Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

Chapter 425: Chapter 304: Star Sword Formulas

Song Mingyue returned to the Sea Domain Song Family with two Small Returning Pills. One was to report on the recent exchange conference and help her father recover his strength. The other Small Returning Pill, however, was for herself.

Since breaking through to the Sword Sect Realm during her confrontation with Lie Feng, Song Mingyue’s strength had reached a whole new level. A single Small Returning Pill could elevate her to the Middle-Tier Sword Sect, at the very least! She would be no weaker than that young female Sword Sect expert from the Lie Family!

Ling Xiao planned to teach his subordinates some sword skills tailored to their individual traits. Afterward, he would begin cultivating a set of sword skills that were truly meant for Cultivators. He also prepared to take Ye Zi back to the Penzes Swamp to find the High Priest. He wanted to reunite mother and daughter, restore the High Priest’s strength, and tell her that her enemies were now his enemies. Therefore, she didn’t need to rush for revenge. Before long, even if the Zhe Family didn’t come looking for trouble, Ling Xiao would never let them off the hook!

As Ling Xiao considered which sword skills to teach, he recalled countless techniques he already knew. However, he suddenly thought of the *Compendium of Sword Skills* he had obtained from the Shangguan Clan. The title was so presumptuous it almost made him laugh, but he figured the Shangguan ancestors wouldn’t have been so foolish as to pair a worthless, self-aggrandizing book with a true treasure like the Refined Gold Moonlight Armor.

When Ling Xiao took out the *Compendium of Sword Skills* and glanced through it, he was stunned. The entire book contained over thirty different sets of sword skills, and the *weakest* one... was a Mid-tier Celestial-level Sword Skill.

’To think Shangguan Yutong’s family managed to collect so many high-level sword skills and compile them into one book.’ Any single one of these techniques would cause a frenzy, not just in the Mortal World, but even among the major clans and sects. They would likely fight tooth and nail for it!

After discussing it with Shangguan Yutong, Ling Xiao decided to select some of these skills to pass on to his subordinates. It wouldn’t be necessary for veterans like Marshal Qiu Chen, whose techniques and cultivation methods had been honed for many years. However, if the youths the Ling Family was nurturing started with high-level sword skills from the beginning, it wouldn’t take many years for them to mature. Once they did, they would possess a massive advantage when facing powerhouses of the same level.

Shangguan Yutong, of course, had no objections. She was also frequently in seclusion lately. After taking a Small Returning Pill, her strength had improved significantly, and she had now reached the peak of a Tier Two Sword Emperor. She believed it wouldn’t be long before she broke through again.

At this point, Ling Xiao’s forces in the Mortal World had already completely surpassed those of many hidden clans and sects. Among his Sword Emperor Realm powerhouses were the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Master, now fully recovered. To express their gratitude, the Sea Domain Song Family had permanently stationed these two Sword Emperor powerhouses in Penzes City. They likely also saw the promising future of being aligned with Ling Xiao.

Ye Zi and the other women, however, all joked that the two men were part of Song Mingyue’s dowry.

There was also Tiger and Shangguan Yutong, bringing the total to four Tier Two Sword Emperors. And then there was Quefeng, the Clan Leader of the Ice Sea Secret Race who had become Ling Xiao’s slave. With the strength of a Tier Five Sword Emperor, he was Ling Xiao’s most powerful subordinate!

Then there were the dozens of Sword Sect powerhouses and the hundred-plus Demon Sword Masters of various levels from the Ice Sea Secret Race. Add to that Ling Wu’s Iron Army... such a force already surpassed that of a third-rate hidden clan or sect!

If one were to add Ling Xiao himself to the equation... the major clans and sects would likely not hesitate to classify the Penzes Ling Family as a second-rate power!

A single Ling Xiao... was worth ten High-Tier Sword Emperors. If they knew he had annihilated a High-Tier Sword Emperor without even lifting a finger, they would be utterly terrified. Penzes’s power would be elevated to that of a first-rate faction!

As for Ling Xiao, he also began cultivating a sword skill suited for him. He had always used the Nine Swords of Dugu, which was more than enough to handle Martial Artists below the Sword Emperor realm. But against a High-Tier Sword Emperor or a Sword Venerable, their absolute power could not be overcome by mere technique.

Ling Xiao knew many high-level Shushan Inner Sect Sword Skills suitable for Cultivators. After some consideration, he decided to focus on the Star Sword Formulas, supplemented by other techniques.

The Star Sword Formulas were designed for those who had reached the Golden Core Stage. It involved Sword Flight while simultaneously drawing upon the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to strike opponents with one’s flying sword. At this point, the sword skill transcended the scope of mere martial arts and entered a different realm entirely. When the Star Sword Formulas were unleashed, an enemy would see specks of starlight, as splendid and mesmerizing as the night sky, yet filled with endless killing intent. Those with weaker cultivation might remain lost in the illusion even at the moment of their death.

The Star Sword Formulas are divided into three layers.

The first layer: Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Sect. The "Floating Light, Glimpsing Shadow" technique was actually a single move from this layer. Its power was immense, capable of unleashing powerful Sword Qi to injure enemies within a range of several thousand meters.

The second layer: Will Sword. One uses powerful Spiritual Power to control a flying sword, killing enemies unseen. The sword appears and vanishes like a phantom throughout heaven and earth, leaving foes with no place to hide.

The third layer: Man-Sword Unity. When Sword Cultivators of the Shushan Sword Sect reach a high enough realm and enter the Divinity Transformation Stage, they cultivate a Second Primordial Spirit, which can be fused with their Immortal Sword. At that point, the person and the sword are truly one, achieving a perfect telepathic bond. The sword becomes the user’s avatar. As long as the main body’s Primordial Spirit is not extinguished, the sword will never be destroyed! Taking an enemy’s head from a thousand li away becomes a matter of a single instant!

Ling Xiao’s current attainment was only at the first layer. The only move he was deeply familiar with was "Floating Light, Glimpsing Shadow"; he would have to learn the other techniques from scratch. Fortunately, with his strong foundation, his progress would be much faster than normal.

After settling all his affairs, Ling Xiao took a jubilant Ye Zi and once again set out for the Penzes Swamp.

This time, however, their journey was much faster. The increasingly powerful clown carried Ling Xiao and Ye Zi, soaring at high speed over the Penzes Swamp. By the time they reached the forest, only a single day had passed since they left Penzes City.

Ling Xiao didn’t tell Ye Zi the truth while they were in the air; he wanted to give her a surprise.

As expected of a genius Cultivator born with a Spirit Root, Ye Zi’s strength had skyrocketed after their Dual Cultivation. In just over half a year, she had already reached the Early Heartbeat Stage.

This alarmed Ling Xiao, and he couldn’t help but repeatedly urge Ye Zi to slow her cultivation and focus on raising her Mental Cultivation simultaneously.

’Telling someone to cultivate *slower*...’ You probably wouldn’t find another case like it in the entire Cultivation Realm. But Ling Xiao was genuinely worried. If Ye Zi’s strength advanced too quickly without her Mental Cultivation keeping pace, she could be disturbed by a Heart Demon, especially given her personal history.

This was one of the main reasons Ling Xiao had brought her along. Cultivators didn’t fear slow progress; they feared unresolved emotional knots. When one’s strength was low, it didn’t have much of an effect. But once their power increased, an unresolved inner conflict became a fatal weakness in their future cultivation journey.

If it flared up, they could lose their entire cultivation base. In severe cases, they might become completely trapped in a Heart Demon Illusion Realm, leading to death or a mental collapse that would plunge them into the Demon Dao.

Since she began cultivating, Ye Zi had changed a great deal. The once lively and cheerful little thief had suddenly grown quiet. More often than not, she would sit alone in a daze, as if lost in thought.

Ling Xiao couldn’t say whether this change was for the better or worse, but her rapid improvement in strength was undeniable.

Being able to come out with Ling Xiao this time had kept Ye Zi excited for a long while. It was impossible to say there was no competition for his favor among the women, but faced with Ling Xiao’s dominant personality, they had all chosen to avoid the issue.

Moreover, Shangguan Yutong and Feng Ling had their own residences in the new city and didn’t live in the Lord’s Mansion, which helped avoid the awkwardness of seeing each other daily.

After returning to her island, Song Mingyue had also gone into seclusion to cultivate and had not yet returned.

As a result, Ye Zi had been in high spirits recently.

As clown flew over the forest, its sharp eagle eyes spotted something happening below. It turned its head and chirped a few times at Ling Xiao.

Ling Xiao, who had his arm around Ye Zi’s slender waist while admiring the scenery below, focused his gaze. He instantly grew tense. Down in the dense, sun-blotting forest, it looked like a battle was taking place! (To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please log in to www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available, supporting the author and legitimate reading!)

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