Subtlety

Chen Xian nodded to himself. At that moment, Xue Qishan said, "Blade qi can be blood qi, essence qi, or Origin Qi."

"Blade qi at the subtle level is so fine it cannot be seen. Simply put, right now our moves are all broad and sweeping, rugged and fierce. Subtlety means restraint, reserve, calmness—yet not calmness. When it erupts, its power is even greater."

"Actually, it isn't calmness. It is speed and explosive force. Before the waves can even splash up, the gale has already passed."

"Returning to simplicity?"

Chen Xian looked at Xue Qishan, four words flashing through his mind.

The corner of Xue Qishan's mouth twitched. "Uh... that works too!"

Chen Xian knew that "returning to simplicity" was not quite an apt description, but he had already grasped the meaning of blade technique subtlety.

It seemed ordinary, yet was far from ordinary. Subtle Saber Qi seeped through every opening, its killing power astonishing.

"More or less like that!" Ding Chen said with a nod.

In truth, they could not explain it clearly either. If they could, their blade techniques would have reached the subtle level long ago, and their combat strength would have improved.

Chen Xian nodded and looked at Wang Yan and Qin Fei. "Brother Wang, go keep watch by the Blood River. Brother Fei, go to the southwest corner. If you spot demons, don't fight them—come straight back."

"Yes!" The two accepted the order and departed.

Ding Chen asked, "What about us?"

Chen Xian said, "Cultivate where we are and strengthen our abilities!"

Ding Chen nodded and passed on the order.

Chen Xian did not sit idle either. He hurried to improve his Demon-Slaying Blade Technique.

As long as his blade technique reached the subtle level, bringing his spear technique to that level would be easy as well.

The Demon-Slaying Blade Technique had three forms and twenty-seven moves. To Chen Xian, it had long become as effortless as plucking something from his sleeve.

As he added experience points, enlightenment gradually dawned within him. The panel notified him that his blade technique had reached the subtle level.

Chen Xian glanced at the panel. It had consumed a total of 320 experience points.

He immediately gripped the Golden Ring Great Saber. Following the practiced memories in his mind, he drove his Origin Qi and slashed out.

Origin Qi condensed along the Golden Ring Great Saber. As Chen Xian swung, a streak of blade light flashed and vanished.

Pfft!

A faint piercing sound came from a pine tree a hundred meters away. Only Chen Xian could hear it.

The night was deathly quiet.

About three breaths passed.

With a creak, the pine tree, as thick as a washbasin, toppled thunderously to the ground.

Hearing the commotion, Ding Chen and the others instantly opened their eyes, sprang to their feet, and drew their long blades.

"What was that?" Everyone frowned.

When they saw that only a pine tree had fallen and no demons had appeared, they finally let out a breath.

Xue Qishan darted over. When he saw the pine trunk had been sliced smooth and clean, with blazing blade qi still flickering over it, his face filled with astonishment. "Blade technique subtlety?"

He raised his head and could not help looking toward Chen Xian, who held the Golden Ring Great Saber.

His eyes were full of shock.

If anyone among them would be the first to reach blade technique subtlety, it would undoubtedly be Chen Xian.

Thinking about it, it made sense. Chen Xian had already reached the Jade Sea Realm, possessed abundant Origin Qi, and had long mastered the Demon-Slaying Blade Technique to perfection. With only a little insight, reaching blade technique subtlety was naturally easy.

"What a cultivation prodigy!"

Xue Qishan muttered, then rose and walked over to Ding Chen and the others. Shaking his head helplessly, he said, "Someone's already practicing blade technique at the subtle level."

"Huh?" Qin Fei's face filled with disbelief as he turned to look at Chen Xian.

Chen Xian sat calmly on a stone slab, stroking the Golden Ring Great Saber in his hand. A moment later, he sprang up and slashed out once more.

Under the night sky, everyone caught only a flash of dark-golden blade light before it vanished.

About three breaths later, five large trees a hundred meters away fell to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

Everyone stood with their mouths agape, staring at Chen Xian in shock.

"Is he some kind of monster?" Luo Ying clicked his tongue.

It had not even been a quarter of an hour since he asked about it, and Chen Xian had already comprehended the subtle realm?

Looking across the monstrous geniuses of the Great Ning Dynasty, perhaps none of them were this astounding.

Ding Chen shook his head with a smile. He had already grown accustomed to Chen Xian's monstrous talent.

"Everyone, hurry up and cultivate," he said, waving to the group.

Everyone nodded.

Chen Xian continued practicing his blade technique, then switched to the long spear after a while.

Spear technique subtlety consumed less experience, requiring only 200 experience points.

Half an hour later.

Martial Arts: Demon-Slaying Blade Technique (Subtle), Demon-Slaying Spear Technique (Subtle), Great Tablet Smashing Hand (Subtle)

Experience: 68260 points

Of the three martial skills, only the Great Tablet Smashing Hand required 500 experience points to reach the subtle level.

The subtle Great Tablet Smashing Hand looked weak and seemed to lack force when it landed, yet its penetrating power was astonishing.

A palm strike landed on a tree trunk without harming the bark, but the inside had been pulverized into dregs.

That was the terrifying palm force of the Great Tablet Smashing Hand after reaching the subtle level.

After midnight.

Chen Xian stopped cultivating. Alone, he came to the highest peak of Seven Mile Peak and gazed southward.

Blood seeped through the pitch-black sky. The vortex grew ever larger, boundless demon qi drifting through the air and making the scenery impossible to see clearly.

Then he looked west, toward the Black Abyss.

He did not know how vast the Black Abyss was, but in his memories, that direction was a forbidden zone. Countless rogue cultivator demons dwelled within, each possessing its own territory. They were all incomparably powerful, and humans were forbidden from setting foot there.

Chen Xian's Spiritual Sense Eye covered only three miles, but his hearing could reach ten kilometers.

His senses reached even farther, extending to fifteen kilometers.

Demon Slayer Soldiers lay hidden north and east of the Blood River Forest, waiting at any moment for the demons' assault.

At the fifth quarter of the Hour of the Ox.

Movement came from the direction of Black Wind Valley.

Chen Xian's ears twitched, and he heard strings of grumbling voices.

"Head Chef Army?"

At this hour, the Head Chef Army had arrived. It seemed the Demon Slayer Soldiers in the Ninth Camp had suffered severe casualties, and the reserve camp soldiers could no longer make up the numbers.

Before long, Liu Dingchun arrived with three thousand soldiers from the Head Chef Army.

Chen Xian, Ding Chen, and the others all rose to their feet.

"A bunch of useless trash. You can't even stop a few demons?" Liu Dingchun sat high on horseback, casting Chen Xian and the others a glance.

Expressionless, Chen Xian stepped forward and saluted Liu Dingchun.

Liu Dingchun was exceedingly impatient and ordered Chen Xian to lead his men to guard the Blood River.

Chen Xian did not resist the order. He and Ding Chen's group mounted their horses.

"Which ones are Li Sheng and Wang Pei?" Chen Xian quietly asked Ding Chen after they had gone some distance.

Ding Chen shook his head. "They didn't come!"

Li Sheng and Wang Pei indeed had not come, but Mu Feng had.

Mu Feng was a lieutenant in the Head Chef Army, leading his own three hundred men at the rear.

After entering the forest, Chen Xian said, "The Head Chef Army has all come, and they came from the west. More demons will be diverted our way. Tonight will be hard to fight. If demons charge at us, stop them if you can. If you can't, let them through."

Ding Chen nodded. "That was my thought too."

The Head Chef Army had lived far too comfortably in the military camp. It was time they witnessed a bloody scene.

Around the Hour of the Tiger.

Chen Xian heard demons mobilizing on the south bank of the Blood River. Then three figures shot through the sky above the Blood River Forest toward the north bank.

"Black Tiger King!" His face darkened.

The Black Tiger King had acquired another Golden Ring Great Saber. The two Great Demon Kings beside him also radiated immensely powerful auras.

Just as the three Great Demon Kings were about to charge into the Demon Slayer Soldiers, three silver-armored figures rushed out from the north, tearing through the night sky to intercept the Black Tiger King and his two companions.

A great battle was on the verge of erupting.

Chen Xian paid no attention to the battle between Pei Menglong and the Black Tiger King. His Spiritual Sense Eye spread out, and with his hearing and senses extending farther, his expression soon became exceptionally grave.

"There are even more demons than last night!"

"How many?" Ding Chen's expression changed sharply.

"At least fifteen thousand. Five thousand have been diverted here!" Chen Xian said with a frown.

He was not afraid himself. The crucial thing was the one hundred and seven brothers at his side...

"Remember, everyone—don't risk your lives trying to stop them. Let the demons break through and leave the Head Chef Army to deal with them!"

Chen Xian said to the crowd.

Then he crossed to the north bank alone, intending to deal with the Demon Lords and Demon Men first.