Hidden Sword Concealing Spirit

A sweep of his Divine Sense confirmed that none of the three was seriously hurt. With a light tap of his finger, three Demon Beast Cores floated slowly into his hand.

"If you're all unharmed, head back to the sect soon."

"Th-thank you for saving us, senior brother!"

"May we ask, senior brother..."

"Senior brother!"

Ignoring the disciples' distant cries of thanks, Song Yan left Rosy Cloud Peak.

He had not traveled all this way specifically to save these fellow disciples he had never met.

His purpose on this trip was the Ghost Shadow Cat Demon's Demon Beast Core in his hand. He had merely happened upon that junior brother's distress talisman and come over out of curiosity.

He had not expected there really to be a Cat Yao.

"I finally have all six Demon Beast Cores. Time to go back and report."

This mission had been far from easy. Ghost Shadow Cat Demons were not powerful, but they could certainly run. The first three had been manageable; their killing intent was strong, making them easy for Song Yan's Divine Sense to detect.

Then the demons had lowered their banners and stilled their drums, rarely venturing out of hiding, forcing Song Yan to roam the Yanran Mountain Range for three to five days.

Fortunately, he had gathered them all now and could return to the sect to report.

More than three months had passed since Song Yan had comprehended an embryonic Dao Heart from the Eight Desolations Returning to Origin Sword Post, and he had finally recovered to the fifth layer of Qi Refining.

He had even advanced a little beyond where he had been before dispersing his cultivation to start over.

Since that day, aside from his usual cultivation of accumulating spiritual power and honing Sword Qi, Song Yan had also earnestly practiced some of the sword-control techniques in Essentials of Swordsmanship.

One of them could not really be called swordsmanship, but was instead a secret technique for focusing the mind, concealing the breath, and sheathing one's edge.

It was called the "Hidden Sword Concealing Spirit Technique."

It could conceal his cultivation level, spiritual pressure, and presence, preventing others from seeing through his cultivation.

However, Song Yan had not concealed his cultivation within the sect.

After all, he had now been in the sect for over two years. The fifth layer of Qi Refining was merely average; factoring in the time spent cultivating anew, it was even a little slow.

Besides, his recovery would be exposed someday, so he might as well be open about it from the start.

If he left the sect to travel alone someday, this would be a very useful technique.

The other move was the sword-control technique for slaying enemies that Song Yan practiced painstakingly and studied every day: "Sword in the Clouds."

This move was quite powerful, but its consumption was considerable too.

Most of the other sword-control techniques recorded in Essentials of Swordsmanship pursued a single sword strike taken to its utmost—a single strike to Shatter Ten Thousand Laws.

Yet those techniques generally placed high demands on a Sword Cultivator's comprehension of Sword Intent and the degree to which they had refined their Life-Bound Flying Sword.

Sword in the Clouds was different. As long as one's Divine Sense was powerful enough to split off several strands of Sword Qi and control each individually, it could display astonishing might.

Although its variations were likewise quite complex, Song Yan had devoted himself wholeheartedly to the example applications mentioned in Essentials of Swordsmanship.

His thinking was simple: since he was only just beginning, he should not grasp for quick results and advance rashly.

He would choose a broadly applicable sword technique and keep his feet firmly on the ground, taking one step at a time.

Once he had practiced it to the pinnacle, he would consider learning the next sword move.

Perhaps it was clumsy, but the results were clear.

After three or four months of practicing the same move over and over, day after day, he had naturally attained a measure of proficiency.

After Song Yan left, the three hurriedly supported one another down Rosy Cloud Peak.

"That senior brother looked so unfamiliar. I don't think I've ever seen him..."

"To think there's such a formidable senior brother among the many outer sect cultivators..."

Song Yan's Daoist robes were no different from theirs, so they knew he was an outer sect disciple.

"I think I've seen him somewhere... hmm..."

The honest-looking youth racked his brains. "Ah, that's right. I saw him at Ink Way Academy."

"Senior Brother Sun even said then that handwriting reflects the person, and that this senior brother's state of mind was growing ever more tranquil and clear, and so on..."

The youth pondered thoughtfully before saying, "Senior brother acted with such righteousness, but we mustn't neglect our manners. If we have the chance, let's pay him a visit to thank him."

"All right."

Song Yan walked out of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall and headed straight back to his cave abode.

A Sound Transmission Talisman waited outside.

"Hmm?"

He was somewhat puzzled. He had few friends in the sect, and he had already far exceeded his quota of sect missions lately. Who would be looking for him at this juncture?

He poured a strand of spiritual power into it, activating the Sound Transmission Talisman.

"Something is amiss in Linxi County. Disciples are being dispatched to investigate. Assemble at the mountain gate on Dao-Entering Terrace today at a quarter to eleven."

"Dispatched disciples: Qin Ying, Li Qingfeng, Song Yesheng."

The speaker was a woman with a cool, clear voice unfamiliar to Song Yan.

"Qin Ying?"

The name sounded somewhat familiar. After pondering for a long while, Song Yan realized.

"She must be that favored daughter of heaven among the inner sect disciples, the peerless genius who established her Dao foundation at just twenty-nine."

Perhaps because this mission was unusual, the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall had also issued a permit to leave the sect.

The permit took the form of a talisman, made in duplicate. The copy kept at the sect was supposedly used to check whether disciples temporarily outside had encountered danger.

"A Foundation Establishment leader and Life-Soul Talismans? What's so urgent?"

After a moment's thought, Song Yan did not enter his cave abode, but turned and headed straight for Lingyuan Marsh Market.

The Worry-Relief General Store had not changed a bit.

When he pushed open the door, Granny Qin still looked as languid as ever. Whenever he came, she was always there, as though she had no need to cultivate and devoted herself to amusement.

"Oh my, if it isn't our Ye Sheng. What wind has blown such an honored guest our way?"

How nice.

Granny Qin's barbed tone had not changed either.

With a light tap of Qin Xijun's finger, a cup of spirit tea moved in front of Song Yan.

"Eight or nine months have passed, and only today did you finally remember this old granny?"

Then again, since the Silent Valley affair ended, apart from an initial visit to the general store to sell some Law Artifacts, talismans, and sundries, he really had devoted himself entirely to cultivation and never returned.

"Oh, here's the thing, Granny. I have some things to sell, and I thought I'd buy a few things while I'm here."

Song Yan began rummaging through his Heaven and Earth Bag, entirely oblivious to the gathering storms on Qin Xijun's face.

"..."

By the time Song Yan came to his senses, he had already been shown out.

Bang!

The door shut, just as it had before.

"This granny is in a bad mood today. No customers!"

"Hey, Granny, don't! In a little while, I'll be leaving the sect to slay demons and vanquish evil. I'm utterly penniless now-there'll probably be more ill fortune than good waiting for me!"

Song Yan made it sound increasingly dire, as though he would die out there unless he got through this door.

"Hmm? What mission..."

Sure enough, the door opened.

"Hehehe..."

Song Yan chuckled. "I don't know, but it's definitely perilous, Granny. This is no joke-the leader is actually an inner sect disciple at Foundation Establishment!"

"Oh?"

Qin Xijun frowned.

"Who?"

"I know her, but she doesn't know me. Senior Sister Qin Ying from the inner sect..."

"..."

Song Yan did not see Qin Xijun's expression. He busied himself laying out his things, then rubbed his hands together.

"Hehe, Granny, that half Remnant Talisman you picked up at the Night Market last time-you don't have any use for it right now anyway. How about... lending it to me?"

On his last visit, Qin Xijun had mentioned finding half a protective Remnant Talisman at the Spirit Source Marsh Night Market. It could withstand a full-power blow from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but could only be used once.

This mission looked dangerous. Borrowing it would provide a measure of insurance.

"Look, here's how it could work. If I don't use it, I'll return it when I get back. If I do..."

Before Song Yan could continue, Qin Xijun spoke. "If you use it, brat, you'll have to work like an ox or a horse for me. You won't be done until you've worked off two hundred... three hundred Spirit Stones."

"Take the talisman and get out!"

"..."

Song Yan carefully put away the azure talisman and returned in high spirits.

Qin Xijun reclined in her chair. "That little brat hasn't a shred of conscience. And to think I worried about his safety back then and pulled strings for him everywhere."

After being angry for a while, she calmed down.

After all, Song Yan did not know the details. He merely thought of her, "Granny Qin," as someone who ran a spirit goods general store.

"Still, it seems the boy is all right. He's recovered his cultivation in less than a year."

Qin Xijun felt somewhat reassured.

It was not uncommon for cultivators to suffer a drop in cultivation for all manner of reasons, such as exhausting themselves and suffering grave injuries in a fight, or mistakenly taking some strange medicine that dispersed spiritual power.

If their foundations were intact and they cultivated normally, this was roughly how quickly their cultivation would recover-neither fast nor slow.

"Ah..."

She sighed, repeating that name under her breath.

"Qin Ying..."

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