Chapter 243: Chapter 243: Ulterior Motives

A newly nurtured wisp of Sword Force in his meridians was rapidly propelled by his Strength, coursing through his blood vessels and straight to his fingertip.

PFFT!

A nearly inaudible sound erupted.

Pei Yan’s pupils trembled violently as he watched, wide-eyed, as a thumb-sized hole blasted open in the bluestone beneath Xu Yunfan’s feet.

The edges of the puncture were seared with a bronze-colored scorch mark. Its inner wall was covered in spiral grooves, and its deepest point was smooth and fine, as if carved by a sharp blade.

This was the very sign of reaching Great Success in the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique: Upper Jiao Sword Qi Breaks Evil, Middle Jiao Melting Iron and Forging Shape, and Lower Jiao Spiral Tempering!

"A True Inheritor of the Sword Pavilion would need three years of medicinal baths to..."

Pei Yan’s fingertip touched the scorch mark on the hole’s edge. The memory of the heart-rending pain he endured while soaking in the Medicinal Spring was still vivid.

As the head disciple of the Sword Pavilion with an Innate Sword Bone, although it was said he mastered the basics in seven days, that was only after tempering his body with Secret Medicine for a full six months.

Yet this self-taught brute before him, without using a single drop of Jade Marrow Cleansing Powder, had managed it with his sheer Blood Exchange Realm physique...

"Well?"

"...It is undoubtedly the Three Jiao Sword Force."

Pei Yan’s voice was hoarse, his expression filled with disbelief.

Mastery in a single night.

If he had a Divine Sword to aid him, that Sword Force could transform into Sword Qi in an instant.

If Xu Yunfan were in the Sword Pavilion, even the once-in-a-generation Supreme Elders would probably crawl out of their coffins and fight to the death to claim him.

He looked up at Xu Yunfan’s nonchalant expression and began to question his own existence.

’I have an Innate Sword Bone, yet I can’t compare to this hammer-wielding barbarian?!’

After a long moment, a sense of relief washed over Pei Yan. Passing the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique to such a person wouldn’t be a waste of its potential.

At this thought, the color drained from his face once more. He collapsed to the ground, and trickles of blood seeped from his body. He looked utterly spent, half-dead.

"Help me recover from my injuries and cleanse the Jiao Poison from my body, and I will teach you the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique."

"..."

Xu Yunfan didn’t hesitate, agreeing at once. He was afraid Pei Yan might get overexcited and promptly kick the bucket.

As dusk painted the lingering sunset clouds a rust-like color, Xu Yunfan knocked his knuckles against the black pommel of the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer.

Qi Huan took the hint, slung the half-eaten spine of a Tiger Demon over his shoulder, and walked out of the cave, quickly retreating to the shaded side of the mountain to enjoy his meal.

The crimson Thunder Patterns flickering on the Heavy Hammer’s surface had already seared a spiderweb of scorch marks onto the ground.

’If I don’t leave now, Xu Yunfan’s going to start swinging that hammer at me.’

The moment Xu Yunfan grabbed Pei Yan by the collar, his Profound Steel Hundred-Forged Body let out a metallic thrum, and the rock layer beneath his feet cracked in response.

As he leaped onto the cliff face, the gaps between the Dragon Scale Armor Leaves on his body blasted out crimson waves of Qi Force. The dead trees in his path were all scorched into spiraling pieces of charcoal.

Dragged along so forcefully, the unhealed wound from the Jiao Poison on Pei Yan’s wrist oozed blackish-green Blood Beads, which traced a winding trail of venom in the rushing wind.

Despite this, Pei Yan kept his thin lips pressed firmly together, not uttering a single word.

「Thirty li away.」

Deep within a fissure in a mountain hollow, tongues of dark purple flame licked the air. Xu Yunfan slipped into the fissure, his boots landing on the ground inside.

Xu Yunfan glanced at the Molten Lava Earth Fire in this Little Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. The temperature at its core was terrifyingly high, far better than the Celestial Craft Cave’s original Thunder Fire Pool, now the Red Fire Cave.

’If I could forge weapons here, many extraordinary metal ores could be smelted quickly.’

"Brother Pei, during your many days at Celestial Craftsmanship, did you ever hear the sound of quenching when a sword was being forged?"

As he spoke, Xu Yunfan pulled the silk ribbon from Pei Yan’s hair and used it to blindfold him.

Despite the searing heat that washed over him, quickly drenching him in sweat, Pei Yan’s expression didn’t change in the slightest.

"I did hear the ring of a hammer a few times. Master Zhan Yan’s weapon forging skills are truly renowned."

Xu Yunfan couldn’t help but grin. ’So, he’s nervous after all. Still managed to pay me a compliment.’

"Are you ready, Brother Pei?"

Pei Yan didn’t resist. He was on the verge of death; even if Xu Yunfan wanted to kill him, all he could do was close his eyes and wait.

"Do what you will, Brother Xu."

Following the sound of a mechanism clicking, Pei Yan felt something being brought under his nose.

"Take a deep breath."

Pei Yan did as he was told and took a deep breath.

In an instant, a warm current as scorching as molten lava surged crazily from his nostrils into his lungs.

Pei Yan’s eyes flew open, so wide that they snapped the silk ribbon blindfold. He immediately curled up beside the Earth Fire Pool, his muscles bulging and veins popping. The blackish-green Jiao Poison pulsed, becoming more prominent.

A moment later, crimson patterns appeared on his skin, as if a red-hot branding iron were moving just beneath it.

The veins on his neck bulged like gnarled tree roots, each one throbbing violently.

His once-fair face was now a mesh of blackish-green poison marks and the crimson Qi of Ginseng. The purplish-black scab on his left arm’s wound melted in the high heat, turning into a viscous venom that dripped from his fingertips into the Earth Fire Pool with a sizzling SSSSST.

His body, curled up by the edge of the Earth Fire Pool, convulsed violently. The clothes on his back were torn to shreds by the chaotic Qi Force, revealing the distinct vertebrae of his exposed spine.

As the Qi of Ginseng surged through his organs, his Triple Jiao Meridians in his chest and abdomen pulsed with a shimmering golden light, looking like three slender swords moving just beneath his skin.

The inky patterns of the Jiao Poison slithered across his skin like living things, locked in a tug-of-war with the molten Qi of Ginseng. Each clash forced fine Blood Beads out of his pores, which evaporated in the high temperature into a scarlet mist. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Xu Yunfan slowly backed away, watching the struggling, spasming Pei Yan with a placid expression.

He had already given Pei Yan the greatest opportunity possible. If he couldn’t survive this, then there was nothing more Xu Yunfan could do. Besides...

Xu Yunfan narrowed his eyes at Pei Yan, his gaze devoid of any emotion.

’The Ginseng Child, formed from the Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King, is extremely important. Absolutely no one can know about it.’

’If Pei Yan recovers, seeks revenge on the Evil Flood Dragon, and dies at its hands, then all is well. If not...’

’...Then I’ll have to take advantage of this opportunity in the Little Heaven and Earth Secret Realm.’

After silently taking a breath of the Qi of Ginseng, Xu Yunfan sat down cross-legged and began his Cultivation of the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique.

There wasn’t enough room here to practice the Thousand-Pound Mountain-Shaking Hammer Technique. The Sword Nurturing Technique was a Static Skill; all it required was to continuously circulate Strength through the Triple Jiao Meridians to generate Sword Force.

With the Qi of Ginseng to aid him, his Cultivation speed was remarkably fast.

While cultivating the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique, you absorbed a breath of Ten-Thousand-Year Ginseng Qi. The Strength in your blood became exceptionally active, catalyzing a significant amount of Sword Force. Your Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique Skill Level has increased.

...

In less than an Hour, the Skill Level notifications were practically flooding his vision.

Thirty-six Skill Level points!

Xu Yunfan’s spirits lifted. At this rate, he could cultivate the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique to Minor Achievement in less than twenty days.

This Sword Nurturing Technique wasn’t the most refined Sword Dao, but as a surprise attack, it was incredibly effective.

In the heat of a fierce battle, he could simply open his mouth and spit out a stream of Sword Force capable of piercing metal and shattering stone—a truly lethal move.