Chapter 54: Sword Duel

True Yizhen Yizhen Fa Jie.

The clashing sound of metal rang out incessantly, cold light gleaming ominously; shortly after, two figures crossed past each other.

A few breaths later.

Chen Heng raised his right sleeve, his gaze darkening.

Before his eyes, a sharp gash had nearly sliced the entire robe sleeve open; had it not been for the Tai Su Yu Shen, at the moment the sleeve was cut, his sword-wielding right arm would have been severed, and when the blade embedded itself into his chest cavity, he would have instantly lost half his life.

It was only because his Tai Su Yu Shen at the fifth layer of the Mystic Realm had reached a point where even low-grade talismanic weapons could hardly injure him that he could accept this strike as if nothing had happened and remain standing in place.

"Ten Steps, One Kill—indeed the Ultimate Limit of mortal sword Dao... Xiao Xiao Shixiong, relying on this Tai Su Yu Shen, I have finally managed to withstand fifty exchanges under your sword."

Chen Heng sighed, raised his sword to shoulder height, and assumed a defensive stance.

Opposite him, Xu Zhi flicked his long sword into a flower of steel, stepped forward fiercely, expressionlessly raised his arm, and thrust straight ahead like a beam of flowing rainbow arriving from the west!

"Good!"

Chen Heng's spirit surged; he unleashed the first form of the "Lesser Crimson Dragon Sword Sutra": Whirling Wind Drawing Fire.

The two swords met, immediately emitting a piercing tremor that made their eardrums ache.

This was still because Chen Heng had deliberately suppressed his strength within the range of an ordinary person; had he not restrained himself, with his currently seemingly endless power, there would be no need for any sword technique—a single casual swing would reduce Xu Zhi to flying flesh and blood, his bones turned to mud in an instant.

During those few days of cultivation in the True Yizhen Yizhen Fa Jie earlier, he had not yet achieved the realm of controlling his strength at will; Xu Zhi could often barely withstand even one exchange, and Chen Heng's ordinary-material long sword had accumulated countless cracks.

It was only after summoning Tong Gaolu and killing him for several days, during which Chen Heng himself suffered shattered bones dozens of times, that through such practice he finally learned to drive his strength with perfect control, gathering and dispersing it as he wished.

"It's a pity Xiao Xiao Shixiong's mental image was imprinted earlier; it possesses only an ordinary iron long sword, without any talismanic weapon."

Barely avoiding the sword tip stabbing toward his eyeball, Chen Heng hastily stepped back, restabilized his sword posture, and thought:

"If he also held a sword-type talismanic weapon, wielding it with the sword Dao realm of 'Ten Steps, One Kill,' I fear dealing with him would not be so easy."

The sword blades touched, immediately sparking a trail of sparks.

Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!

Amidst a series of clashing sword blades, both figures became blurred, fighting faster and faster, battling more and more urgently!

Collapse, thrust, dot, strike, lift, pluck, chop, sever, prop, press, hang, shave, flick, coil, pierce, suppress, cloud, wipe, brace, sweep, lead, draw, block, support, push, rub, twist!

The twenty-eight foundational sword formulas in Xu Zhi's hands were simply divine and miraculous, as if coming alive!

If Chen Heng's sword was a vicious flood dragon from a deep ravine, brimming with murderous intent, every horizontal or diagonal strike clashing with teeth and claws, exuding a ruthless momentum that cared nothing for retreat!

Then Xu Zhi, who had already proven "Ten Steps, One Kill," instead revealed no leaking killing intent; his use of the sword was like an old farmer swinging the hoe and shovel he had used for half his life among the field ridges.

Every sword move was ancient and unremarkable, seemingly full of flaws, yet always able to intercept Chen Heng's killing strikes at the critical moment, easily breaking them.

Boom!

The explosive sound of metal paused abruptly; Xu Zhi suddenly flicked his wrist fiercely, transforming his horizontal slash mid-air into a thrust aimed at Chen Heng's sword-wielding wrist.

This thrust was extremely fast; just as it was about to touch flesh, Chen Heng gently rotated his wrist, pressing the sword blade down three inches, actually steadying and accepting this strike.

Ding—

The moment the two swords met.

Xu Zhi immediately withdrew, not entangling, circling half a turn before chopping down again from above!

Chen Heng raised the iron sword in his hand to block it, sparking showers of sparks, his heart also filled with surprise.

That previous thrust, if it had occurred in times past.

Should have.

Been undefendable...

Xu Zhi's mental image did not slow his sword momentum by even three-tenths due to Chen Heng's hesitation.

After seizing the initiative several times, he instead struck with one sword after another, like overlapping waves and surging tides, forming a mighty, continuous, overwhelming momentum! Enough to crush everything blocking his path!

Under this mountainous wave of aggressive killing, Chen Heng stepped back continuously, yet his sword posture no longer followed rules as before, growing heavy with killing intent.

Every one of his strikes came and went unpredictably, perilously close, barely managing to surround, pursue, and block the killing moves outside his body.

Though he dealt with it in extreme disarray.

Yet in terms of sword principle, each move was more harmonious and proper than the last; toward the end, besides mere defense, he could occasionally extend a strike to attack and kill.

This time, they had rarely fought beyond a hundred exchanges.

But Chen Heng no longer cared to count; waiting until Xu Zhi's sword momentum slightly waned, a fierce light flashed in his eyes, his sleeves billowing high like a bird spreading its wings, the killing intent diffusing across his sword blade contracting, condensing into a cold glint at the sword tip.

Lesser Crimson Dragon Sword Sutra, Twelfth Form—North Star Surrounded by Stars!

Xu Zhi's mental image remained expressionless; his arm twisted, the sword blade not trembling in the slightest, instantly drawing a hanging long rainbow.

Lesser Crimson Dragon Sword Sutra, Fourth Form—Broken Rainbow Guarding the One!

The two figures crossed past each other with tremendous speed, simultaneously sweeping beyond thirty feet; the cold light clashed fiercely an unknown number of times, until finally both long swords shattered simultaneously, iron fragments flying wildly, leaving only the sword hilts grasped in their palms.

After several breaths of silence.

Chen Heng turned silently, released the sword hilt to let it fall to the ground, pressed his hand against his neck, sighed, and said:

"Xiao Xiao Shixiong, in the end, you won again..."

As these words fell.

Thirty feet away, Xu Zhi's mental image suddenly collapsed heavily to the ground, the broken sword clattering down, blood gushing forth.

A huge sword wound pierced through his skull.

From front to back, it was a transparent crimson brightness.

Xu Zhi's sword, after all, was still a fraction faster...

Before Chen Heng could pierce through his skull, Xu Zhi's sword had already struck Chen Heng's neck first.

Had Chen Heng not yet attained the Tai Su Yu Shen, this single strike would have been enough to slice off half his head diagonally, separating corpse from head.

In countless previous sword duels, this was a common occurrence.

But this time, even without the Tai Su Yu Shen, his strike still retained enough residual force to pierce through Xu Zhi's skull.

This was the first time.

Chen Heng had slain Xu Zhi purely through sword technique...

"The Little Red Dragon Sword Sutra; the more I study it, the more I feel its profound mysteries differ from the ordinary. I have a premonition that if I cultivate it to the Ultimate Great Completion Realm, I too can comprehend the 'Ten Steps, One Kill' mortal sword Ultimate Limit!"

No longer manifesting Xu Zhi's mental image, Chen Heng closed his eyes again to contemplate in detail.

It was not until half an hour had passed that he slowly opened his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Back in Yuancheng, when he had turned wine into swords to toy with Rong Jin, he had already sensed that he was separated from the realm of 'Ten Steps, One Kill' by merely a thin sheet of paper.

All he needed was to reach out and pierce through, and his cultivation in the Dao of the Sword would ascend into a new heaven and earth.

Yet that spark of inspiration had come swiftly and departed just as fast; before he could truly gain even a slight insight, it had vanished in an instant.

Thus, before his cultivation in the Dao of the Sword lay once again an unreachable chasm; when he reached out, there was only obscurity and tangled complexity, with no clear path ahead to be seen.

Just now, after he and Xu Zhi had each struck the other with a sword, Chen Heng's mind had trembled, as if some crucial aperture had suddenly been opened.

Various sparks of insight had continuously risen and flown out, lifting him higher and higher, elevating his realm in the Dao of the Sword another floor up the tower, yet vaguely, he still lacked one step to reach the Ultimate Limit of 'Ten Steps, One Kill,' insufficient to allow him to break into the new laws of heaven and earth.

"I hold the True Yizhen Yizhen Fa Jie in my hand, which is tantamount to an immortal body; I do not fear spiritual exhaustion or drowsiness, and furthermore, I have Xiao Xiao Shixiong Xu sparring with me, feeding me moves."

Chen Heng felt a pang of melancholy in his heart: "Yet even so, I still cannot prove 'Ten Steps, One Kill'? Although it is a difference of only one step, in the end, the work remains incomplete... Is the aptitude of this body truly so poor?"

He had long known that the aptitude of this shell was utterly mediocre.

When he had first crossed the threshold of the Immortal Dao and sought to achieve Embryonic Breathing, he did not know how many times he had committed suicide within the True Yizhen Yizhen Fa Jie; through hardship and bitter struggle, he had barely succeeded by luck.

One must understand that the method Chen Heng had chosen was 'Death and Life Inspire Awe, the Divine Mind Arrives of Itself.'

Although it allowed one to enter the Dao, it was a biased and unorthodox path among them.

And Chen Heng's self-inflicted injuries to his body—such as severing feet, stabbing the abdomen, slicing fingers, and striking the eyes—were even more unorthodox paths within unorthodox paths, extremely bloody and eerie; even practitioners of the Demonic Dao would not learn them, after all, they too possess only one life.

He had died and come back to life hundreds of thousands of times before, in the hazy depths, comprehending that faint thread of Qi sensation.

Yet for those of the orthodox Xue Xuan Gate to achieve the realm of Embryonic Breathing, they need only hold a scroll of scriptures in their hands and burn a censer of incense; amidst the fluttering of their robes, they suddenly comprehend the method, and fortune arrives to enlighten their minds.

Those with higher aptitude need not even burn incense or read scrolls; upon merely seeing the pure and clean light of heaven, they naturally form a connection. As for those with poorer aptitude, it merely requires spending more time to nurture their primal roots.

Regardless of the method, none would go as far as Chen Heng, reducing themselves to a mess of flesh and blood, with no dignity to speak of.

As for practicing Qi, he did not know how many times he had performed it within the True Yizhen Yizhen Fa Jie before daring to carefully attempt it.

Had he not possessed the True Yizhen Yizhen Fa Jie, even if Chen Heng had a thousand lives, they would not have been enough to manage the operation and shifting of Qi mechanisms, let alone achieving Qi Cultivation within several years.

"If my aptitude is poor, then so be it; fortunately, I hold the True Yizhen Yizhen Fa Jie in my hand, so I need not necessarily be weaker than ordinary cultivators."

Chen Heng rallied his spirits, swept away all thoughts of exhaustion and stagnation, and let out a loud laugh:

"'Great Beginning Original Truth' is the supreme True Qi under heaven; using this True Qi to build the foundation of my Great Dao, the matter of aptitude can surely be altered to some degree! It is just a pity that my former self has already reached the age of sixteen; even if I comprehend 'Ten Steps, One Kill,' I can no longer join the Zhongyi Sword Sect to become a sword cultivator."

Since coming to this world, he had also crammed himself with numerous Daoist books and classics, acquiring knowledge that was difficult to distinguish as true or false.

Among them, one piece of rumor had once caused Chen Heng to take notice.

It stated that if one could comprehend the mortal sword Ultimate Limit of 'Ten Steps, One Kill' before the age of sixteen, one could join the Zhongyi Sword Sect to study the Dao and be personally taken as a disciple by an Elder.

For this very reason, within Donghun Province, where the Zhongyi Sword Sect is located, even in the mortal kingdoms, sword fighting and mock battles flourished greatly; almost everyone carried a sword, and regardless of age or gender, all possessed a few sword moves to rely on.

At that time, when Chen Heng saw this passage, his heart had rarely fluttered with a slight excitement.

But thinking that this body had already reached sixteen and was only two years away from the capping ceremony, he had dismissed the thought.

Moreover, Donghun Province is another great province within the Nine Provinces and Four Seas, separated from his own Dongmi Province by an unknown distance; not to mention mortals, even ordinary cultivators would find it difficult to leave the southern region of Dongmi Province in their entire lives.

Let alone crossing the Sea Abyss to reach another great province.

He merely felt regret for Xu Zhi; this person must have achieved 'Ten Steps, One Kill' before the age of sixteen, originally a superior talent in the Dao of the Sword, yet he remained trapped in his current state, forcing one to sigh at his misfortune and bad timing.

"Pity, 'Ten Steps, One Kill' is merely the Ultimate Limit of the mortal realm; above it, there should be ranks of sword cultivators in the Immortal Dao. Although that fox Hearing Tu Shan Ge has seen the world within the Chiming Sect, he paid no attention to it, remembering only 'Sword Qi Thunder Sound' and 'Refining Sword into Silk.' Even if I cultivate 'Ten Steps, One Kill' to completion, I have no reference for the path ahead..."

Chen Heng shook his head, reached out to draw in the Jin Jin Guang, shone it upon himself, and transformed it into a page of the Maha Golden Book.

【Maha Sheng Mi Jin Guang Ding】

【Name】: Chen Heng.

【Gong Fa】: Tai Su Yu Shen (Mystic Realm, Fifth Layer), Qi Armor Technique (Ultimate Great Completion), Chen Clan Archery Art (Ultimate Great Completion), Little Red Dragon Sword Sutra (Medium Completion Realm), Little Wind-Summoning and Mist-Conjuring Art (Medium Completion Realm), Golden Man Substitute Form (Medium Completion Realm), Blood Armor Technique (Medium Completion Realm), Green Pouch Medical Classic (Small Completion Realm), Aurora Great Escape (—).

【Dharma Treasures】: Flowing Cloud Ruler (Mid-Grade Talisman Tool), Qing'e Painting (Mid-Grade Talisman Tool), Canhe Chariot (Mid-Grade Talisman Tool), Purple-Gold Demon-Breaking Hammer (Mid-Grade Talisman Tool), Thunder-Fire Thunderbolt Primordial Pearl (Mid-Grade Talisman Tool), Green Bamboo Thorn (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Obstacle-Removing Golden Lamp (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), One-Qi Jade Fish (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Twelve Universe Bags (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Iron-Plated Robe (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Colorless Net Cover (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), White Bone Mirror (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Mountain-Bearing Great Staff (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), White Bamboo Ring (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Yin-Nourishing Bottle (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Sparrow-Trapping Net (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Tiger-Force Cloak (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Rainbow Dharma Boat (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Desire-Repelling Mirror (Low-Grade Talisman Tool), Dou Lu (Secret Treasure).

【True Scriptures】: Three Qi Soul-Illuminating Art, Gui Yuan Zi's Qi Cultivation Essential Formula, Spirit Crane Exhalation and Inhalation Guidance Art.

【Dao Practice】: Qi Cultivation, Third Layer (Dao Jun Shenwu Shenwu Shuhua speaks the Tai Shi Yuan Zhen Sutra).

Chen Heng merely glanced once before fixing his gaze upon the entry for the Little Red Dragon Sword Sutra.

The current Maha Golden Book had become more complex compared to before.

Items like the Mountain-Bearing Great Staff and the Desire-Repelling Mirror, along with a dozen or so other Low-Grade Talisman Tools, were all obtained during this trip to Yuancheng; most came from the six or seven Universe Bags belonging to Zhou Chuyu, and were of little use to Chen Heng, destined to be sold at a market sooner or later.

As for the newly added category of 【True Scriptures】.

Those Three Qi Soul-Illuminating Art, Gui Yuan Zi's Qi Cultivation Essential Formula, Spirit Crane Exhalation and Inhalation Guidance Art, and the like, were all Essence Spirit drops from the mental images of Xu Zhi, Tong Gaolu, and Old Rong Tuo; they were all Qi Cultivation methods.

The Three Qi Soul-Illuminating Art is the fundamental great method of the Xuanzhen Sect, which Chen Heng currently dared not lightly employ.

As for Gui Yuan Zi's Qi Cultivation Essential Formula and the Spirit Crane Exhalation and Inhalation Guidance Art, there would be no harm in trying to sell them; although their grade is not high, they could still exchange for some talisman money to be used for Qi Cultivation.

But at this moment, Chen Heng paid no attention to these matters; seeing that the Little Red Dragon Sword Sutra remained at the Medium Completion Realm, he could not help but shake his head.

"How difficult it truly is; for anyone to achieve 'Ten Steps, One Kill' before the age of sixteen, what kind of heavenly aptitude must they possess?"

Chen Heng straightened his mind and once again summoned Xu Zhi's mental image.

A few instants later, both simultaneously swung their swords and slashed down.

"Kill!"

……

Just like this, another month of fierce fighting passed.

One day, inside the Cloud-Rubbing Flying Vessel.

Just as Chen Heng was exiting the True Yizhen Yizhen Fa Jie and sitting cross-legged in the cabin cultivating Qi, Hearing Tu Shan Ge suddenly knocked on the door and said:

"Master, there is a floating sky-lodgeship blocking the path ahead; I just saw someone inside whom you seem to know. She appears to have recognized us as well. Shall we go forward and exchange words?"

"Know her?"

Chen Heng frowned, stepped out of the cabin, and took a glance.

With his current eyesight, he easily spotted a beautiful woman dressed in red standing inside that floating sky-lodgeship ahead, which was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, gazing in this direction.

"Indeed, I do know her."

Chen Heng turned around and said indifferently, "However, meeting her would only bring trouble; it is better not to meet. Steer around this sky-lodgeship and continue on."

Hearing Tu Shan Ge nodded hurriedly; the Cloud-Rubbing Flying Vessel changed direction and continued its flight, yet after only half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, that floating sky-lodge ship followed closely behind.

"……"

Chen Heng extended his hand and summoned the Thunder-Fire Thunderbolt Yuan Bead into his sleeve, secretly remaining on guard.

This mid-grade talisman artifact had accompanied him the longest and was also the one he found most handy to use.

"Xiao Xiao Shixiong Chen, Xiao Xiao Shixiong, why are you ignoring me..."

At that moment, a trail of escaping light, resembling falling petals in profusion, flew out from the sky-lodgeship, and the woman within the light spoke with a grievous tone:

"Could it be that you do not wish to see me?"