Testing the Sword
Ever since he had grasped the basics of swordsmanship, subtle changes had appeared in Mo Wen's temperament.
When he had first transmigrated to this world, he had actually been scared to death. Every day, he had treaded with extreme caution, terrified that one careless mistake would get him killed!
Later, his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds, and his courage had grown somewhat. Otherwise, he would never have dared get involved in the Mo Household's affairs. Even so, during the battle at Jingxiu Mountain, he had hidden his head and exposed his tail, showing none of the bearing of an expert.
That was only natural. In his previous life, Mo Wen had been a minor employee at a state-owned enterprise, meek and submissive all his life and never amounting to much. Even after transmigrating to this world and gaining some awareness of the cultivation world's cruelty, he had only wanted to cultivate peacefully and steadily.
That lasted until he began cultivating the Flowing Light Sword Technique. Because of the Attribute Panel, he had been influenced by the ideals of sword cultivators without even realizing it. The influence had worked on him gradually, making up for some of the flaws in his character.
All along, Mo Wen had believed in "steady cultivation." He had hoped to find a safe place and devote himself to cultivation, ideally emerging only when he was strong enough that no one could match him!
But what he did not know was that seeking the Dao and eternal life required more than painstaking cultivation behind closed doors! For example, to have any chance of overcoming the Heart Demon Tribulation one faced when attaining the Nascent Soul realm, one had to temper an indestructible "Dao heart"!
Fortunately, he had now taken an interest in sword cultivation and successfully grasped its basics with the Attribute Panel's help.
Sword cultivators were an exceptionally unusual group, with demands on temperament that could only be called "abnormal." The more deeply they felt and the more fearlessly they faced life and death, the more bravely and swiftly they could advance on the sword path!
When the sword cultivator's style of breaking rather than bending was tempered by Mo Wen's habit of treading on thin ice, the two negatives actually made a positive!
The Mo Wen of today had become a little more carefree and no longer looked ahead and behind before everything he did.
With my current strength, I'm not much weaker than a true Foundation Establishment cultivator. I might as well take a look around the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range and hone my swordsmanship while I'm at it.
The moment the thought occurred to him, he could hardly wait. After making some simple preparations, he flew toward the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range.
The Hundred Beasts Mountain Range was a vast range stretching over three thousand li. Demon Beasts controlled most of its territory. Legend had it that deep within the range were fourth-tier Demon Beasts comparable to Nascent Soul True Lords.
What did it mean to be a Nascent Soul True Lord? Across the whole of Yan Province, spanning a hundred thousand li, there were nearly a hundred immortal sects. Yet only three of them had a Nascent Soul True Lord presiding over them.
Thus, even a Golden Core True Person would not dare charge recklessly through the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range.
Given his temperament, Mo Wen naturally would not venture deep into the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range. He restrained his cultivation presence to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining and planned to look for some first-tier Demon Beasts on the outskirts to hone his Flowing Light Sword Technique.
Before long, he encountered a Scarlet Tusk Pig. It was First-Tier Superior-Grade and looked much like a wild boar, except for its conspicuous pair of blood-red tusks.
The Scarlet Tusk Pig Mo Wen encountered was a fully grown boar, a full half zhang tall at the shoulder and exceedingly formidable in appearance.
Scarlet Tusk Pigs were vicious by nature. The moment it saw Mo Wen, it charged without hesitation.
Mo Wen's figure flickered, and he easily dodged the Scarlet Tusk Pig's charge.
Immediately afterward, he flicked the longsword in his hand and sent a streak of Sword Qi slashing toward the Scarlet Tusk Pig. Of course, he did not use his full strength, drawing only on an amount of magic power comparable to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.
The Scarlet Tusk Pig had thick hide and tough flesh. The Sword Qi merely cut a shallow wound in its body, seemingly doing no serious harm.
After taking the sword strike, the Scarlet Tusk Pig grew even more frenzied. With an angry squeal, its eyes turned blood-red, and it charged Mo Wen with its spear-like tusks thrust forward.
Mo Wen's gaze sharpened. His footwork shifted, and he slipped past it like a ghost. Then he turned and flicked the Purple Star Sword upward, sending a streak of Sword Qi stabbing toward the Scarlet Tusk Pig's blood-red eyes.
The Scarlet Tusk Pig tilted its head slightly, letting the Sword Qi strike its hard forehead and barely break the skin.
"You beast, you're really tough!"
Mo Wen was in no hurry. He unleashed the Flowing Light Sword Technique, conjuring hundreds upon hundreds of sword lights that left wound after wound on the Scarlet Tusk Pig's body.
Gradually, the Scarlet Tusk Pig's movements grew slower and slower, and its ferocity also diminished considerably.
Seeing that the Scarlet Tusk Pig no longer had the strength to resist, Mo Wen lost interest. He swung his sword, sending Sword Qi straight into its brain and ending its life.
He did not think much of the materials on the Scarlet Tusk Pig, either. He merely cut off a few large chunks of tender pork before continuing deeper into the mountain forest.
Along the way, he encountered low-tier Demon Beasts from time to time. None were particularly strong; even the strongest was only First-Tier Middle-Grade. Even while holding back, Mo Wen needed only two or three sword strikes to deal with them.
Mo Wen felt that these Demon Beasts were of little help to him, so he deliberately avoided the weaker ones. Fortunately, the Hundred Beasts Mountain Range was home to a great variety of Demon Beasts, including no shortage of powerful ones.
On his third day in the mountains, he encountered an extremely powerful golden Demon Beast snake. Although it had yet to advance to the second tier, the presence it gave off far surpassed that of an ordinary Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivator.
Particularly worth mentioning was the golden snake's inconceivable speed. When Mo Wen first entered its territory, he saw only a streak of golden light shooting toward him. If he had not used the pressure of his Divine Sense to obstruct it for a moment, he would likely have been struck then and there!
Having experienced the golden snake's speed, Mo Wen dared not be careless. He extended his Divine Sense five zhang around him, keeping constant watch on the golden afterimage that flickered in and out of sight around him. This was his current limit, and combined with the Flowing Light Sword Technique, whose basics he had only just grasped, it was barely enough to deal with the golden snake's lightning-fast attacks.
The golden snake took the offensive, using its speed to the utmost and actually forming seven afterimages around Mo Wen at once. Such speed was simply beyond imagination!
Mo Wen focused on defense, raising the speed of the Purple Star Sword in his hand to his own limit. He wove a net of sword light, blocking the golden snake's attacks one by one.
After the man and snake had fought fiercely for more than a quarter of an hour, they finally paused their battle. Only then did Mo Wen get a clear look at the golden snake's true appearance.
The golden Demon Beast snake was a little over three chi long and as thick as a thumb. Golden-yellow scales covered its body, glittering in the sunlight.
As Mo Wen looked at it, he inexplicably felt that the golden snake carried a trace of solemn nobility that brooked no offense.
What's going on? Could this little snake be a variant? Mo Wen could not help wondering.
Among Demon Beasts, the power of one's bloodline mattered most! The greater its bloodline's potential, the greater its future achievements could be.
Generally speaking, Demon Beasts could be divided into four levels according to the strength of their bloodlines: mixed-blood, variant, pure-blood, and true-blood.
Most Demon Beasts in the world were mixed-bloods. Unless they encountered a heaven-defying fortuitous opportunity, they would never reach the third tier. Above mixed-blood Demon Beasts were variants.