One thread of consciousness sinks into my Inner World and then disappears into the [Icy Sword Waterfall] — I assume that one belongs to Lan Xiaohui. The other one heads into the [Killing Field] and rather than the hundreds of opponents, I only sense a dozen or so Nascent Soul rank demonic beasts.
This use of both my [Icy Sword Waterfall...
2023-08-09 10:50:38 +0000 UTC View PostOne after another, torches set into the walls light up with a blue flame that turns orange-red after a moment. The produced pools of light expand and spread out until the room becomes entirely visible.
A table sits in the middle of the room; three of its chairs are toppled over, and the remaining chair is several steps away from the table. There are no windows, no tapestries, and no decor...
2023-08-08 11:59:46 +0000 UTC View PostWu Yulan and Lan Xiaohui both seem extremely confused about the thick wall of flying snow in front of them, and the region of stillness beyond it that they can barely sense.
When Wu Yulan extends her hand forward, as if to see if this is real, and not merely an illusion, she yelps and withdraws her fingers before the snow can sever them. Several cuts appear on her fingertips, with the lon...
2023-08-03 11:57:20 +0000 UTC View PostThis game of hide-and-seek continues for hours. At several points during it, Lan Xiaohui has a close encounter with the fox in pursuit — the monster’s furious screeching and howling originating from only a few rows of shrubs and trees away. Lan Xiaohui has no choice but to hide in the bushes, thickets, roots and hollows of trees, waiting for the fox to pass by.
Even though it is such ...
2023-08-03 09:56:24 +0000 UTC View PostFinally, Wu Yulan exhales.
The bright silver line that appears like a scar in reality manifests in front of the fox in a blink of an eye.
With this degree of connection with Wu Yulan, I can clearly sense the instant that her sword intent is generated and the brutal and extreme fashion in which it does so. It reminds me of an explosion in the way it bursts from her sea of consciousne...
2023-08-01 15:21:43 +0000 UTC View PostThe sword domain that the fox generates is something that, at first glance, appears more advanced than the ones Wu Yulan and Lan Xiaohui can create. Perhaps this is to do with the advanced cultivation that the fox possesses. The possibility that this fox is a genius cultivator is so remote it is not worth considering. A creature with the intelligence of a beast could not possi...
2023-08-01 13:23:00 +0000 UTC View PostSeveral hours pass in the safety of the tree and roots, and the two rest against each other, snuggling up for warmth and, quite likely, what they perceive as their final opportunity in this life to share a moment like this. Ever since they have cultivated together, their affection for each other has exceeded that of respectful admiration and became something different.
The sword force is ...
2023-07-30 12:36:31 +0000 UTC View PostA stream of sparks shoot into the air as Lan Xiaohui draws me from my sheath and slashes into the swell of snowflakes heading in her direction. These snowflakes are so charged with Sword Qi that they are as though fractals made of swords.
Even plummeting toward the ground, from hundreds of steps into the air, Lan Xiaohui and Wu Yulan have the presence of mind to deal with the immediate pr...
2023-07-30 11:33:32 +0000 UTC View PostThe figure wears a pristine white dress with off-the-shoulders sleeves that conceal her hands. Her sword, now sheathed, is tucked into her sash, and her heels click on the marble floor as she leads the way forward.
They don’t walk for too long before they reach a crossroads in the path, and then turn left and further into the structure. Several doors now appear on the sides of the hallw...
2023-07-30 10:34:59 +0000 UTC View PostAlthough Elder Qin said that if they continue flying in this direction for an hour or so, it takes them nearly another four hours of flight to detect the first signs of the Heavenly Sword Villa.
Their speed is influenced, mostly, by the approaching storm front and the heavy winds. Lan Xiaohui is not sharing her perceptions with me, but I can detect the fluctuations in atmospheric pressure...
2023-07-30 09:30:17 +0000 UTC View PostThe only other places in the Galaxy Sword sect that one may depart from or arrive, flying on their sword, are the Palaces. Once they take off, they head toward the mountains in the north, toward the vast, gathering storm clouds.
Since they have arrived at the Palace, rain has begun to fall, and the wind was picking up force. Of course, as cultivators, neither wind nor rain, of this intens...
2023-07-28 16:02:16 +0000 UTC View PostIn the main hall of the Seventh Palace, Lan Xiaohui and Wu Yulan are seated, on their knees, before the raised dais. Since they have arrived, nearly an entire hour had passed in silence. Only then did the main gate of the Palace open once more, allowing a lone figure to pass through and enter the hall.
“Junior greets Palace Master Qin,” the two says, cupping their fists and bowing the...
2023-07-28 14:16:55 +0000 UTC View PostWhen they return from my Inner World, they return to their senses in the same body of water where they had broken through into the Core Formation realm.
And they are not alone.
Completely naked, on the other side of the basin, stands Lady Yue, her skin glistening in the moonlight, as she faces the other way and squeezes the water out of her black hair.
Even though I have been ...
2023-07-26 09:23:13 +0000 UTC View PostOutside the Secret Sword Realm Nexus, Lan Xiaohui and Wu Yulan stand before the formation entrance, wearing blank expressions.
Their hearts are in complete chaos. They have never suffered a defeat like this; not even Lan Xiaohui’s experiences in the Inner World are comparable to this. Lan Xiaohui had faced oppression before — like when Wukong’s incredible strength f...
2023-07-24 08:15:05 +0000 UTC View PostThe circle that the black silhouette draws does not remain in existence for long enough to draw accurate and precise conclusions about it, but the changes in the environment persist. It is the same as Lan Xiaohui’s sword domain. The stillness and unnatural quietness of the environment is evidence of such, but it is magnitudes more advanced than my owner’s domain.
Per...
2023-07-24 07:20:33 +0000 UTC View PostWhile they meditate, I detect threads of consciousness that pluck at the Qi in this void world as if it was a collection of strands of moonlight. I’ve never considered Lan Xiaohui to possess a significant power of consciousness, but this method of unraveling Qi has very steep soul strength and mental strength requirements. It is not yet to a point where she could exert a weak physical influen...
2023-07-23 15:50:09 +0000 UTC View PostMy apologies for my lack of updates this week. The heat has been preventing me from sleeping properly, which generally leads to me writing really poor chapters.
My goal is to provide 6 chapters per week, and I have only failed to do so once, perhaps twice. This week won't be one of them.
Today, I didn't get much sleep either, but I am not feeling horrible. It's probably me getting u...
2023-07-21 10:18:10 +0000 UTC View PostA brilliant burst of multicolored light heralds their appearance into this strange world of the Secret Sword Realm Nexus.
It is empty, just like the world of the first and second trial, but there are notable differences. There is an ever-present moonlight that produces soft shadows to fall below them. This source of light is invisible, just like the other voids, but there...
2023-07-19 07:01:12 +0000 UTC View Post[ SECOND LAYER: CHALLENGE STAGE END. ]
[ This cycle, 94,000 beasts have been killed, generating 162,000 Inner World Energy. ]
The effect of my improvements to the Martial Hall become obvious immediately. This cycle saw an improvement of nearly 50% compared to the cycle when Lan Xiaohui last challenged the Pagoda of Infinite Slaughter. Although, there have been quite...
2023-07-14 23:12:19 +0000 UTC View PostTwo late stage foxes, eight mid stage foxes, and another eight early stage foxes appear before Lan Xiaohui, and this time, Lan Xiaohui does not give up the initiative.
In the true fashion of sword cultivators, Lan Xiaohui makes a mistake only once. In the end, the path of a sword cultivator is the act of sharpening their swords until it becomes a supreme existen...
2023-07-14 21:05:56 +0000 UTC View PostEven though Lan Xiaohui has not cultivated [Finality Moon, Liminality Flower] to a point where she can use it offensively — so far, only possessing the ability to aid her movement — the two remaining wolves are not a threat to her, neither are the four second rank beasts — dark-red-furred hyenas — capable of doing anything. All second rank creatures ar...
2023-07-14 19:32:19 +0000 UTC View PostWu Yulan and Lan Xiaohui appear inside my Inner World, just a few minutes before the sun completely sets beyond the mountains. It is just in time for them to witness the large number of cultivators disappear into the Pagoda of Infinite Slaughter. The second trial has already begun.
Rushing forward, Lan Xiaohui quickly explains to Wu Yulan how the challenge works — that she has to defeat...
2023-07-14 18:39:54 +0000 UTC View Post“The risk is acceptable now. You can enter,” I tell the two of them and the door opens.
This is the first time that they have been allowed into Yun Fei’s room. Before now, the toxicity within the room has always been enough to seriously injure, cripple or outright kill the two, depending on how long they stayed. For the most part, Lan Xiaohui would open the door and float me to Yun ...
2023-07-12 22:07:06 +0000 UTC View PostThe roar of a Devil White Tiger, and for that matter any demonic beast at this realm of cultivation, is a powerful blast of energy.
The moment the sound waves hit Lan Xiaohui’s body, so does the powerful force and spiritual power strike her body.
A sheet of black, pure Yin energy ripples before Lan Xiaohui, smashing her away as if she was hit by a hammer. Thanks t...
2023-07-12 21:07:48 +0000 UTC View PostAn explosion of spiritual pressure — with actual force — presses the grass into the dirt and causes Wu Yulan’s and Lan Xiaohui’s expressions to change. Though their hearts are still stable, that roar and accompanying explosion is enough for them to lose their cool briefly.
The origin of that roar is the white tiger before them.
For two months, after visiting the Master of Th...
2023-07-12 19:55:47 +0000 UTC View PostIf it were anyone else in front of her, other than Lady Yue, I have no doubt that Lan Xiaohui would have picked the tablet and run off to fight Yu Shun.
Elder Qin is a shrewd woman, and I have also underestimated her.
Since the first day they’ve met, Elder Qin has put the idea into Lan Xiaohui’s mind that she can teach her how to counter Yu Shun’s technique and kill him. Even ...
2023-07-11 02:20:36 +0000 UTC View Post“Junior Wu greets Palace Master Qin.”
“Junior Zhu greets Palace Master Qin.”
The two girls cup their fists and bow to the woman entering the hall of the palace.
Elder Qin’s official title is “Seventh Palace Master”, and the number seven represents, coincidentally, also the strength ranking of this palace — dead last.
The other name of this Palace is “Th...
2023-07-11 01:04:16 +0000 UTC View PostWith their breakthrough complete, and my energy almost entirely depleted, I withdraw my sword energy and force, and even a vast amount of my consciousness which was dedicated to assisting them. This time, I focus on further stabilizing my own cultivation and replenishing my energy.
They do not regain consciousness immediately. It takes them several more hours to stabilize their own founda...
2023-07-06 19:02:14 +0000 UTC View PostWith a body like a dry twig with meager, devitalized branches, Wu Yulan’s body snaps time and time again. Unsurprisingly, despite this, the spiritual veins that were severed and gushing out the energy of Heaven and Earth reknit themselves.
Like tiny tendrils, at the point of severance, branches snake out, connecting and intertwining. These otherwise colorless and lusterless veins 2023-07-06 17:59:00 +0000 UTC View Post
With my stabilized foundations, I turn my attention back to Wu Yulan and Lan Xiaohui. It is much easier now to control and distribute the flow of internal energy within their bodies, and I find it even easier to suppress the resistance of their spiritual veins.
Breaking through and into the Core Formation realm is, naturally, not a simple or easy task. The Qi requires a high degree of sup...
2023-07-04 17:27:30 +0000 UTC View Post