“You’re never going to stop, are you?” Yang Hao was barely holding on, dodging and deflecting several slashes from curved blades that narrowly missed him. He was already struggling to keep up the fight, and arguing with Hun Yuanzi only made things worse. “What skill does a disciple of a medicine sect like Lan Yao even have? If you’re so great, help me defeat them!”
“Hehe, trying to provoke me, huh?” Hun Yuanzi, being an old hand at such tricks, saw right through Yang Hao’s ploy. “Fine, fine. Who else could it be but my apprentice? I’ll teach you a technique so you can witness the might of our sect’s secret skills.”
“What are you going to teach me?” Yang Hao dared not be careless, because every time Hun Yuanzi tried to teach him something, something usually went wrong.
“Stupid apprentice, why do you keep treating Qi like Force?” Hun Yuanzi seemed to have finally noticed Yang Hao’s problem. Although Yang Hao was technically learning cultivation under Hun Yuanzi, the old master was notoriously lazy, only occasionally giving advice on refining pills, and never teaching Yang Hao the slightest detail about how to channel Qi.
Yang Hao naturally didn’t understand the difference between the energy currently filling his body and the Force he had previously learned: “Can you skip the theory and just give me something practical?” Yang Hao was growing desperate under the pressure of the intense battle.
“Cultivation Qi cannot be controlled like the Force. Don’t use the same method to control it,” Hun Yuanzi blurted out some strange advice. “Just let it flow freely.”
“Freely?” Yang Hao, ever impressionable, surprisingly believed it. He immediately stopped pushing his body’s energy. All techniques like the Force and telekinesis ceased at once.
That was a disaster. Yang Hao’s five swords were manipulated using telekinesis, and as soon as he stopped, the three swords hovering around him clattered to the ground, instantly losing all their power. Without the swords to block them, the sixteen curved blades came straight at Yang Hao in a single line.
Yang Hao was horrified. He rolled desperately on the ground, barely dodging the onslaught.
“Damn it! I shouldn’t have believed you!” Yang Hao regretted his decision. Following Hun Yuanzi’s advice had cost him his sword defenses and the advantage in battle, leaving him only able to dodge helplessly, unable even to use telekinesis again.
“Now, can you feel a warm current flowing inside your body?” Hun Yuanzi showed no sign of guilt.
“How would I know?” Yang Hao didn’t have time to sense anything while dodging. “You never taught me before, and now you’re teaching me in a life-or-death moment? That’s just too much!”
“This is called crisis teaching!” Hun Yuanzi, the troublemaker, had theories for everything. “Just try to sense it. Otherwise, no one can save you.”
Despite his anger, Yang Hao had to admit Hun Yuanzi had a point. Right now, the place was crawling with Li Bo’s men. If he didn’t try harder, he might really lose his life.
Yang Hao steeled himself, stopped dodging, and focused inward, observing the changes in his body. Sure enough, he immediately sensed a hot, fiery energy slowly moving through his meridians. As the energy flowed, his limbs and internal organs felt a deep comfort. The more it moved, the stronger and hotter it became, as if it had a life of its own.
“Feel it now, right? That’s the Qi flowing through your eight extraordinary meridians. This is the essence of cultivation. Before, you used the Force to control Qi, treating it like a mechanical movement. Today, your master will teach you how to truly unleash Qi’s power.”
“How do I unleash it?” Yang Hao asked while twisting his body to dodge another wave of attacks. Strangely enough, after completely abandoning techniques like the Force and flight, his body had become more agile, feeling light and nimble, as though he could leap effortlessly.
It turned out Yang Hao had been doing everything wrong before, wasting all his cultivated Qi for so long. Only now did he have the chance to get back on the right path. That lazy Hun Yuanzi, who claimed to be his master, had never even bothered to teach him.
“Dear apprentice, after you picked up those five swords, even though you sharpened them with Yuan crystals, you still treated them like ordinary iron, which is a complete waste,” Hun Yuanzi, surprisingly, decided to teach everything at once. “Now I’m going to help you forge them all into flying swords.”
“Flying swords?” Yang Hao was shocked. He had heard the term before, of course, from all the cultivation novels he had read. Every sword cultivator had their own flying sword, but Yang Hao had never imagined he himself could forge one.
“I can have flying swords now?” Yang Hao asked hesitantly.
“Are you done yet?” Yang Hao was barely holding his ground, narrowly dodging the curved blades several times. He was already on the verge of collapse, and now, distracted by his bickering with Hunyuanzi, his defenses were crumbling. “What kind of immortal cultivation is this crap? If you’re really capable, help me defeat them!”
“Heh, trying to provoke me, huh?” Hunyuanzi, being an old fox, saw right through Yang Hao’s ploy. “Fine, fine. Since you’re my disciple, I’ll teach you a move—let you experience the might of our sect’s ultimate technique.”
“What are you teaching me?” Yang Hao didn’t dare let his guard down. Every time Hunyuanzi offered to teach him something, there was usually some nasty side effect.
“Stupid disciple, can you stop treating spiritual energy like the Force?” Hunyuanzi seemed to have pinpointed Yang Hao’s problem. Although Yang Hao was supposedly cultivating under Hunyuanzi, the old man was a lazy master who only ever taught him alchemy and never bothered with proper energy manipulation techniques.
Yang Hao naturally didn’t understand the difference between the energy now coursing through his body and the Force he had learned before. “Less theory, more action!” Yang Hao was so frantic under the pressure of battle that he nearly jumped in frustration.
“Spiritual energy in cultivation is uncontrollable. Don’t try to manipulate it like the Force,” Hunyuanzi spouted nonsense. “Just let it flow freely.”
“Freely?” Yang Hao, being gullible, actually believed him. He immediately stopped forcing energy through his body, halting both his Force techniques and telekinesis.
This was disastrous. Yang Hao’s five swords were controlled by telekinesis, and the moment he stopped, three of them clattered to the ground, rendered useless. Without the swords as a barrier, the sixteen curved blades seized the opportunity, forming a deadly line aimed straight at Yang Hao.
Horrified, Yang Hao rolled clumsily on the ground, barely dodging the onslaught.
“Dammit! I should’ve never trusted you!” Yang Hao regretted listening to Hunyuanzi. Not only had he lost his sword defenses, but he was now forced into constant evasion, unable to even reactivate his telekinesis.
“Can you feel the warm energy circulating inside you now?” Hunyuanzi remained blissfully unaware of the chaos he’d caused.
“How the hell would I know?!” Yang Hao was too busy dodging to notice any internal changes. “You never taught me before, and now you decide to do it in a life-or-death situation? Ridiculous!”
“This is called crisis teaching!” Hunyuanzi, ever the troublemaker, had a ready excuse. “Focus on it, or no one can save you.”
As furious as he was, Yang Hao had to admit Hunyuanzi had a point. Surrounded by Li Bo’s men, if he didn’t act now, he’d be dead.
Gritting his teeth, Yang Hao stopped dodging and focused inward. Sure enough, he felt a scorching energy slowly circulating through his meridians. The more it flowed, the more intense and expansive it became, as if alive.
“Feel it? That’s the spiritual energy coursing through your Eight Extraordinary Meridians—the essence of cultivation. Before, you were just mechanically forcing it like the Force. Now, I’ll teach you how to unleash its true power.”
“How?” Yang Hao twisted sharply, dodging another wave of blades. Strangely, after abandoning his Force techniques, his body felt lighter, more agile—as if he could leap effortlessly.
It seemed he had been wasting his energy all along, only now realizing the right path. And all because that lazy master, Hunyuanzi, couldn’t be bothered to teach him properly.
“Good disciple, though you’ve sharpened those five swords with spirit stones, you’ve been using them like ordinary metal—what a waste.” Hunyuanzi seemed determined to dump all his teachings at once. “Now, I’ll help you refine them into flying swords.”
“Flying swords?!” Yang Hao was stunned. He’d read about them in cultivation novels—every sword immortal had one—but he never imagined he could wield them himself.
“I can have flying swords now?” he asked hesitantly.
“Of course! After swallowing my Mud Pill Elixir, you’ve already passed the Foundation Establishment stage. You could’ve refined flying swords and magical treasures long ago. They might not be top-tier, but better than nothing.” Hunyuanzi sounded lazily amused.
“Why?! Why?!” Yang Hao twisted his body at an impossible angle to evade more blades, his face contorted with rage. “Why didn’t you teach me earlier? I could’ve been practicing this whole time!”
“Hahaha…” Hunyuanzi chuckled dryly, masking his inherent laziness. “Does timing matter? Now’s the perfect moment for a lesson.”
“Shut up and hurry!” Yang Hao had no energy left to argue. Worse, the effects of his Strength Pill were fading—he could already feel the energy inside him weakening.
“Disciple!” Hunyuanzi snapped to attention. “Force the energy out and direct it at your swords.”
Without hesitation, Yang Hao obeyed. This time, he didn’t use the Force but willed the energy outward. Instantly, the red spiritual energy enveloped his swords, making them glow with a radiant light before rising into the air—though they hovered motionless without telekinesis.
“Bite your finger and sprinkle blood on the blades!” Hunyuanzi shouted excitedly.
Without question, Yang Hao bit down hard—so hard he nearly severed his finger. Blood sprayed out as he flicked it toward the floating swords, staining their edges crimson.
The swords’ glow shifted, a piercing red light flashing among the colors.
Hunyuanzi issued the next command: “Now, channel your energy into the swords—treat them as extensions of your body.”
Yang Hao, sharp despite everything, somehow understood the vague instruction. He poured his energy into the swords, treating their structures like his own meridians, allowing the energy to flow freely within them.
“Why! Why!” Yang Hao twisted his body with great difficulty to dodge several curved blades, his face filled with anger. “Why didn’t you teach me before? I’ve been cultivating for so long, but you never taught me anything.”
“Hahaha…” Hun Yuanzi chuckled dryly, trying to hide his inherent laziness. “When I teach is still teaching. Isn’t teaching now more effective?”
“Just shut up and hurry!” Yang Hao was too exhausted to argue further, especially since the effect of the Strength Enhancing Pill was about to wear off. He could already feel the Qi in his body beginning to shrink.
“Apprentice!” Hun Yuanzi finally got serious and began giving orders. “Expel your Qi and direct it toward your swords.”
Yang Hao didn’t hesitate and immediately complied. This time, he didn’t use the Force but instead used his consciousness to guide the Qi. Sure enough, the Qi, as if sentient, surged forth. The red Qi enveloped Yang Hao’s swords, which began to emit colorful lights and slowly floated into the air. However, since no one was controlling them with telekinesis, they simply hovered motionless.
“Bite your finger and sprinkle your blood onto the blades!” Hun Yuanzi shouted excitedly.
Without questioning, Yang Hao bit his finger with all his strength. In a life-threatening situation, he nearly bit his finger clean off. Blood spurted out, and Yang Hao wildly flicked his finger toward the floating swords. The blood flowed across the blades.
The colorful glow of the swords changed instantly, now flashing a piercing red light.
Hun Yuanzi continued with the next command: “Now channel your Qi into the swords, treating them as part of your own body.”
Yang Hao, despite his usual recklessness, had a bit of cleverness. Although Hun Yuanzi’s explanation was vague, Yang Hao somehow understood. He concentrated harder, channeling Qi into the blades, treating the swords as if they were extensions of his own meridians, allowing the Qi to flow freely within them.
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