Chapter 81

A blue-haired woman as cold as frost silently emerged from the sword tomb beside her.

Her figure was initially somewhat illusory, but as the light condensed it gradually became clear; a cascade of ice‑blue hair fell like a waterfall, exuding wisps of chill.

The woman's face was stunningly beautiful yet expressionless, her skin like snow, her eyes like deep cold pools, inspiring awe and dread.

She stood silently above the Great Xuan Condensing Sword Tomb, the surrounding air seeming to drop in temperature because of her presence.

Her robes fluttered in the wind, making a soft rustling, adding to her haughty and icy beauty.

The woman slightly lifted her chin, her icy gaze fixed on Jin Huang'er: 'Jin Huang'er, what's wrong with you, woman! Where are you trying to move to! I think you've been made a stupid pig by this generation's Fuyu Sword Master!'

The cold woman's originally aloof aura instantly dissipated; she burst into curses, no longer bearing the recent cool elegance.

Jin Huang'er wiped the sweat from her forehead, hoisted her Qiankun bag, put her hands on her hips, and said triumphantly: 'Jiuhan! I just discovered an absolute genius! I'm going to join her!'

'Go join your mother! Our Nine Dao Sword Forms can only truly reach the supreme and ultimately transcend when we're together; you just pat your butt and leave—what about the next generation Fuyu Sword Master?'

'Without the Fire Phoenix Sword and your inheritance, how can the next generation Fuyu Sword Master reach the Ninefold Extreme?'

Jiuhan truly wished she could run her sword through the brain‑addled fool before her; they shared honor and loss together, and with Jin Huang'er gone, all the sword forms' benefits were lost.

'It's simple! Just let Le Zhengying become the Fuyu Sword Master!' Jin Huang'er spoke with high spirits, already imagining her wonderful future; Jiuhan's forehead veins bulged, her face grim—Jin Huang'er actually still wanted to choose the Fuyu Sword Master herself, what a lunatic, you're so mighty, why were you still in the sword tomb space before?

'The choice of Fuyu Sword Master isn't ours to decide; it's the Fuyu Sword's choice. We don't even know what qualifications it seeks—who knows why it picked this useless waste now? Stop messing around.'

'The other seven are still asleep; don't force me to wake them, or you'll surely regret it!'

Jin Huang'er grew unhappy: 'What do you mean? Do you think I, Jin Huang'er, lack vision?'

'You have the nerve to talk about vision! This generation's Fuyu Sword Master was turned into a waste by you, you bastard! We nine had agreed to wait a few years for his temperament to stabilize—look what you've done!'

'Just one day! Arrogant and self‑important, jealous by nature, with no steadfast pursuit of power! If it weren't for the fact that you're a woman, he probably wouldn't even bother learning swordsmanship—after all, just knowing our names lets him boost his soul power and reign supreme on the Douluo Continent! He's become an incompetent waste who chases women.'

'I—I wasn't just pitying him.' Jin Huang'er muttered, a little out of breath.

'Hmph! In short, I won't believe a brainless fool; put down the phoenix cocoon now, and I'll pretend I didn't see it.'

Jin Huang'er wasn't angry either; she excitedly told Jiuhan: 'This time is different! The child I've taken a liking to already has soul power at rank fifty! Moreover, her mental power has reached the level of a Titled Douluo, and she's in the same class as Xiao Yuan! Do you understand what I mean?'

'A true absolute genius! A monster! After watching Xiao Yuan practice the Fire Phoenix Sword Technique for a while—though he hadn't mastered it yet—she filled in the gaps on her own; I dare say no one on this land suits me better than she does—she's a sword‑learning prodigy!'

'Jiuhan! We're the same! Come with me!'

Jiuhan raised her eyebrows, somewhat disdainful: 'Really as good as you say? Such a fine condition falling into your lap? You haven't been tricked, have you?'

She didn't believe pies would fall from the sky; this silly hare must have been tricked again—six years old and already rank fifty? What nonsense are you spouting here? Just two months ago her martial soul awakened, and you're telling me she has Titled Douluo-level mental power? Even an old granny wouldn't fall for that!

Jiuhan's face darkened; she deliberately put on a frightening expression, quietly lowering the temperature around her to create a chilly atmosphere.

'If you leave here, what if you run into another Xiao Yuan? Then there'll be no turning back.'

Jin Huang'er shivered, clutching her Qiankun bag tighter; she was surprised to discover that the sword tomb space she lived in was actually so dilapidated, leaking wind, making her feel chilly.

'It's too cold here; turns out our lodgings are really terrible. Jiuhan, I'm going to Le Zhengying's place—it's as warm as the sun!'

Jiuhan's face darkened as she couldn't help cursing: 'You bastard, if you want to leave, just get out! And on your way out you still stomp on my home!'

She finally understood: you can never wake someone who's pretending to sleep. Jin Huang'er's desire to leave had been there all along; she just lacked a suitable companion before. When she wanted to go, Jin Huang'er could find countless excuses, and nothing could stop her.

Jin Huang'er rubbed her arms; the temperature seemed to keep dropping. She sighed with a hint of regret: 'If you don't come with me, this might be the worst decision of your life.'

'Hah, my biggest mistake was clearly meeting you, this stupid pig. Do you have that kind of luck? Still hoping to strike it rich?' Jiuhan snorted contemptuously.

Hearing that, Jin Huang'er suddenly brightened; she flicked out a trace of golden flame, drawing a winding, splendid golden line beside her that made her look noble and beautiful, no longer as pure‑looking and foolish as before.

'Jiuhan, for us sword forms, fate is heaven‑decreed and unchangeable; the Fuyu Sword chooses whom it will, and we must follow. But luck isn't like that—luck is like this thread.'

'You may not know where it will ultimately lead, but it always rises and falls in waves; when you're at your lowest, you must endure and not lose heart.'

'Because that's exactly when your luck should rise, Jiuhan. Don't look at me as usually foolish—I'm a phoenix! I'm Jin Huang'er, a auspicious omen that brings good fortune! Hahaha.'

Jin Huang'er's laughter echoed in the sword tomb space; she laughed freely and joyfully. The other eight sword masters occasionally called her an idiot, cursed her as a fool, but in truth among the nine she was the most clear‑headed and the happiest.

Jin Huang'er's body burst with golden light, like a blazing sun suddenly exploding, brilliant to the extreme, instantly illuminating the whole space as bright as day; the intense golden light shattered the bonds of the Fuyu Sword seal, each ray seeming to possess substantive power.

She wanted to leave here! She didn't want the waste chosen by the Fuyu Sword; she wanted to be beside the heir she herself had selected! From now on, she would no longer be bound by the Fuyu Sword!

Jin Huang'er stood at the center of the light; her figure grew somewhat blurred, as if merging with the endless golden radiance.

Her hair fluttered in the golden light, and her skin was plated with a dazzling layer of gold.

The surrounding swords trembled under the impact of the golden light, emitting clear ringing sounds, as if paying tribute to the departing Fire Phoenix Sword Master.

The air currents in the space became chaotic, forming whirlwinds that wildly spun around Jin Huang'er.

'…You actually broke free… you… you really have no way back now…… aren't you afraid of dying?'

Jiuhan stared blankly at the wanton, unrestrained Jin Huang'er, at this noble phoenix marching toward death.

She instinctively chilled the air to smooth Jin Huang'er's disturbed flow, and erected ice crystals of isolated perception above the other seven sleeping sword tombs, wrapping them to prevent sudden awakening.

'Hmph! Let's go, let's go! What's good out there?'

With a hum, Jin Huang'er's figure vanished like a breeze from the sword tomb space, leaving only a sentence of thanks drifting in the air.

'Thank you, Jiuhan; otherwise they'd never let me leave. Without the Fuyu Sword, I can still bring out a true Sword God for you to see—just wait and watch, hahaha…'

Jiuhan inexplicably felt a sense of loneliness; she bit her lip, her heart in turmoil—how had she been convinced by that silly hare Jin Huang'er? The outside world was completely unknown; wasn't Jin Huang'er afraid? She shouldn't be. Now the last hope of the Fuyu Sword was gone; it was impossible to achieve a true Sword God; the plan to cultivate a Fuyu Sword Master had ended.

They could have simply waited in order for an honest, obedient child, then step by step achieved a Sword God—that's how it should have been…

But seeing Jin Huang'er's confident, silly smile, the bravest among the Nine Dao Sword Forms, Jiuhan couldn't help wanting to believe her, to believe she could really do it.

Jiuhan shook her head, her ice‑blue hair swaying, and murmured to herself: 'I… I'm not really helping her; I just want to see Jin Huang'er's regretful expression.'

Right, that's it… so… don't just die like that…

……

Fire Phoenix Sword Technique: the heart must be like a blazing fire, burning away all worldly fear; the intent should be like a gentle breeze, agile in commanding myriad calamities.

Is this the technique? Indeed it's vastly different from meditation methods! No wonder Tang San regards the Xuan Tian Skill as a treasure—it certainly can't be matched by mere meditation.

When the sword is raised, the heart burns with fierce flames, gathering the yang vigor of heaven and earth, gathering one's own valor; one must feel the inner fire born in the dantian, like surging magma, scorching and mighty.

The sword moves like a dancing phoenix—posture graceful yet concealing rigid power; every move and style should follow the heart, intention meeting blade without hesitation.

The sword's momentum is like a phoenix spreading its wings—vast and sharp, possessing the force to sweep away thousands; the heart guards emptiness and spirit, undisturbed by external things, unafraid of enemy might.

The sword sheathed like a phoenix returning to its nest, restraining its sharpness in an instant, storing explosive power in tranquility.

The Fire Phoenix Sword Technique requires guiding the sword with the heart and letting the sword communicate with the heart; only then can it unleash its heaven‑destroying, earth‑annihilating power, defeating the enemy unseen.

Qian Renxue liked it more the more she pondered it; she immediately closed her eyes, focused her mind, altered the soul power circulation route, and practiced the Fire Phoenix Heart Method.

The meditation method of the Douluo Continent is not a proper cultivation technique; it is merely a soul power circulation route that can add attributes to soul power, and the claim that without switching cultivation methods one must start over from scratch.

Qian Renxue's aura gradually became steady, and a faint heat emanated from her whole body.

Only then did one see her inner soul power flowing slowly along the route described by the heart method, with threads of fiery red light flickering faintly in her meridians.

Qian Renxue devotedly guided her soul power; as the heart method circulated, faint golden flame patterns appeared on her fair skin, as if a fire phoenix were about to break free from its cocoon.

Gradually, Qian Renxue's aura grew stronger, that scorching power continually accumulating, as if it might erupt at any moment.

She suddenly opened her eyes, and in her jade‑like purple pupils a gleam appeared, containing surging power, as if a fire phoenix were twisting and turning endlessly.

Xiao Yuan looked at Qian Renxue with some apprehension; her aura was so terrifying that just standing before her made him feel he would be burned to death—why wasn't his Fire Phoenix Heart Method that strong? Didn't Jin Huang'er hold back something when teaching him? "Ling'er, have you already mastered this?"

Qian Renxue gave him a slight nod, and a warm, faint smile appeared on her previously expressionless face.

Xiao Yuan had contributed the Fire Phoenix Heart Method to her, so she would give him some feedback in return—if you want a horse to run, you must first let it eat grass; the same goes for a sycophant.

"It's actually quite simple; learning it isn't difficult."

Xiao Yuan curled the corner of his mouth; he couldn't stand this kind of humblebrag.

"In that case, could you trouble Ling'er to teach me swordsmanship?"

The white‑haired youth swallowed his saliva; a beautiful girl teaching swordsmanship—who wouldn't like that? There might even be enjoyable physical contact.

"Come on! Thrash me to your heart's content, but please don't spare me! Ling'er! Of course, it also can't be as hard as that previous kick, or it would really kill me—any lovely atmosphere would be ruined."

He likes feet, but it's also normal to hope a beautiful girl in stockings steps on him, not to be kicked silly with a bang.

"Hehehe."

Just as Xiao Yuan imagined himself practicing swordsmanship together with Le Zheng Ling in a scene like immortals' lovers, his own soul power level suddenly plummeted.

Fifteen, fourteen, thirteen…

"Huh? What's going on? My soul power level!"

Xiao Yuan panicked, his head drenched in sweat—"Oh no, am I really turning into a Yandi template?" He's just a fake! Do we need to be this realistic? Nine, eight, seven, six, five—he kept falling until he stopped at level five.

Jin Huang'er also transformed into a fire phoenix and rushed out anxiously from the Fuyu Sword Seal.

"【Jin Huang'er elder sister! Why did my soul power level drop?】"

But Jin Huang'er gave no response, still happily circling around Qian Renxue.

"Broken…… the connection between him and Jin Huang'er had actually been severed…… this is wrong, totally wrong—he couldn't risk exposing Jin Huang'er, and if he stayed silent his golden finger would be gone!"

"\"Jin Huang'er elder sister! What's wrong with you? I'm Xiao Yuan! Did you mistake me for someone else? Why did you run over to Ling'er's side? \""

Jin Huang'er turned her head to look at him, then flew over again.

Xiao Yuan felt a surge of joy, then resignedly said: "What's up, Jin Huang'er elder sister? What are you planning to do now? The fewer people who know of your existence, the better—don't suddenly appear next time, it's bad for my heart."

Jin Huang'er let out a phoenix cry on her own, and a dim soul ring automatically appeared before Xiao Yuan, faintly showing a yellow‑purple hue; Jin Huang'er then opened her long, slender phoenix beak and swallowed the soul ring in one gulp.

"\"Ga? \" Xiao Yuan stood dumbfounded, hardly able to believe his own eyes."

"Eaten… eaten? His first soul ring was actually eaten? Jin Huang'er exhaled a puff of hot air, happily flapped her wings, almost forgetting to move house when she put it away—she's quite petty, holding a grudge for a long time if she loses something, thanks for the reminder, Xiao Yuan."

The fire phoenix, remarkably human‑like, happily waved its wings at him: "I'm off, bye‑bye—I'm going to look for Le Zheng Ling; from now on we won't stay in touch, I'm afraid Le Zheng Ling might misunderstand."

Xiao Yuan stared at Jin Huang'er in disbelief, his lips trembling as he uttered his final doubtful question.

"\"Ah? Then… what about me? \""

"Just one chapter today, brothers—this Fire Phoenix Heart Method is really tough to write; I've racked my brains, poured all my knowledge into it, folks, (￣▽￣) please vote for me—coming up with this kind of technique content really burns brain cells."

"(End of chapter)"