Chu Zhiting slowly stepped up beside Chu Mingxuan. As if facing a formidable enemy, he drew his sword and said, "Fourth Brother, please enlighten me."
Chu Zhiyuan laughed at his caution. "Ninth Brother, please!"
The Earthly Yuan Art began to circulate.
The Yongquan Acupoints in his feet opened like two whale mouths, drawing in the earth's primal qi.
The first layer of the Earthly Yuan Art replenished internal energy. The route by which earth primal qi transformed directly into internal energy was the shortest and swiftest.
Earth primal qi rose straight from the Yongquan Acupoints to his dantian, filling the empty dantian almost in the blink of an eye.
For Xiantian Masters, however, it replenished true qi. That required the second layer of the Earthly Yuan Art, and the route for transforming earth primal qi into true qi was more complicated.
The Great Avalanche Sword Art condensed one's entire cultivation into a single sword strike—swift and ruthless. But after that one sword, the thief had emptied the tower; there was no strength left to strike again.
The Earthly Yuan Art made up for the Great Avalanche Sword Art's fatal weakness.
"Fourth Brother, you first!" Chu Zhiting stared intently at Chu Zhiyuan's shoulders, gave his longsword a sharp shake, and said in a deep voice.
When a sword moved, the shoulders moved first.
That was the key to dealing with swift swords.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "I'm used to striking after my opponent."
Chu Zhiting solemnly watched his shoulders. "Fourth Brother should still go first!"
He had failed to see that sword strike just now, and a chill of wariness filled his heart. If he could not even see the sword, how could he possibly dodge or counterattack?
"Very well. Watch the sword." Chu Zhiyuan smiled.
His right hand moved.
Bang!
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Chu Zhiting bent over, bracing himself with his sword as he clutched his chest and coughed violently.
Everyone's eyes widened even further.
This time, they had seen it clearly. It truly had been a sword thrust and withdrawal, so fast it looked like a single convulsion.
"Heh, that's wicked!" Chu Mingxuan blurted out.
He turned to the others. "Did you see it? Did you see Fourth Son's sword?"
Everyone nodded.
"Ninth Brother, are you all right?"
Chu Zhiyuan looked at Chu Zhiting with concern and apologetically asked, "Was that too heavy?"
He had already held back considerably with that strike.
But if he wanted speed, he could only strike with explosive force. It was not so easy to rein it back in.
Under everyone's gaze, Chu Zhiting's coughing gradually subsided. He slowly straightened and looked at Chu Zhiyuan in confusion, his gaze finally settling on the wooden sword in his hand. "Fourth Brother, this sword art of yours..."
"I'll do it!"
Chu Zhichuan stepped forward and said in a deep voice.
Tall and slender, he stood like a jade tree facing the wind. His handsome face was icy, and his narrow eyes were full of gravity.
He had never thought much of Chu Zhiyuan before.
He believed Chu Qingfeng favored him only because he loved the house and its crow. It was said that Prince Qing's Estate had been freed from its restrictions because Chu Qingfeng had pleaded for it.
That morning, when he saw Chu Zhiyuan talking with Chu Zhiting, he had not joined them. First, he did not want to be distracted from training. Second, he believed someone with Chu Zhiyuan's mild temperament could never master martial arts. He was not ruthless enough, not focused enough, and was destined never to become a top expert.
The only reason he had attained his current cultivation was surely because he had been trapped in the estate and unable to leave. Unlike the rest of them, he could not roam about, feast, drink, and play. In that stifling environment, he could only practice martial arts to pass the time.
If it had been him, he would have entered the Xiantian Realm long ago under such conditions.
"Tenth Brother, be careful!"
"Tenth Brother, don't lose again!"
The others all cried out.
Among the twelve of them, the three strongest were those three. They might not necessarily lose to the three of them in a fight, but they definitely could not defeat them in a single move.
This was a fierce dragon crossing the river.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "Tenth Brother, please."
Chu Zhichuan asked coldly, "What sword art is this?"
"The Great Avalanche Sword Art."
"...So it is the Great Avalanche Sword Art." Chu Zhichuan considered it briefly, then slowly nodded.
No wonder it was so fast.
It was the sword art of the Great Snow Mountain Sect, one of the Ancient Six Great Sects. Of course he remembered it.
The Great Avalanche Sword Art possessed supreme destructive power, yet it had a fatal flaw. It was an ultimate killing art that staked everything on a single throw.
If one move failed to kill the enemy, one would be left at the mercy of others. One sword decided life and death.
After one sword, the thief had emptied the tower. Being able to strike twice was already an accomplishment. He probably could not produce a third sword in a short time. He was putting up a hollow front, perhaps even buying time to recover.
Having thought this through, he said in a deep voice, "Please—!"
He could not give him a moment to catch his breath. The sooner he attacked, the better!
"Please!"
Chu Zhiyuan remained calm, though inwardly he grimaced.
His right hand and body were unbearably sore and numb.
The Great Avalanche Sword Art condensed his entire cultivation into one blow, placing far too much strain on his meridians. At this moment, the meridians throughout his body and right arm were on the verge of collapse.
Establishing one's prestige came at a price.
If he could not suppress Chu Zhichuan, all his earlier efforts would have gone to waste.
So he had to endure this one strike.
Sssh! Chu Zhichuan thrust his sword.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
Chu Zhichuan's sword momentum went slack. He clutched his chest and coughed violently.
This time, everyone fixed their eyes on Chu Zhiyuan's right hand and sword hilt. They saw him casually thrust his sword, yet strike after the other had moved, accurately hitting the spot above Chu Zhichuan's tanzhong acupoint.
Chu Zhiyuan actually managed to suppress the trembling in his right hand and turned to look at the others.
Everyone avoided his gaze.
Chu Qingfeng wore a half-smile.
Chu Zhiyuan smiled. "Who's next?"
Chu Qingfeng said, "You've fought three times in a row. Take a break. The rest of you, don't just stand there either—find someone and spar."
Chu Mingxuan had fully recovered by now. "Thirteenth Uncle, forget it. What more is there to compare? That sword is Fourth Son's!"
He turned and swept his gaze over the others. "Who else refuses to accept it and wants to exchange a few moves with Fourth Son?"
Everyone fell silent.
They had not seen the first strike clearly, but they had seen the second and third perfectly. After imagining themselves in those positions, they all reached one clear conclusion: they could not block it.
One fresh move could carry one through the world. If they could not block that sword, then anything else they said was pointless.
The match would end with a single sword. Sparring with him would bring them nothing but frustration, so there was no need to seek trouble for themselves. They might as well admit defeat directly.
Chu Mingxuan said, "Fourth Son, I'll bring you the sword tomorrow."
Chu Zhiyuan cupped his fists. "Thank you for yielding, and thank you, Eighteenth Uncle."
They shook their heads helplessly.
Chu Zhichuan's handsome face grew even colder, and he secretly resolved to go back and train harder.
The Great Avalanche Sword Art was not invincible. There had to be a way to break it.
"Fourth Son, don't get too smug. You might not be first next time. No one stays first in our Bright Martial Hall," he snorted. Then he cupped his fists. "Thirteenth Uncle, we'll be leaving."
Chu Qingfeng waved a hand.
Everyone cupped their fists toward Chu Qingfeng. Before leaving, each of them looked at Chu Zhiyuan, giving him a deep look as though to carve him into memory.
Once everyone had gone, Chu Qingfeng examined Chu Zhiyuan's right hand. "You're not going back to rest?"
Chu Zhiyuan said, "I'd like to read a little longer."
"You really know how to put on a brave front."
Chu Qingfeng shook his head and left with his hands behind his back.
Only Chu Zhiyuan remained in the vast Bright Martial Hall.
He lowered his head to look at his trembling right hand and silently shook his head.
The Earthly Yuan Art alone was not enough. His body could not withstand repeated use of the Great Avalanche Sword Art. He had to begin practicing the Dragon Transformation Technique as soon as possible.
His internal energy began to circulate. After passing through more than twenty acupoints, it transformed into threads of coolness that entered the Twelve Meridians and Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
Wherever those threads of cool qi passed, his meridians were like parched, cracked earth meeting sweet rain, quickly nourished with immediate effect.
He stood motionless on the training ground of Bright Martial Hall. Only after half an hour did he open his eyes, laughter stirring within them.
The Dragon Transformation Technique truly was profound. Over the past half hour, his meridians, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse, had not only recovered but grown far stronger than before.
He estimated that he could now roughly withstand five strikes of the Great Avalanche Sword Art.
From three swords to five, the intensity had nearly doubled.
It was certainly because the Dragon Transformation Technique was wondrous, but also because destruction was followed by rebirth.
By accident, he had found a shortcut for cultivating the Dragon Transformation Technique.
At dusk, just as the palace gates were about to be locked, Chu Zhiyuan left Bright Martial Hall.
As he strolled along with his hands behind his back, his heart was brimming with delight.
It had been another fruitful, immensely fulfilling day.
Not only had his martial foundations advanced by leaps and bounds.
The Dragon Transformation Technique had also progressed swiftly.
Having found a shortcut to cultivating the Dragon Transformation Technique, he first used the Great Avalanche Sword Art several times, then circulated the Dragon Transformation Technique once his entire body was unbearably sore.
After training for one afternoon, he could already support ten sword strikes.
Once he cultivated the first layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique, he could practice the Qi Washing Art, followed by the Dragon Binding Rope. The latter two could both be mastered quickly.
He had originally thought the Dragon Transformation Technique would take a long time to cultivate, but now he had found a shortcut.
The first layer of the Dragon Transformation Technique cultivated the meridians; the second refined the acupoints; the third tempered the bones; the fourth tempered the marrow; the fifth tempered the blood; the sixth tempered the membranes; the seventh tempered the tendons; the eighth tempered the flesh; and the ninth tempered the skin.
Unlike other body-tempering arts, which proceeded from the outside inward, it cultivated from within outward.
It was said that upon reaching the ninth layer, one could transform one's body into a true dragon, possess boundless strength, and even extend one's lifespan.
According to the Dragon Subduing Sect's records, over its ten-thousand-year inheritance, three people had reached perfection and gained lifespans of five hundred years—longer even than Grandmasters.
After leaving South Palace Gate, he saw Zou Fang waiting outside.
Guo Chi then approached with eight Xiantian Masters.
Chu Zhiyuan walked unhurriedly. "How is Steward Feng's side progressing?"
Zou Fang was like his shadow, his true confidant and also his eyes and ears, well informed on all news.
Today, he had not left Zou Fang outside Bright Martial Hall. Instead, he had sent him out to gather information.
Zou Fang said softly, "We've already located their hideout. We're watching it now."
"Mm."
"However..." Zou Fang said quietly.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "Speak."
Zou Fang lowered his voice even further. "This servant discovered that one of those three men belongs to the Town Martial Division."
Chu Zhiyuan laughed. "Heh, the Town Martial Division's hand reaches quite far."
The city guards and the Town Martial Division were different offices, yet the latter had planted people among the city guards. The Town Martial Division truly had stretched its hand too far.
But who could blame them? The Town Martial Division was the Emperor's claws and fangs. Even if the city guards knew, they would probably only dare to rage in silence.
Zou Fang remained silent.
"Treat it as though we know nothing."
"Yes," Zou Fang answered.
Chu Zhiyuan said, "Find out the origins of the sword Eighteenth Uncle obtained recently."
"Yes," Zou Fang replied softly.
Before you continue