Chapter 67: Bai He Swordsmanship — Revelation of the Divine

(PS: Some people say I update slowly, but here I need to explain — I've been publishing for 26 days and have updated 190,000 characters, averaging 7,300 characters per day, which already surpasses most authors on Qidian.)

"Buzz!"

The longsword oscillated at high frequency, and magic power transformed into wind-attribute spiritual energy that gathered upon it.

It granted the longsword an unparalleled sharpness, capable of slaughtering enemies with the greatest of ease.

This was the sixth stance of the sword art — the Twisting Sword, and also the most difficult strike.

The wind-attribute spiritual energy it employed was derived from the mutual generation of wood and fire, possessing the tenacity of wood and the explosiveness of fire.

With a single thrust, it pierced the target while simultaneously tearing the wound open, inflicting tremendous corrosive damage.

Its name, Twisting, was truly fitting in every respect.

Fang Shi spent three full days and finally cultivated the Twisting Sword to perfection.

"You have comprehended the six stances of the sword art."

"【Sword Art (Perfection)】: This is a foundational sword form summarized by the ancestors of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Even so, it possesses extraordinary power. You may expend an appropriate amount of magic power to deal 1D6~5D6 of attribute damage. (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind)"

With the sword art perfected, what Fang Shi would cultivate next was "Swordsmanship."

"Swordsmanship" recorded a total of nine sword techniques.

Unlike the sword art, swordsmanship resembled the Five Animal Frolics — through sword stances, it imitated the circulation of magic power of immortal birds and strange beasts.

Therefore, during the cultivation process, one could also incidentally refine spiritual energy into magic power.

Combining striking method, training method, and nurturing method — the three methods merged into one.

The first was the Bai He Swordsmanship, which simulated a white crane dancing through the sky, primarily training the arms.

The spiritual energy transformed by this sword technique was wind-attribute, perfectly continuing from the final stance of the sword art.

Fang Shi stood on one foot, sword in one hand, and with fluid grace swept it to either side of his body.

As he walked and stepped, he resembled a white crane spreading its wings, and the lingering sword shadows were the feathers upon the crane.

They flickered with a beautiful yet deadly aura.

This was the first move of the Bai He Swordsmanship — Bai He Spreads Its Wings.

Afterwards, Fang Shi surged forward and leapt, spreading both arms like a white crane skimming the sky.

The longsword in his hand spun through the air, stirring up a vortex under the influence of spiritual energy.

It drew in the surrounding dust and sliced apart anything that drew near.

This was the second move — Bai He Dances Through the Sky.

Following that came Burning Qin and Cooking Crane, Crane Standing Among Chickens, Wind-Cries Crane Calls…

As the sword moves were executed, the surrounding spiritual energy was drawn into Fang Shi's body and gradually refined into magic power.

……

Another world, deep within a Fire Featherfolk temple.

An elderly Fire Featherfolk wearing a white long robe.

Was standing before a female Fire Featherfolk divine statue, praying devoutly.

His voice echoed ceaselessly through the empty great hall.

On the walls of the great hall were carved exquisite murals, one after another.

They recorded the history of the Fire Featherfolk — from the very first Fire Featherfolk being born from the flames of the phoenix.

To being enslaved by the Giant race, and then devising a plan to escape the Giant kingdom.

To arriving at the Fire Elemental Plane to build their nests, clashing with the Smoke Elemental Prince, and then warring against a slumbering Elder Dragon.

Afterwards, through a series of prolonged histories, they finally settled in another world.

Like a magnificent epic, it carried a deep, weighty sense of history.

Rumble, rumble.

The tightly shut stone door within the temple was pushed open, and a Fire Featherfolk clad in silver-blue armor walked in.

His build was exceedingly tall — fully three meters — a giant among the Fire Featherfolk.

Before him, the elderly Fire Featherfolk looked like a mere child.

Yet the towering Fire Featherfolk did not dare show the elderly Fire Featherfolk any disrespect.

"Bishop, my lord, what matter have you summoned me for?"

The elderly Fire Featherfolk ceased his prayer and said slowly: "Our Lord has conveyed an edict — this journey to the Promised Land should dispatch eighty percent of our clansmen."

The towering Fire Featherfolk was inwardly shocked: "What on earth has happened? The previous thirty percent was already all the young and able-bodied of the entire clan.

"

"Now that it's eighty percent, wouldn't that mean everyone except the young children must go to war?"

The elderly Fire Featherfolk said gravely: "That is correct. Our Lord has conveyed a revelation — if we do not give our all this time, the Fire Feather race will face the peril of extermination."

The towering Fire Featherfolk exclaimed in shock: "How could this be? The Promised Land was previously nothing more than a barren stretch."

"No primal force exists, no spirituality is born — how could there possibly be such tremendous power?"

The elderly Fire Featherfolk said in a heavy voice: "Our Lord does not err."

"Bishop, this is far too reckless. If we are defeated, the remaining clansmen will find it very difficult to survive in this world."

The elderly Fire Featherfolk snorted angrily: "Lu Xiusi, you have overstepped your bounds. Go and confess before Our Lord yourself."

Lu Xiusi said nothing, lowered his head, like a child who had done wrong.

He knelt before the divine statue, covered his face and pressed his forehead to the ground, humbly uttering something.

……

Ancheng, Logistics Department warehouse.

The place was swarming with people — men, women, old and young all mingled together.

Like a series of precision machines, each performing its own task, completing the work in hand.

Some were hauling, sorting, and categorizing supplies; others were processing the Fire-Wing Bird corpses brought from the front lines.

Every one of them was so busy their feet barely touched the ground.

No one knows who found several banners left over from before the apocalypse.

They hung high on the warehouse walls.

Most of them carried content along the lines of "go all out to guarantee something."

They spurred people on to work together.

Even in some worlds, the lofty priests and druid lords—

—also unleashed Water Creation, Mending, Grain Purification, and similar spells with everything they had, not daring to slacken in the slightest.

And even when their spell power was spent, they still had to get up, throw themselves into other work, and contribute their physical strength.

Fortunately, there was the attribute panel's attribute completion.

Even a child who previously couldn't wrestle a chicken—

—or an elderly person with osteoporosis who tottered and trembled as they walked—

—all gained a great boost in physical fitness and could likewise contribute their share of strength.

"Supervisor Zeng, how's the supply preparation going?" asked the young man who had delivered the crossbow carts to Qian Sheng the other day.

Supervisor Zeng rapidly recorded data in his ledger without looking up. "Not bad. We've smoothly completed the task from above."

The young man pouted. "I don't think so. Some models of steel are terribly scarce—even the Spell Research Institute has complaints."

Supervisor Zeng spoke as he wrote. "That's unavoidable. These things have few uses to begin with, and production isn't high. Finding any at all is already pretty good."

"And with these terrible road conditions, relying entirely on human-powered transport is just too hard."

The young man grinned. "So, Supervisor Zeng, have you found any materials like potassium nitrate?"

Supervisor Zeng finally raised his head and gave the young man a wary look. "What do you want that stuff for? That's a component of gunpowder."

"Because of the rule changes, gunpowder's instability has shot up—it either breaks down directly or explodes directly."

"It can't be used at all. If you get your hands on it and it doesn't blow up, that's already a win. The worst thing is when it's a dud at the moment you use it."

"So aside from a small amount kept in storage, basically all of it has been written off as scrap."

"And the remaining stock is all for the Research Institute. The Engineering Department's share was taken entirely by your boss."

Supervisor Zeng, as a member of the Logistics Department, had seen plenty of these supply-grabbing dramas.

Even before the apocalypse this kind of thing wasn't rare, let alone in the supply-scarce apocalypse.

The young man immediately pleaded, "Old Zeng, give me a little, please. I have a big use for it."

"No can do. There's no surplus."

"Old Zeng, you're my brother-in-law! If you keep this up, I'm going back to tell my sister."

Supervisor Zeng said without a shred of hesitation, "Public is public, private is private. It's not up for discussion."

After that, no matter how bitterly the young man begged, Supervisor Zeng was unmoved.

In the end, the young man sighed, "Old Zeng, you're ruthless, I'll give you that."

Then he left without looking back.

Supervisor Zeng found it a little strange—this wasn't like the young man's character.

But he didn't think much of it. After all, there was too much work; he had to keep going.

"Supervisor Zeng, Supervisor Zeng—your brother-in-law had someone come and take a batch of potassium nitrate away!"

A junior Logistics Department employee came running over and said.

"What!" Supervisor Zeng was greatly shocked. "How did you all approve it? You didn't even ask me."

The junior employee said in alarm, "I saw they had the department head's approval slip, and your brother-in-law was chatting with you, so I thought you knew."

"I'm only telling you now to go through the procedure."

Supervisor Zeng was furious inside. That approval slip had to be fake—otherwise why would his own brother-in-law have put on such an act?

"You did the right thing. Going through procedure isn't wrong."

"But you also made a mistake—the order of the procedure steps can't be reversed."

"Forget it. I'm going to find the department head right now to report this."