Grass Treading Flight

They had crouched in wait outside the Mountain God Temple for quite some time.

At last, Shen Yi caught a wild rabbit. He drew the chipped saber from his waist and threw it out as a hidden weapon.

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

He then skinned it, washed it clean by the stream, skewered it on a branch, and set it over the fire to roast.

Before long, grease began to seep out, sizzling and crackling.

Waves of fragrance rolled forth, flooding their nostrils.

Shen Yi broke off a rabbit leg and handed it to Qin Jianghe. He tore off another for himself, chewing in great mouthfuls before swallowing it down his throat.

Unfortunately, there were no seasonings.

It was nothing but dry, plain meat—not particularly fragrant or tasty—but it was more than enough to replenish their strength and vital energy.

Qin Jianghe looked at the scabbard at Shen Yi's waist.

"Little brother, you're skilled with a saber?"

Shen Yi raised a brow and replied without giving anything away.

"I know a little saberplay and unarmed combat."

Qin Jianghe failed to notice Shen Yi's oddness and continued.

"I saw you draw your saber just now, as naturally as moving an arm or finger. Your saberplay must be quite good, but this saber of yours won't do."

Qin Jianghe extended a hand in indication.

Without a care, Shen Yi tossed the saber to him.

Clang.

The saber slid from its sheath.

Qin Jianghe ran two fingers along the blade as though he were a physician taking a pulse. Then his fingers settled near the end of the edge, and he flicked it with a bent finger.

A crisp hum rang out.

"Common goods from a blacksmith's shop. I won't even mention the rolled edge and chips. From its ring just now, I could hear something intermittent and strange. There are likely cracks within the blade already."

"If you use it against an enemy, it may instead wound you. Little brother, I suggest you discard this saber and stop using it."

Qin Jianghe picked up the broad saber beside him, the one with its dark-red hilt, and tossed it straight to Shen Yi.

"Take a look at mine."

Shen Yi stretched out one hand and caught the broad saber.

His inner force surged.

With a clang, the broad saber shook free of its sheath. Like a fish leaping the Dragon Gate, it sprang into the air.

"Such fine inner force!"

Shen Yi ignored Qin Jianghe's praise. His attention had been caught by the blade in midair.

It was a thick-backed broad saber three feet long, its blade dark gold and gleaming with golden radiance beneath the sun.

The blade seemed to have been cleanly severed around two-thirds of the way down.

Only half of the broken saber remained.

But Shen Yi had keen eyesight.

At a single glance, he saw that it was no break mark. This saber had always been a broken saber, its blade spinning through the air...

Then it dropped steadily into Shen Yi's palm.

The Array Breaker inner force poured forth like a river bursting through its banks.

It flowed from his arm into the blade without the slightest obstruction. The broken saber let out a hum, as if it were leaping for joy.

Qin Jianghe chuckled.

"Well?"

Shen Yi did not stint on praise.

"The blade is heavy and solid, its edge cold as frost. Inner force flows through it without hindrance, allowing saber radiance to be unleashed to the fullest and maximizing the power of one's saber techniques."

"It truly is a fine saber!"

Qin Jianghe nodded in satisfaction.

A trace of pride shone in his eyes. "Naturally. Broken Blade Hall got its name precisely because of this broken saber."

Shen Yi's brow rose slightly as he asked tentatively.

"You're giving it to me?"

Qin Jianghe's smile froze abruptly.

Not only did it vanish, it stiffened on his face, leaving behind an eerie silence.

Shen Yi acted as though he had not noticed the strange atmosphere.

He still could not bear to put down the broken saber.

Qin Jianghe said helplessly.

"Little brother, your temperament truly is like a blade. Every sentence cuts straight into my vital spot."

"I did mean to get you another saber."

"But not this broken saber."

"This broken saber was forged by the Xue Family, master divine smiths whom the gang hired at great expense."

"The entire Raging Tide Gang has thirteen halls, each with a divine weapon that guards its hall. This broken saber is the symbol guarding Broken Blade Hall."

"Mm."

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

Shen Yi at least knew when to advance and retreat. He understood that the other man could not possibly hand over a hall-guarding weapon so bluntly.

Qin Jianghe gave a sly laugh.

"If you like it, little brother..."

"Why not join the Raging Tide Gang? In the future, if you command a hall or rise to the main headquarters, you may have the chance to be granted a divine weapon."

Shen Yi raised the blade in his hand.

He reached out and flung the sheath through the air.

Clang.

The sheath swallowed the blade with perfect accuracy, then traced an arc through the air and, with a whoosh, embedded itself before Qin Jianghe.

"We can discuss joining the gang later."

Shen Yi thoroughly sucked the meat clean from the rabbit in his hand.

"If we're full, it's time to get moving."

Qin Jianghe sensed that Shen Yi had reservations and seemed unwilling to become entangled with a gang, so he did not press the matter.

He rose to his feet, leaning on the broken saber with both hands.

"I can leave whenever."

It was already afternoon.

Shen Yi and Qin Jianghe left the Mountain God Temple.

They headed downstream along the mountain range toward Clear River.

Broken Blade Hall stood upon the plain formed by the collision of Clear River and the Source River. It was not hidden, but it was guarded by formidable arrays.

Though the two were generally following the river's course,

they still traveled through the mountains.

That made it easier to conceal themselves. Even if they encountered an ambush, it would be easier to escape encirclement.

Along the way, Qin Jianghe taught Shen Yi the essentials of lightness skill.

The lightness skill he taught was called Grass Treading Flight.

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

This lightness skill had only one advantage: it allowed one to lighten one's body and leap swiftly, flying over grass as though in flight.

After watching Qin Jianghe demonstrate the footwork once, Shen Yi had already recorded it in the system.

Martial Art: Grass Treading Flight

Quality: Third-Rate

Realm: Not Initiated

Though this lightness skill was not of high quality, he happened to lack one at the moment.

Shen Yi did not hesitate. He immediately invested one year of secluded cultivation time into practicing the lightness skill.

You began studying Grass Treading Flight. With the footwork foundation of Wind Severing Blade and Bone Dislocation Hand, your progress in Grass Treading Flight was remarkably swift.

After six months of secluded cultivation, your Grass Treading Flight reached the realm of entering the hall.

After ten months of unceasing diligent practice, your understanding of lightness skill deepened further, and Grass Treading Flight reached the major mastery realm.

After one year of secluded cultivation, your understanding and use of Grass Treading Flight became as natural as your heart desired. Coordinating it with inner cultivation, you could lighten your body and leap swiftly, flying over grass as though in flight.

Host: Shen Yi

Cultivation: First-Class Realm

Martial Arts: Wind Severing Blade Technique (Complete), Bone Dislocation Hand (Major Mastery), Fragmentary Array Breaker Art (Complete), Grass Treading Flight (Major Mastery)

Ultimate Skill: Listening Wind Slash

Remaining Secluded Cultivation: 8 months

Grass Treading Flight, major mastery.

Shen Yi immediately felt his body grow lighter. With a single leap, he could sail several zhang away.

Yet in order to avoid drawing attention, he still pretended to be diligently practicing Grass Treading Flight before Qin Jianghe.

And amid Qin Jianghe's dumbstruck astonishment,

his progress could only be described as advancing a thousand miles in a day.

By nightfall,

Shen Yi circulated his inner force to treat Qin Jianghe's internal injuries.

He hoped to restore Qin Jianghe's strength as quickly as possible.

According to Qin Jianghe himself, at his peak, he had been in the Acquired Realm, a level higher than Shen Yi's First-Class Realm.

Only beneath the Innate Realm.

But he had forcibly endured the blast on the boat, then forcefully used inner force to fight at Old Jiang's home, adding injury upon injury.

His current strength

was at most enough to withstand a burst of fierce attacks from a Second-Class Realm expert.

Anyone stronger than that was beyond his ability.

Thus, after roughly a day and a night of travel,

Shen Yi and Qin Jianghe stood atop a high slope. Looking as far as their eyes could see, they found an endless plain stretching in the distance.

Far away,

a faint black line lay shrouded in mist and clouds.

"That is Clear River Town."

Qin Jianghe pointed toward the indistinct cluster of buildings in the distance.

"Once we pass Clear River Town, we'll reach Broken Blade Hall."

"We must leave the mountains now."