The "stone" outside the barrier moved again.
This time, it slid forward an inch. Sunlight fell across its surface, giving it a metallic sheen. I kept my eyes closed, my breathing steady, fingers resting on my knees as spiritual power slowly circulated through my meridians. But the mark between my brows gave a faint twitch, as if it had sensed something.
The spirit beast swept its tail halfway across the ground, flattened its ears, and slightly flared its nostrils.
I knew it was ready.
I stopped waiting. I could not keep delaying the seclusion. The second revolution of the cultivation art had already been completed. Though Flowing Abyss had not fully acknowledged me as its master, it had begun to resonate with me. If I did not move now, whatever was outside might break in on its own.
I drew a deep breath and slid my fingertips over my knee. The spiritual power within me instantly accelerated. The vortex in my dantian abruptly contracted, then burst apart. Power several times denser than before surged through my meridians and into my limbs. It felt as though streams were rushing beneath my skin, and every inch of bone trembled.
I opened my eyes.
The air before the bluestone platform warped slightly. The yellow glow of the Silent Spirit World-Protecting Talisman began to fracture, as though invisible hands were breaking glass apart. The pillars of light at the four corners went out one after another.
I rose to my feet, the hem of my daoist robe brushing over the stone. The spirit beast stood as well. Its shoulders had already reached my waist, and golden markings flowed beneath its fur like dying embers.
"We're going out."
As soon as the words fell, I stepped forward and shattered the remnants of the barrier. The screen broke into motes of light and drifted away on the wind.
The valley air rushed toward me, carrying the scents of grass, trees, and damp earth. The "stone" in the distant thicket had vanished. Only a shallow trail remained on the ground, as though something heavy had pressed across it.
I walked to the center of the clearing, rolled my wrists, and tried circulating the third form of the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art. Spiritual power flowed down my arm and formed a spinning current in my palm. There was no resistance and no backlash. It was far smoother than before my seclusion.
The system interface appeared automatically:
[Consume 100 points to activate "Basic Combat Feedback Simulation"?]
I confirmed it.
Light flashed before my eyes, and a phantom appeared. It held a long staff and stood with steady footing. Without a word, it charged straight at me.
I twisted aside to evade its first strike and raised my right hand. The Mystic Light Blade appeared in my grip. I slashed horizontally, and the blade collided with the phantom's staff with a crisp clang. The recoil traveled into my arm, but I held firm.
After three exchanges, sweat had broken out on me, but my rhythm grew increasingly smooth. In particular, the mark between my brows trembled faintly with every attack, as though responding to my movements.
For the final strike, I used Wave Splitting Stream Severing to cut into a blind spot in the phantom's defense. The blade tip stopped half an inch from its throat.
The light and shadow dissipated.
A system notification appeared:
[Combat feedback complete. Data recorded.]
I put away the Mystic Light Blade and exhaled. This body could now withstand the operation of advanced cultivation arts and briefly draw upon Flowing Abyss's resonance. I still could not achieve unity of man and sword, but it was no longer mere use of an external object.
The spirit beast walked over and rubbed its nose against the back of my hand. Its body temperature was higher than usual, and its muscles were taut. It had clearly sensed the threat outside as well.
"You think it's time to fight too?"
It gave a low growl, as if answering.
Just then, the ground suddenly shuddered.
It was not a tremor, but the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the north. With every step, blades of grass sprang upward. Then a thick, earthy stench mixed with the panting of a beast pressed in from the forest.
I looked up.
The woods split apart, and a colossal beast emerged.
It was mountain-sized. The instant its four hooves touched the ground, the earth cracked. The twin horns on its head curved like hooks, their surfaces covered in fissures as though they might explode at any moment. Its eyes were grayish white, without pupils—only two swirling masses of mist.
An Earth Splitting Rhinoceros.
I had never seen one before, but the system's information had mentioned the name. A primordial aberrant beast, with hide and bones like iron, born with control over earth element power. It should not have appeared in a small valley like this, yet it had come—and it was heading straight for me.
It stopped, its nostrils twitching twice before it suddenly threw back its head and roared. The sound rolled through the valley like thunder, shaking leaves loose from the trees.
The next second, it charged.
It moved far faster than something of its size should have been capable of. The ground collapsed beneath its hooves, and every step sent stones and dirt flying. Without time to think, I grabbed the spirit beast and leaped aside.
Boom!
It crashed into the spot where I had just stood, collapsing the ground three feet deep and sending shattered rocks spraying everywhere. The shock wave swept over my back, nearly tearing my daoist robe apart.
"Avoid its front!"
I knew full well that trying to meet a creature like this head-on would not end well. As I retreated, I summoned the system interface.
A prompt appeared:
[Use "Temporary Tactical Guidance"?]
I selected yes.
Three pieces of information appeared:
1. Avoid the force of its frontal charge.
2. Strike the old injury on its right hind leg.
3. Stir the spiritual energy in the air to disrupt its sense of smell.
I had no time to wonder why the system knew it was injured. For now, I could only trust it.
I immediately formed a hand seal, splitting my spiritual power into several streams and sending them into the air. A vortex of wind formed at once, disrupting the surrounding currents. The Earth Splitting Rhinoceros paused, its nostrils twitching repeatedly as though it could no longer smell my location.
Now.
I circled to its right side, gathered spiritual power into the Mystic Light Blade, and slashed straight at its right rear knee.
When the blade came down, it let out a piercing scrape.
Its hide truly was hard, like iron armor. But I used the force-dispersing technique of Wave Splitting Stream Severing. The blade cut into the gap in its joint and still opened a wound. Black blood immediately poured out, carrying a thick stench of earth.
The Earth Splitting Rhinoceros roared in fury and spun around, sweeping its tail. I leaped up to evade the thick tail, but its other forehoof slammed viciously into the ground.
Rumble!
The ground exploded, and countless rocks shot into the air before raining down on me. I rolled to evade them, but a stone still struck my left shoulder, making the bone go numb.
"Spirit beast!"
I shouted.
It immediately charged forward and opened its mouth, spitting out a beam of golden light. It was power condensed from the golden patterns on its body, spreading into a thin shield above us and blocking several waves of falling stones.
The Earth Splitting Rhinoceros exerted force again, scraping both feet across the ground. The earth throughout the valley began to shake. Cracks spread from beneath its hooves like a spiderweb.
Earth Vein Tremor.
It was a special technique capable of completely disrupting the terrain within a hundred zhang. The ground vanished beneath my feet, and I nearly fell into a fissure. The spirit beast bit the hem of my robe and dragged me back.
I can't drag this out any longer.
I gripped the Mystic Light Blade and poured all my spiritual power into it. The mark between my brows suddenly grew hot, and the intermittent sound of sword cries echoed through my sea of consciousness once more.
This time, I did not suppress it. Instead, I released my spiritual sense and allowed that sound to flow through my meridians and into my arm.
"Follow me—slash!"
The instant the blade came down, a blue-gray sword aura burst from its edge.
It was neither force formed by a technique nor a pure eruption of spiritual power. That sword aura seemed to surge out from the depths of the blade itself, carrying an ancient, icy will.
It cut across the earth and precisely struck the main fissure beneath the Earth Splitting Rhinoceros's feet.
Boom!
A rebounding shock came from underground. The colossal beast's body abruptly tilted, and the old wound on its right leg split even deeper. It finally could not support itself and dropped to one knee.
It raised its head, its gray-white eyes fixed on me as a low hiss rumbled in its throat.
Then it stood, turned, and walked toward the dense forest at the northern foothills. Its gait was slightly lame, but still heavy. Only after its figure disappeared among the trees did the ground finally stop shaking.
I remained where I was, took two breaths, and sheathed the Mystic Light Blade on my back.
The spirit beast walked over and lay at my feet. It was panting heavily, but its eyes shone brightly.
I reached out and stroked its head, then raised my left hand.
My palm was covered in sweat, and my knuckles were red, but my grip was steady.
A system notification appeared before me:
[Combat data updated. The next quiz will generate new question types based on actual combat performance.]
I did not rush to look at it. Instead, I lifted my head and stared toward the northern woods.
It was quiet there.
But I knew that sword strike had not merely won a battle.
It proved that I could draw upon Flowing Abyss's resonance, even if only a little.
This was the true beginning.
Just as I was about to speak to the spirit beast, I caught a flash of dim light near the roots at the edge of the northern foothills.
It was neither metal nor stone.
The thing moved close to the ground, extremely slowly. It resembled a leaf, but its edges were too straight to have grown naturally.
I slowly moved my hand to the hilt of my blade.
The spirit beast's ears twitched.
Before you continue