Subtle

Chen Xian nodded inwardly. At this moment, Xue Qishan said, "Saber Qi can be blood qi, or essence qi, or primal qi."

"Saber Qi at the subtle level is invisible. Simply put, right now we're all about broad, powerful, and fierce attacks. Subtle means restrained, implicit, calm, yet not calm. When it erupts, its power is even greater."

"It's not really calm, but fast and explosive. The waves haven't even formed before the strong wind has passed."

"Returning to simplicity?"

Chen Xian looked at Xue Qishan, and four words flashed in his mind.

Xue Qishan tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Uh... that's right!"

Chen Xian knew that describing it with the words 'returning to simplicity' wasn't quite accurate, but he had already understood the meaning of the Subtle Saber Technique.

It appeared ordinary but was extraordinary. Subtle Saber Qi was all-pervasive and incredibly lethal.

"That's about it!" Ding Chen nodded and said.

In reality, they couldn't explain it clearly. If they could, they would have already mastered the Subtle Saber Technique and enhanced their combat power.

Chen Xian nodded and looked at Wang Yan and Qin Fei, saying, "Brother Wang, you go scout by the Blood River. Brother Fei, go to the southwest corner. If you find any demons, don't engage them. Just come back directly."

"Yes!" The two acknowledged and left.

Ding Chen asked, "What about us?"

Chen Xian replied, "Cultivate on the spot and strengthen our power!"

Ding Chen nodded and passed down the order.

Chen Xian didn't idle either. He quickly went to improve his [Demon-Slaying Blade Technique].

As long as he could achieve the subtle level in his saber technique, achieving it in his spear technique would also be easy.

The [Demon-Slaying Blade Technique] had a total of three stances and twenty-seven moves. For Chen Xian, he had long since mastered them.

As he added experience points, he gradually gained insight, and the system prompt indicated that he had reached the Subtle Saber Technique level.

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

He immediately gripped the Golden Ring Great Saber and, based on his familiar memory, channeled his primal energy to unleash a saber strike.

Primal energy condensed on the Golden Ring Great Saber. As Chen Xian swung his saber, a flash of saber light appeared and vanished.

Pfft!

A faint piercing sound came from a pine tree a hundred meters away, audible only to Chen Xian.

It was incredibly quiet under the night sky.

About three breaths passed.

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

Hearing the commotion, Ding Chen and the others instantly opened their eyes, leaped up, and drew their long sabers.

"What was that noise?" Everyone frowned.

When they saw clearly that it was just a pine tree falling and no demons had appeared, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Xue Qishan quickly moved over. Upon seeing that the trunk of the pine tree had been shaved smooth and neat, with fierce saber qi still flickering on it, he was filled with astonishment. "Subtle Saber Technique?"

He looked up and couldn't help but glance at Chen Xian, who was holding the Golden Ring Great Saber.

His eyes were filled with shock.

If anyone among them was most likely to quickly achieve the Subtle Saber Technique, it would undoubtedly be Chen Xian.

Come to think of it, Chen Xian was already in the Jade Sea Realm, with abundant primal energy, and his Demon-Slaying Blade Technique was long perfected. With just a little more insight, achieving the Subtle Saber Technique would be easy.

"Truly a cultivation prodigy!"

Xue Qishan murmured, then got up and walked in front of Ding Chen and the others, shaking his head helplessly. "Someone has reached the subtle realm in their saber technique."

"Ah?" Qin Fei looked surprised and turned to look at Chen Xian.

They saw Chen Xian sitting calmly on the stone slab, stroking the Golden Ring Great Saber in his hand. After a moment, he leaped up and unleashed another saber strike.

Under the night sky, everyone only caught a glimpse of a dark golden saber light that flashed and vanished.

About three breaths later, five large trees a hundred meters away fell, kicking up dust.

Everyone's mouths hung open, staring at Chen Xian in shock.

"Is he a freak?" Luo Ying clicked his tongue.

Less than a quarter of an hour after they had asked, and he had already comprehended the subtle realm?

Looking at the monstrous geniuses across the Great Ning Dynasty, perhaps none were this astonishing, right?

Ding Chen shook his head and smiled. He was already accustomed to Chen Xian's monstrous talent.

"Everyone, hurry up and cultivate," he said, waving his hand at the others.

Everyone nodded.

Chen Xian was still practicing his saber technique. After a while, he switched to a spear.

Achieving the subtle level in spear technique 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 used 500 experience points to reach Subtle.

The Subtle Great Tablet Smashing Hand appeared to be weak and lacked power, but its penetrating force was astonishing.

A palm strike landed on the trunk of a tree. The bark remained undamaged, but the inside turned to dust.

This was the astonishing palm force of the Subtle Great Tablet Smashing Hand.

Past midnight.

Chen Xian stopped cultivating and came alone to the highest peak of Seven Mile Peak, gazing south.

The oppressive sky was tinged with red, and the vortex grew larger and larger. Boundless demonic energy wafted about, making it difficult to see the scenery clearly.

He then looked west, towards the Black Abyss.

He didn't know how large the Black Abyss was, but in his memory, that direction was a forbidden zone. It was filled with rogue cultivators and demons, each with their own territories. Their strength was immense, and humans were forbidden from entering.

Chen Xian's Spiritual Sense Eye had a coverage range of only three li, but his hearing could reach ten kilometers.

He felt something even further, about fifteen kilometers away.

To the north and east of the Blood River Forest, Demon Slayer Soldiers were lurking, waiting for the demons to attack at any moment.

Around 1:45 AM.

Movement came from the direction of Black Wind Valley.

Chen Xian's ears twitched, and he heard voices complaining.

"Head Chef Army?"

With the Head Chef Army arriving at this hour, it seemed the Demon Slayer Soldiers in the Ninth Battalion had suffered heavy casualties, and the reserve soldiers were no longer sufficient.

Not long after, Liu Dingchun arrived with three thousand men from the Head Chef Army.

Chen Xian, Ding Chen, and the others all stood up.

"A bunch of trash, can't even stop a few demons?" Liu Dingchun sat on his horse, glancing at Chen Xian and the others.

Chen Xian, with a blank expression, stepped forward to salute Liu Dingchun.

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

Chen Xian did not disobey and, along with Ding Chen and the others, mounted their horses.

"Which one of you is Li Sheng, Wang Pei?"

As they walked away, Chen Xian quietly asked Ding Chen.

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

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

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

Entering the forest, Chen Xian said, "The Head Chef Army has arrived, and they're coming from the west. The diverted demonic forces will increase, making tonight's fight difficult. If the demons charge over, block them if you can; if you can't, let them pass."

Ding Chen nodded, "That's what I was thinking too."

The Head Chef Army had lived too comfortably in the barracks; it was time they witnessed some bloodshed.

Around 3 AM.

Chen Xian heard the sounds of demons mobilizing on the south bank of the Blood River. Then, three figures above the Blood River Forest charged towards the north bank.

"Black Tiger King!" His expression darkened.

The Black Tiger King had acquired another Golden Ring Great Saber and was accompanied by two Great Demon Kings, whose auras were also extremely powerful.

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, cutting through the night sky and intercepting the Black Tiger King and his two companions.

A great battle was about to erupt.

Chen Xian didn't pay attention to Pei Menglong's fight with the Black Tiger King. His Spiritual Sense Eye covered the area, and combined with his hearing and senses, his expression quickly became extremely grim.

"The number of demons is even greater than last night!"

"How many?" Ding Chen's face changed drastically.

"At least fifteen thousand, with five thousand diverted!" Chen Xian said with a frown.

He wasn't afraid, but the key was the one hundred and seven brothers beside him…

"Everyone, remember, don't try to block them with all your might. Let the demons pass, and let the Head Chef Army deal with them!"

Chen Xian said to everyone.

After that, he went alone to the north bank to deal with the Demon Lords and Demon Men first.