Firecloud Blade

The essence of the Ice-Controlling Art was much like the Ambidextrous Combat Technique in the martial arts novels he had read before.

It was not truly a martial art, but an auxiliary esoteric technique. Once fully understood, it could unlock one's potential and improve combat prowess.

Cao Jinxing had previously used the Cold Toad Art only as an internal cultivation method. Only after reading the Ice-Controlling Art did he realize that, with sufficiently precise control, it could produce effects akin to spells.

Controlling ice with qi!

Use the heart and lungs as a conduit, channel qi through the Chest Village and Encircling Glory points...

Cao Jinxing quietly circulated the Cold Toad Art. Fine strands of true qi flowed from his dantian, passing through his heart, lungs, and major acupoints to his palm before silently extending outward.

The moisture in the air condensed instantly!

A small ice crystal appeared in Cao Jinxing's palm.

Before, he could easily have channeled his internal energy through his palm to unleash an intensely cold palm strike.

But now, having learned the Ice-Controlling Art, heaven and earth responded before he even struck, turning water into ice.

"As expected of a world of high-level martial arts. Truly amazing..."

-The Supreme Ultimate gave rise to the two polarities, the two polarities to the four images, and the four images to the eight trigrams.

-Eight natural forces lay hidden within heaven and earth, and the human body could likewise refine eight kinds of true qi. Through resonance between the inner and outer worlds, the human body could move heaven and earth. This was heaven-man resonance!

This was what made spiritual martial arts so powerful!

The greatest difficulty in the Ice-Controlling Art lay in heaven-man resonance. Its many obscure, profound passages were the author's attempts to describe and guide practitioners toward that ineffable state.

But Cao Jinxing did not care. Once he finished reading it, he knew how to do it.

In an instant, everything clicked!

Previously, Cao Jinxing had viewed everything purely from a martial arts perspective, focusing exclusively on the use of internal energy. Only now did he realize he could also release true qi to harness natural forces, achieving the same results with half the effort!

Cao Jinxing spread his arms and released his true qi, enveloping the surrounding area. In an instant, all the moisture within fifty meters fell under his control!

"This feels incredible..."

Cao Jinxing could not help marveling. The "spell arts" Bai Yunxiu had mentioned must have been methods like this, designed to complement the Cold Toad Art by harnessing the natural power of water.

"So what if they're missing? I can fill in the gaps myself..."

Cao Jinxing was thoroughly pleased with himself.

Suddenly.

A subtle change occurred in one patch of moisture. Water diminished while fire swelled. Cao Jinxing frowned, immediately sensing someone quietly gathering power behind a bookshelf twenty meters to the southeast.

No hostility.

No trace of qi.

Cao Jinxing was secretly alarmed. This person's Breath Concealment Technique is even better than Lu Kunlun's. I can barely sense him at all!

Had the man's fire-based internal cultivation not affected the moisture in the air to some extent, he would have been genuinely difficult to detect!

What's he doing?

Hiding like that?

Probably up to no good.

Have these bastards finally run out of patience?

At that very instant!

A streak of blade light suddenly soared upward. Absolute suppression gave way to absolute eruption as a fiery red blade flash came hurtling toward him from afar!

The attack was vicious and terrifying!

He meant to kill him!

Cao Jinxing flew into a rage. Fuck! I never even considered killing an Embroidered Uniform Guard, but you've got the nerve! Fine! If you're asking to die, I'll oblige!

Shing!

Snow Soul rang as it left its sheath!

Draw Water, Carve Ice!

The ultimate technique of the Dark Yin Sword, which normally required gathering sword momentum, activated instantly! The ground within fifty meters froze solid!

The sword's edge sang!

Cao Jinxing neither dodged nor retreated. He held his sword upright before his chest, then swept it forcefully upward just as the wildfire-like blade light closed in!

Where the sword light passed, the ice beneath his feet responded. Layer upon layer of ice spikes erupted from the ground!

They appeared like ranks of long spears and halberds springing into existence, their tips freezing cold and razor-sharp, aimed straight at the man's heart and lungs!

The Deputy Qianhu had never imagined Cao Jinxing could react to an attack of this caliber, much less use offense as defense and counterattack so fiercely!

He was still in midair.

Ice spears formed out of nowhere, stabbing straight toward his heart!

The Deputy Qianhu could only change his move. Twisting in midair, he drove his internal energy into his saber. Flames rose from its blade as he first shattered the ice spikes thrusting up from the ground!

At that very instant.

Cao Jinxing stamped one foot against the ground, his figure turning into lightning as he flashed past!

Like a thunderbolt streaking across the sky!

Saber and sword collided with a deafening blast!

Snow Soul clashed with the flaming saber and swept past, sending sparks flying. Cao Jinxing had already appeared behind the Deputy Qianhu.

"Aah!"

An agonized scream rang out!

An arm encased in ice flew skyward along with the flaming saber!

It hit the ground with a clatter.

And shattered into scattered ice crystals!

The Deputy Qianhu flew backward. His sword hand was gone, and a sword wound stretched nearly half a meter across his chest, from his right shoulder to his left ribs. It was deep enough to expose bone, and wisps of cold still seeped from it!

Had he not hastily blocked Snow Soul with his flaming saber for an instant, he would have lost more than his hand. His body would have been cleaved apart!

"Still alive?"

Then one more strike would finish him!

The idea of settling scores later simply did not exist in Cao Jinxing's vocabulary. You want to kill me? Then I'll cut you down first, you son of a bitch!

He turned and thrust again!

"Jinxing! Stop!"

A flash of lightning rushed onto the fourth floor and stopped in front of the man. Two fingers reached out and clamped down on Snow Soul-it was Liu Zhenyuan.

Cao Jinxing was quite surprised.

"Commissioner, what is the meaning of this? He can kill me, but I can't kill him?"

Cao Jinxing's tone was calm, but even Liu Zhenyuan was inwardly alarmed by his chilling killing intent.

No sooner had he spoken than three more figures, drawn by the scream, rushed onto the fourth floor of the Secret Vault. One was the black-clad vault keeper; the other two were Qianhu of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Everyone paled in shock at the frozen landscape on the fourth floor.

Could someone at the Xiantian realm do this?

"Zhao Siyuan?"

One of the Qianhu recognized the man lying on the ground and hurried over to examine him.

Zhao?

That sounds familiar.

Cao Jinxing thought for a moment, then remembered. There had been a Zhao Siming at the Sun-Moon Prosperity Restaurant.

Looking at their faces, the two did share a resemblance. Only this Zhao Siyuan was younger and had a higher cultivation level. He was probably Zhao Siming's brother.

Everyone present immediately understood.

Zhao Siming was to take the blame for Yan Shaoting and be executed by slow slicing! Zhao Siyuan dared not retaliate against the Yan Family, so he had vented his anger on Cao Jinxing instead. He had never expected to bite off more than he could chew-not only had he failed to get revenge, he had doomed himself as well.

The Qianhu reached out to check his pulse.

His eyes immediately widened!

Cold poison had invaded all his internal organs. The man was finished. Even without a finishing blow, he would not live more than three days... The renowned "Firecloud Blade," Zhao Siyuan, had actually been wounded this badly!

"Get medicine, quickly!"

He instinctively called for someone to treat him. This was a Deputy Qianhu, after all. Training one was no easy task!

"What medicine?"

Liu Zhenyuan said coldly, "Vault keeper, what exactly happened? Report truthfully!"

The vault keeper's cultivation was well beyond Xiantian. He had been watching from the shadows and had seen everything that happened. With no reason to conceal anything, he briefly explained how Zhao Siyuan had suddenly attacked with lethal intent, only to be wounded by Cao Jinxing in return.

"Zhao Siming deserved his punishment. His execution was expressly ordered by His Majesty! You sought personal revenge against a man of merit..."

Liu Zhenyuan fixed his piercing gaze on Zhao Siyuan. "...Are you dissatisfied with His Majesty's judgment, or do you harbor some other intention?"

Zhao Siyuan panicked at once.

He absolutely could not accept that charge. Otherwise, not only would he die, his family would not survive either!

Forcing himself to summon his qi and endure the knife-like agony in his chest, he said, "I... I only wanted to spar with him! I am certainly not dissatisfied with the imperial decree!"

"Whether you are or not!"

Liu Zhenyuan said impatiently, "The Pacification Commission does not prohibit private fights, but it does prohibit fights to the death! You intended to kill him first. You have only yourself to blame for this outcome!"

Liu Zhenyuan looked at the other two. "You two, notify the entire commission! If anything like this happens again, anyone harboring malicious intent will be expelled from the Pacification Commission and then charged with attempting to murder an Embroidered Uniform Guard! Now throw this beast into prison! He dared plot to seize imperial tribute, yet His Majesty executed only the chief culprit and spared his family. That was already immense imperial mercy! Since you refuse to be grateful, you will be punished severely. Take him away!"

There had still been a sliver of hope.

Now it was completely gone...

Going to prison meant waiting to die!

Seeing their superior enraged, the two Qianhu dared not say anything more. They quickly dragged the man away, though each gave Cao Jinxing an extra glance before leaving.

Their superior clearly held this man in great esteem.

"And you!"

Liu Zhenyuan glared at Cao Jinxing.

His head was starting to hurt again.

Cao Jinxing knew he had misunderstood. In the heat of the moment, he had assumed Liu Zhenyuan wanted to downplay the matter and protect the would-be murderer. He immediately put on an apologetic smile and hurriedly said, "I've finished reading. I'll go guard the Imperial Prison right away!"

"..."

Didn't you fucking ask for fifteen days?

Liu Zhenyuan glared at him, seething with irritation.

"Well, I'll take my leave..."

Cao Jinxing turned and slipped away.

He vanished in a flash.

Liu Zhenyuan watched him go, then looked at the frost covering the floor. Helplessly pressing a hand to his forehead, he sighed deeply. "His fearsome reputation is bound to spread now... Zhao Siyuan was no ordinary man. That little brat does nothing but make trouble for me!"