Ascension Day

He took out the Sword Box and said, "Carry this Sword Box on your back. If you encounter my family, it will fly back into their hands on its own. It’s a small way to convey my grief."

Xu Ying agreed and slung the Sword Box onto his back.

The Sword Box had leather straps on the top and bottom that could be fastened across his chest, so it wasn’t cumbersome to carry.

Xu Ying bid the man farewell and led Yuan Qi toward the rope bridge over the Naihe River.

The bearded man watched them get on the bridge and muttered, "That boy’s fortune is not shallow. I hope he can make it back to the Mortal World. He absolutely, under no circumstances, must not drink the old woman’s tea!"

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi stepped onto the rope bridge and walked onward. Their journey was uneventful, and they didn’t encounter any tea-selling old woman.

The man and the snake gradually let their guard down, walking ahead while chatting and laughing. As they neared the end of the rope bridge, they saw a long line of people, blocking their path.

Xu Ying and Yuan Qi got in line at the very end, watching the crowd slowly inch forward.

After a long time, they saw that the people were lining up to drink tea at a stall. The one selling tea was an old woman with white hair, a hunched back, and a face covered in a thousand deep wrinkles. She held a teapot, pouring tea one bowl at a time.

But the amount of tea in the pot never seemed to decrease.

By the time Xu Ying and Yuan Qi reached this point, their minds were muddled and dazed. They had completely forgotten the bearded man’s warning. All they felt was an unbearable thirst, and their only purpose for lining up was to drink a bowl of the old woman’s tea to quench it!

Finally, it was Xu Ying’s turn.

On the other side of the bridge, the bearded man saw Xu Ying pick up the tea bowl and sighed to himself, muttering, "His fortune was too shallow in the end. Even with parents as powerful as his, they still couldn’t protect him and keep him alive..."

Just as Xu Ying raised the bowl to drain it in one gulp, the tea-selling old woman looked him up and down. Her expression suddenly changed. She snatched the bowl away and sneered, "You rotten kid! You’ve already drunk who knows how many bowls of my tea, who knows how many times. You think you can trick me into giving you more? Get out!"

Xu Ying snapped back to his senses, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. He grabbed the tail of Yuan Qi, who was about to drink the tea, and dragged the Big Snake off the rope bridge.

On the other end of the bridge, the bearded man was also dumbstruck, frozen in place.

After a long moment, he finally came to a realization. ’Meng Po’s Soup erases all memories, returning a person to a state of primitive chaos! When the old woman said he’s drunk countless bowls of Meng Po’s soup, did she mean his memories have been wiped countless times, or that he’s already lived for countless lifetimes?’

Unfortunately, Xu Ying had already left Wangxiang and his whereabouts were unknown. The man had no way to go after him and uncover what had happened to him.

Xu Ying dragged Snake Demon Yuan Qi off the rope bridge. Yuan Qi finally came to his senses, a wave of lingering fear washing over him.

He looked back, only to see the rope bridge tremble like mist before gradually dissipating without a trace.

The trip to Wangxiang had been surreal. Aside from a feeling of melancholy, Xu Ying was left with some unanswered questions. ’Why were the faces of the parents I saw in Wangxiang different from the ones in my memory?’ he wondered.

Although the Underworld Mountain Range still flanked the Naihe River nearby, the sky gradually cleared, and the thick fog dissipated. With the Sword Box on his back, Xu Ying felt a faint, indistinct Sword Qi swirling within it. From time to time, it would leap before his eyes, like two swords clashing and colliding in mid-air!

Xu Ying asked Yuan Qi about it, but Yuan Qi hadn’t sensed a thing.

"I’ve been reading since I was young," Yuan Qi said. "The books say that from the era of Emperor Wenwu the Great Saint to the time of the Emperor of Ultimate Dao, the Martial Dao flourished. The practice of Qi Nurturing Sword became popular among the Official Nuo. This Yuan Tiangang was a Grand Nuo who mastered Qi Nurturing Sword, eventually becoming a legend of his time."

Yuan Qi guessed, "His Sword Qi must still be in the Sword Box. Since you’re carrying it, you’re being influenced by his Sword Qi, and that’s why you’re seeing those sword shadows."

Xu Ying’s interest was piqued. He asked, "In that case, is it possible to comprehend his Sword Technique from his Sword Qi?"

Yuan Qi burst out laughing. "Ying, are you dreaming? An ordinary person couldn’t successfully cultivate a True Scripture even if it were handed to them, let alone comprehend the mysteries of a Sword Technique from Sword Qi!"

He was speaking the truth. Countless people wished to pursue Cultivation but couldn’t find the right method; even those who did might not succeed. Even after years of painstaking study, one could still misinterpret the teachings and go down the wrong path.

A case in point was the three generations of the Niu Family. They had cultivated the Elephant Power Ox Demon Fist, but never grasped the proper method and failed to reach the Fourth Layer.

Only Yuan Qi, with Xu Ying’s guidance, had quickly cultivated it to the Fifth Layer and was now on the verge of breaking through to the Sixth Layer.

This just went to show how incredibly difficult it was to comprehend a Sword Technique from Sword Qi!

Full of enthusiasm, Xu Ying continued to study it on his own. The young man picked up a straight Willow Branch and, as he walked, began to casually practice the motions, using the branch to execute the leaping sword light he had sensed.

Gradually, Xu Ying’s Qi Blood flowed through the Willow Branch. Unconsciously, as he performed the moves, his Qi Blood began to circulate in a peculiar way. By the time it reached the Willow Branch, it transformed into Sword Qi, revealing a brilliant sharpness!

Whether he thrust the Willow Branch forward, swept it back in a cloud-like motion, flicked it with his wrist, chopped, sliced, slashed, or tapped, a hissing sound of Sword Qi could be heard, growing sharper and louder!

A Sword Technique is composed of many simple moves. Generally, they can be categorized as thrusts, flicks, cloud sweeps, slashes, chops, taps, snaps, parries, upward cuts, horizontal slices, sweeps, blocks, intercepts, flourishes, circles, and glides. Xu Ying had never studied any Sword Technique before, but as he comprehended the Sword Qi, he became self-taught, mastering these basic Sword Techniques!

As he got into the swing of his practice, his Qi Blood circulated with increasing fluidity. A sharp Sword Aura suddenly extended from the Willow Branch, its length fluctuating with the flow of his Qi Blood!

This Sword Aura, formed from condensed Sword Qi, emanated a cold light. It was sharper than a real Treasure Sword, capable of destroying anything in its path!

Yuan Qi was startled. ’Could he really comprehend a complete Sword Technique from the Sword Box?’ he thought.

Suddenly, Xu Ying leaped into the air while holding the Da Zhong, waving the Willow Branch in mid-air. Hissing Sword Qi poured out!

Yuan Qi jumped in fright and hastily dodged. He saw dozens of holes appear in the ground; even the stones had been pierced through by the Sword Qi!

"This guy... he can be so powerful even while holding up the Da Zhong!" Yuan Qi was incredibly envious.

Xu Ying landed, overjoyed. He poked the Willow Branch here and there, itching to find something to stab.

Yuan Qi hurriedly backed away from him.

Xu Ying asked, "Xiaoqi, I’ve seen a Divine Spirit wield a Flying Sword. It can leave their body and travel several dozen paces, controlled with perfect ease, as if it were an extension of their own arm. How do they control their Flying Swords?"

Yuan Qi corrected him, "When a Divine Spirit uses Sword Control to kill, they can take someone’s head from a Qianli away, not just a few dozen paces. Their Flying Swords are conjured from Incense Smoke Qi; they aren’t real Flying Swords and have no weight. Besides, the Flying Sword *is* their Magical Power. Controlling their own Magical Power is only natural, isn’t it?"

Xu Ying stared blankly for a moment, then became ecstatic. "You’re right! Xiaoqi, you’re brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?"

Yuan Qi was dumbfounded. "Wait a second, what did I say that was right? I’m a little confused..."