Chapter 422: Artistic Conception and Blade Radiance

Duan Rong rested for a while, then sat cross-legged on that large bluestone.

Between each inhalation and exhalation, his focus locked onto the blurred point where the breath transitioned and turned, skillfully striking it.

With a wave of dizziness and blurriness, the next moment, Duan Rong had already appeared within his Spirit Sea.

He stood in the center of the Black Earth; throughout the entire Divine Soul space, thin mist rolled of its own accord.

Duan Rong looked up and saw that in the center of the Cangqiong, the blurred Gray Shadow sat cross-legged.

The moment Duan Rong appeared in this space, a certain mental resonance immediately emerged between him and the Gray Shadow. It was just like two magnets; once they approached, an invisible gravitational force was generated.

With a movement of Duan Rong's mind, his figure suddenly vanished from the center of the Black Earth.

And almost simultaneously, he appeared behind the Gray Shadow above the Cangqiong.

Duan Rong stood in the high reaches of the Cangqiong, behind the Gray Shadow, his gaze flickering as he looked at the area around the shadow's body.

He saw more than ten fist-sized light orbs of various colors, currently suspended motionless near the Gray Shadow.

Those light orbs were cyan-black, crimson, black, and purple, all emitting a dim, ghostly light that was not at all dazzling.

Duan Rong stood there and suddenly reached out, taking a pure cyan light orb into his hand.

He stared intently at the light orb in his hand and saw that deep inside, wrapped in a faint, ghostly glow, there was actually a blurred shadow of a hook-sword.

In fact, before Duan Rong had even entered this Spirit Sea, he had already relied on his mental connection with the Gray Shadow to roughly guess what these light orbs were; now, looking at the shadow inside the cyan light orb in his hand, he was even more certain of his initial guess.

These ten-plus light orbs of various colors floating around the Gray Shadow were the very Artistic Conceptions from the ten-plus Spirit Tools containing Artistic Conceptions that he had devoured in that oval stone chamber at Lone Mountain.

The Spirit Tools had already been digested and absorbed, merging into his Divine Soul, but these Artistic Conceptions seemed not to have been digested, instead floating vaguely around his original shadow.

The Spirit Tools containing Artistic Conceptions that Duan Rong could devour were merely Spirit Tools of the First Layer of the Qi Cyclone Realm.

Among these Artistic Conceptions, those belonging to Blade Intent numbered no more than three.

Duan Rong released the pure cyan light orb in his hand and took another cyan-black light orb from not far away; he saw that inside that light orb, wrapped in a ghostly cyan-black glow, was the shadow of a deer-horn blade that appeared almost solid.

Duan Rong frowned slightly; these Artistic Conceptions seemed unable to be digested and absorbed by the Divine Soul space. If this were the case, wouldn't the Artistic Conceptions he had been longing for become nothing more than hollow decorations within this Divine Soul space?

Duan Rong's gaze flashed; he suddenly moved his mind to try and stimulate the light orb in his hand. Following his mental stimulation, the light orb in his hand actually began to flicker on and off.

"A reaction!?"

If there was a reaction, there might be a way; the most fearful thing would be no reaction at all, which would leave him completely helpless.

Duan Rong looked at the flickering light orb in his hand, thoughts churning in his mind. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and almost simultaneously, he saw the Gray Shadow at his side suddenly open its eyes and open its mouth wide.

Duan Rong flashed, clutching the light orb in his hand, and reached out to press it into the Gray Shadow's mouth.

The cyan-black light orb felt heavy upon entering, hovering at the Gray Shadow's chest. Its dim light continued to flicker incessantly.

Duan Rong stood in the void, and suddenly moving his mind again, he saw a cyan shuttle suddenly appear before him, spinning incessantly.

This cyan shuttle was one of the Soul Piercing Needles that Duan Rong had condensed!

As Duan Rong moved his mind, the cyan shuttle vanished suddenly like a ghost, and almost simultaneously, it struck the chest of the cross-legged Gray Shadow.

Where the Soul Piercing Needle passed, countless cyan-black spots of light exploded on the Gray Shadow's chest like a small cluster of fireworks, their luster quite mesmerizing.

Duan Rong had actually used a Soul Piercing Needle to blast apart the Artistic Conception body of that cyan-black light orb!

Some light spots dissipated into the void, while many others merged into the Gray Shadow's body.

And the shadow of the deer-horn blade that had originally been at the center of the cyan-black light orb now appeared prominently at the center of the Gray Shadow's brow.

A blurred expression of pain surfaced on the Gray Shadow's face; clearly, Duan Rong's Soul Piercing Needle just now had also caused it a bit of damage.

Duan Rong looked intently and saw that the deer-horn blade shadow appearing at the Gray Shadow's brow seemed somewhat blurred, not as solid or clear as it had been inside the cyan-black light orb.

It seemed that although he had forcibly absorbed the Artistic Conception body through this method, he had after all used a Soul Piercing Needle to blast it apart; even though it was wrapped by the Gray Shadow's body, some dissipation was inevitable.

However, Duan Rong was already very satisfied with this result.

A blade shadow had appeared on the Gray Shadow's brow, which meant that he now possessed an Artistic Conception!

An Artistic Conception—this was a martial arts realm that only experts of the Qi Cyclone Realm possessed!

Only Martial Artists of the Qi Cyclone Realm could condense an Artistic Conception, such as Sword Intent, Blade Intent, or Spear Intent.

And martial arts capable of condensing an Artistic Conception were also known as Ultimate Arts!

The reason Duan Rong thought of this method was that the Soul Piercing Needle was an attack of the Divine Soul attribute, which was ineffective against flesh and matter.

But those Artistic Conception bodies also belonged to the Divine Soul category. If not for this, they would not have been contained within the Spirit Tools and entered the Divine Soul space after being devoured by him.

But precisely because they were Artistic Conceptions, they had a very fragile and thin boundary membrane of light. Duan Rong used the Soul Piercing Needle to break the outer light membrane, allowing the essence of the Artistic Conception to enter the Gray Shadow's body and be absorbed.

That Gray Shadow was his Divine Soul origin; being absorbed by the Gray Shadow meant being absorbed by his own Divine Soul.

Duan Rong moved his mind, and his figure suddenly vanished from the void.

With a single thought, he had already exited the Divine Soul space.

On the large bluestone by the deep pool in the dense forest, Duan Rong, who had been sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened his eyes; his gaze was bright, clear, and flickered with depth.

He suddenly leaped up, his animal skin cloak fluttering in mid-air, the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade suddenly in hand; with a flash of white light, he began to execute the Six Harmonies Blade technique within the dense forest.

After three moves, Duan Rong moved his mind; at the same time, within his Divine Soul space, the blade shadow at the brow of the Gray Shadow sitting in the void suddenly brightened.

Almost simultaneously, a blurred, flickering Blade Radiance about half an inch long shot out from the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade in Duan Rong's hand!

This Blade Radiance was the power of an Artistic Conception!

With this Artistic Conception, he could almost be called invincible among his peers!

Blade Radiance was something that would only appear in the hands of a Martial Artist of the Qi Cyclone Realm, but at this moment, it appeared on Duan Rong's blade edge; although the Blade Radiance was not solid and looked very flickering and blurred, it was still Blade Radiance!

It was not at all a thing of the same level!

Artistic Conception was something that belonged purely to the level of the Divine Soul, so even though Duan Rong had not yet achieved the Qi Cyclone Realm, as long as his Divine Soul had merged with the Artistic Conception, he could still utilize its power.

As the Blade Radiance shot out, Duan Rong's gaze remained calm and waveless; as he slashed out with the blade, he clearly felt that the sound of the blade edge cutting through the air had undergone a subtle change. The feeling of that power in his hand instantly spread throughout his entire body and mind.

Duan Rong finished the set of Six Harmonies Blade and stood still, but there was no joy in his eyes; instead, a flash of deep worry crossed them.

Whether or not to use the Artistic Conception and Blade Radiance depended entirely on the movement of his mind.

He could try his best to hide it and not expose it, but if he were to be exposed one day, how would he explain it?

After all, the environment he was in had changed; it was no longer that remote and isolated Xiangu County. He was now within the Taiyi Sect, and had been taken in as a personal disciple by an Elder of the Elder Council.

Everyone surrounding him was an expert! Even if he was very careful, there was a possibility of being exposed at any moment!

What's more, he had previously only observed hundreds of weapons in a stone chamber on Lone Mountain; although it was somewhat strange, he himself did not feel it was a big deal, yet even so, it still drew Wu Shidao to probe him time and again.

If he, a disciple in the Qi Refining Realm, were to suddenly unleash the power of Artistic Conception! Would that not be defying the will of the world?

Therefore, he must think of a backup plan in advance! At the very least, he needed a plausible reason to provide some cover!

"Preparedness ensures success, while lack of it leads to failure!"

As Duan Rong thought this, a vague image flashed through his mind—something related to Artistic Conception.

He followed that faint memory to trace it back, but he could not recall the specific content no matter what; however, he was certain of one thing: he must have seen this thing inside the Scripture Repository.

"Something related to Artistic Conception..."

Duan Rong stood with his blade on his back, his gaze flickering.

After a while, he decided that since he could not remember, he would go to the Scripture Repository to search again. Duan Rong then wrapped the Frost Pattern Phosphorus Crystal Blade in animal hide, tied it to his waist, left the mountain peak, and headed toward the Scripture Repository.

There were many secret areas in the Scripture Repository that were only open to Inner Sect Disciples. However, Duan Rong was not going to those places; he had seen that thing related to Artistic Conception back when he was still a Registered Disciple, so Duan Rong headed straight to a certain pavilion in the Outer Courtyard.

Registered Disciples had to spend points on their Star Disk to enter the Scripture Repository, but Duan Rong directly presented his Sect Cloud Token as an Inner Sect Disciple.

The old man guarding the entrance saw Duan Rong's Sect Cloud Token, immediately stood up, returned it with both hands, and said respectfully, "My lord, please enter!"

Although the old man was puzzled as to why an Inner Sect Disciple would need to come to the Outer Courtyard of the Scripture Repository, he did not dare to ask.

Duan Rong tucked away his Sect Cloud Token and strode inside. The few scattered Registered Disciples near the entrance all looked at Duan Rong with astonishment, wondering why the usually arrogant guard was so respectful to this youth. Those Registered Disciples looked on with confusion and immediately began to guess at Duan Rong's identity.

Duan Rong strolled through this place as if he were walking in a leisurely garden, though his gaze never left the entries on the shelves.

Occasionally, he could see a few scattered Registered Disciples flipping through classics there.

Duan Rong suddenly stopped beside a shelf. From a corner of that shelf, he pulled out a yellowed, thin booklet. He saw written on its cover: "Record of Taiyi Sect's Successive Patriarchs."

Duan Rong stood by the shelf and began to flip through it.

It was a very thin booklet, and Duan Rong finished flipping through it quickly. He shook his head and placed the thin booklet back in its original position.

As he put it back, his gaze shifted to the booklet next to it. This booklet was much thicker than the previous one, but it was also yellowed and covered in a thick layer of dust.

Duan Rong pulled it out, dusted it off, and saw written on its cover: "Record of Taiyi Sect's Successive Elders."

A flash of vague memory crossed Duan Rong's mind. He opened the booklet, skipped the beginning, and looked backward from the last few pages.

Inside the booklet were brief introductions to the various Elders of the Elder Council.

Duan Rong flipped through page by page, and suddenly stopped at a name. There, written clearly, were the three characters: Gu Daoling.

The moment he saw this name, the vague things in his past memories instantly became clear. Duan Rong had remembered, but he still lowered his head to read the introduction once more.

It was indeed this person named Gu Daoling; while at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm, before he had even formed a Qi Cyclone, he was already able to unleash the power of Artistic Conception!

The introduction recorded that when Gu Daoling was in the Qi Refining Realm, the martial art he practiced was a blade technique called the Roaming Dragon Clear Chant Blade.

Artistic Conception, blade technique! That meant Blade Radiance!

It really was this!

After Duan Rong confirmed this information, it was exactly what he was looking for!

Having read this information, his heart felt slightly more at ease. Since someone had done it before, then he could do it too; at most, it would just be following in the footsteps of a predecessor.

Moreover, since Gu Daoling had comprehended Artistic Conception while practicing this Roaming Dragon Clear Chant Blade in the Qi Refining Realm, it showed that although this blade technique was not a supreme art, it did have the potential to lead to the comprehension of Artistic Conception.

Then, as long as he also practiced this blade technique, even if he used Blade Radiance one day and was truly exposed, having the precedent of Gu Daoling would serve as a cover.

Because Gu Daoling had once used this martial art to cultivate Artistic Conception, this blade technique had once been popular throughout the entire Taiyi Sect for several decades. Almost more than half of the Inner Sect Disciples chose to practice this blade technique, but since no one else ever cultivated Artistic Conception from it, it slowly fell into obscurity again.

But because of this, Duan Rong had already devoured the Spirit Tool containing the complete set of the Roaming Dragon Clear Chant Blade in the stone chamber on Lone Mountain, so he was already very familiar with this set of blade techniques.

However, he still needed a legitimate procedure.

Previously, in the Inner Courtyard, he had chosen the manual for the Six Harmonies Blade. At the time, he felt it didn't matter what he chose, but now it was different; he had to choose that Roaming Dragon Clear Chant Blade technique so that using it would be legitimate and flawless.

His master, Zhu He, was the Head of the Inner History Department; choosing a martial art again should be possible. At worst, he could just put that Six Harmonies Blade back!

Duan Rong's gaze shifted, and he decided to go find Lu Geng.

"Disciple! It's not that I, your Senior Brother, want to lecture you, but you didn't choose carefully when I let you choose back then. Now you feel it's not suitable? You want to change it?" Lu Geng looked at Duan Rong with annoyance.

Duan Rong said, "Senior Brother Lu, it was my lack of consideration; I was careless last time! Please trouble yourself to help me one more time."

Seeing Duan Rong admit his mistake, half of Lu Geng's anger dissipated.

Actually, changing a cultivation method was something that could be managed.

In principle, Inner Sect Disciples could choose one cultivation method every year, but Duan Rong had already used his quota for this year, so choosing again was originally impossible.

However, the Inner History Department was managed by their Yunfu Peak, so it could still be managed. He could ask the History Supervisor for another approval slip, let Duan Rong choose a new martial art, but not record it in the registry, only replacing the name of the originally registered Six Harmonies Blade with the new one Duan Rong chose.

"Fine. Follow me!" Lu Geng sighed and said, "But, only this once, never again. This kind of thing is against the rules! I'm only helping you this once because you are a new Disciple!"

Duan Rong apologized with a smile, "Senior Brother Lu, this time I owe you a favor; I will definitely repay it in the future."

Lu Geng looked at Duan Rong happily and said with a laugh, "Alright, you're sensible! Let's go!"

The two went out together. Lu Geng obtained another approval slip from the History Supervisor, and after giving the History Supervisor some instructions, Lu Geng took the slip and led Duan Rong toward the Scripture Repository.

(End of this chapter)