Back Mountain

As the day of the Ye Family's small martial tournament drew nearer, Ye Lingyun knew this was a perfect opportunity to prove himself. He could not afford the slightest lapse. To achieve an outstanding result at the tournament and further improve his strength, he decided to enter secluded training on the Ye Family Back Mountain.

The Ye Family Back Mountain had treacherous terrain and dense forests that concealed many unknown dangers. Yet precisely because of this, few people ventured there, making it an excellent place to cultivate. Ye Lingyun followed a familiar route to an exceptionally well-hidden cave. It lay halfway up a sheer cliff and could only be reached with a special movement technique. Vines and weeds concealed its entrance, making it difficult to discover without a careful search.

Ye Lingyun pushed the vines aside and entered the cave. The interior was spacious, but dampness hung in the air. Faintly glowing moss grew on the walls, barely illuminating the cavern. After tidying up a little, he sat cross-legged in the center and began his arduous training.

First, he focused on his martial soul. His earlier exploration and cultivation had already brought about significant changes, but it was still far from the degree of mutation he hoped for. Ye Lingyun drew a deep breath, circulated his spiritual power, and carefully guided it along a specific route into his martial soul. As the spiritual power poured in, his martial soul blazed with light. The strange patterns on its surface flickered, as though it were undergoing some mysterious transformation.

However, his cultivation was far from smooth sailing. Once he had infused a certain amount of spiritual power, his martial soul suddenly resisted fiercely, sending a powerful backlash surging toward his meridians. Ye Lingyun's face turned deathly pale. Veins bulged on his forehead, and beads of sweat rolled down his skin. Yet he gritted his teeth and, through sheer determination, forced himself to remain steady. He guided the backlash slowly through his meridians until it gradually dissipated.

Once the backlash subsided, Ye Lingyun did not lose heart. Instead, he tried infusing his spiritual power again. He repeated this process many times, challenging his limits with every attempt and steadily pushing past his martial soul's threshold of endurance. As time passed, his martial soul's capacity for spiritual power gradually increased. The strange patterns grew clearer, and its light shone ever more brilliantly.

After making some progress with his martial soul, Ye Lingyun began practicing the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique. Holding an ordinary longsword, he executed the technique within the cave's confined space. The whistle of a blade slicing through the air echoed inside, while his figure flickered in the dim light, his sword moves fierce and swift.

The Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique consisted of five forms: Starburst Appears, Meteor Chases the Moon, Brilliant Star River, Void-Splitting Star Slash, and Stars Return to Their Places. Each form contained its own distinctive methods of circulating spiritual power and variations in sword movements, demanding exceptional control over spiritual power and physical coordination.

Ye Lingyun began with the first form, Starburst Appears, practicing it repeatedly. This form emphasized the speed of the sword and an instantaneous eruption of spiritual power. At the exact moment of a strike, the practitioner had to concentrate spiritual power at the sword's tip and unleash sword energy as sharp as a star's rays. Ye Lingyun swung his longsword again and again. At first, his sword energy had an edge, but lacked continuity and stability. After countless attempts and adjustments, however, he gradually grasped the knack. His sword energy grew increasingly fierce, allowing him to slice precisely into the rock walls and leave deep sword marks behind.

Once he felt reasonably proficient in the first form, he began attempting the second, Meteor Chases the Moon. This form required not only greater sword speed, but also the skillful use of spiritual power to alter the blade's path during a strike. It had to twist and dart like a meteor, swift and difficult for an opponent to predict. Ye Lingyun encountered tremendous difficulty while practicing this form. With the cave's limited space, he often could not execute the movements fully, making it difficult to achieve the desired control over the sword's speed and trajectory.

Yet Ye Lingyun did not give up. He carefully observed the sword's path through the air and, accounting for the characteristics of his own spiritual power, continually adjusted how he applied force and the rhythm at which he released his power. After several days of grueling practice, he could finally execute Meteor Chases the Moon relatively smoothly within the cave. Wherever the blade swept past, it seemed as though meteors truly streaked through the air, trailing brilliant streams of spiritual light.

As his practice of the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique deepened, Ye Lingyun's strength steadily increased. However, he also realized that while training in the cramped cave allowed him to focus on the technique's finer details, it prevented him from truly unleashing its power. To improve further, he decided to venture deeper into the back mountain and find an open area for combat practice.

Demonic beasts roamed the depths of the back mountain, and danger lurked everywhere. Ye Lingyun advanced cautiously, remaining alert to every movement around him. Suddenly, a low growl sounded ahead, and an enormous demonic beast at the peak of the first rank-a Red Flame Tiger-appeared before him. Red scales covered its entire body, its eyes blazed like torches, and scorching heat radiated from it. The flames it spewed instantly set the surrounding trees alight.

Ye Lingyun knew how formidable the Red Flame Tiger was, but he did not retreat. Longsword in hand, he used Breeze Phantom Steps, his figure flitting like a phantom as he swiftly circled to the tiger's flank. At the same time, he executed Starburst Appears from the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique. A fierce streak of sword energy slashed toward the tiger's side. Sensing the danger, the Red Flame Tiger whirled around and swung its enormous paw, easily scattering the sword energy.

Seeing this, Ye Lingyun immediately changed his move and unleashed Meteor Chases the Moon. His longsword streaked like a meteor, its blade glittering brilliantly as it thrust toward the Red Flame Tiger's head. The tiger opened its jaws and spewed a torrent of scorching flames, attempting to block his attack. Ye Lingyun darted aside, deftly evading the flames. Using the smoke they produced as cover, he swiftly closed in on the tiger and struck again.

This time, his sword pierced the Red Flame Tiger's leg with precision. The tiger let out a furious roar, its wounded leg trembling slightly. But it did not yield. Instead, it lunged at Ye Lingyun with even greater frenzy. Relying on his agile footwork and fierce sword moves, Ye Lingyun fought a fierce battle against the Red Flame Tiger.

During the battle, Ye Lingyun continually adjusted his tactics, perfectly combining the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique with Breeze Phantom Steps while skillfully exploiting the surrounding terrain. At times, he used trees to evade the Red Flame Tiger's attacks; at others, he counterattacked from unexpected angles. After a bitter struggle, Ye Lingyun finally defeated the Red Flame Tiger.

Even after defeating the Red Flame Tiger, Ye Lingyun did not let down his guard. He knew that even stronger demonic beasts lurked deep within the back mountain. Yet this battle had given him a deeper understanding and insight into the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique, and he could now execute it with greater ease.

He continued searching the depths of the back mountain for a suitable place to practice and finally discovered an open valley. Steep peaks surrounded it, while a flat expanse of grass lay at its center, making it ideal for practical sword training. Ye Lingyun walked to the center of the valley, drew a deep breath, and began unleashing the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique at full power.

He performed all five forms in one unbroken sequence. With Starburst Appears, sword energy swept in every direction like twinkling stars. With Meteor Chases the Moon, sword shadows darted like meteors in a dazzling blur. With Brilliant Star River, spiritual power erupted as though a river of stars had blossomed within the valley. With Void-Splitting Star Slash, powerful sword energy soared skyward, as if to tear the void apart. With Stars Return to Their Places, all the sword energy instantly withdrew and gathered at the sword's tip, radiating a restrained yet mighty power.

After repeated practice in the valley, Ye Lingyun's mastery of the Star-Splitting Void Sword Technique reached a new height. His strength also increased dramatically as his sword technique improved. Now, he could hardly wait to display his skills at the Ye Family's small martial tournament and let everyone witness his transformation...