Return Valley.
Chu Qingjian had just been about to form a hand seal and chant an incantation to summon thunderclouds when she abruptly looked up and murmured:
"The wind has risen..."
Autumn wind swept up fallen leaves, stirring a groundful of desolation.
Clang!
The sword gave a soft ring; the greatest music was barely heard.
Chu Qingjian's eyes widened. She whipped her long mace upward at an angle and barely managed to block.
Clang!
Metal rang against metal, sending sparks flying.
A few strands of hair beside her ears fell soundlessly, severed like blades of grass, and soon vanished on the autumn wind.
Chu Qingjian's chest heaved, her heart still reeling. She could not help asking:
"How... how is this possible? Why have your sword strikes become so much stronger and faster?"
Jiang Yang's lips curved, but he said nothing, savoring the feeling of wielding his sword in that instant when heart and spirit became one and his True Essence surged forth in unison. It was swift and urgent, and the strength of his sword was worlds apart from before.
The Scarlet Palace Heart Mansion Meridian-Pulsing Canon that Bai Tang had taught him had improved him enormously. It was more effective than any miraculous elixir.
Its only drawback was the greater strain on his mind and Spirit Sense, along with the greater demands on his meridians' resilience after successive sword strikes. But that was Jiang Yang's shortcoming, not the secret art's.
He had only just begun to get the hang of it before immediately coming to Chu Qingjian to reclaim his pride.
Hmph. Let's see how you keep exploiting your movement speed now. I'm going to make you suffer a little today...
As he thought this, Jiang Yang's hands never stopped. He directed his spirit and circulated his energy, sending