The Six-Winged White Tiger was clearly stronger than Shangguan Hongyue had expected.
She had thought that once the Six-Winged White Tiger was trapped in her magical Black Iron Cage, she could kill it with ease.
She hadn't expected the cage, which weighed a thousand jun, to be shoved open by the Six-Winged White Tiger once it unfolded.
Fortunately, the tiger's wings had been injured in her sneak attack, so it couldn't fly high or stay airborne for long.
Meanwhile, she stood atop her flying sword, looking down from above.
All she had to do was slowly wear the beast down with magical treasures and spells, and she could take it down.
So although the fight was fierce, she herself had suffered no injuries.
She had noticed the mortal villagers hurrying over from the village.
But when she saw that they had wisely stayed outside the battlefield, she paid them no further attention.
"Roar!" The Six-Winged White Tiger leaped into the air once more, trying to claw Shangguan Hongyue off her flying sword.
Shangguan Hongyue simply rose a little higher, effortlessly dodging the attack, then countered with a slash of Sword Qi against its paw.
The tiger's paw was instantly drenched in blood, and it could no longer use its injured wings to leap high into the air.
By now, it had begun to consider retreating.
Its intelligence was limited, but it knew that if things continued like this, it would die.
Without another moment's hesitation, it turned and ran.
"Beast! You think you can escape?"
Shangguan Hongyue's gaze sharpened. Her hands formed one seal after another, and an exceptionally solid silver sword ray rapidly gathered above her head.
At the same time, a hundred-meter circle of light spread outward from her, while a faint beam of light remained fixed on the Six-Winged White Tiger's head, tracking it.
But this spell clearly took a great deal of strength to cast and was extremely complicated.
The Six-Winged White Tiger was about to escape beyond the circle, yet the attack still hadn't come down.
The tiger felt a powerful killing intent hovering over its head. It kept glancing back as it ran, taking a few steps at a time.
Just ten meters from escaping the circle, it suddenly felt something trip it, and it crashed hard to the ground.
The sword ray, which had been gathering for some time, shot out from above Shangguan Hongyue's head and followed the beam of light straight toward its skull.
The Six-Winged White Tiger almost seemed to accept its fate. It lay still on the ground.
Just then, it saw a little old man with a bloodied head get up from the ground, cursing as he did.
"Damn it, I've lost another tooth!"
Chen Xian spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva mixed with a tooth. This time, the tooth had been knocked loose by the fall. They were both upper teeth, one on either side of his front teeth—perfectly symmetrical.
The Six-Winged White Tiger took a closer look. It was the very old man who had stuffed a stick of candied hawthorn into its throat!
That old man had clearly tripped it just now!
That made twice!
Damn that Saint! This old geezer had really done Mountain Lord in!
"Roar!!" In an instant, the Six-Winged White Tiger, which had already accepted its fate, pounced on Chen Xian, determined to take him down with it.
The sword ray curved through the air and followed after it.
"What is that? So big and white, so bright and blinding..."
Still a little dizzy, Chen Xian squinted, trying to make out what was flying toward him.
When he finally saw, his soul nearly fled his body.
"My life is over!"
Facing the tiger and the sword ray, there was no way a mortal old man like him could dodge.
With death staring him in the face, he instead calmed down.
He quickly straightened his clothes, then closed his eyes with composure, ready to die with dignity right there.
The only thing missing was a cigarette in his mouth.
[Detected copyable trait: Innate Sword Bone (Yellow). Copy cost: 10 Copy Points]
[Note: The first time you copy a cultivation trait, you do not need to remain in direct contact with the target for 1 minute.]
At this critical moment, the system suddenly chimed in.
Chen Xian didn't hesitate for a moment. He chose to copy it and bind it to his trait slot.
[Use successful! Copy Points -10]
Almost at the same time, he felt his spine crack and pop. A powerful, sharp "Qi" instantly filled his entire body.
As long as he wished, he only needed to move his mind, and the Qi naturally produced by his spine would emerge from his body and protect him.
"Not enough. It can't stop the White Tiger and the sword ray!"
Chen Xian instinctively sensed that the Qi within him couldn't withstand the fatal attack.
A flash of inspiration struck him. "Refine! Give me Refinement Points!!"
The Refinement Points that had been gray for sixty years finally lit up. Chen Xian immediately began refining [Innate Sword Bone (Yellow)].
[Ding! Refinement Points -1. Refinement successful!]
[Innate Sword Bone (Yellow +1)]
[Ding! Refinement Points -1. Refinement successful!]
[Innate Sword Bone (Yellow +2)]
[Ding! Refinement Points -1. Refinement successful!]
[Innate Sword Bone (Yellow +9)]
As a string of Refinement Points deductions rang out, the sharp Qi within him grew ever denser, until finally—
[Congratulations! Trait advancement successful! "Innate Sword Bone (Yellow +9)" has advanced to "Mystic Jade Sword Bone (Mystic)"!]
As the trait advanced, Chen Xian felt the Sword Qi in his body grow so dense it had almost become tangible.
What flowed through his meridians and blood vessels no longer seemed to be Qi, but one sharp sword after another. Yet these swords didn't harm his body in the slightest. At his command, they could move to any part of his body to attack or defend.
All this happened in the blink of an eye. Before he had time to fully experience the changes in his body, Chen Xian's attention had already returned to the world around him.
He felt it. He opened his eyes.
The sword ray hurtling toward him, powerful enough to destroy everything, now seemed like a puppy facing a mastiff. Even its speed had slowed.
Chen Xian moved his mind and swept his age-spotted hand in front of him.
The sword ray, capable of slaying anything, instantly shattered before his eyes, scattering into harmless spiritual light that slowly faded into the world.
As for the Six-Winged White Tiger, it slammed on the brakes and stood stock-still, its whole body trembling.
In its eyes, the old man it could have killed with a single swipe had suddenly transformed into a peerless sacred sword, its sharp edge fully bared.
If it dared to bring down its paw, it wouldn't be the old man who was torn to pieces, but itself!
It didn't dare attack Chen Xian. But now it was Chen Xian's turn to strike back.
A withered finger touched the Six-Winged White Tiger's forehead. A vast torrent of his life-bound Sword Qi shot from his fingertip, piercing the tiger's enormous skull.
The light rapidly faded from the Six-Winged White Tiger's eyes, and it crashed to the ground.
The Six-Winged White Tiger was dead!
"What profound life-bound Sword Qi!"
Shangguan Hongyue's beautiful eyes widened. She couldn't believe that the fatal strike she had gathered from her Sword Bone's life-bound Sword Qi had been so easily dispelled by the old man below.
She couldn't see through the old man's cultivation. He seemed mortal, yet possessed a faint trace of cultivation?
No!
Anyone with life-bound Sword Qi couldn't possibly be mortal.
Having life-bound Sword Qi meant a cultivator possessed a Sword Heart or Sword Bone, just like her. Even without cultivating, their cultivation would naturally rise to the ninth level of Sword Disciple.
He had to be a senior sword cultivator whose cultivation was too high for her to see through!
Realizing she was still hovering in the air, which was deeply disrespectful to such a senior, she hurriedly guided her flying sword down to the ground.
Before her bare feet touched the earth, a pair of silver-threaded cloth boots automatically wrapped around them.
Once her feet were on solid ground, Shangguan Hongyue quickly put away her flying sword and hurried over to Chen Xian, bowing in greeting. "This junior, sword cultivator Shangguan Hongyue, pays her respects to Senior!"
"Looks like I used a bit too much force..."
Looking at the gaping hole in the Six-Winged White Tiger's head, Chen Xian stared at his finger and couldn't help muttering.
It was his first time using life-bound Sword Qi, and he hadn't gauged his strength. He had drawn out nearly all the life-bound Sword Qi from his Sword Bone.
A wave of emptiness washed through his body. The Mystic Jade Sword Bone fused with his spine trembled faintly, as if protesting this wasteful behavior.
"Senior?" Shangguan Hongyue remained in her cupped-hands salute and called out once more.
The next moment, a pair of rough hands, withered as autumn branches, suddenly clasped her hands tightly.
"I've finally waited for you. Thank goodness I didn't give up~"
Chen Xian's cloudy old eyes brimmed with excitement. His face was flushed as he stared at Shangguan Hongyue. "Quick, take me back to the Mystic Cloud Sword Sect! I can't wait any longer!"