Constant Challenges, Soaring Strength

The sky was bright, and the wind in the valley carried the scent of dry grass and earth. I sat in the center of the stone platform, my hand resting on the hilt of the Flowing Abyss, my breathing steady. The heat from the recent battle had faded, but my body still held its memory—the spiritual power path through my Jianjing Acupoint was clearer than ever, each circulation like water flowing through a channel, smooth and powerful.

The spirit beast lay at my feet, its ears twitching occasionally. It didn't move, but I knew it was listening. The footsteps in the distant woods were more than three times what they were in the morning. Some people came, some left, and more stopped at the border, observing.

I no longer closed my eyes to read.

I closed the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art and tucked it into my sleeve. The small new characters at the corner of the page were still there: "If you feel anything strange about the world, observe the stars for any deviation." I couldn't figure out who wrote it, nor did I have time to examine it closely.

By the time the first presence approached, I was already standing.

The person emerged from the eastern woods, tall and thin, clad in a gray robe, holding a bone-like short staff. They didn't speak, and their steps weren't fast, yet with each stride, the ground sank slightly, as if stepping on soft mud.

I knew they were a cultivator of the earth element.

They stopped at the valley entrance and planted the bone staff into the ground. A circle of brown ripples spread out, and several fist-sized stones floated up, slowly rotating above their head.

This was the signal for a challenge.

I didn't wait for them to attack first. After the battle with Yan Jin, I understood that some opponents weren't afraid of you fighting back; they were afraid of you ignoring them. What they wanted was to suppress you with their momentum.

I took three steps forward with my blade, standing at the edge of the stone platform, holding the Flowing Abyss horizontally in front of me.

"If you want to fight, make your move."

They stared at me for a moment, their lips twitching, then suddenly waved their hand. The stones above their head instantly accelerated, flying towards me in a fan shape.

I didn't dodge.

These stones weren't fast, nor were they powerful. The real danger was the ground. The instant the stones left their hand, I felt a subtle vibration under my feet—the precursor to a spell manipulating the earth's veins.

I tapped my left foot lightly, jumping half a foot into the air, and simultaneously slashed downwards with my blade, releasing a burst of energy. The soil cracked, and a rock vein as thick as an arm was severed just as it emerged.

The person's eyes narrowed, and they immediately took half a step back, forming seals again.

I seized the opportunity to press the attack. I took three steps forward, my spiritual power surging along the newly forged path in three streams, converging at the tip of my blade. This wasn't the original way of circulating energy in the Nine Revolutions Profound Origin Art; it was a rhythm I had modified over the past three days.

By the time my blade descended, they had only just raised their other hand.

The Flowing Abyss struck the side of their bone staff, numbing their hand. I followed up with a kick to the outside of their knee, causing them to stumble back two steps, landing on one knee.

"Do you yield?" I asked.

They gritted their teeth, looked up at me, and finally pulled out their bone staff, turning to leave.

I didn't pursue. This fight hadn't drained much energy, but I couldn't let my guard down. The second presence was already approaching from the west.

This time it was a female cultivator, dressed in a green vine-like robe, with strange markings painted on her face. As soon as she entered, she scattered a handful of powder, and a bitter, fishy smell immediately filled the air.

Poisonous mist.

I held my breath and retreated two steps. This poison wasn't lethal, but it caused dizziness and slowed reaction times. I still had the Calming Heart Talisman rewarded by the System, so I immediately tore it open and stuck it to my chest.

The mist thickened, and her figure disappeared within it.

I knew she was circling. This type of fighter liked to drag things out, waiting for you to catch your breath, to blink, for your spiritual sense to slacken.

I didn't close my eyes. Instead, I extended my spiritual sense, sweeping it along the ground. Her footsteps were light, but each one caused the dust to tremble slightly. I was waiting for the moment that frequency stabilized.

On the third loop, she attacked.

Three fine needles shot out from the mist, their angles cunning, aiming directly for my eyes and throat.

I lowered my head and sidestepped, sweeping my blade horizontally to knock the needles away. At the same time, I charged forward, into the densest part of the mist.

She hadn't expected me to charge in.

I pinpointed her location with my spiritual sense and slashed upwards with the Flowing Abyss. The blade grazed her shoulder, tearing through her vine robe and leaving a bloody gash.

She grunted and hastily retreated.

The mist dissipated quickly. She stood five steps away, clutching her wound, her face pale.

"You don't use poison?" I asked.

She shook her head, put away the remaining poison powder, and turned to leave.

The third arrival was a giant ape, nearly ten feet tall, covered in iron-gray fur. It didn't use the forest paths but instead crushed rocks as it walked in, each step shaking the ground.

It stood in the open space, patted its chest, and let out a low roar.

This was a purely strength-based opponent. A direct confrontation would drain my spiritual power, and a prolonged fight would be disadvantageous.

I stood on the stone platform without moving, observing its movements. It stood with its legs spread wide, its center of gravity low, clearly accustomed to a steady, solid approach. However, its right leg was slightly bent, and it always landed a beat slower—it had an old injury there.

When it charged at me, I didn't meet its attack.

I jumped to the right, letting it miss. It was slow to turn, so I circled around it, testing its reaction speed. During the second approach, I deliberately tapped its arm with the back of my blade, wanting to see how it would block.

It raised its arm to block, its movement decisive.

But I noticed its shoulder blade would retract slightly before it exerted force.

During the third exchange, I feigned a strong attack but changed my move midway. I retracted half the force of the Flowing Abyss, my blade trembling slightly. The moment it contacted its arm, I slid it inwards along the direction of the muscle.

It was that tremor that allowed me to strike the location of its old injury.

Its entire arm jolted violently, its strength faltering, and it stumbled forward.

I seized the opportunity, detonated the spiritual power I had reserved in my Dantian, and struck his back with a palm. He fell to the ground, creating a shallow pit.

He lay there for a few breaths before slowly getting up. He glanced at me and silently walked out of the valley.

Three battles, all won.

I didn't even break a sweat. The spiritual power in my body was indeed down by thirty percent, but its circulation remained smooth. More importantly, in the last battle just now, I extended my spiritual sense to the Flowing Abyss blade for the first time.

That feeling was special. It wasn't seeing with my eyes or hearing with my ears, but rather sensing the opponent's muscle contractions, the direction of their strength, and even the faint tremors caused by their heartbeat through the blade.

It was as if the blade had become another hand of mine.

I stood in place and slowly closed my eyes. My Sea of Consciousness automatically replayed the scene from just now: every angle of my blade, the rhythm, the points where I retracted my strength, all were clearly visible.

[Detected host has autonomously completed the basic application of "Spiritual Sense Attachment". Generate advanced training plan?]

The System's prompt appeared in my consciousness.

I shook my head.

I don't need it to teach me how to do it now. I want to remember this process, remember how each battle was fought, remember the feeling in my body.

The spirit beast stood up and walked to my side, gently rubbing against my leg.

I knew it was reminding me—someone was still watching.

I opened my eyes and looked towards the depths of the woods. Two unfamiliar figures stood there, one with twin swords on his back, the other leaning on a snake-headed staff. They neither entered nor left.

But they wouldn't be the last.

I slung Flowing Abyss over my shoulder, the blade facing outward. Sunlight glinted off the blade, reflecting a cold light.

The first one with the twin swords finally moved. He stepped into the valley, his right hand resting on his sword hilt.

I didn't wait for him to get settled.

"Next."