chapter 12
12. Moonlight
The two were racing through the air. The vast scenery of Duyuan Peak was quickly left behind.
After defeating Hong Xing’s trio, Bai Zhiqin and Lin Dongming left quickly. They needed to reach the foot of Duyuan Peak before they could fly on their swords.
“The Heavenly Mirror Heart Technique is really convenient. It’s useful not just for dueling and killing enemies, but also for supporting allies,” Bai Zhiqin remarked.
If not for Lin Dongming’s thrown flying sword at the last moment, she would likely have been mutually injured with her opponent.
“You’re too kind. The Celestial Sword Seven Absolutes is also powerful, growing stronger against strong opponents—a great offensive sword technique,” Lin Dongming said admiringly. “But practicing both simultaneously would be quite difficult.”
Though not strictly forbidden by sect rules, first, seeking instruction from various elders wasn’t easy, and second, the difficulty of mastering even one sword technique was great, let alone more than two. This didn’t even consider situations where different sword techniques might have completely opposite requirements.
For example, the Heavenly Mirror Heart Technique required the user to have a heart like a clear mirror, quietly observing all things. But the Celestial Sword Seven Absolutes required the user to have a heart like a fierce tiger, advancing bravely. Practicing both techniques simultaneously would likely result in twice the effort for half the results.
Bai Zhiqin nodded in agreement: “But what about your sword? Will it be alright?”
In that strike, Lin Dongming’s Mysterious-rank sword had been notched by the opponent’s Earth-rank sword.
“It doesn’t matter much,” Lin Dongming said unconcerned. “The Heavenly Mirror Heart Technique doesn’t demand much from weapons. Even ordinary weapons can exert its power.”
Lin Dongming’s sword technique primarily focused on prediction and counterattack, rarely clashing directly with opponents. When he joined Tianjing Peak, Lin Dongming had considered this factor.
“Do you think they recognized us just now?” Bai Zhiqin asked.
“They probably didn’t. Hong Xing faced me, and we’ve never directly competed before. Besides, he makes too many enemies daily; he probably can’t even remember who they all are,” Lin Dongming analyzed. “However, if they discuss their opponents’ sword techniques afterward, there’s a possibility of exposure. But let it be; he has no evidence anyway.”
Lin Dongming leapt out of Duyuan Peak, landing steadily on his flying sword. “Who told him to be so overbearing? He deserved it.”
“Well said! That’s telling him,” Bai Zhiqin also leapt lightly, landing beside Lin Dongming. “Someday, I’ll cultivate to the Tribulation Passing realm! Then no one can bully me!”
Not the Unity realm but the Tribulation Passing realm, the first-class realm in this world.
The girl’s lips curved upward, her eyes reflecting the brilliant stars overhead.
“You will,” Lin Dongming smiled. Such youthful fearlessness of the world.
Long afterward, when Lin Dongming recalled this moment, he would still marvel at the spirit of youth back then. That light in the eyes that could illuminate the whole world was the most radiant thing about young men and women.
The two mounted their swords and flew toward Tianjian Peak.
“Shall I escort you back first?” Lin Dongming suggested. “We might still have time to establish some alibis.”
“No need, let it be,” Bai Zhiqin smiled. “Come with me.”
“Hmm?” Lin Dongming curiously followed Bai Zhiqin. They passed through the layers of clouds on Tianjian Peak, arriving beside a lake on the mountainside, where a waterfall hung like a white ribbon from a small mountain.
The bright moon shone overhead, the flowing silver moonlight complementing a tree of white flowers by the ancient bridge.
“Indeed a quiet and beautiful place,” Lin Dongming observed the sword marks on the ground. “Do you practice your sword here regularly?”
Lin Dongming could vaguely sense a trace of sharp sword intent from the marks. It seemed Bai Zhiqin’s sword skills would soon reach another level.
“That’s right. The mountains and waters are clear here—a good place for sword practice,” Bai Zhiqin smiled mysteriously. “And sometimes, there are unexpected surprises.”
“Unexpected surprises?” Lin Dongming was puzzled.
“You’ll see soon,” Bai Zhiqin looked at a bright spot on the horizon.
“Is the timing always fixed?” Lin Dongming followed Bai Zhiqin’s gaze to see a light green radiance gradually approaching.
And behind the radiance was an extremely vast spiritual power.
A breeze gradually began to blow, and the concentration of spiritual energy around them was rapidly increasing, creating a stirring feeling like “the great wind rises and the clouds fly.”
“This spiritual power… is it a spirit beast?” Lin Dongming asked in surprise. “At least at the Unity realm… Could it be the Thunder Dragon Xuanting?”
The Tianjian Sword Sect was a human sect with few spirit beasts. Those that existed were mostly the elders’ mounts. Among powerful spirit beasts at the Unity realm, Lin Dongming knew of only one: the sect’s guardian spirit beast, the Thunder Dragon Xuanting.
Guardian spirit beast wasn’t quite accurate. Dragons were extremely proud beings, rarely becoming mounts or guardian spirit beasts for other races.
It was said that Xuanting was both friend and foe to the sect master, and after losing a competition to the sect master, agreed to protect the sect for a hundred years.
Xuanting rarely appeared in the Tianjian Sect. Besides the elders, few could see it directly. But rumor had it that Xuanting sometimes came out during full moons, revealing its true form.
“So the rumors were true,” Lin Dongming said. “This atmosphere of surging spiritual energy is indeed good for cultivation.”
Not just for sword techniques—the spiritual mechanism and dao rhyme brought by the thunder dragon were greatly beneficial for cultivating most techniques.
“Not bad, right?” Bai Zhiqin smiled playfully. “You can come here to cultivate if you want.”
“Then I gratefully accept,” Lin Dongming said contentedly. “The spiritual energy is dense here. Normally, cultivation should be about ten percent faster than in ordinary areas. If we encounter Xuanting’s night wandering, it might be twenty to thirty percent faster. For those practicing thunder techniques, it might be even faster.”
“Though I don’t practice thunder techniques, learning swordsmanship here is also quick,” Bai Zhiqin raised her sword and slashed out a crescent-shaped sword beam, splitting the waterfall.
“Duyuan Peak’s sword technique?” Lin Dongming asked puzzled. “I’ve been curious: your main practice should be Tianjian Peak’s Celestial Sword Seven Absolutes, right?”
This was the main cultivation technique for all inner disciples of Tianjian Peak.
“Call it stolen learning,” Bai Zhiqin didn’t deny it. “I’ve carefully observed the sword techniques and cultivation methods of other peaks, and indeed, most don’t really complement the Celestial Sword Seven Absolutes. But Duyuan Peak’s sword energy is slightly different; it’s more like a pure sword skill that can be compatible with many techniques. After watching a few times, I could roughly imitate it.”
Bai Zhiqin smiled lightly: “You can’t casually tell others about this, you know.”
Lin Dongming was very shocked: “You can imitate it just by watching others perform moves? Your talent is truly remarkable.”
To be clear, Duyuan Peak had many disciples, most of whom took months from initial learning to slashing out their first sword energy, and that was with elder guidance and original technique manuals.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Lin Dongming said. “This could be your trump card in sect competitions.”
“That’s what I thought too,” Bai Zhiqin sharply raised her head. “…Who’s that?”