Damn it, Embarrassing, Afraid of Heights While Flying a Sword!

Damn, how embarrassing—afraid of heights while controlling a sword! Zhao Hao's gaze swept over the [Status] column on the system panel, and the small line of text reading [Heavenly Demon Contract] was particularly glaring.

He tried dragging it with his mind, and to his surprise, it really could be placed into the materials slot.

A thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly pressed it down. Now was not the time to deal with this.

The most urgent matter was to grow stronger!

With a wave of his hand, there came a clattering sound, and the twelve jade slips he had just bought from Hundred Treasures Pavilion were arranged neatly before him.

He first picked up the jade slip that recorded the Li Fire Imperial Spirit Canon, sent his divine sense into it to comprehend it, and after half an incense stick of time, it was successfully "recorded" on the system panel.

Next came the other eleven cultivation arts and spells.

Several hours later, when the last jade slip had finished being recorded, his cultivation art column and spell column had already become a dazzling array of treasures.

It was time to strengthen them!

Zhao Hao did not hesitate in the slightest and placed his main cultivation art, the Li Fire Imperial Spirit Canon, into the strengthening slot.

[Main Item: Li Fire Imperial Spirit Canon (Beginner 0/100) strengthen to (Proficient 0/200)]

[Please insert consumable materials...]

With a thought, the two righteous-path cultivation arts that had just been recorded on the panel, the Longevity Essence Nourishing Canon and the Heavenly Origin Qi Nourishing Art, along with three demonic-cultivator Foundation Establishment arts, were dragged unceremoniously into the materials slot by him.

[Strengthening success rate +100%]

"Confirm strengthening!"

[Ding! Strengthening successful! Li Fire Imperial Spirit Canon proficiency has increased to (Proficient 0/200)!]

A torrent of power unlike anything before exploded through his meridians and dantian.

It was no longer the sinister, freezing strangeness of the past, but a pure Li Fire Power that was violent, scorching hot, and filled with a sense of bursting force!

The Mysterious Yin Spiritual Power that had originally occupied his dantian could not even resist in the face of this newborn power before it was rapidly melted away, transformed, and devoured!

The spiritual sea in his dantian was forcibly ignited from a deep, pitch-black expanse into a magnificent crimson-gold.

Zhao Hao could even feel as though his body temperature were rising, his entire being renewed from the inside out.

From now on, he had not the slightest entanglement left with the cultivation arts of the Extreme Yin Sect!

Very good!

Only after sensing the Li Fire Power surging endlessly within him did he truly gain a bit of confidence.

Next were his combat methods.

Sword Control Technique!

[Main Item: Sword Control Technique (Beginner 0/100) strengthen to (Proficient 0/200)]

Without even looking, he threw in the Ten Thousand Sword Technique, the Golden Awl Technique, as well as three demonic-path spells—the Yin Curse Technique, the Ten Thousand Blood Spirit Devouring Technique, and the Yin Soul Nail—all in one go.

[Strengthening success rate +100%]

"Strengthen!"

[Ding! Strengthening successful! Sword Control Technique proficiency has increased to (Proficient 0/200)!]

A large amount of experience and techniques regarding the control of flying swords surged into his mind, but Zhao Hao did not stop.

Merely proficient was not enough!

The life-and-death battles of these past few months had told him that any "just a little short" could be the reason he lost his life in the future.

At the very least, it had to reach minor accomplishment!

He opened the panel again and, after comprehending and recording the remaining five spells into the panel one by one, strengthened them separately, directly making up the missing portions of the success rate with spirit stones.

A pile of spirit stones in his storage bag vanished in an instant.

Once those spells had all been strengthened to the proficient level, he locked his gaze onto the Sword Control Technique.

[Main Item: Sword Control Technique (Proficient 0/200) strengthen to (Minor Accomplishment 0/400)]

[Consumable Materials: Proficient-level spells *5]

"Strengthen!"

[Ding! Strengthening successful! Sword Control Technique proficiency has increased to (Minor Accomplishment 0/400)!]

Even more exquisite and complex sword-control experience poured into his mind, and his command over flying swords had already reached a state bordering on perfection.

"There's still the Ten Thousand Sword Technique!"

Zhao Hao repeated the same trick, going through another round of operations.

[Ding! Strengthening successful! Ten Thousand Sword Technique proficiency has increased to (Minor Accomplishment 0/400)!]

By this point, he had already squandered seventy to eighty percent of the spirit stones in his storage bag.

But what he had gained in return was the single-target burst power of the Sword Control Technique and the group-attack power of the Ten Thousand Sword Technique. His offensive methods were no longer lacking!

On the third day, early morning.

Zhao Hao's figure appeared in the barren mountains a hundred li from the market.

With a wave of his hand, the second-rank low-grade spiritual artifact, the Ghost Bone Sword, let out a clear, ringing sword cry and hovered before him.

He steadied himself, then leaped lightly and stepped onto it.

The Ghost Bone Sword beneath his feet trembled slightly, carrying him shakily into the air.

However, the instant the flying sword rose more than ten zhang off the ground!

His body suddenly pitched backward!

A powerful feeling of weightlessness made his stomach churn like rivers overturning and seas upending; his mind buzzed, and heaven and earth spun around him!

"Fuck!"

Zhao Hao's face turned deathly pale. His body instinctively went weak, and he nearly plunged headfirst off the sword.

In a flurry, he hurriedly circulated his spiritual power, controlling the flying sword to sink sharply downward, almost brushing the treetops as it swept past in a sorry state.

The acrophobia from his previous life had been magnified without limit in this moment!

He had never expected that no matter how rich his theoretical experience was, the instinctive reactions of his body could not deceive anyone.

"Damn it, how embarrassing!"

Zhao Hao cursed under his breath. He could only keep his flying height firmly controlled at around three zhang above the ground, like a child who had just learned to walk, swaying unsteadily as he "hugged the ground" and sped along.

A mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator, flying on a sword like he was driving a bumper car—if Wu Tang saw this, he would laugh his teeth out.

Half a day of bitter practice.

From the dizziness and spinning vision at the beginning to gradually adapting afterward, Zhao Hao gritted his teeth and challenged his limits again and again.

Ten zhang... fifty zhang... eighty zhang!

When he could finally barely hover at a height of eighty zhang, his heart was still pounding wildly, but at least that damned dizziness that felt like death no longer came.

He let out a long breath and lowered his head to look at the tiny mountain forest below. A sense of conquest welled up in him.

It was time!

With a thought, he began testing the power of his new spells.

"Sword Control Technique!"

Zhao Hao locked onto a lone peak thirty zhang tall in the distance, and the Li Fire Power inside him poured madly into the Ghost Bone Sword!

A black sword light flashed and vanished, so fast the naked eye could not catch it!

One breath later, the summit of that lone peak, without making any sound, simply became a small half-section shorter out of thin air! Broken stones collapsed in silence, and smoke and dust shot into the sky.

This power!

Compared to his perfected-level Evil Light Art, it was more than ten times stronger!

He then turned his gaze toward a dense stretch of forest below.

"Ten Thousand Sword Technique!"

Bzzzzzz—!

The air shook violently. Over a hundred crimson-gold strands of Sword Qi condensed from Li Fire Power appeared out of thin air, densely packed as they hovered high in the sky, emitting a terrifying aura that made the heart palpitate!

"Go!"

He pointed a finger, and the Sword Qi poured down like a rainstorm!

Boom boom boom boom—!

Dense explosions linked into one continuous roar. That stretch of forest was instantly washed over by the sword rain, turning into a scorched-black wasteland. Along the edges of countless deep pits, Li Fire that was difficult to extinguish still burned!

The powerful strength instantly diluted his fear of heights.

Only now did Zhao Hao truly feel at ease. With these two minor-achievement spells, as long as he did not encounter someone at the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage, he would have the strength to fight, and even... counter-kill!

He withdrew the Ghost Bone Sword and was just about to return to the market.

The Sound Transmission Jade Talisman at his waist suddenly buzzed and trembled.

He picked up the jade talisman and infused it with spiritual power.

Wu Tang's gentle voice came from within, yet it carried a hint of urging that was hard to detect.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, that friend of mine has already arrived. We'll meet directly at Stony Slope, thirty li southeast of the city. Don't delay in the market."