Hou Niao was not as relaxed as he appeared. He had been reflecting on himself all this time.
Daoist Zhan had said he should examine one fault each day, but that was wrong. At least where cultivation was concerned, he wished he could examine ten faults a day, especially when something of his own had gone astray.
His Flying Sword had failed to cut down Tang Yan, and he felt that should never have happened. The habit he had developed over so long in the Soul Realm was simple: I don't care who you are. I should be able to chop you down with one strike!
If he was slow about it, that was his fault.
Tang Yan was someone he could not cut down, whether in the Small Grotto-Heaven Small World or the greater world outside. If the fellow had not deliberately chosen the Small World to gain an advantage, Hou Niao truly could not think how he would have overcome this Heavenly Chief Star in a fight outside.
When his opponent possessed exquisite Dao Bodies and Dharma Bodies, his shortcomings were exposed.
When a Sword Cultivator struck, if his Flying Sword could not deal a lethal blow, all follow-up moves were empty talk.
Tang Yan's two extreme Dharma Bodies were typical examples. The Mustard Seed Golden Body was exceedingly small, with its strength multiplied proportionately under the principles governing force. It was a pure clash of brute strength, yet Hou Niao's Flying Sword could not cleave through that body, which had become ten times harder.
The Dharma-Self Body was exceedingly large, its Three Pure Qi cycling endlessly. It was a classic case of using the insubstantial to accommodate the substantial, perfectly dispersing the force of his Flying Sword throughout the body and dissipating it through pure qi. This