Chapter 133: The Unique Shushan Sword Art

The victory celebration did not last late into the night. The soldiers dispersed around 9:30 PM, and the 10:00 PM lights-out signal sounded right on time, leaving only the sentries awake.

The cultivators, having consumed excessive amounts of spirit beast meat and spirit wine, felt their dantian and meridians swelling and returned to their quarters to meditate and refine the energy.

Li Yunfei and Zhang Ziying returned to their room for dual cultivation. Taking advantage of the process, she consumed various spirit pills and refined them. Although she had only just broken through to the late stage of Qi Induction, her physical body had already reached the strength of the Spirit Movement stage. After refining ten Soul Pills, she had condensed her spiritual consciousness and was now capable of telekinesis.

Following Li Yunfei’s advancement to the Golden Core stage, the speed of their dual cultivation had increased dramatically, now more than ten times faster than practicing alone. Coupled with an unlimited supply of spirit items, Li Yunfei was confident he could help Zhang Ziying reach the Yin Spirit stage within three months. Perhaps even sooner, as Li Yunfei himself would not remain stagnant during these three months. As his cultivation improved, Zhang Ziying’s progress would naturally accelerate—a virtuous cycle.

...

The next morning, Ziwei paid a visit, bringing the Sun and Moon Golden Wheels, their original spirit imprints having been wiped clean.

Li Yunfei sold the two artifacts to the system shop right in front of him, receiving 20,000 grams of spirit stones, though buying them back would have cost 58,000. After a quick calculation, Li Yunfei opened his eyes and said to Ziwei, "The quality of the Sun and Moon Golden Wheels is extremely high. Before, it might have taken me over a month to replicate them."

Ziwei asked with anticipation, "And now?"

Li Yunfei smiled. "Now, I can return two sets to you in a week, and I will keep one set as a reference for replication."

Ziwei nodded in satisfaction. "Good. No need to replicate too many; fifty sets will suffice for now. Since there are only about forty Yin Spirit stage cultivators in Zixiao, and those below that stage cannot refine them anyway, they would be useless to others. I won't ask how long it takes; just hand them over whenever you are finished."

This was very considerate. Li Yunfei readily agreed, "No problem, I will deliver them as soon as possible."

Ziwei patted Li Yunfei’s shoulder with deep emotion and sighed, "With you, Li Yunfei, the Great Xia reaching the pinnacle of the world is just a matter of time!"

Li Yunfei joked, "Don't praise me like that; I’m afraid I’ll get arrogant."

Honghong chimed in, "Exactly! Keep praising him, and he’ll start shouting, 'Heaven did not give birth to me, Li Yunfei, and the Great Xia would be like a long night for eternity!'"

Li Yunfei’s face darkened, and he croaked, "Am I really that melodramatic?"

"Pfft—" "Hahaha..."

Zhang Ziying burst into laughter and playfully poked Honghong on the forehead. Honghong made a cute face at her.

Ziwei laughed heartily. "A man who isn't arrogant in his youth is no youth at all! I actually think Yunfei is a bit too steady, lacking the impulsiveness of a young man."

Li Yunfei chuckled, "You just haven't seen me when I'm impulsive. After all, as a high-ranking member of Zixiao, I have to watch my words and actions for the sake of the organization's reputation. If people saw that a Zixiao branch elder was a flashy, impulsive young man, it wouldn't do much good for our image."

Hearing this, Ziwei’s admiration for him was beyond words. This kid was destined for greatness.

Li Yunfei took the opportunity to say, "By the way, I would like to ask you for a favor."

Ziwei replied, "There’s no need to talk about favors between us. Just state your request."

Li Yunfei explained, "As you know, my cultivation is growing too fast, but my combat repertoire is somewhat lacking; it’s falling behind. While the Maoshan talismans and spells are first-rate for support, they have significant weaknesses as primary combat methods. I’d like to learn some true techniques from other sects to supplement my arsenal."

Ziwei stood up and smiled. "Is that all? Follow me! Qilin’s laptop contains the Zixiao cultivation library. Choose whatever you like, and once you’ve decided, let me know, and I’ll have headquarters send over the jade slips."

"Many thanks."

Although this world had long since transitioned into an age of intelligence, some things were safer stored in physical form. The library on the computer only contained names and functional descriptions for browsing, while the actual cultivation and execution methods were sealed within jade slips stored at Zixiao headquarters.

When they arrived at Ziwei’s office, they found Yan Hexiang and Guo Qilin packing up items belonging to Ziwei and themselves. Seeing the group enter, they stopped working and bowed to Li Yunfei, "Elder Chenlong."

Li Yunfei didn't stand on ceremony, punching Yan Hexiang in the chest and laughing, "What’s with the formality? You two are older than me! Just call me 'Da Fei'."

Guo Qilin giggled. "That’s what we call knowing the rules."

Yan Hexiang immediately added, "Exactly. As they say, without rules, there is no square."

Guo Qilin continued, "Especially in front of Comrade Ziwei; breaking the rules means getting a lecture."

Yan Hexiang added, "Yeah, our upbringing is very strict."

Li Yunfei waved his hand and blurted out, "Get lost!"

The office suddenly fell into a weird silence, and they looked at each other with strange expressions.

Honghong whispered to Zhang Ziying, "Sister Yingzi, isn't Deyun Temple part of the Kunlun sect? Why does it feel like they’re performing crosstalk?"

Zhang Ziying’s mouth twitched as she suppressed her laughter. "I feel it too. They make a great straight man and funny man duo!"

"Pfft—" "Hehehe..."

Ziwei was left speechless. "Alright, you lot! If you want to perform crosstalk, wait until the Spring Festival Gala. Qilin, get your laptop and let Yunfei choose some techniques."

"Oh!"

They smiled at each other, feeling their relationship had grown closer. Guo Qilin took out her laptop, and while it was booting up, she asked, "What type of techniques do you want, Da Fei?"

Li Yunfei said, "Primarily sword techniques. Our Shangqing sect isn't lacking in spells; the Maoshan talismans cover almost every type."

Guo Qilin replied, "That’s not entirely true. While Shangqing talismans are all-encompassing, the method of casting is completely different from other sects. Without Daoist Yuling’s 'Ten Thousand Spirit Divine Talisman Ruler', many spells are inconvenient to cast."

Yan Hexiang chimed in, "Isn't that right? By the time you finish chanting your incantations, the enemy might have already launched several waves of attacks."

Li Yunfei thought for a moment. "That makes sense. Do you have any recommendations?"

As the computer started up, Guo Qilin opened the library, typed "Shenxiao Sect" into the search bar, and said, "The Shenxiao Sect’s lightning techniques are powerful and convenient to use. I suggest you consider them."

Yan Hexiang agreed, "For instance, the Shenxiao 'Palm Lightning'. Almost every cultivator in Zixiao with spiritual energy has learned it. It has a low entry barrier and no upper limit; the higher your cultivation, the stronger it gets. Most importantly, it is very convenient to cast."

Guo Qilin added, "The only drawback is that the spiritual energy consumption isn't very efficient. One point of energy gives one point of power; there’s no amplification. But it excels in convenience and speed."

After their back-and-forth, Li Yunfei decided to learn Palm Lightning. In addition, he requested the Shenxiao movement technique "Thunderbolt Flash," the single-target attack "Dragon of Thunder," and the area-of-effect attack "Thunderous Might." While these would require the Yuan Ying stage to be cast via Shangqing talismans, the Shenxiao sect allowed them to be used at the Golden Core stage. They were naturally less powerful than Yuan Ying-level spells, but still far stronger than typical Golden Core spells.

After selecting the lightning techniques, Li Yunfei asked for recommendations for powerful sword techniques.

Guo Qilin introduced, "The Great Xia has four major sword sects: Kunlun, Chunyang, Emei, and Qingcheng. Their techniques are the ceiling for sword cultivation. Our Kunlun sect’s techniques are more restrained, focusing on the path of sharpness—aiming to cut through anything, often deciding a battle in a single strike. The Chunyang sect is the opposite, focusing on change and versatility. Their 'Supreme Void Sword Intent' is exquisite, and when paired with their 'North Sea Sword Qi', it is quite formidable. The Emei sect focuses on coordination; their strength lies in sword arrays, requiring at least two people to unleash their full power. The Qingcheng sect’s techniques are fierce and direct, favoring head-on confrontation; their signature 'Seven-Star Sword Technique' and 'Roaring Cloud Sword Technique' follow this style."

Li Yunfei was conflicted. He personally liked the Chunyang style, but the others had their own merits. Choosing was difficult. Wanting everything was unrealistic—only children think they can have it all. Adults must learn to compromise.

Seeing his hesitation, Guo Qilin smiled. "If you can't decide, I have a suggestion, but keep in mind it’s just a suggestion."

Li Yunfei said, "Let's hear it."

Guo Qilin typed "Shushan Sword Technique" into the search bar.

Li Yunfei was surprised. "Shushan? Does a Shushan sect really exist in Great Xia?"

Guo Qilin laughed. "Of course not. This system of sword techniques was created by a theorist in the Xuan Group not long ago. He was a gaming fan in his youth, and the inspiration for the Shushan system came from a single-player game called 'Legend of Sword and Fairy' from forty or fifty years ago. He took the essence of the four major sects and created this new system. No one has practiced it yet, so we aren't sure how reliable it is. Nobody wants to try it; if it’s useless, wasting time is a minor issue, but if it’s weaker than their own sect’s techniques, it’s a total loss."

"Take a look at this..."

Li Yunfei looked at the text highlighted by Guo Qilin’s mouse.

"Ten Thousand Sword Technique: Created by merging the Chunyang 'Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin' with the Qingcheng 'Seven-Star Sword Technique'. It combines the strengths of both, capable of turning one sword into ten thousand while maintaining the fierce power of the Seven-Star style. It is the strongest group-attack sword technique in Great Xia (Self-proclaimed, unverified)."

Li Yunfei couldn't help but laugh at the parenthetical note. He looked at the second one.

"Heavenly Sword: Merged from the Kunlun 'Taiyi Light-Splitting Sword', the Chunyang 'Man and Sword as One', and the Emei 'Fading Rainbow Sword'. It turns the body into a sword, fast as a rainbow and indestructible. It is the strongest single-target sword technique in Great Xia (Self-proclaimed, unverified)."

"Sword God: Based on the Chunyang 'No-Self No-Sword' technique, supplemented by the strengths of Qingcheng, Kunlun, and Emei techniques. It manifests a phantom of the Sword God, sending thousands of swords flying like a torrential downpour, destroying all enemies. It is the strongest sword technique in Great Xia (Self-proclaimed, unverified)."

After reading, Guo Qilin asked with a smile, "How about it? Tempted?"

Li Yunfei looked at Zhang Ziying. "What do you think?"

Zhang Ziying hesitated. "I can't say for sure, but I feel... it’s a bit unreliable."

Li Yunfei pondered and asked, "May I ask what the cultivation level of the expert who created this is?"

Guo Qilin replied without hesitation, "Late Spirit Movement stage."

"Ah?"

Hearing that, Zhang Ziying’s sense of unreliability grew stronger, and Li Yunfei was also confused. A Spirit Movement stage cultivator creating a technique that required the Yin Spirit stage? It was like someone who only practiced introductory exercises creating a grand master-level martial arts manual.

Ziwei walked over and explained, "Yunfei, don't underestimate those theorists in the Xuan Group. Their cultivation is low because their aptitude is poor, but that doesn't mean their comprehension is lacking. The simple, easy-to-understand cultivation methods used in the academies were all created by them. This expert may seem to be fooling around, but I’ve read his methods, and they are likely feasible. Even if there are minor issues, it will at most be slightly weaker than he claims. Since you haven't learned any sword techniques yet, why not try it? If you succeed, you will be Zixiao’s one-of-a-kind Shushan sword cultivator and pave a path for those who come after."

Li Yunfei nodded. "Alright, I’ll be the first to eat the crab. I choose the Shushan sword techniques."

An hour later, the jade slips arrived by helicopter. Yan Hexiang handed them to Li Yunfei. "Press the jade slip to your forehead and inject a bit of spiritual energy."

Li Yunfei did as instructed. As he channeled energy into the "Palm Lightning" slip, a system prompt sounded unexpectedly:

"Skill 'Palm Lightning' detected. Copying to skill bar... Copy complete. Congratulations, host has mastered 'Palm Lightning'."

Li Yunfei was overjoyed. Not only could he instantly master skills granted by the system, but external skills as well.

He suppressed his excitement and mastered the other lightning techniques one by one. However, when he pressed the Shushan Sword Technique slip to his forehead, a glitch occurred.

"Warning: This skill system is flawed and cannot exert its true power. Pay 120,000 grams of spirit stones to have the system perfect it and eliminate the flaws. Do you wish to pay?"

Li Yunfei sighed—there really was no such thing as a free lunch. The Shushan techniques were indeed unreliable. Fortunately, the system was powerful.

"Pay the spirit stones."

"Perfecting skill... Skill perfected. Congratulations, host has mastered 'Ten Thousand Sword Technique', 'Heavenly Sword', and 'Sword God'."

Li Yunfei returned the jade slips to Yan Hexiang and patted his shoulder. "Thanks for the trouble."

Yan Hexiang smiled. "Don't mention it. Study well, I'm heading back."

"Safe travels."