Secretly Learning Swordsmanship

Just as Chen Fan was puzzled, his eyes suddenly lit up. What was that? From deep within a pile of weeds, faint light shone out. Chen Fan stepped forward and pushed aside the grass, only to find two fist-sized eggs lying inside. Their shells glimmered with a faint yellow light, vaguely translucent and incredibly smooth, as if life itself lay within them.

These should be snake eggs laid by that giant serpent. Chen Fan was both startled and delighted. These were rare treasures. According to the Treasure Record, eggs from venomous snakes like these were excellent materials for refining poison or making medicine, let alone eggs laid by a mutated demonic beast serpent. He would take them first and talk later. If he had not discovered them today, once these two snake eggs grew into giant serpents, they would become another great calamity for the humans in these mountains. Though all living things were equal, and Buddhist disciples believed in not taking life lightly, Chen Fan had not attained such enlightenment. Besides, he had not entered the monastic life, so he was not a Buddhist disciple. He picked up the two eggs, stuffed them into his bundle, and swiftly fled.

The moment he exited the cave, Chen Fan moved like the wind. He even used his most clumsy lightness technique again, though he had no idea whether it was actually faster than running outright. At that moment, he was like a child who had found a priceless treasure, wild with joy yet terrified that the giant serpent might discover him. He raced madly onward. He did not know which direction he was heading in; he only knew he had to get as far away from this place as possible.

Sure enough, once a person's luck turned to dog shit, it was as though the gods themselves were helping him. Under the moonlight, he vaguely saw faint points of light on the mountain ahead. It seemed he was actually getting closer and closer to the sect's territory. Perhaps this was the legendary truth: survive a great disaster, and good fortune would surely follow. Chen Fan's heart finally settled. He should have escaped the dangerous area by now, right? In the regions of the back mountain closer to the sect gate, wild beasts rarely appeared. Thus, Chen Fan's steps became even more leisurely. Having survived calamity and returned laden with rewards, he was truly riding high on the spring breeze.

Suddenly, he heard a series of crackling sounds coming from a dense forest to his front left. It scared Chen Fan half to death. Not again, surely? This kind of torment was simply unbearable. But after listening carefully, it did not sound like birds or beasts. So he slowly approached. The closer he got, the more clearly he could hear it. It sounded like someone practicing swordsmanship. Once he reached a certain distance, he dared not get any closer. If it was some formidable person and he was noticed, things would go badly. Blades had no eyes; in a place this dark, if he were killed, he would have died for nothing.

As he pondered this, the person practicing swordsmanship suddenly shouted, "Who is there? How dare you secretly learn our sect's swordsmanship?!" It was a woman's voice. The instant her words fell, Chen Fan felt an incomparably sharp Sword Qi hurtle toward him. In his urgency, he instinctively drew that battered sword and used his sword technique to block it. In the darkness, a clang rang out as the two swords collided. Chen Fan staggered back several steps. Fortunately, his Internal Qi cultivation was not too weak, and he barely managed to withstand the strike.

"Eh?" The woman gave a startled cry, but her sword moves did not stop. When one move failed, she immediately sent another sword thrust toward Chen Fan.

Again? Chen Fan was already at a disadvantage. I'm not some demonic beast. Can't we talk things over properly? Why must we fight? A gentleman uses his mouth, not his fists. But she seemed to be a young woman. Never mind. If she wanted to fight, then fight he would. In an instant, Chen Fan drew the Origin Qi from his dantian through every vein in his body, gathered his qi into his arm, and used a Raising Sword stance to meet the woman's strike.

Another clang rang out. This time, both of them retreated several steps before steadying themselves. Chen Fan sensed that this woman's Internal Qi cultivation was also at the second level, though she had not yet reached its peak. Yet her External Force was remarkably fierce. Lacking experience, he could not judge it accurately, but it should have reached the third level. In truth, Chen Fan's judgment was not wrong at all. With the support of his peak second-level Internal Qi, his all-out strike had only a single sword move, but its power had already reached the second-level realm. That was why he had barely managed to fight her to a standstill.

"Azure Mountain Sword Art? So you're from Swordheart Hall? I never expected you to catch two of my moves?" The woman had already withdrawn her technique, secretly puzzled. Since when had Swordheart Hall gained someone like this? He was so young, yet possessed such strength.

Seeing that she had stopped fighting, Chen Fan inwardly relaxed. With the few tricks he knew, if they exchanged several more moves, he would undoubtedly lose. At the same time, he secretly admired the girl's strength. When they had closed in and exchanged blows, he had clearly seen that she was about his age, at most one or two years older than him. Yet she had cultivated her swordsmanship to such a level. This was probably what a genius truly was.

Both of them had secretly given the other high praise. Yet neither moved from where they stood, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Finally, the girl was the first to walk toward Chen Fan. She said, "I am Qin Ziyan, a disciple of the Sword-Imperial Pavilion. Our sect has rules: those who are not inner court disciples may not secretly practice inner court techniques. I did not know you were a Swordheart Hall disciple just now and acted somewhat rashly. I hope you will not take offense." Her attitude was fairly sincere. "However, since you are a Swordheart Hall disciple, why do you not learn techniques from the elders of your own hall?"

Although the sect had no rule forbidding disciples of the three halls from secretly learning one another's techniques, each of the inner court's three halls possessed techniques best suited to its own disciples. There was no need to learn the techniques of the other two halls.

"So it is Senior Sister Qin. You misunderstand. I merely happened to pass through here and accidentally came upon you practicing swordsmanship. I have disturbed you greatly, and I hope Senior Sister will not blame me." Chen Fan's tone was quite sincere, but inwardly he was annoyed. What nonsense. Secretly learning my ass. In darkness like this, what the hell could anyone see?

"Fine, I'll believe you for now. Even if you wished to secretly learn it, it would not be so easy. This sword technique is the Wind Listening Art personally taught by our hall's Grand Elder. One must possess keen perception to cultivate and use it. Once cultivated to profound heights, one can fight with one's eyes completely closed. It also places extremely high foundational requirements on all three major categories of techniques."

So that was it. No wonder this girl had been able to sense his presence in the black of night. Her choice to practice swordsmanship here at this hour must also have been to train her perception. Chen Fan could not help becoming quite curious about this sword technique.

Qin Ziyan continued, "However, your being here late at night is suspicious. I have never seen you before, and you came to the back mountain so late. What exactly are you intending to do? Come back to the sect elders with me and explain yourself." It was not that she truly found Chen Fan particularly suspicious; she simply wanted to return and learn more about this young man's background.

"As for that, I am not afraid of becoming a laughingstock before Senior Sister. I am one of the disciples newly admitted to the inner court this time. During the day, I came to the back mountain to gather herbs, but before I knew it, I lost my way and remained in these mountains until nightfall. Now that I have encountered Senior Sister, I am at ease." Chen Fan was inwardly anxious. As he spoke, he took several medicinal herbs from his bundle as proof. If he went back to the inner court with this senior sister, he would be in trouble.

Qin Ziyan glanced at them and secretly sighed. There was actually such a powerful new disciple this time? The Sword-Imperial Pavilion also had several newly promoted disciples who had entered the inner court directly. But they were mainly young and promising; their strength was nowhere near this level. Was the person before her not quite normal? She said, "Fine, let us assume your words are true. You should still return to the Sword-Imperial Pavilion with me first. Although you may have passed through this place unintentionally, it is possible that you observed in secret for a long time and have already secretly learned the sword technique." Her reasoning was already exceedingly forced, and Chen Fan could tell that she did not want to let him go.

Just as Chen Fan revealed a troubled expression, a rustling sound suddenly arose not far from them. A wave of Origin Qi spread outward, followed by a foul stench that struck them head-on. Then, a massive figure appeared.

This was bad. Chen Fan was secretly alarmed. The giant serpent had actually chased him here. Was it because of those two snake eggs? He had thought he had escaped the danger zone, yet this thing had still pursued him. It seemed the eggs carried some scent that could be tracked.

Qin Ziyan's face also filled with panic. She had been talking with Chen Fan and had not focused on sensing their surroundings. By the time the giant serpent approached, it was already too late. Yet she did not hesitate. She immediately drew her treasured sword and swung it at the giant serpent, confident that her strength was enough to slay it.

Chen Fan did not remain idle either. As Qin Ziyan attacked the giant serpent head-on, he quickly circled behind it, attempting to catch it in a pincer attack.

After Qin Ziyan exchanged two moves with the giant serpent, she clearly gained the upper hand. Chen Fan's mind settled somewhat. With Qin Ziyan's strength, she should be able to defeat the serpent. Yet a sudden change arose, and the situation reversed. Qin Ziyan was forced back again and again by the giant serpent. Clutching her chest, she revealed an expression of unbearable pain and cried, "Run! We've already been poisoned by snake venom!"

Chen Fan was aghast. The foul smell they had caught earlier had actually been poisonous gas spewed out by the giant serpent. It could condense liquid into gas—he had never imagined the Origin Qi within this serpent would be so deep and profound. It seemed that this time, neither of them could escape disaster. Even if inhaling the poisonous gas would not kill them, their strength would inevitably plummet for a time. They were no match for this serpent.

What should he do? The situation had taken a sharp turn for the worse in an instant. Chen Fan's mind raced madly for a way to break the deadlock. Running was certainly impossible. Strangely, though he too felt that his qi and blood were flowing somewhat sluggishly, his strength had not fallen as drastically as Qin Ziyan's. Never mind. While he still had the strength to fight, he would gamble everything.

He raised his battered little sword again and chopped at the giant serpent's tail. Clang, clang, clang... He slashed several times in succession without using any sword moves. After all, the serpent did not possess enough intelligence to evade techniques, and Qin Ziyan's frontal assault had drawn all its attention. Chen Fan's strikes were entirely powered by brute force.

Sword marks appeared one after another on the giant serpent's tail. Its flesh split open, and streams of green blood seeped out, a terrifying sight to behold. In pain, the giant serpent's body suddenly twisted and trembled wildly. It abandoned its attack on Qin Ziyan as well.

Seeing that his attack was effective, Chen Fan further reinforced his strikes with internal energy and released several streams of Sword Qi toward the giant serpent. Though they failed to break through its scales, they still struck it with such pain that it could not counterattack. Without pause, he stomped on the ground and leaped into the air, charging toward the front of the serpent's body. As the saying went, strike a snake seven inches from its head; the same held true for a giant serpent. He found the right spot and struck out with one palm. Yet hidden between his fingers was something too tiny to notice: the God-Sealing Needles. As his palm struck, the needles silently entered the giant serpent's body. Chen Fan did not feel the slightest regret at using these God-Sealing Needles. At a moment of life and death, needles could be made again, but one only had one life.

The God-Sealing Needles worked best on humans when inserted into a vital acupoint. For the giant serpent, its vital point was precisely this seven-inch spot. Chen Fan had acted in a flash of inspiration, not knowing whether they could truly subdue the serpent. Right after the needles entered, the giant serpent showed no abnormality. It even began twisting its body, preparing to attack Chen Fan. But after several breaths, its body suddenly stiffened, and its massive form crashed heavily to the ground. Snake blood continued to flow from its tail. Even if it was not dead yet, it had clearly lost its ability to fight.

Chen Fan finally let out a breath. It was fortunate that he had acted decisively; otherwise, if this battle dragged on, he would surely die. Yet just as his entire body relaxed and he lowered his guard, he was suddenly overwhelmed by dizziness and blurred vision. His breathing became labored, and the Origin Qi within him weakened to its utmost limit. It seemed he had forced himself to fight with True Essence just now, allowing the poisonous gas to attack his heart. Not good, I'm going to pass out...

Who knew how long had passed before Chen Fan slowly woke up. He only felt unbearably weak, with a faint swelling pain in his head. He had actually fainted again. Wait, that was not right. Why had he said again? Where was he? Had he lost his memory again? No, why had he said again again? After a moment, Chen Fan finally relaxed. He had not lost his memory, though he found it amusing. How could someone lose their memory so easily? If he lost it one more time, he would probably become an idiot.

He supported himself into a cross-legged sitting posture, and the Golden Wheel Scripture began circulating madly. After several Greater Celestial Circuits, his discomfort rapidly eased. Was this technique miraculous? Or did he simply recover quickly? Chen Fan had no time to consider such things. He looked at the giant serpent lying not far away. Its blood had already drained away, and it should be completely dead.

He then walked up to the giant serpent. After confirming that it truly no longer had a trace of breath, he began taking treasures from its corpse. These were all good things. Snake skin, snake gall, snake eyes, and even some snake meat. This time, he had truly struck it rich, though the danger he had taken was indeed somewhat great. Opportunities and risks coexisted, after all.

Something was wrong. It felt as though he had forgotten something. Only then did Chen Fan remember—where was Senior Sister Qin?