Stealing Sword Arts

Just as Chen Fan was puzzling over it, his eyes suddenly lit up. What was that? Deep within a clump of weeds, faint glimmers of light shone out. Chen Fan stepped forward and pulled aside the grass, only to find two fist-sized eggs lying inside. Their shells gave off a faint yellow glow and seemed vaguely translucent. They were incomparably smooth, and they appeared to contain the breath of life.

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 this were excellent materials for refining poison or making medicine, let alone eggs laid by a mutated demonic beast like that giant serpent. He would take them first and worry about the rest 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 beings were equal and Buddhist disciples preached against killing lightly, Chen Fan had not attained such enlightenment. Besides, he had not become a monk, so he was not considered a Buddhist disciple. He picked up the two eggs, stuffed them into his bundle, and swiftly retreated.

The moment he left the cave, Chen Fan moved as fast as the wind. He used that clumsiest of his lightness skills once more, though he had no idea whether it was actually faster than simply running. He was like a child who had found a priceless treasure, wild with joy, yet terrified that the giant serpent would discover him. He sped onward at full tilt. 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.

It had to be said, once a person stepped in dog shit luck, it was as if the gods themselves were helping. Under the moonlight, Chen Fan vaguely saw several faint points of light on the mountain ahead. It seemed he was actually getting closer and closer to the sect's grounds. Perhaps this was the legendary blessing that came after surviving a great disaster. Chen Fan's heart finally settled. He should have left the dangerous area by now. Wild beasts rarely appeared in the regions of the back mountain closer to the sect gate. His steps thus became more leisurely. Having survived a calamity and returned laden with spoils, he was truly riding high on the spring breeze.

Suddenly, he heard another series of crackling sounds from a dense forest ahead to his left. Chen Fan was scared half to death. Not again? This was really too much for his nerves. But after listening carefully, it did not seem like the sound of birds or beasts. He slowly approached, and the closer he got, the more clearly he could hear it. It should be the sound of someone practicing swordsmanship. Once he reached a certain distance, he did not dare go any closer. What if it was some formidable figure? It would be bad if he were noticed. Blades had no eyes, and in such pitch-black darkness, even if someone killed him, it would be a death without consequence.

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

"Eh?" the woman cried out in surprise, but the sword techniques in her hand 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 this out properly? Why must we fight? A gentleman uses his mouth, not his fists. But she seemed to be a young woman. Never mind. Since she wanted to fight, then fight they would. Chen Fan instantly drew the Origin Qi in his dantian through every vein in his body, then gathered his qi in his arm and used a Sword-Lifting Stance to meet her attack.

There came another clang, but 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 sharp. Due to his lack of experience, he could not judge it precisely, but it should have reached the third level. In truth, Chen Fan's judgment was entirely correct. Empowered by his peak second-level Internal Qi, his all-out strike, though simple in form, had reached the power of the second level. 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 thought you could take two of my moves." Qin Ziyan had already withdrawn her technique, secretly puzzled. Since when had Swordheart Hall possessed someone like this? He was so young, yet he possessed such strength.

Seeing that she had stopped fighting, Chen Fan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With the few tricks he knew, if they exchanged a few more moves, he would undoubtedly lose. At the same time, he secretly admired the young woman's strength. During their close exchange just now, he had clearly seen that she was about his age, perhaps only one or two years older at most. Yet she had trained her swordsmanship to such a degree. This was probably what counted as a genius.

The two of them had actually given each other high evaluations in secret. Yet neither moved from where they stood, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. In the end, Qin Ziyan was the first to walk toward Chen Fan. "I am Qin Ziyan, a disciple of 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 disciple of Swordheart Hall just now, so I acted rather rashly. I hope you will not take offense." Her attitude was quite 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 three inner court halls had 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. Senior Sister has misunderstood. I merely happened to pass through this place and accidentally came across Senior Sister practicing her swordsmanship. I have disturbed you greatly, and I hope Senior Sister will not blame me." Chen Fan's tone was extremely sincere, but inwardly he was irritated. What nonsense. Secretly learn what? It's so dark, what the hell could I even see?

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

So that was it. No wonder Qin Ziyan had been able to sense his presence in the darkness. Her choice to practice swordsmanship here at this hour must have been for the sake of honing her perception as well. Chen Fan could not help becoming rather curious about this sword art.

Qin Ziyan continued, "However, your presence here in the middle of the night is suspicious. I have never seen you before either. Why have you come to the back mountain so late? Come back to the sect elders with me and explain yourself." It was not that she truly found Chen Fan particularly suspicious. She merely wanted to return and learn more about this young man's background.

"As for that, I am not afraid that Senior Sister will laugh at me. I am one of the disciples who entered the inner court this time. During the day, I came to the back mountain to gather herbs, but I unknowingly lost my way and remained in these mountains until nightfall. Now that I have encountered Senior Sister, I can finally rest easy." 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 inwardly sighed. There was actually such a powerful newly promoted disciple this time? Sword-Imperial Pavilion also had several new disciples who had entered the inner court directly. Yet they were mainly young and promising; none possessed such strength. Was the one before her not rather abnormal? She said, "Fine, let us say your words are true. You must still return to Sword-Imperial Pavilion with me first. Although you may have passed through this place by accident, you may also have observed from the shadows for a long time and already secretly learned the sword art." This excuse was already exceedingly forced, and Chen Fan could tell that she simply did not want to let him go.

Just as Chen Fan revealed a troubled expression, a rustling sound suddenly came from not far away. A wave of Origin Qi spread outward, followed by a foul stench that rushed straight at them. Then, a huge figure appeared.

Damn it. Chen Fan was secretly alarmed. That giant serpent had actually chased them here. Was it after those two snake eggs? He had thought he had already escaped the dangerous area, but this thing had still followed him. It seemed the snake eggs carried some traceable scent.

Qin Ziyan's face also showed fear. She had been speaking with Chen Fan and had not been carefully sensing her surroundings. By the time the giant serpent drew near, it was already too late. Still, she did not hesitate. She immediately raised her treasured sword and slashed at the giant serpent. She believed that with her strength, she could kill it.

Chen Fan did not remain idle either. While Qin Ziyan attacked the giant serpent head-on, he swiftly circled behind it, intending to strike from both sides.

After Qin Ziyan exchanged two moves with the giant serpent, she clearly gained the upper hand. Chen Fan's heart settled slightly. With Qin Ziyan's strength, she should be able to defeat the serpent. Yet a sudden change erupted, and the situation reversed. Qin Ziyan was forced back again and again by the giant serpent. Clutching her chest, her face twisted in extreme pain as she cried, "Run! We have already been poisoned by the serpent!"

Chen Fan's face changed drastically upon hearing this. The foul smell they had caught earlier had actually been poisonous gas spewed out by the giant serpent. It could condense liquid into vapor—he had not expected the Origin Qi within this giant serpent to be so profound. It seemed that this time, neither of them could escape calamity. Even if inhaling the poisonous gas did not kill them, their strength would inevitably plummet for a time, and they would be 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 spun madly as he sought a way to break the deadlock. Running was definitely impossible. Strangely enough, although he also felt his blood and qi circulating poorly, his strength had not fallen as drastically as Qin Ziyan's. Never mind. While he still had the strength to fight, he would stake everything on it.

He raised that little battered sword again and hacked at the giant serpent's tail. Clang, clang, clang... He slashed several times in a row without using any sword technique. The giant serpent did not possess enough intelligence to evade techniques anyway, and Qin Ziyan had drawn all of its attention from the front. Chen Fan's strikes were purely brute force.

Sword marks appeared one after another across the giant serpent's tail. Its flesh split open, and streams of green blood seeped out, creating a terrifying sight. In pain, the giant serpent's body suddenly twisted and trembled violently, abandoning its attack on Qin Ziyan.

Seeing that his attacks worked, Chen Fan reinforced several Sword Qi slashes with his Internal Qi and sent them at the giant serpent. Though they failed to break through its hide, they still struck it with such pain that it could not counterattack. Then, without stopping, he stamped on the ground and leaped into the air, charging toward the front portion of the serpent's body. As the saying went, strike a snake seven inches from its head; the same applied to a giant serpent. He found the right spot and struck with one palm, though a tiny, nearly imperceptible object was hidden between his fingers: a God-Sealing Needle. With that palm strike, the needle silently entered the giant serpent's body. Chen Fan felt no regret at using the God-Sealing Needle. This was a moment of life and death. Needles could be made again, but he had only one life.

When used on people, God-Sealing Needles worked best when inserted into vital acupoints. For the giant serpent, its vital point was the seven-inch mark. Chen Fan had acted out of quick wits in a crisis and was not certain whether he could truly subdue it. Right after the needle entered, the giant serpent showed no abnormality. It even began twisting its body, preparing to attack Chen Fan. Yet after only a few breaths, its body suddenly stiffened, and its huge form crashed heavily to the ground. Serpent blood continued to pour 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 had dragged on, he would certainly have died. Yet just as his entire body relaxed and lowered its guard, dizziness overwhelmed him. He could barely breathe, and the Origin Qi within him weakened to the extreme. It seemed he had forced himself to fight with True Essence earlier, allowing the poisonous gas to invade his heart. Not good. He was going to pass out...

No one knew how much time passed before Chen Fan slowly woke. He only felt incomparably 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 while, Chen Fan finally relaxed. He had not lost his memory. He found the thought rather amusing. How could someone lose their memory so easily? If he lost his memory one more time, he would probably become an idiot.

He propped himself up and sat cross-legged, the Golden Wheel Scripture circulating madly. After several Greater Celestial Circuits, the discomfort quickly eased. Was this technique truly miraculous? Or did he simply recover quickly? Chen Fan had no time to think about that. He looked toward the giant serpent lying not far away. Its blood had already drained away, and it should be completely dead.

He walked over to the giant serpent and, after confirming that it had truly ceased breathing, began harvesting treasures from its body. These were all good things: snake skin, snake gall, snake eyes, and even some snake meat. He had truly struck it rich this time, though the danger he had taken was indeed rather great. Opportunity and risk went hand in hand.

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