Swordsman Without Trace

A year flew by in the blink of an eye.

The green plum tree in the courtyard was lusher than it had been a year ago. Fresh leaves carpeted the stone table and benches beneath it, untouched by anyone's broom.

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The entire small courtyard was shrouded in an invisible, heavy aura.

The air seemed somewhat viscous, and even the bamboo leaves did not stir. The occasional sparrow that flew past would instinctively detour around this place.

In the study, Shen Qingzhou sat cross-legged. The final trace of medicinal power from the premium Qi-Refining Powder was completely refined by the Abyss-Sinking Formula, gradually merging into his dantian.

He opened his eyes, and a faint glimmer of dark, unfathomable light flashed through their depths.

He was now at the Qi Refining, Sixth-Layer Peak.

Only one step remained before the Late Qi Refining Stage.

Over the past year, he had used up every reward from winning first place in the minor competition.

His monthly stipend of forty low-grade spirit stones had accumulated to nearly five hundred. Together with his previous savings, every last one had been smashed into cultivation.

"Alas, if I could get my hands on a Kan Water Lineage spiritual item, reaching the seventh layer should be no trouble at all..."

Shen Qingzhou still seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

Those three bottles of premium Qi-Refining Powder had forcibly carried him from the initial stage of Qi Refining, Fifth Layer all the way to his current realm, crushing through every obstacle like bamboo splitting.

Those three days of cultivation in the Sword Qi Well had deepened his understanding of Metal-Water Qi by another layer, while his Abyss-Hiding Sword Essence had become purer and more condensed.

Whenever he recalled those three days, Shen Qingzhou could not help smacking his lips twice.

It had truly been exhilarating.

It truly deserved to be called one of the sect's extraordinary lands. If he could cultivate there every day, his attainment in the sword Dao would surely advance a thousand miles in a single day.

When he had visited the Inner Sect Sword Pavilion, he had not chosen any of those sword arts that appeared quite powerful. Instead, he had exchanged for a spell that concealed one's aura.

This spell happened to pair perfectly with his Abyssal Step and Water-Curtain Radiance.

Over the past year, he had scarcely stepped outside. He studied diligently and trained bitterly, without pause day or night.

He had poured all his energy into digesting these gains, thoroughly turning resources on paper into strength of his own.

"Still not enough."

Shen Qingzhou muttered under his breath.

Cultivation was bliss for a moment; cultivation without end was bliss without end. Yet behind it all stood mountains of resources.

And there was also the boost from his Dao Strife ability.

With a thought, he summoned his Profession Panel.

A screen of light unfolded before him, and his attention first settled on the Scripture Master section.

The growth of his Scripture Master proficiency had nearly ground to a halt.

When he had first entered seclusion, he had copied every basic text and isolated Daoist canon manuscript he could obtain from the sect.

The proficiency of Infer Ten from One had also soared by a considerable margin.

But as he thoroughly devoured those texts down to the bone, the subsequent growth became as slow as a turtle crawling.

Infer Ten from One mainly served to analyze, synthesize, and draw inferences from one thing to another.

If the knowledge he absorbed was itself too low-level and limited in quantity, then there was naturally a limit to what he could derive from it.

Come to think of it, such low-cost improvement was bound to have a limit. He could not keep shearing the same sheep forever.

If he wanted his Scripture Master profession to continue growing, he had to come into contact with higher-level cultivation methods and Daoist canons.

Yet such things were tightly controlled within the sect. He would need either a vast amount of sect contribution points or extremely high authority to exchange for them.

For now, this path was blocked.

His gaze slowly moved downward before finally stopping at the Sword Disciple section.

The proficiency of Sword Force Newly Formed had reached completion.

His cultivation in the Sword Qi Well had been vital. With the environment's assistance, his proficiency had broken through the final barrier in one stroke.

A slight stir of thought arose in his heart, and an indescribable realization surfaced within him.

His mind boomed.

[Proficiency Complete]

[Profession Beginning Advancement]

Shen Qingzhou felt his mind grow hot as surging waves churned through the depths of his consciousness.

Countless images related to swords emerged—those he had learned and those he had seen—all ultimately settling upon the three-foot blade in his hand.

[Profession: Swordsman]

[Level: Sword Principles Newly Established (1/3000)]

[Profession Ability: Swordheart Clarity enhanced. Your understanding of the sword Dao has established an initial foundation. Mana consumption reduced by 30%, power increased by 30%, and you can more easily perceive the flaws of cultivators at the same level.]

[New Profession Ability Acquired: Traceless]

[Traceless: Consumes a large amount of mana to instantly unleash three times your limit speed for three breaths.]

Though Swordsman and Sword Disciple differed by only one word, the difference in reality was as vast as heaven and earth.

A disciple was still rigidly imitating others, while a swordsman had truly entered the hall and crossed the threshold.

The enhancement of Swordheart Clarity sent his combat strength soaring once again. Both his endurance and explosive power stepped onto entirely new ground.

But what truly made his heart race was the new ability called Traceless.

A full three times his limit speed—even if it lasted only three short breaths—was enough to rival the utmost limits of many ordinary Qi Refining cultivators at perfection.

"With this method, if something happens in the future, I can finally advance or retreat as I please."

Shen Qingzhou calculated silently, slowly gathering his scattered thoughts.

The Kan Water Lineage was already considered relatively slow. If it were a Dao lineage like Winnowing Basket Water Lineage, one suited to the wind, the amplification would be even more outrageous.

Whether escaping from a desperate situation or delivering a thunderclap assassination, this would become another trump card in his hand.

He reassessed his combat system.

For stealth, he had [Abyssal Step] and [Water-Curtain Radiance].

For assassination, he had [Star-Felling Gold-Shattering Blade] and Stars-Separated Unseen Sword.

For direct assault, he had the Tidal Sword Canon, infused with the true meaning of "Abyssal Concealment."

For defense, he had [Jade Well Purifying Radiance] to dissolve foreign spiritual qi.

And now, he had gained [Traceless], a technique for extreme bursts of speed and escape.

His methods had already far surpassed the scope of ordinary Qi Refining cultivators. Even against a Late Qi Refining Stage cultivator, he had the strength to fight—and perhaps even a great chance of victory.

"It is time to leave the mountain."

He was not the sort to hide away and cultivate blindly. Courageously pressing forward was sometimes equally important, and more than a year of secluded bitter cultivation was enough.

At that thought, the words Cloudveil True Person had spoken back then surfaced in Shen Qingzhou's mind.

"Ritual."

Kan Water Lineage spiritual materials were hard to find, but the methods of Ritual were unaffected.

By emulating the achievements of predecessors, aligning with the imagery of one's Dao lineage, and elevating one's own cultivation.

Perhaps this was his only path to quickly break the deadlock in these resource-starved times.

Yet Cloudveil True Person had also said that the Heavenly River had been cut off. The methods to activate many Rituals had long been lost and could not be recreated. All he could provide were a few incomplete lines of thought.

To activate a Ritual, Shen Qingzhou would have to rely more on himself—to explore and experiment.

"Aligning with the imagery of the Dao lineage..." Shen Qingzhou murmured.

What was the Dao lineage imagery of the Kan Water Lineage?

It was the Heavenly River, the stars, rainwater, the abyss...

And its most central achievement was "Earth Granary Sinking Current," which had dealt a devastating blow to the Wèi Earth Tradition at its root.

Shen Qingzhou's fingers unconsciously tapped lightly upon the stone table.

Back outside Blackwind Market, he and Su Yu had joined forces to assassinate Yellowstone True Person, a traitor of the Wèi Earth lineage who cultivated demonic arts.

Then, upon the Sword-Inquiry Platform, before the entire sect, he had used the momentum of abyssal descent to crush Lu Chen, the current prodigy of the Wèi Earth Tradition, head-on.

Did those two events count as "recreating fragments of the patriarch's achievements"?

Did they count as "aligning with the Dao lineage imagery of Earth Granary Sinking Current"?

Once this thought arose, it could no longer be restrained.

And he remembered how Su Yu had plotted Yellowstone True Person's death back then. Besides seeking that Kan Water Ground, had she also been trying to accomplish her own achievement?

Speaking of the Kan Water Ground, according to the records, its imagery also aligned exceptionally well with the Kan Water Lineage.

Kan Water inherently carried the imagery of restraint, deep concealment, gathering, and sinking.

"Senior Sister is no ordinary lamp either!"

Only in hindsight did many things become clear. Shen Qingzhou made up his mind to properly ask Su Yu about it.