Chapter 75: Half a Sword

Wind is fluid and elusive.

Even a three-year-old child on the Hengze Continent knew this truth, and Wen Xu was no exception. But ever since he had suffered from relying blindly on past experience, he had learned to think dialectically.

Cultivation was not like studying books; one could not rely on established conclusions to deduce potential outcomes. Instead, it was more like constantly overturning one’s inherent perceptions to update the self. This might sound abstract, so to use a simple and direct example: back when he was in the Mortal Realm, he believed humans could not fly, but now they could. With that perception shattered, he had learned the Wind Control Technique.

And the basic Wind Control Technique was simply controlling the wind within his perception. To be precise, he used spiritual energy to manifest wind, using it to attack his opponent. In essence, he was using spiritual energy to attack, with wind merely serving as the medium.

But in this process, both spiritual energy and wind were depleted.

Wen Xu had long been looking for a way to reduce this loss, but he was no god and could not simply conjure a solution. He had tested many methods over time, such as precisely dividing the spiritual energy in his body, trying to modify the paths of formation arrays, and nesting arrays within arrays to force a cycle of spiritual energy.

Some of these attempts had no value at all, while others were useful but far too complicated to execute. There were also simpler methods, but their success rate was extremely low. In short, before today, Wen Xu had not found a way to have the best of both worlds.

Of course, he had also tried channeling spiritual energy through a sword. After all, using a physical vessel to channel spiritual energy was a common way to stabilize output in the cultivation world. But a sword was different from a yellow talisman; it was first and foremost a weapon for attack. Unlike a talisman’s singular capacity to carry energy, a sword did not need to be endowed with too many external elements.

Wen Xu had only recently realized this. Before then, he had even tried stacking countless arrays on his spiritual sword. Although they were just simply arranged Wind Control Arrays and the power indeed increased, the technique of stacking arrays worked just as well without being placed on a sword.

In other words, there was no need to force stacked arrays onto a sword.

Realizing this in hindsight, Wen Xu felt he had done something incredibly foolish. It was like using the 《Book of Changes^[1]》 to help a street vendor calculate their daily earnings; it was possible, but entirely unnecessary.

Once he figured this out, he realized he was still too easily influenced by habitual thinking. Even though he would deliberately remind himself before entering meditation, the long-standing perceptions etched into his mind still influenced him subtly.

Most of the time, he did not even realize he was being influenced.

Just like now, he suddenly realized that wind was actually everywhere. Even still air was wind. No one had ever decreed that wind had to be flowing; it could be still, and it could flow. Besides controlling it to be swift and sharp, he could also… imprison it.

The moment Wen Xu understood, the wind wrapping around the tip of his sword stopped. Spiritual energy spiraled upward. Even though it had ceased moving, he could still feel the wind silently clamoring.

This was the first time he had felt the vitality of the wind so directly.

So 《The Birth of All Things》 did not just refer to all creation, but also to the wind itself. Formless things also possessed life; he just could not see it. And who was to say that things unseen did not exist or have life?

Wen Xu held his breath, completely expelling the turbid air from his chest. At this moment, the 《Art of Myriad Things Co-Creation》 inside him surged wildly. The wind froze around him, and in an instant, it struck his opponent, wrapping Chen Zui in a net like an inescapable, clinging spiderweb.

It worked!

The Wind Condensation Technique. This was the second technique he had comprehended from the 《Art of Myriad Things Co-Creation》.

“Why aren’t they moving?”

“What just happened?! Why do I feel like the arena is so dangerous right now?!”

“…You’re not the only one.”

The abruptly halted wind was like a beast gathering its strength. It was born to be the perfect hunter, hiding in the dark and waiting for its chance. Once the Little Grand-Uncle Master grew up, he would surely become a nightmare for all his opponents.

The elders of the Sword Peak were incredibly envious. He was only in the Qi Refining stage, yet he was such a promising candidate for a sword cultivator. He really should… Well, he only dared to think such rebellious thoughts in his head. If he had known a Mutated Wind Spiritual Root could develop this way, back then… Ah, he deeply regretted it now.

“Elder Zeng, are you thinking of…”

It was that annoying fellow from the Refining Peak again. Elder Zeng snorted softly, and even the sword on his back hummed. “No, I am not.”

Who would be tired of living and try to snatch a disciple from the Dragon Venerable?

Zheng Jin gave a bored “Oh.” “You people from the Sword Peak really are so rigid. If it were me, I would go…” Then, he stopped talking and continued to watch the match with a focused expression.

Ah, Junior Brother Wen really was a natural-born sword cultivator. He knew he hadn’t been wrong. After all, with his own single metal spiritual root, he had once been a famous prospect for a sword cultivator in Yonglu Mountain.

What a pity. In the past, the elders of the Sword Peak would often run to the Refining Peak to persuade him to practice the sword. Now, it was already good enough that they didn’t chase him away with swords.

As expected, once a cultivator formed their Nascent Soul, they weren’t worth much anymore.

Seeing him like this set Elder Zeng’s teeth on edge. He even felt a bit glad that this metal spiritual root genius hadn’t joined the Sword Peak. Thinking of the Refining Peak’s peak master’s increasingly thinning hair, his mood suddenly calmed. “You would go do what?”

“Of course I wouldn’t do anything, because I have a great relationship with the Little Grand-Uncle Master. Look at my robes. Doesn’t this stacked array look familiar? Hey, Elder Zeng, don’t leave! Why are you walking so fast?”

Elder Zeng quickened his pace. He could watch the match from anywhere; he would have to be crazy to stand and watch it with this guy.

The moment Elder Zeng fled, Chen Zui moved on the stage.

The brief pause in his movements earlier seemed to be just a momentary window for him to size up his opponent. A clever person might have changed their approach or tested the waters, but Chen Zui was not.

And Wen Xu also knew full well that Chen Zui would not play those superficial tricks.

He needed to seize the high ground and take the initiative in this duel as quickly as possible. Otherwise, what? Compete with Chen Zui in spiritual energy and patience? He would have to be insane to match a madman in those.

The invisible, distorted, stagnant wind began to flow in an instant. Under Wen Xu’s control, it wrapped around Chen Zui’s body continuously, forcing his movements to slow down. Because the two of them had fought many times, Wen Xu knew clearly that Chen Zui’s weakness lay not in his blade, but in himself.

In a way, Chen Zui himself was the blade that was constantly being honed, while the weapon in his hand was merely a tool that could be replaced at any time.

Since joining Yonglu Mountain, Chen Zui had changed blades many times. If you said he was obsessed with blades, he truly was. But if you said he loved them? That wasn’t entirely true either. After all, Chen Zui disdained spiritual blades and magical artifacts. His weapon of choice was the most ordinary broadsword, completely devoid of any spells or spiritual energy.

Yet with such a blade, Chen Zui had fought his way up, even defeating senior brothers in the Foundation Establishment Stage. This proved that he did not rely on the sharpness of his weapon.

Wen Xu’s strategy was sound, but Chen Zui’s combat reflexes were incredibly fast. Perhaps his mind hadn’t even processed it, but his body was already reacting to the enemy.

Madman, lunatic, beast; any of these words could describe Chen Zui. He had absolutely no fear of injury. In an instant, a dense barrage of wind blades pierced Chen Zui’s body, causing a faint pink mist to rise around him. It was the result of blood spraying from his body in that split second. Yet, as if he couldn’t feel the pain at all, he stubbornly swung his blade.

In that instant, the blade and sword clashed with a sharp, ear-piercing screech. Some low-level Qi Refining disciples watching from the front row even had blood seep from their ears.

So strong! Is this really a duel between Qi Refining disciples?!

Then what did that make them?! Sub-Qi Refining Stage?

Bian Chunzhou’s eyes were also wide with shock. As a close friend to both, he had witnessed their duels countless times, but this was the first time he had seen them fight with absolutely nothing held back. The sudden rush of adrenaline felt like it was setting his blood on fire.

Even though he was standing below the stage, he felt it completely. It was like an immersive 3D movie; he wanted nothing more than to climb onto the stage and fight them himself!

It was so thrilling. Why was he racking his brain for words? No matter who won this match, the other would definitely not be a loser. There was no need for him to comfort either of them.

What he needed to do was work hard to become stronger, instead of feeling satisfied and slacking off just because he was above average.

If Bian Chunzhou was this thrilled just watching from below, it was even more so for Wen Xu and Chen Zui on the stage. The two had completely let loose, and their relentless, all-out attacks had left both of them severely injured.

Even though this was just a duel in the Qi Refining Stage, the neighboring Foundation Establishment and Golden Core cultivators, and even a passing Nascent Soul True Monarch, couldn’t help but stop and watch. It wasn’t because of how strong they were, but because of their determination to fight, which few could match.

Who would have thought that the seemingly refined and elegant Little Grand-Uncle Master could fight on equal terms with a battle maniac like Chen Zui? The senior brother from the Foundation Establishment Stage who had been defeated by Chen Zui looked even paler. He could only… accept the ridicule. What else could he do? With a rising tide of this intensity, anyone would be swept away.

Of course, after today, probably not many people would mock him anymore, because honestly… his defeat was nothing to be ashamed of.

Because he had believed his Foundation Establishment cultivation made him stronger than Junior Brother Chen Zui, even though he had seemed to take it seriously, there was still a hint of carelessness in his moves and counters. And because of that carelessness, he had lost.

Originally, he had been somewhat unwilling to accept his defeat, but now he was completely convinced.

Wen Xu panted heavily. Controlling his sword at such high intensity rapidly drained his physical strength. Blood dripped from the tip of his sword, some of it his own, some of it Chen Zui’s.

The same was true for Chen Zui’s blade.

Chen Zui was also gasping for breath. In fact, both of them were in a wretched state, and this was their final gasp before total exhaustion.

Win or lose, it would all come down to this final strike.

In the next moment, they raised their weapons in perfect unison. In a flash of blade and sword light, the last trace of spiritual energy in Wen Xu’s body was consumed. He seemed to clearly see his sword capturing the playful wind in the air, taming it, and driving it straight toward Chen Zui’s blade.

And Chen Zui met him with his fiercest, most unyielding strike. The two clashed violently, only to be thrown apart in a brutal recoil.

Exhausted, Wen Xu sank to his knees. He had given it everything he had.

But even so…

He had lost, by half a sword.