Flying Sword Technique

The royal mausoleum was utterly silent.

Ling Yun trained hard in front of his little wooden hut.

He currently knew few spells and divine abilities. All of them were part of the royal manor's inheritance that the original owner had learned, but since the original owner's cultivation had not been high, he had not been exposed to many.

The Essence Condensation Realm was indeed the strongest among the younger generation, but only upon reaching the Core Formation Realm could one be considered to have gained access to the royal manor's core.

"Wind-Slaying Slash."

Ling Yun gave a clear shout, and Spiritual Yuan surged throughout his body. Endless gales swept up within a hundred zhang. Fierce and sharp as blades, they sliced the surrounding dense forest bare.

Seeing this, Ling Yun's Qi shifted again, and he conjured another spell.

"Ten Thousand Layers of Saber Aura!"

Endless Saber Qi manifested between heaven and earth, piling up in layers until a ghastly white filled his entire field of vision. On the offensive, Ten Thousand Layers of Saber Aura could turn into a sea of Saber Qi and slash a person full of holes. On the defensive, it could form a thick shield of saber aura with astonishing defensive power.

After a long while, everything returned to calm. Ling Yun's robes billowed, and his Qi receded.

"Phew-"

He let out a long breath, replaying his performance just now in his mind.

"My Spiritual Yuan is extremely rich and potent. It has brought these two spells close to undergoing a complete transformation, making them comparable to those of the Core Formation Realm."

"But that's all."

The original owner had practiced both spells when he broke through to the Essence Condensation Realm. He had yet to awaken his Immortal Physique of Myriad Daos at the time, but even so, his comprehension had been excellent. He had mastered both spells in a very short time and made them his trump cards.

But now Ling Yun was about to enter the Core Formation Realm. No matter how powerful the two spells were, they ultimately seemed to lack staying power.

Looks like I'll still have to count on the check-in rewards, Ling Yun thought to himself.

After that, Ling Yun stopped practicing and sat down cross-legged to consolidate the cultivation he had only recently broken through to.

He sucked the Spiritual Qi in the air into his body like a whale, practically a human spirit-gathering array. He circulated his spiritual power without the slightest difficulty.

Another half day passed, and the sky grew dark before Ling Yun finally came to.

"Your Highness!"

A clear, youthful voice rang out. Ling Yun stepped out of the wooden hut and saw a figure running toward him from outside the royal mausoleum.

It was a boy of twelve or thirteen.

His features were lively and delicate, and he looked every bit a pampered young master.

But that was not the case.

"A Tong?"

Ling Yun matched him to a figure in his memories and could not help answering.

This boy had been a pitiful little beggar whom the original owner had brought home in an overwhelming burst of kindness when he was young. Unexpectedly, the boy had later become his Dao attendant.

The original owner had treated him like a younger brother and raised him until he was just like any other family's young master. As a result, the two had become extremely close.

Fortunately, the Dao attendant had not escorted him to Heaven and Earth Academy some time ago. Otherwise, he too would have been hard-pressed to escape disaster.

"What brings you here?" Ling Yun asked with a warm smile.

A Tong's previously happy face fell at once.

"Your Highness, how could Madam Wang commit such treachery? Even if your cultivation has been crippled, you're still the legitimate son of the royal house. Putting you under house arrest in this gloomy royal mausoleum is nothing short of torture!"

A Tong spoke through gritted teeth, his dissatisfaction with Madam Wang's arrangements already at its peak.

As he saw it, he hated anything that was bad for Ling Yun.

A Tong found it hard to accept that His Highness, once so glorious, now had a shattered dantian and had fallen on hard times here.

He took a small bottle from his robes and placed it in Ye Yun's hand. "Your Highness, this is a Minor Rejuvenation Pill. It can heal your internal injuries."

A Minor Rejuvenation Pill?

Ling Yun stared at the brocade box in his hand, his expression dazed. "A Tong, you..."

He now understood why A Tong had come today: he had made a special trip to bring him a Minor Rejuvenation Pill.

The Minor Rejuvenation Pill was a top-grade third-tier pill, rumored to cure a hundred ailments. After taking one, any injury could heal.

Of course, that was limited to injuries below the Core Formation Realm.

In the past, he would have had the means to obtain such pills.

But how had A Tong gotten one?

A Tong grew nervous for a moment. In the end, he could not keep the secret and told him.

"Your Highness, I took a master yesterday. I asked my master for this pill."

Ling Yun was startled.

"What master? He isn't a swindler, is he?"

A Tong shook his head. "Your Highness, Master isn't a swindler."

As he spoke, he pulled another object from his robes.

Ling Yun looked over and saw that it was a token.

The token was exquisitely made of some unknown material, dark gold throughout, with the character "Desolation" engraved on it in bold, soaring strokes.

"My master said he's the sect master of the Divine Desolation Sect. He gave me this identity token."

Ling Yun was utterly astonished.

The Divine Desolation Sect!

The original owner's memories did contain information about this sect. The Divine Desolation Sect was located in the north of the Eastern Desolation, connected to the vast, cloud-filled heavens and a land beyond the world.

There were five strongest powers in the entire Eastern Desolation, and the Divine Desolation Sect was indisputably the foremost among them!

Heaven and Earth Academy was also one of those five powers, but it could not compare to the Divine Desolation Sect.

First, there was a gap in strength; second, there was the Divine Desolation Sect's mysterious nature-it was rumored to have close ties to the land beyond the world!

"The sect master of the Divine Desolation Sect?!"

Even Ling Yun found it somewhat unbelievable.

The leaders of the five great powers were undoubtedly all terrifying Dao Palace Realm existences. That A Tong had been taken as a disciple by such a figure showed how extraordinary he was himself!

"Your Highness, once I reach the Divine Desolation Sect, I'll definitely find a way to restore your dantian!" A Tong's eyes shone with determination.

A bittersweet ache rose in Ling Yun's heart, lingering there.

"A Tong, I'm doing well here. Once you reach the Divine Desolation Sect, just focus on your cultivation. I believe you'll certainly become a powerful figure in the Eastern Desolation someday."

In the end, Ling Yun comforted him.

A long while passed.

"Phew-"

After seeing A Tong off, Ling Yun sat in a daze for a while, his gaze gradually growing resolute.

I still need to keep a low profile! I have to step up my cultivation. The person who attacked me might come back at any time to cut the grass and dig up the roots. I have to improve my strength as soon as possible.

Ling Yun thought to himself.

He sat upright on his bed, his Qi circulating through his limbs and bones as he stabilized his newly attained cultivation. His cultivation at the peak of the Essence Condensation Realm rapidly settled. Given time, Ling Yun would surely break through to Core Formation in one stroke!

The next day, the morning sun rose in the east.

Golden sunlight shone on Ling Yun's face. His eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes.

"I'm a little stronger than yesterday!"

Full of motivation, Ling Yun could not help laughing.

"System, check in!"

He had not forgotten his daily system reward and eagerly recited the words in his mind.

Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have successfully checked in at the royal mausoleum and obtained a sixth-tier divine ability-Flying Sword Technique!

A memory instantly surfaced in his mind, and the divine ability's secret technique and runes appeared with perfect clarity before his eyes.

"This is a divine ability meant to be used with the Three-Inch Flying Immortal!"

Ling Yun was overjoyed.

Controlling the Sword with Qi or Controlling the Sword with Spirit could unleash a flying sword's terrifying speed and attack power. Cultivated to the utmost, it could kill enemies a thousand li away!

"I haven't cultivated a Primordial Spirit yet, so I can't use Controlling the Sword with Spirit. But even the lesser method of Controlling the Sword with Qi isn't something an ordinary divine ability can withstand!"

Enthralled, Ling Yun immersed himself in comprehending his newly obtained divine ability, unable to pull himself away.

Now that his Immortal Physique of Myriad Daos had awakened, his comprehension had reached a terrifying level. Even understanding a sixth-tier divine ability far beyond his own level posed no difficulty at all.

After a long while, Ling Yun woke from his contemplation.

A cold light flashed in his eyes. The Three-Inch Flying Immortal appeared, and in the next instant, it streaked through the air at a speed that was virtually impossible to trace.

The sharp, terrifying sword light cut the air into chaos, and fierce winds sprang up in all directions.

"It still consumes too much. I can't use it for long."

Ling Yun quickly recalled the Three-Inch Flying Immortal.

Using the Flying Sword Technique to control the Three-Inch Flying Immortal, a top-grade sixth-tier magic artifact, undoubtedly required an enormous supply of true essence.

In just that short time, his true essence had been nearly exhausted!

"Looks like I need to break through to the Core Formation Realm quickly! Then I'll be able to use the Flying Sword Technique a few more times without worrying about running out of true essence."