Proud Sword Soaring Clouds

That night, a gale raged outside, letting out piercing howls. Raindrops the size of beans hammered against the window lattice, creating a rapid-fire PATTER. Song Mingyue snuggled in Ling Xiao’s arms, her fine hair fanned out, long and disheveled, covering the fair white skin of her neck and chest. Listening to the increasingly fierce sounds of the rain, she reached out, pulled the soft, fresh blanket up to her nose, and stared out the window in fear, only her two large, lively eyes showing.

"This is terrifying!" Song Mingyue said softly, her head resting on Ling Xiao’s arm. "When I was little, this was what I feared most. The weather on the islands is so unpredictable, and this is exactly the kind of weather we get most often! Even after all these years, I still haven’t been able to get used to it. Tell me... am I pathetic?"

Ling Xiao smiled and held Song Mingyue tighter, not saying a word. Instead, he released his vast, ocean-like Spiritual Power. He could clearly sense that something was off about tonight’s rain. ’Based on the weather earlier, there should have been a heavy downpour, but not a torrential storm like this! Besides, the moments before a downpour are normally the most oppressive, even making one feel as if they’re suffocating.’

’But once the rain starts to fall, that feeling should lessen considerably! This time, however, it’s different. The raging storm outside hasn’t eased the pressure at all; in fact, it’s making me feel even more tense. For no apparent reason, my Daoxin is even a little unstable! It was so bad that during my Dual Cultivation with Song Mingyue just now, I took a fraction longer to enter the proper state than she did!’

’As a Cultivator, only an irresistible force should be able to affect the stability of one’s Daoxin. My Daoxin has already formed a Golden Core, so how could it possibly be influenced so easily?’

’Could it be that the Thousand-Year Flood Dragon is stirring up trouble tonight?’ Filled with deep suspicion, Ling Xiao cautiously released his Spiritual Power. In the eyes of many mortals, a Golden Core Stage Cultivator was practically no different from an Immortal. They could seek fortune and avoid disaster and could deduce many things from a person’s facial features—even something as ephemeral as their destiny.

An expert who reached the Golden Core Stage possessed an incredibly powerful spiritual field. When released, it could detect almost any living creature within a ten-li radius.

Of course, Ling Xiao didn’t normally dare to carelessly release his Spiritual Power to sense his surroundings. After all, there were many people in this world stronger than him, such as the Sword Venerable ancestor of the Sea Domain Song Family. Ling Xiao knew that unless he laid down a great formation, his current strength was completely insufficient to contend with such an expert. ’In fact,’ he thought, ’even saying that is a gross overestimation of my abilities.’

’In truth, if an expert like the Sword Venerable wanted to kill me, it would take no more than the snap of a finger!’

’Considering my overall strength, if I were in a one-on-one fight against a Tier One or Two Sword Emperor, a single strike from me at full power could severely wound them. With a bit of luck, I could even kill them in one blow! Of course, achieving this relies on the immense power generated by converting the potent True Essence in my body into Sword Qi.’

’This isn’t the kind of luck where a teenager manages to stab an adult in the back when they aren’t looking!’

’If my opponent were a Middle-Tier Sword Emperor, I could guarantee a safe retreat. If they were careless, I could even defeat them. But as for killing them... the difficulty would be immense! That’s because anyone who reaches the realm of a Middle-Tier Sword Emperor has an understanding of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, a mastery of sword techniques, superior strength, and control over their spiritual pressure field that are all near the peak for a Martial Artist.’

’As for a Tier Six Sword Emperor like Grandmaster Ming Yue, Song Qi—one at the peak of the sixth tier, at that—I wouldn’t even think of trying to fight him! Against a person like that, fleeing is the most rational choice!’

’Running away might only cost me some face, but not running away would cost me my life! Besides, at my age, if I could fight a Middle-Tier Sword Emperor and retreat unharmed, the one who would lose face certainly wouldn’t be me.’

’As for a Middle-Tier Sword Sect like Zhao Jingzhi of the East Sea Zhao Family, I was really just toying with him that day! With my current strength, I could have crushed him underfoot whenever I pleased. The only reason I used just the techniques of the Nine Swords of Dugu to counter his Sword Techniques was because I didn’t want to reveal the full extent of my own power.’

’For me, being high-profile or low-profile doesn’t matter; as long as no one comes looking for trouble, either is fine.’ Ever since he had exchanged over a thousand blows with Zhao Jingzhi and retreated unharmed, not a single person had come looking for trouble with him.

Ever since arriving here, Ling Xiao had sensed a strange atmosphere hanging over the Qin Family Island. Cultivators are very sensitive to their natural surroundings, and Ling Xiao constantly felt as if a pair of invisible eyes were sizing him up.

Ling Xiao’s Spiritual Power spread cautiously from his body, and he closed his eyes. Song Mingyue fell silent. The room was pitch-black while the storm howled fiercely outside. She couldn’t help but bury her head in Ling Xiao’s embrace. Feeling his strong, steady heartbeat, she gradually calmed down. A wave of drowsiness washed over her. Song Mingyue opened her cute little mouth in a yawn, smacked her lips softly, and then, content, she nestled into the crook of Ling Xiao’s arm and fell asleep.