Beneath the Heavenly Splendor Treasure Tree.
Qin Lian had just finished a round of practice with the Liuhe Duzun Sword Art.
Thanks to the wonders of the Heavenly Splendor Fruit, he could gain three to four points of progress every day.
At this rate, by the time he finished consuming the Heavenly Splendor Fruit produced by the tree, he would surely bring both the Liuhe Duzun Sword Art and Chasing the Wind and Pursuing the Sun to perfection, unlocking the [Swordsmanship] trait.
As for whether he could activate the [Wind Riding] trait in the same push...
Even he was not quite sure.
"Shutting myself away to work in isolation is safe enough, but there are too few treasures and rewards. Without cultivation resources, relying on sheer grinding and hard practice, progress still isn't very fast, even with 'Never Regress'..."
He paused, then put it another way. "Learning advanced and top-tier sword arts and cultivation methods isn't slow, but sect-defining cultivation methods are clearly becoming a struggle. Perfection can easily take years, never mind the Four Great Orthodox Arts I really want to learn."
He had looked at the Solar Flame Art. Even a brief outline of it had made his scalp prickle.
Without eight or ten years of painstaking study, he could forget about making much headway.
Of course, mastering an orthodox art in eight or ten years was a rate of progress that would have made even the Chunyang Patriarch exclaim, "There is someone to carry on my legacy!" It was merely that Qin Lian himself did not think it fast enough.
Just as Qin Lian finished resting briefly and prepared to continue practicing his movement art, his keen senses picked up something.
Though he had yet to develop Divine Sense in Spirit Refining, his recent diligent practice had brought him close to that realm, and his perception far surpassed that of ordinary Third Grade Grandmasters.
At one moment, his gaze suddenly turned, piercing the woods ahead. "Who's there?!"
"Qin Lian, a Heaven Ranking Grandmaster."
A somewhat deep voice came from among the trees. "Rumor has it you defeated a Third Grade Grandmaster of our Ten Thousand Swords Manor in a single exchange?"
Hearing the implication in that voice, Qin Lian's heart tightened.
Seriously?!
He had beaten the junior, and now the senior was already here?!
"Ten Thousand Swords Manor? Who are you?"
Qin Lian focused his mind, sword ready.
"Who I am doesn't matter. What matters is..."
A figure shrouded in black robes suddenly charged out from the trees. With an eruption of True Qi, his instantaneous speed far exceeded that of any Third Grade Grandmaster. "Let me see just how capable you are!"
Amid that low shout, sword light flashed cold, with a terrifying Sword Intent that shook the soul embedded in the blade.
"Second Grade Divine Intent!"
A Second Grade Divine Intent Grandmaster had actually come to kill him?!
Qin Lian's heart jolted, and his will seemed to ignite on the spot.
The pressure of Second Grade Divine Intent...
And the stress response brought on by frightening himself...
Seemed to send him into a state of surging adrenaline!
"I knew it!"
His True Qi boiled!
Overwhelming power instantly flooded every corner of his body.
Relying on the tremendous power surging throughout his body and the speed and lightness granted by [Swiftness], Qin Lian swayed clear at the last possible instant, evading the black-robed man's terrifying speed, which ordinary Third Grade Grandmasters could scarcely react to, and the cold sword light bearing that dreadful Sword Intent.
As he shifted like a phantom, the Azure Sky Treasure Sword in his hand swept out horizontally with the savage burst of [Blood Burning]. The twofold increase in sword speed allowed him to launch a lightning-fast counterattack even as he evaded this Second Grade Grandmaster's strike.
Such a counterattack...
Seemed to alarm even the black-robed man with his Second Grade cultivation. His sword abruptly changed course, and with Divine Intent allowing him to employ his True Qi with absolute precision, he intercepted Qin Lian's sweeping blade exactly.
Bang!
True Astral Qi violently collided with True Astral Qi in midair, producing a rumble like muffled thunder!
The exploding astral qi and Sword Qi sprayed in all directions, instantly tearing finger-deep sword marks into the flagstone ground and stirring up clouds of dust.
Even the shrubs, flowers, and grass over ten meters away were shredded by the Sword Qi, reduced to green fragments.
This strike...
Was astonishingly powerful.
Yet even after pushing [Blood Burning] to its limit, Qin Lian had gained no advantage!
It had been blocked!
He's using Divine Intent to condense True Astral Qi. His command of it is far beyond mine!
The thought flashed through Qin Lian's mind.
And the movement art his opponent had just displayed...
Was not much worse than his own.
His only advantage was sword speed!
He had to seize this precious opportunity while his opponent had underestimated him in the opening attack and held back, pushing his advantage in sword speed to its limit and allowing him no breathing room.
Once the man caught on...
With the absolute control over his own power afforded by Second Grade Divine Intent, and his Sword Intent disrupting Qin Lian's mind, the outcome awaiting Qin Lian would certainly be eternal ruin!
At that moment, he finally tasted a trace of the despair "Qin Lian" had felt when facing Blood Demon Zuo Qiudao back then, unable to evade or retreat.
The difference was that "Qin Lian" had not retreated because his closest family surrounded him.
But he...
Had nowhere to retreat!
"Kill!"
Qin Lian let out a low roar.
The powers of Blood Burning and Swiftness were driven to their limits.
It was as though a volcano had been detonated within him, releasing every ounce of strength in his body, all of it channeled into the Azure Sky Treasure Sword in his hand.
When enemies met on a narrow path, failure to advance meant death!
Once the will to kill arose, the sea and sky opened wide!
It all happened in a flash!
Qin Lian's sword aura seemed to burn with a layer of blood-colored flames visible to the naked eye. Bearing an indescribable savagery and ferocity, it slashed heavily toward the black-robed man who had just intercepted his first strike.
The terrifying sword-speed boost granted by the Swiftness trait sent this strike following close behind before the black-robed man could truly counterattack.
But a Divine Intent Grandmaster was still a Divine Intent Grandmaster!
The reactions and control granted by absolute command of his own power allowed him to change his move immediately, once again intercepting Qin Lian's blade at an impeccably precise angle!
That ability to adapt at the utmost speed, and that consummate experience in wielding his sword art...
His combat experience is far beyond mine!
Boom!
The collision of True Astral Qi erupted like muffled thunder once more as the two clashed head-on!
Scattered Sword Qi crisscrossed everywhere, sharp enough to shatter stone and sever wood!
Had such a collision occurred in a crowd, not a single unarmored person within ten meters would likely have survived.
Realizing that his combat experience was far inferior to his opponent's, Qin Lian did not dare pause for breath.
Much less give his opponent any chance to breathe!
After the second strike crashed down, the third followed immediately!
Of all martial arts beneath heaven, none could withstand every attack; speed alone could not be overcome!
And Qin Lian...
Pushed the sword speed of [Swiftness] and the tremendous strength of [Blood Burning] to their limits, giving his opponent no chance whatsoever to exploit his advantages in swordsmanship and combat experience!
Bang!
Another collision of astral qi erupted between them!
Seeing blood-colored flames raging all over Qin Lian and his Sword Qi boiling, the black-robed man's expression finally changed.
"Enough, sto-"
Before he could catch his breath and finish speaking, the fourth strike, the fifth, the sixth...
Continued crashing down without the slightest pause.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He dared not stop!
Facing a Second Grade Divine Intent Grandmaster who would be a mainstay in any major faction, he dared not halt his swordsmanship for even an instant!
Sustaining this single furious push, Qin Lian unleashed everything he had. In an exceedingly brief span, he squeezed his True Qi to its limits in an utterly brutal, uncompromising manner, slashing thirty-three times in succession!
Just as he had when facing the Blood Demon in the Taibai Wilds!
The True Qi and vital blood throughout his body were nearly drained to exhaustion by this storm of sword strikes!
Fortunately, he had already achieved Weave Astral Qi into Armor, increasing the depth of his True Qi reserves again. Had this been before...
Thirty-three strikes would have been enough to burn his lamp dry and kill him!
But...
The opponent before him was not Blood Demon Zuo Qiudao!
Though the black-robed man blocked with extreme difficulty, seemingly on the verge of having his defenses collapse at any second, he had ultimately endured all thirty-three of those thunderous consecutive strikes!
And though Qin Lian had not yet burned his lamp dry, he could not sustain more than a few additional strikes...
For a moment, Qin Lian's heart seemed to plunge into a bottomless abyss.
Second Grade Divine Intent...
How could it be so much stronger than a Third Grade Grandmaster?!
He had almost reached the very limit of what he could do!
He had displayed the greatest power he could muster!
Yet the result...
No!
A sudden flash of inspiration crossed Qin Lian's taut mind!
His means had not yet reached their limit!
As a Qi-Refining Grandmaster, he had indeed done everything possible, but besides being a Qi-Refining Grandmaster, he was also a Spirit Refining Daoist.
A Spirit Refining Daoist who commanded Dharma Power and practiced spells!
He cultivated immortality!
And his spells...
Came naturally with two minor arts, [Swiftness] and [Blood Burning]!
Though both spells appeared to enhance only himself...
How could spells be such inflexible things?!
The [Blood Burning] trait was the spell Blood-Burning Curse!
This spell...
Burned blood and controlled blood!
Not only could it burn vital blood to increase his explosive combat power, it could also control blood, disrupting the circulation of another person's vital blood.
Though the opponent before him had blocked thirty-three consecutive strikes, he had been pushed to the utmost difficulty. All it would take was one last straw...
Qin Lian's gaze sharpened.
Within his Upper Origin Palace, Dharma Power circulated!
The next moment, a wholly new fluctuation of energy accompanied the Azure Sky Treasure Sword's thirty-fourth strike, seeping into the black-robed man's body as they clashed.
"Blood-Burning Art!"
Before you continue