bookbashuk Chapter 42 Hidden Crisis
Chapter 42 Hidden Crisis
The back of Cangwu Mountain.
In a secluded valley rarely visited by people.
Ancient trees stand tall all around, their branches and leaves lush and verdant, shrouding most of the valley in greenery.
A clear stream meanders down from between the mountain rocks, the water crashing against the moss-covered pebbles, splashing up tiny white droplets.
Zhao Chengan stood on a flat boulder by the stream.
He held the bamboo bone sword grass, improved by the Qiankun Cauldron, horizontally in his hand. Chen Heng had previously promised to spar with Zhao Cheng'an in exchange for spirit rice. Now that the agreed time had arrived, Zhao Cheng'an was patiently waiting here early in the morning, taking deep breaths to adjust his state.
A soft footstep came, treading on fallen leaves.
Zhao Chengan raised his head.
Chen Heng, dressed in a simple and neat white sword outfit, with her long hair tied up high with a blue ribbon, was walking towards him along the stream.
"Miss Chen."
Zhao Chengan took the initiative to greet him.
Chen Heng stopped and glanced at the sword grass on Zhao Cheng'an's fingertips.
"Young Master Zhao, since today is a sparring match, I will not hold back. I will use a real combat approach. Swords and blades have no eyes, so you may suffer some injuries, but I think this will be more effective. Please be careful."
Chen Heng spoke earnestly, her voice devoid of formality.
"That's only right, Miss Chen, please feel free to do as you please."
Zhao Cheng'an nodded, his expression becoming serious.
The voice just fell.
Chen Heng pointed his fingers like a sword, holding an ordinary sword-leaf grass between his fingertips, and swung it forward sharply.
With a burst of golden light, the domineering power of the superior-grade golden spiritual root was fully revealed.
A sharp, oppressive aura swept over us.
Zhao Cheng'an felt as if the air around him had been sucked away in an instant, making it difficult to breathe.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Two piercing whistling sounds rang out almost simultaneously.
Two sword beams, one blue and one gold, tore through the air and collided violently in mid-air.
Sword energy crisscrossed.
The surrounding air was violently compressed, forming visible, transparent ripples that spread outwards.
boom!
A granite rock, about half a person's height, was struck by the dissipating sword energy and instantly shattered into countless fragments, which flew in all directions.
The surface of the stream was sliced open by an invisible blade, and water sprayed into the sky, where it was swirled into a fine mist.
The ancient trees on both sides shook violently, and the falling leaves, before they even hit the ground, were sliced into fine powder by the crisscrossing sword energy. Flocks of birds flapped their wings in panic, fleeing this dangerous area.
As soon as they started fighting, Zhao Chengan felt extremely strained.
Chen Heng's mastery of the Grass Sword Technique far exceeded his expectations.
The golden sword light was not only extremely fast, but also had a tricky angle. The feedback from the collision acted on his body along the runes, causing Zhao Cheng'an's meridians to feel an indescribable tingling sensation.
He could only concentrate all his attention on manipulating the bamboo bone sword grass to set up layers of defense in front of him.
Fortunately, after being integrated by the Qiankun Cauldron, the bamboo bone sword grass gained the attribute of "tenacity".
After enduring more than a dozen high-intensity strikes from Chen Heng, the surface of the bamboo bone sword grass was covered with fine white marks, but it still showed no signs of breaking.
Zhao Cheng'an managed to barely withstand Chen Heng's attacks thanks to the superior quality of his flying sword.
when!
It was another violent collision.
Zhao Chengan keenly noticed a slight pause in Chen Heng's swordplay.
With a thought, he manipulated the bamboo-bone sword grass to slash diagonally upwards, accurately striking the side of the golden sword light and deflecting it far away.
The golden sword light went out of control, slicing diagonally into the mountainside and leaving a long, narrow, bottomless crack.
Zhao Cheng'an was overjoyed.
"A great opportunity!"
He was planning to turn defense into offense, manipulating the bamboo bone sword grass to press his advantage.
Suddenly, Chen Heng disappeared from sight.
next moment.
A white bolt of lightning hurtled across the ground.
Chen Heng lowered her body, and her long legs burst forth with astonishing explosive power, instantly covering a distance of more than ten meters and appearing in front of Zhao Cheng'an.
Zhao Cheng'an was greatly alarmed.
His instinct was to back away and create distance.
But it was too late.
A gleaming steel dagger rose from below, its cold blade lightly touching the skin of Zhao Cheng'an's neck. The chill emanating from the blade made the hairs on Zhao Cheng'an's neck stand on end.
The two looked at each other.
A few drops of sweat clung to Chen Heng's wispy temples, but her eyes remained cool and clear.
Zhao Cheng'an felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead and dripping onto his clothes.
He immediately raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.
"I give up!"
Chen Heng looked at him, flipped her wrist, and slowly removed the dagger from his neck, putting it back into the scabbard at her waist.
The bamboo bone sword grass, which had lost control in mid-air, also fell down and was caught by Zhao Chengan.
"Young Master Zhao's cultivation progress has indeed been quite good recently."
Chen Heng commented in a flat tone.
"In terms of mastery and power of the grass sword technique, you are almost on par with me. The quality of your sword grass is excellent and has been a great help to you."
"However, your fighting style is still too rigid."
Chen Heng bluntly pointed out his shortcomings.
"You rely too much on the cultivator's own spells and lack flexible means of response. Once you encounter an emergency or are approached by an enemy, you will become flustered and full of openings."
Zhao Cheng'an humbly accepted: "Miss Chen is right, I do indeed lack practical experience."
Chen Heng pondered for a moment.
"If you want to improve your combat skills as soon as possible, I suggest you participate in some real battles. Black Wind Valley at the foot of Cangwu Mountain is a good place; the mutated beasts there are enough for you to practice on."
"Black Wind Valley?"
Zhao Cheng'an made a mental calculation.
He had heard of Black Wind Valley before; it was a place where not only mutated beasts lived, but also where fragments of spirit stones were produced.
Moreover, the modular improvement of the rattan armor technique he is currently researching will still take some time to complete. A practical battle in Blackwind Valley would be a perfect opportunity to test the power of the new spell.
"Okay, I promise."
Zhao Chengan nodded in agreement.
The two agreed on a time to go to Black Wind Valley and then went their separate ways.
……
……
The market town at the foot of the mountain where the Imperial Academy is located.
The streets were bustling with people, the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and bargaining mingling together, creating a lively atmosphere.
A middle-aged man with a broad frame, wearing a faded blue shirt and looking like a schoolteacher, was standing on the street corner, observing the passersby with great interest.
At first glance, he doesn't look any different from an ordinary person.
However, upon closer inspection, one would notice that his skin was excessively pale, bearing the sickly appearance of someone who had never seen the sun. The skin on his face was loose and drooping, swaying gently with his movements, as if an ill-fitting human skin were draped over a skeleton.