Chapter 134: Emerald Feather

Under the candlelight, one person and one cat sat together.

"I can defeat you very easily, but to be honest, the upper limit you can explode is higher than mine." The black cat said, "It's very difficult for me to defeat a Sixth Life, but you can. Because Chi fire and strength can be resisted by thick True Qi, but Snow Night Flying Goose and Quail Head cannot."

Seeing Pei Ye nodded slowly, and suddenly asked curiously: "You don't have a meridian tree. The mysterious Qi you absorb only supplies the growth of the body. Growing the body is the way you become stronger, right?"

"Hmm."

"Then how is the progress of the body's growth evaluated? Is it all based on feeling?"

"Weight."

"Ah?" Seeing Pei Ye lifted it by the neck—a little over half a catty.

"Not this one." The black cat looked at him while hanging in the air, "It's the weight after restoring the true body."

"... Can you still restore the true body now?"

"I can."

"Ah?! Seeing Pei Ye widened his eyes. He had always thought that it couldn't return to that god-beautiful Chi body form for the time being. "You still can?!"

"Hmm."

"Quick, quick! Restore it once and let me see."

"No, it consumes a lot of mysterious Qi."

"Just once, take a look, take a look."

"..."

The black cat glanced at him. In its glass-like emerald eyes, the pupils suddenly stretched up and down.

The head grew forward like melting, and every detail of the body was undergoing dazzling and strange changes.

The soft hair slowly fitted and gathered together, and the gaps between them disappeared silently, as if becoming a kind of moist black leather. At the same time, another crescent-shaped gap appeared on this piece of black leather, gradually becoming clear and distinct.

Along these gaps, countless crescent shapes stood out from the black leather.

Soon, the texture of these black crescents changed from soft leather to tough jade, becoming hard, cold, moist, and smooth.

Scales.

At the same time, the body was growing, the bones were changing, and the handsome claws had already probed out.

Within two or three breaths, a transcendent creature transformed in front of Seeing Pei Ye. It had a handsome head and long whiskers, a flexible body, and floated without wind.

Seeing Pei Ye looked at it with bright eyes.

No matter how many times he saw it, Seeing Pei Ye would praise this strange and beautiful beauty that was not of the human world. It was a life form that transcended the world and was the only one in the human world, as if everything was covered with yellow dust, and only it was a piece of bright jade.

However, it was only the length of an arm.

Seeing Pei Ye slowly stretched out his hand and supported it under its body. The black Chi fell and coiled up, handing all its weight to him.

Seeing Pei Ye weighed it—about twenty catties.

"Will your strength become greater in this state?"

"No, the cat body is enough to exert all strength now." The black Chi said, "After the true body exceeds two hundred catties, it won't work. Only by turning into the true body can the strength of the excess part be exerted."

"Two hundred catties..."

Seeing Pei Ye suddenly thought of an incomprehensible question: "Wait, I didn't see you swallow anything just now. Does this true body usually hide in your body?"

"Yes."

"How is it hidden? Compress the extra bones and flesh?"

"You could say that."

"Then the weight shouldn't change?" Seeing Pei Ye frowned. Suddenly, he thought of a terrible possibility along this line of thinking, "Little cat! How small can this compression be? You can hold twenty catties now, but when you are two hundred, two thousand catties, you won't become—"

Seeing Pei Ye spread his arms: "Such a big, such a fat cat, right?"

"... Not this kind of compression." The black Chi's form slowly faded, and a small black ball reappeared in Seeing Pei Ye's palm. Then it stood up and stretched its legs, "The part of the body that disappears is in a special state of mutual transformation between mysterious Qi and flesh and blood. They exist in the body, but they don't have weight."

"Oh!" Seeing Pei Ye half-understood, "Amazing."

"Any other questions?"

"Hmm, how is your cultivation speed?"

"Ten days ago, my true body was only as heavy as this cat."

Seeing Pei Ye raised his head and thought for a while: "That's about growing two catties a day."

"Hmm, it could have been faster, but I have to feed you blood."

"How much faster?"

"Four catties a day, I guess."

Seeing Pei Ye suddenly sighed at it: "What a pity."

"What a pity?"

"Pity that I didn't know you could turn back into your true body at that time, otherwise I could see you so long." Seeing Pei Ye compared with his hands, imagining that scene, and smiled, flicking the little cat's face left and right.

The black cat looked at him coldly.

"Nothing." Seeing Pei Ye saw that it was enough, pulled up the quilt and lay down on the bed, and then put it into his lap. "Sleep. Little cat, blow out the lamp."

The black cat paced over and swallowed the flame on the oil lamp in one gulp.

——

Waking up the next day, Seeing Pei Ye opened his eyes and felt the moist coolness in the air.

He turned over and pushed open the window lattice. In the dark sky, a fine rain like silk was falling.

Seeing Pei Ye took a deep breath of the cool air, stretched, and started washing and eating. After everything was packed, he still left the little cat in the inn, carried his sword, and walked toward the martial arts hall.

Still entering from the side gate, it was still half an hour early today, and the hall was quite quiet, but when passing the courtyard on the west side, he heard the faint fine sword sound inside again.

Seeing Pei Ye listened and listened, and suddenly remembered something, pausing his footsteps slightly.

——Was it such a scene when Miss Ming listened to him practicing the sword across the wall that night?

So Seeing Pei Ye stopped curiously, frowned and tilted his head. The sword sound entered his ears, like fine rain and urgent wind. It sounded like, like... like what, he didn't know himself.

It was impossible to hear anything at all.

How could anyone hear what sword art someone was using from this kind of sound—Seeing Pei Ye couldn't even be sure whether the person inside was using a sword.

He continued to walk forward, arrived at the martial arts field, and it was empty and quiet.

Just when he thought he was the earliest one, after crossing the gate, heavy and violent panting came from the right.

Seeing Pei Ye turned his head and saw that in the cool wind and fine rain, the woman was like a piece of hot iron, white smoke steaming from her body, pulled into ethereal lines, slowly dissipating in mid-air.

Just like a human-shaped incense burner.

The whole martial arts field was empty, but she chose the corner that was least noticed. After a round of movements, Zhang Junxue slowly put down the two stone locks, and the sound from her lungs was like a bellows.

She nodded slightly toward Seeing Pei Ye who entered the gate.

"So early." Seeing Pei Ye frowned slightly.

Zhang Junxue gave a dull "Hmm," picked up the saber again, and started practicing that "Saber Chopping the Waist."

To be honest, this woman using this saber to practice this saber technique really had a unique momentum. The vast saber momentum and the painful exertion of force were not only irresistible in actual combat but also had aesthetic beauty in appearance.

But Seeing Pei Ye, out of the "martial arts rules" he understood, although others didn't avoid it, didn't stare straight at the woman's saber technique.

Seeing Pei Ye walked to one side, unloaded his gear, did some activities, and drew his sword from the scabbard.

Rain silk fell on the sword and condensed into fine beads. Seeing Pei Ye shook his wrist and stood still with his sword.

The next move of the Cicada section is 【Spreading Wings】.

This move can be considered a small threshold. From the internal logic of this sword art, the cicada has shed its shell and grown wings to fly, naturally different; from the style of the sword move, there is also a relatively large change, from probing, entanglement, and trickery to becoming upright and light, and the temperament also becomes elegant.

This is a sword of accumulating momentum, or a sword of preparation.

It is not an attack, but retreat and avoidance. The posture of the sword move and the flow of power within the body are all preparing for the next move.

Precisely because of this, the difficulty of this move has risen by several levels.

In battle, attacking is the most ordinary action, but how to cleverly collect and avoid, not making "retreat" become "collapse," is a great test for the sword user.

When Seeing Pei Ye dismantled this move in the book, his eyes didn't just stare at this page, but understood it in comparison with the next sword 【Clear Sound】.

At this time, formal practice also took the next move as a reference from time to time.

This is the benefit of "eating through the sword scripture first, then practicing." If he hadn't understood the next sword, practicing this sword would be twice the result with half the effort.

The key points of this move are only in two places: one is the accumulation of momentum, which is the purpose of this move. If the accumulation of momentum is not done well, this move is equal to being used in vain; the second is the response in front of the enemy, which is to ensure that this move can be used safely without causing more loss than gain.

The sword book lists several ideas for use, but if you want to use it freely in battle, you naturally cannot follow the book, but still need your own level, experience, eyesight, and even courage.

If this move is really used under the enemy's nose, even if you lose some opportunities because of this, the next move will definitely get double the return.

This move is indeed much more difficult. Seeing Pei Ye spent half an hour and roughly familiarized himself with the posture of this move, but there was still a distance from learning it.

At this time, breakfast had been served again. Seeing Pei Ye finished his meal and started the training process of the day again.

First, it was still the morning class that happened to digest food. Yesterday, the explanation of the "Bai Zhu Pavilion" was concluded. Today, it was changed to a master to talk about the "Emerald Feather Sword Sect."

More than twenty people moved cushions over and sat down neatly. A middle-aged woman with a gentle temperament and about forty years old walked onto the field. She wore a green martial arts uniform and a thin, long light sword hanging from her waist.

"Hello, everyone."

The woman smiled. Her temperament was stable, and her voice was gentle and calm. In a few words, she outlined the Emerald Feather Sword Sect.

The Emerald Feather Sword Sect stands in the Yilan Mountain, named because many beautiful emerald birds live in the mountain. This sect is actually the most long-standing among the three major sects in Bowang Prefecture. It was established eighty years earlier than the Bai Zhu Pavilion and one hundred and thirty years earlier than the Seven Serpents Cave. Even if you count the predecessor, it is another two hundred years earlier.

The Emerald Feather Sword Sect still inherits a profound emerald bird culture, and their swords are also like emerald birds, light, bright, like rain and wind. In terms of sword art inheritance, the foundation of the Emerald Feather Sword Sect is actually more profound than the Seven Serpents Cave.

"The Emerald Feather Sword Sect has fifteen quotas this year, and sent fifteen disciples, all above Third Life." The female master continued.

Fifteen... Seeing Pei Ye couldn't help but open his mouth slightly.

This is the superiority of the sect's cultivation method. Zheng Shou is a first-class strong county. This year they have seventeen quotas, but only seven entered the Longmen class. The rest naturally did not meet the realm requirement of "Third Life."

"According to the rules of the Emerald Feather Sword Sect, disciples can practice "Jade Collection" after Third Life, and most of them stop at the "Green Light" chapter. Everyone, if you encounter disciples of the Emerald Feather Sword Sect in the Martial Competition, you will mostly face this chapter of sword art." The female master slowly drew her sword, "I will demonstrate it to everyone first."

Only to see her stand still and cup her hands, perform a correct martial salute, and then her footsteps pulled, her body suddenly tilted, and at the same time a light and thin sword light stabbed out, pointing obliquely to the sky.

Seeing Pei Ye's eyes brightened slightly, and he straightened his body.

And then that tilted body drew a smooth circle in mid-air, just as if there was an invisible line hanging down from the air to hang her.

As the figure turned, the next sword had already stabbed out from behind her waist.

This is truly a unique sword art. Seeing Pei Ye looked at it with bright eyes. The figure moved so smoothly in the air. I don't know how the internal force was exerted, but it looked like a bird that didn't need to touch the ground.

In her body and sword, you can't see too much dependence on the earth.

Such a set of sword art like floating feathers and returning wind was finished, and the whole field was quiet.

There was no need to say anything more, but anyone with some eyesight could see that this was not imitation, but the original version of the so-called "Green Light" chapter!

And this female master wearing green clothes probably

The female master scanned the silent crowd below, picked up her scabbard to sheath her sword, and said with a gentle smile, "I see some students' faces have turned pale. Very good; it means this is your first time participating in the Longmen Class, and I also hope you won't have to experience a second time."

A burst of laughter erupted on the field.

The female master did not keep them in suspense any longer and gently pointed out the key: "Eleven years passed between my initiation and my graduation, yet my master said the same thing every time: 'The sword of Cuiyu has nothing that cannot be shown to others.'"

Seeing Pei Ye only realized at this moment why some people's faces had turned pale, but that did not stop him from being the first to applaud.

"Every term, I will demonstrate the sword art of Cuiyu for everyone. If anyone can truly grasp the fatal weakness of a Cuiyu disciple after just a few viewings, I would actually beg you to go to Mount Yilan to study the sword."

Although the Cuiyu Jianmen had been weakening year by year in recent times, these words still fully displayed the confidence of an old-established sect in its own sword art heritage.

In reality, this was indeed the case; the feeling this sword art gave Seeing Pei Ye was excellent. It certainly had its strengths and weaknesses, but even the shortcomings were not "defects," let alone "fatal weaknesses."

Even if he were to watch it ten more times, he would only become more familiar with it; in the end, victory or defeat could only be sought through the actual combat maneuvering of the swordsman.

"I also hope everyone will not be too anxious about victory or defeat; meeting friends through martial arts is already a joy in itself." The woman said with a smile, and then began to use the previous demonstration to explain the stylistic characteristics of Cuiyu Jianmen disciples to them, performing again whenever an example was needed, truly holding nothing back.

After an hour passed, the "Green Light" chapter had been discussed almost entirely. The female master said they would finish it tomorrow, chat briefly about the "Jade Shadow" chapter, and start practical training on the third day.

Afterward, she held a formal salute and left the field.

The students also stood up from their cushions.

Seeing Pei Ye had only managed to attend two morning classes explaining sect styles like this, and he felt the styles were vastly different.

Yesterday, when discussing the Bai Zhu Pavilion, the old master was obscure and cautious, talking only about style and response, never touching upon a single specific move.

Yet today, this female master talked about the Cuiyu Jianmen thoroughly and clearly, almost revealing even the circulation of Qi.

This was only because she was confident that the sword art itself was solid, knowing that even after you understood it clearly, you still had to compete uprightly on the field.

(End of chapter)