen Yi and Qin Jianghe stood on a high slope, gazing into the distance, where an endless plain stretched out before them.

Far away.

A faint line of black shadows was vaguely visible, shrouded in mist and clouds.

"That's Clear River Town."

Qin Jianghe pointed to the distant, indistinct cluster of buildings.

"Beyond Clear River Town is the Broken Blade Hall."

"We must leave the mountains."