Chapter 243

Two hundred and fifty-one, Merit surges, a first glimpse of Sword Intent

Inside the small courtyard.

"Wei Shaoxuan" raised his hand, habitually stroked his chin, and finished speaking with a smile. The crowd was beaming with joy and nodded one after another.

"Many thanks to the Sixth Young Master for the bestowal!"

Ouyang Rong walked away without looking back, preparing to open the sword case. At this moment, Boss Li leaned close to his ear like a sycophant:

"Sixth Young Master, look, after viewing the sword, should we head down the mountain first to find Mr. Qiu? It's dangerous on this mountain; that Xie Lingjiang and the unknown Yue woman might come knocking at any time..."

Ouyang Rong touched his chin, glanced sideways at the Persian merchant he didn't recognize, and said leisurely:

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" "This servant wouldn't dare!"

"Eighth Young Master, is that Ouyang Rong?" Bu Jian's tone was not at all excited. "Oh no!"

The scene after today's events left Xin Dingjian lost in a certain contemplation, murmuring to himself: "What exactly is a true myth?"

Princess Li Guoer also turned her head, her eyes looking at him with a certain expression.

Although she didn't know the purpose of the Eighth Young Master's arrangement, Boss Li hurriedly led more than a dozen white-clad blade-wielders away. After he left, he faintly heard from outside the front courtyard that this Eighth Young Master, who had been calm and composed, suddenly turned his head, and a sentence that seemed to be directed at Bu Jian came through:

Princess Li Guoer lowered her head, gently twisted her wrist under her sleeve, and answered precisely: "Seventeen breaths."

"It was this servant who asked a foolish question. Besides this residence on Luming Street, where else could it be?"

Only the three of them remained in the courtyard. Princess Li Guoer watched Ouyang Lianghan walk away without surprise, pretend to open the sword case, turn around with a smile, and invite people to "view the sword."

Xin Dingjian was stunned.

Xin Dingjian and Princess Li Guoer looked south together.

In an instant, the cheering from the entire mountain came like a tidal wave, surpassing the howling mountain wind, and reached the ears of Pang Taizhi.

Behind him, the "Arc" seemed to flash once in response. Princess Li Guoer suddenly remembered what he had just said.

He touched the small porcelain bottle in his bosom; there was one Qi-replenishing elixir left inside, which he prepared to save for a critical moment. After all, this item was hard to come by, and even the Junior Sister didn't have one, though she was naturally gifted and had plenty of spiritual energy.

"Liu Fu? Why Liu Fu?" It was Zhe Yiqu.

Xin Dingjian took off his mask and recited leisurely: "Return, oh return." "Seeing is not necessarily believing." So, even more so for "hearing."

While listening quietly, she forgot that her wrist was still being held by him, and instead, she pondered deeply on the hidden meaning behind Ouyang Lianghan not wiping them all out, but instead telling those lies.

In these days, not only was the old swordsmith forging a "myth," but he, Ouyang Lianghan, and the people of Longcheng were also forging a "myth."

The Dingjian was certainly a mythical object, but wasn't the Zhe Yi Canal, built by the concerted efforts of the Longcheng people, another kind of "myth"? It could easily neutralize the flood caused by the mythical Dingjian.

"Eighth Young Master, what place are you referring to?"

"There is no news from my foster father yet; he will be here soon." "Then why don't you stand closer and look?"

"This is something that can slay emperors above and escape the mortal world below; it is for the humble scholar."

Just then, in the direction of the upper reaches of Butterfly Creek, among the mountains, the originally green wolf-smoke was, for some unknown reason, replaced by pitch-black wolf-smoke!

But his current Grade 9 dantian, filled with spiritual energy, could not support a long-duration "Liu Fu" of more than seventeen breaths.

"Eighth Young Master." Bu Jian reluctantly withdrew his gaze and asked curiously:

Xin Dingjian and Princess Li Guoer looked at each other, rushed to a lawn outside the courtyard with a good view, and opened their eyes to look into the distance.

Eight feet above his head, the Dingjian was cold and stern, as if staring at him with cold eyes.

The surging flood caused by the birth of the Dingjian finally crossed the Di Gong Sluice, rushed down from the Yue Nu Gorge in the upper reaches, and charged toward the Longcheng county seat in the lower reaches with the force of Mount Tai pressing down.

"Legend has it that some Dingjian ultimate arts are area-of-effect attacks, while others have peerless single-target lethality."

"I just received news that there is another place nearby that is suspected to have a sword manual. When my foster father arrives, we will discuss..."

"This lord spoke wrongly, I hope the Sixth Young Master will forgive me... Eighth Young Master, what is the 'old place' you are referring to..."

Someone ignored his own uselessness and threw all the "reflection" that should have been done onto the Dingjian and the Severed Meridians.

Xin Dingjian, who had created all this with his own hands, looked on with a dazed expression.

Except for the first wave which was too fierce, the subsequent water flow was much calmer. It filled the new canal but didn't overflow much.

The key was that the extra five breaths were supported by a Qi-replenishing elixir that hadn't been digested yet: while digesting the elixir and rapidly releasing spiritual energy, Liu Fu was also consuming spiritual energy frantically. During those five breaths, the spiritual energy was consumed faster than the previous ten breaths.

He turned around and cleaned the courtyard for a while with Princess Li Guoer.

Xin Dingjian tilted his head and stared at him.

Ouyang Rong curled his two fingers slightly, knocked on the "Wei" character mysterious plaque at his waist, and said with wisdom in his grasp:

Even though it wasn't the first time she had seen it, when the "Arc" suddenly appeared above the small courtyard again, Princess Li Guoer looked up, and her pink lips under the thin veil were still slightly parted.

Xin Dingjian, who had originally been worried about the lack of spiritual energy and the inability to fully utilize the Dingjian, suddenly had a bold idea in his heart...

Sure enough, with a "slap," Boss Li slapped his own face and said with a fawning smile:

At this moment, he had never felt that "craftsmanship" and he were so close, as if man and sword had become one, and a certain bond was becoming deeper and deeper.

Princess Li Guoer glanced sideways at this person who was calm and composed while spouting nonsense. "Humble scholar? Is that the sword manual the Eighth Young Master is practicing?"

"Liu Fu, stay behind and wait for my foster father in the temple with me." Xin Dingjian was suddenly inspired and blurted out:

"That's right." Xin Dingjian turned his head, stared at the lonely old man in front of him, and said softly:

"Here, like this." Xin Dingjian pursed his lips, signaling to the top of the two people's heads, where an "Arc" was quietly floating.

The great flood, like a tamed wild beast, became docile and obedient in the eyes of the crowd.

Fortunately, he had tricked Boss Li and the others away just in case, otherwise he would have had to spare extra effort to kill them, and his spiritual energy would definitely not have been enough.

But just when the people who had abandoned their homes and fields to take refuge on the mountain were feeling desperate, this "giant python" flood, which was difficult for human power to match, suddenly encountered a strange fork in the road when it approached the Longcheng county seat.

It required actual combat to work.

And after using "Return, oh return," every breath of Liu Fu required the consumption of a large amount of spiritual energy. The further it went, the more spiritual energy was drawn away; it wasn't a simple uniform addition. A first glimpse of the meaning of "craftsmanship."

Just then, the overwhelming flood had just left the valley when it was rapidly diverted by the new canal.

A clear blue "Arc" returned to Xin Dingjian's side, unstained by a single drop of blood.

"This old servant is a bit surprised." Bu Jian exclaimed in wonder, "I didn't expect that in my old age, I would be able to watch a newly born Dingjian at close range. Looking at the whole world, these are rare mythical objects."

"Heh, what a killjoy."

Xin Dingjian rubbed his face and secretly assessed his current state.

Because factors such as enemy type, surrounding environment, and personal state had a significant impact.

In short, he was worthy of being the sword-wielder of the mythical Severed Meridians. Everything was good, except that driving the Dingjian consumed too much spiritual energy!

Pang Taizhi let out a long breath.

It was a pity that after the head and body were separated, no one answered him. It was the Zhe Yi Canal frantically discharging the flood!

Finally, Xin Dingjian felt that his expenditure exceeded his income. Originally, seventeen or eighteen breaths would have been enough to finish Liu Fu, but he had to wait for the Qi-replenishing elixir to release its spiritual energy, dragging it out to twenty breaths.

"You, you, and you all, get up the mountain first, wait for us at the old place. With so many people following, it would be strange if we weren't discovered by the Xie woman. You're like dead weight."

Just at this moment, a clear blue light flickered before his eyes. Looking closely, it was "Craftsmanship" suddenly approaching him, as if faintly attracted by the purple light in his eyes, circling him, very clingy.

All the refugees on the mountain had never expected that the Zhe Yi Canal, newly built by a young magistrate, could actually have such miraculous effects and avoid natural disasters!

Boss Li was so scared that he lowered his head. After a while, he carefully raised his eyes to look, only to find that the Sixth Young Master's face in front of him had already turned cold, looking down at him, which scared the Persian merchant into hurriedly kneeling on one knee.

The young man who dodged the falling fragments of the corpse, put the mask into his bosom, and nodded to the head of the old man who had rolled onto the ground, eyes wide open in anger:

And the Zhe Yi Canal was built bit by bit by a group of mortals!

"This old servant has heard that every Dingjian has an ultimate art, and the sword-wielder of the Severed Meridians can master one set for every grade they are promoted."

The Di Gong Sluice had collapsed!

Bu Jian didn't even have time to twist the neck of the "Eighth Young Master" beside him. He jumped up in a hurry, only to be torn apart in mid-air, and clear blue light shot out from his body.

As for higher-ranking enemies, Xin Dingjian didn't know how long "Liu Fu" would take.

Bu Jian's vital energy was completely locked by a Dingjian. He was filled with grief and anger: "Eighth Young Master, why!?"

Pang Taizhi narrowed his eyes and, together with the lame old man with Grade 1 cultivation beside him, stared at it against the sunlight. The Qi vortex in his dantian began to disappear one by one, but he asked softly:

How would Xin Dingjian know what the old place was? But at this moment, in the courtyard, he only needed to stand with his hands behind his back and look sideways at this fawning Persian merchant.

He suddenly remembered a sentence the old craftsman said before throwing himself into the furnace, which was left behind together with Ouyang Rong's true name of "Craftsmanship."

Just at this moment, a loud noise suddenly came from the southern horizon, like an angry tiger roaring.

"Good you glutton, you've been eyeing it for a long time, right." He murmured.

Until the era when the Mad Emperor frantically looted Dingjian and sword manuals passed, the chaos of the Northern and Southern Dynasties ended, and the Great Unification arrived, many Dingjian were lost. Currently, there are very few that are still famous in the world and have clear ownership, and all of them belong to top forces.

Bu Jian couldn't help but glance toward the Di Gong Sluice in the south, his expression suddenly enlightened: "So that's how it is."

It was the crisp sound of a wooden fish that kept surging.

Take killing Bu Jian just now as an example; this was Xin Dingjian's third actual combat.

And the Longcheng county seat between the two river channels, except for the wharf and other places near the surging river channel which were washed away, most of the other buildings were actually safe and sound!

Xin Dingjian glanced at the backs of Boss Li and the others who were obediently leaving the courtyard and said casually: "Yunmeng."

"Many thanks, Eighth Young Master."

Before the Qian and Zhou dynasties, Dingjian were only possessed by the imperial family or the spokespersons pushed to the forefront by the sects of the world.

Xin Dingjian turned his head again and asked: "How many breaths?"

The lame old man's leaping body disintegrated in mid-air at the same height as the eaves, falling to the ground piece by piece.

"You're welcome." Xin Dingjian said with a smile.

Xin Dingjian closed his eyes. Inside the Merit Tower, the cyan-gold merit value surged by the hundreds every breath, even causing the Merit Bell to be wrapped in rich purple Qi, making it difficult to digest the surging merit for a while, which also caused his eyes to turn slightly purple on the outside.

"Actually, I don't know yet." Xin Dingjian lied: "But I do know the Dingjian ultimate art of the 'humble scholar'."

"See that? That is the wrath of the humble scholar."

"You not only devour spiritual energy, but you also like my purple merit mist... and my righteous Qi?" He changed his question.

"The Dingjian ultimate art of the humble scholar is just as its name suggests, like a humble scholar, rising from the micro, first hidden then revealed, finally encountering a great wind, soaring upward, and turning into a Kunpeng."

Boss Li was stunned. He looked at the dozen or so black-clad blade-wielders who were pointed at like him, couldn't help but show a bitter expression, and said dejectedly:

After the two Qi-replenishing elixirs swallowed earlier filled the spiritual energy in his body, there was about one elixir's worth of medicinal effect left.

Boom-- rumble--!

Now his dantian spiritual energy was empty again, and the two Qi-replenishing elixirs he had swallowed were consumed. His injuries had healed by seventy or eighty percent, and his movements were unimpeded. The remaining hidden injuries would probably need to be nurtured slowly.

Xin Dingjian stared at the scene where the Zhe Yi Canal turned decay into magic and suddenly felt touched:

The lame old man's words suddenly stopped.

Pang Taizhi nodded: "It's very simple, first Pang Tai, like climbing a height, waiting for its momentum to reach the top step by step. Within 'seven steps', princes and generals must all bleed and fall."

Pang Taizhi nodded calmly. Beside him, Princess Li Guoer seemed unable to watch the foolish person and foolish things, and shifted her gaze away.

Bu Jian raised his head and frowned: "What does that mean... uh." The atmosphere in the courtyard fell into a brief dead silence.

Xin Dingjian nodded slightly.

And his dantian spiritual energy in a full state, which originally could only support ten breaths of Liu Fu, should be able to barely kill a Grade 9 Qi Refiner.

Looking from a high place, one could see that among the lush mountains in the southern upper reaches, a thick "water line," like a python, twisted through valleys and roads. "Whoosh splash--!" The sound of the mountain flood roaring came slowly.

He turned his head stiffly.

The people of Longcheng on the high ground of Mount Dagu could also see the scene below clearly.

"I also don't know what the Dingjian ultimate art of this Pang Taizhi is. Now that the Dingjian is newly born, only the Eighth Young Master should know."

"Myths are born in the dust..."

So this "seventeen breaths" also had a discount, because if the dantian capacity was sufficient and the spiritual energy was full, Pang Tai could be faster.

"How is it?"

Bu Jian nodded in wonder, half-understanding: "Then how exactly does it 'slay above'?"

"By the time this happens, the humble scholar is no longer a humble scholar, but still a humble scholar. Because at this time, although the emperor's wrath can leave a million corpses and bleed a thousand miles, the humble scholar's wrath can bleed seven steps and cover the world in mourning."

This was the time it took for him, who was still at Grade 9, to use "Return, oh return" with all his might to kill a seriously injured Grade 1 Qi Refiner with a severed arm. It was standard.

From tricking Bu Jian into viewing the sword within 'seven steps' to the completion of the craftsmanship Liu Fu, and completely locking onto Pang Tai's vital energy... it took a total of seventeen breaths.

However, at this moment, there was an even louder sound in Xin Dingjian's ears. "Are you a bit surprised by its appearance?"

Xin Dingjian didn't know the specific efficacy of the "Transformation Jin Dan" that Xie Lingjiang had fed him last time, but he faintly felt that his dantian capacity was not outstanding, and the effect of that "Transformation Jin Dan" didn't seem to be that outrageous, as if it had been discounted...

Ouyang Rong pointed his finger calmly and pointed forward:

The original Butterfly Creek river channel and the newly built straight Zhe Yi Canal were working together to rapidly divert the flood that was destroying everything in the upper reaches.

It had the same wonderful effect as the "extraordinary" craftsmanship forged by the old swordsmith through the humble female spike worker!