Chapter 40: Sword Technique (1)
“It is precisely this junior.”
Ji Yuan smiled and cupped his fists.
He had not expected that this old senior would still remember him.
“What’s this? You really managed to master the ‘Water Drop Finger’?”
The white-haired cultivator looked at the handsome young man in front of him with some surprise.
Ji Yuan still wore his usual cheerful expression. “By sheer luck, by sheer luck.”
“Come, show me.”
The white-haired cultivator was immediately intrigued.
It was not difficult to cultivate this Water Drop Finger, but to successfully perform it, now that was a bit tricky.
Ji Yuan looked around.
In this Treasure Pavilion, how could he perform it?
The white-haired, old man was even more straightforward.
With a single-hand seal, he summoned two water shields and then patted his chest as he said, “Come, strike me.”
“Uh… this… isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
Ji Yuan was a little hesitant, though it was fortunate that this was an isolated spellcasting room.
Otherwise, with this kind of disturbance, it would surely have drawn a lot of attention by now.
“When I tell you to strike, you strike! So much nonsense!”
The old man widened his eyes, releasing the pressure of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, which gave Ji Yuan a bit of pressure.
“Then, Senior, please be careful.”
Since things had reached this point, Ji Yuan no longer hesitated.
He immediately raised his hand and tapped several times.
Several streams of spiritual light shot out, shattering both water shields in succession.
Seeing that another Water Drop Finger was about to hit the old man’s chest, a red glow emerged from his body, instantly dispersing the incoming technique.
The power of the magic robe was indeed formidable.
“Senior, are you alright?”
Ji Yuan had clearly seen the Water Drop Finger land solidly on the old man’s body, so he quickly asked out of concern.
“Alright? What could possibly happen?”
The old man’s hands, clasped behind his back, trembled slightly.
It was not that he was injured, but that he had been startled.
Having lived a leisurely life in the Treasure Pavilion for more than a decade, he had long since forgotten the feeling of life-and-death combat.
So when that technique had closed in on him just now, it had really given him a fright.
He had thought Ji Yuan would at most be able to release one Water Drop Finger, but he had never expected Ji Yuan to be able to fire off so many in succession.
The patrolling cultivators outside had sensed the spiritual energy fluctuations in the room and had come to investigate. Some even looked at Ji Yuan with wary expressions.
After a lengthy explanation, the old man finally managed to send them away and turned his gaze back to Ji Yuan.
“You brat, not saying a word all this time… You must have reached quite a profound level in body refinement, haven’t you?”
“This junior really doesn’t know. I’ve just been training blindly.” Ji Yuan genuinely had no idea how body refinement stages were classified.
“Show me your martial arts moves,” the old man said.
It was rare to encounter a senior willing to offer some guidance.
Ji Yuan naturally wouldn’t let the opportunity slip by.
He immediately complied and performed a random set of fist techniques in the room.
The old man stroked his beard, nodding repeatedly after watching.
“Not bad. Your body refinement can be considered at the Small Achievement stage.”
“Small Achievement?”
“Hmm. Body refinement isn’t divided into too many stages—Entry, Small Achievement, Great Achievement, and then Diamond Body. Once you reach the Diamond Body stage, you can resist Qi Foundation techniques with just your physical body alone. In the mortal world, you’d be considered invincible.”
After hearing the explanation, Ji Yuan finally understood.
“Good. It seems you have talent in body refinement. If you manage to join the Water Dragon Sect in the future, I’ll introduce you to a senior… a Foundation Establishment expert who cultivates both Qi and body refinement. His path should suit you well.”
The old man seemed to recall something and let out a long sigh, his gaze turning somewhat melancholic. “But you must hurry. I won’t be able to wait much longer.”
Before reaching Foundation Establishment, one’s lifespan was barely over a hundred years—there was not much time left.
Ji Yuan stood solemnly and gave him a deep bow.
“Thank you, Senior.”
“Here is the second and third layer of the Water Drop Finger. Altogether, it costs you thirty-five spirit stones. Take it.”
Ji Yuan first paid the spirit stones, then placed his hand on the jade slip.
As the knowledge flowed into him, Ji Yuan immediately understood the effects of the second and third layers.
The second layer was called Piercing Stone.
It condensed three thin, hair-like strands of azure spiritual light at the fingertip, spiraling together.
Upon hitting a target, the light would continuously drill through the same spot with the force of water dripping through stone.
With accumulated damage, it could easily break through the opponent’s magical artifacts or protective spells.
The second layer of the Water Drop Finger could truly be called an armor-piercing weapon.
As for the third layer, it could only be performed at the late stage of Qi Refining.
Its name was Stored Explosion.
Upon understanding it, Ji Yuan felt it was like a water mine.
It drew spiritual energy from within, compressing it into a deep-black water droplet.
Once fired, it exploded and transformed into hundreds of water blades, indiscriminately slicing everything within a ten-zhang radius.
It had immense offensive power and was a rare area-of-effect attack.
However, compared to the first two layers, the third layer consumed significantly more energy.
No matter. He would focus on mastering the second layer first when he got back.
As for the third layer, it would have to wait until he reached the late stage of Qi Refining.
Just as the white-haired old man was about to lie back down to rest, Ji Yuan asked again, “Senior, is there any spell suitable for a flying sword?”
“Flying sword?”
Ji Yuan raised his hand and summoned the White Water Flying Sword.
“Water attribute, decent quality.” The old man closed his eyes and thought for a moment before saying, “You already have the Water Drop Finger for offense. Pursuing extreme attack any further is rather pointless. Take a look at this sword technique.”
With that, he took out another jade slip.
Ji Yuan placed his hand on it.
This time, it was not the complete content, just a brief overview.
Ji Yuan scanned through it and immediately brightened up.
The old man smiled and explained, “The first layer of this Canglang Sword Manual, Entangling Wave, is used to trap enemies. It can be combined with the second layer of your Water Drop Finger.”
“The second layer, Layered Mirrors, can disrupt your enemy, making it great for dodging or escaping.”
“The third layer, Ninefold Wave, is pure offense. Based on my experience, this sword technique should suit you best.”
Ji Yuan shared the same opinion, so he nodded vigorously.
“I’ll take this one. How many spirit stones does it cost?”
He was prepared to pay a hefty price for this three-layered technique.
But unexpectedly, the old man shook his head.
“No need for spirit stones.”
“Hmm?”
Ji Yuan looked up, instinctively thinking he had misheard.
Unexpectedly, the old man chuckled. “I obtained this sword technique from a tribulation survivor long ago and later archived it in the sect’s Scripture Pavilion. So, I have the authority to decide whether it’s charged or not.”
“Senior, this…”
Before Ji Yuan could finish, the old man waved his hand over the jade slip.
A flash of blue light entered Ji Yuan’s mind, immediately filling it with the technique’s memory.
Was this… really free?!
Ji Yuan withdrew his hand and solemnly bowed to the white-haired cultivator. “This junior, Ji Yuan, thanks you for your great kindness, Senior.”
“No need to thank me. Just practice diligently when you get back. If you have any questions, you can come here and ask me anytime.”
Ji Yuan stood up, looked at the elder who had taken care of him, and softly asked, “May I know your esteemed name, Senior?”
“I don’t have any great name. Xu Fugui. Just call me Old Master Xu,” the old man replied in a friendly manner.
“Thank you, Grandpa Xu.”
Ji Yuan adjusted his form of address to something slightly more respectful.
Xu Fugui waved his hand and let him leave.
Only after Ji Yuan left did Xu Fugui’s gaze turn somewhat dazed. He then turned to look toward the true north and spoke softly in his heart:
“Master, this useless disciple can only do his best to bring back a junior brother.”
The Qi and body cultivation expert he had mentioned earlier was none other than his master.
Unfortunately, he himself lacked talent in body refinement and could not fully master it.
Let alone inherit the legacy.
Now that he had finally encountered a junior like Ji Yuan, who showed such talent in body refinement, he was naturally willing to offer some guidance.
It would be great if Ji Yuan succeeded. If not… he would not have lost anything.
After leaving the building, Ji Yuan pondered for a long time, wondering why Old Master Xu was treating him so kindly.
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t figure it out. He could only chalk it up to the old man being a good person.
In the path of cultivation, wealth, techniques, companions, and land were essential.
Perhaps Old Master Xu was the benefactor on his journey toward immortality.
Finally, Ji Yuan bought several high-grade life-saving talismans and, on his way home, began to reflect silently.
The Water Drop Finger must be learned.
The Canglang Sword Manual must also be learned.
And he still needed to try modifying the Yin Ghost Formation.
All of these depended on his own… comprehension.
Could he perhaps build a Comprehension Room for himself using the method he had used to build the Talisman Room?