Chapter 203 - 201: Advancing Strength and the Onslaught of Thick Fog
The next day, in the courtyard.
Song Changming activated the Wind Dragon Divine Saber Technique, and instantly, a strong wind rose, two strands of Wind Dragon Blade Qi condensed at the edge of the blade.
As he performed the sword technique moves, wind dragons circled around him, spinning back and forth.
It was obvious that, compared to the past, the Wind Dragon Blade Qi he condensed today, the wind dragons were more lifelike, and their might was also stronger.
This was a reflection of his progress in Inner Qi cultivation.
With a single thought, two Qi vortexes in his body seemed to be instantly activated, unleashing a more immense Inner Qi.
Roar!
Two dragon roars, and the wind dragons rose against the wind, reaching over ten meters in length.
To avoid damaging the Liu Residence yard, Song Changming swung his sword skywards, and the two wind dragons instantly intertwined, shooting straight up into the sky, dissipating only hundreds of meters above.
Then Song Changming’s sword form changed, as did the martial technique.
The wild wind in the courtyard stopped, replaced by a wave of heat.
Inner Qi surged, and the surface of the Dragon Pattern Saber in Song Changming’s hand was enveloped by crimson Blade Qi, radiating scorching heat!
Then Song Changming concentrated his heart and spirit, and the sword light flared!
At this moment, it seemed as though Song Changming was not holding a sword, but a huge fireball!
Blade Qi boiled! Its power was extremely strong!
It was indeed the Seventh Grade Fire God Saber!
Almost two months ago, he had mastered the basics of this Seventh Grade Martial Technique.
In terms of cultivation difficulty, it was indeed far higher than his Ninth Grade Wind Dragon Divine Saber Technique.
Even with his high innate comprehension talent, the trait bonuses of a sword practitioner, and the support from his daily refreshed cultivation state, it still took him almost four months to master the basics.
In comparison, mastering the basics of the Level Eight Flying Thunder Technique was slightly easier, which he completed earlier on.
Song Changming swept out a sword strike forward.
The fierce heat waves suddenly impacted in all directions, making the courtyard walls seem on the verge of collapsing.
Then issuing a second strike, it was far more powerful than before.
This time, Song Changming’s blade was still aimed skywards, not daring to cause havoc in the courtyard.
Suddenly, a crimson Blade Qi flew into the sky!
Its powerful aura was nearly scattering clouds overhead!
"The power is stronger too..."
Song Changming compared by sight, observing the strength increase brought by breakthrough in Inner Qi cultivation.
Overall, the strength of his Blade Qi had nearly doubled!
If combined with his Body Refining strength, his overall power enhancement would be even more significant!
The formation of each Qi vortex could greatly increase his power, and also compensate for his weaknesses, preventing him from falling into a passive situation due to insufficient Inner Qi cultivation.
"To fully grasp the newly broken-through Qi Refining cultivation in such a short time, the bodily traits of a Qi Refiner surely played a significant role..."
Song Changming continuously tested his current strength level.
Liu Dingsheng and Liu Ziwen, it was unknown when, had already stood by the edge of the courtyard.
They maintained a safe distance, observing Song Changming’s martial practice today.
Even though they did not have Qi Refining cultivation, they could still sense Song Changming’s transformation and the vastly enhanced Blade Qi.
"Congratulations, Changming, on another major breakthrough in strength!" Liu Ziwen cupped his hands until Song Changming stopped.
"Just a small improvement, not worth mentioning." Song Changming modestly replied.
"Is this considered a small improvement?" Liu Ziwen smiled helplessly.
He only felt that the power gap between him and Song Changming kept growing, and as time went on, the gap continued to widen.
"There’s truly no comparability between people..." Liu Ziwen sighed deeply.
In the afternoon, Song Ping’an retrieved a letter from outside.
"It’s from Brother Liang." Song Ping’an handed the well-preserved letter to Song Changming.
Song Changming opened the letter and perused it briefly, but it contained nothing special; it was time for the monthly report.
In the letter, Changming Association and Liang Zhao Long himself, after experiencing the baptism of Taiqing County City, seemed to have undergone tribulations, now revitalizing, much more resilient than before.
With treacherous insiders and wavering gang members gone, they were like a potential stock that had slimmed down, thriving with growth.
The development momentum was fierce.
Many things that Song Changming previously had to ask Liu Dingsheng and Liu Ziwen for help, now could be well accomplished by delegating them to Liang Zhao Long.
In the future, when Liang Zhao Long’s personal strength breaks through the Body Refinement Extreme Realm and steps into the Qi Refining Domain, the Changming Association will undergo another wave of transformation and evolution.
Song Changming, who possesses a long lifespan, is destined to witness the future prosperity of the Changming Association. To him, there is a sense of expectation akin to nurturing growth.
He read to the end of the letter.
"Hmm!"
Liang Zhao Long reported an additional matter that caught his attention.
Xiao Shuyun was mentioned in the letter.
Following Xiao Yanli’s self-sacrifice, she seemed to have completely taken over the subordinates of Xiao Yanli.
Moreover, she had not been idle over the years, quietly cultivating a reliable group of people in secret.
Upon realizing Xiao Yanli’s thoughts becoming increasingly radical and even colluding with Outer Realm cultists to slaughter innocents and collect Essence Blood, Xiao Shuyun seemed to foresee Xiao Yanli’s downfall and was disappointed in him.
Therefore, she had been executing her own plans all along without informing Xiao Yanli.
Now, amidst the chaos under the Second Prince’s domain, various forces are vying for a piece of the pie, with conflicts escalated to violence.
Holding her own forces, Xiao Shuyun also intends to seize towns as her territory, aiming to restore the glory of the Xiao Family amid the chaos.
According to Liang Zhao Long’s intelligence, Xiao Shuyun is no longer the same as before and might indeed succeed in establishing a new power.
As for whether she can revive the Xiao Family, it would depend on various conditions such as timing, geography, and harmonious people, which are not easy to predict.
Seeing this, Song Changming couldn’t help but recall the face of when they parted, pursing his lips with a bit of determination and calmness in his expression.
Xiao Shuyun always had her own thoughts, her own opinions.
However, in her younger years, as a woman sheltered by the Xiao Family, she appeared to have little presence due to the constraints.
Now that the Xiao Family has fallen for many years, she wandered in exile, forced to quickly grow to ensure her survival.
This led to her transformation.
Who would have thought that among the several children of the Xiao Family, the fourth child, Xiao Shuyun, would end up being the hope to revive the Xiao Family.
"Truly, the world is unpredictable..."
Song Changming sighed inwardly, this was also an unexpected situation for him.
Looking at the Dragon Pattern Saber placed aside, he thought for a moment and wrote a reply letter.
In this matter, considering past connections, he instructed Liang Zhao Long to assist her wherever possible.
If necessary, notify him, and the rest would depend on her own fortune.
...
Without the passage of years in the mountains, two years had passed in the blink of an eye in the world.
Among the mountains in Wangyue Prefecture, in the past year, layers of mountain fog have become increasingly dense, drifting from the Outer Realm into the territory.
Within these mists, strange yellow and red energies flowed, gathered, like quicksand, weaving, but never dispersing.
Atop a mountain peak, Song Ping’an and Liu Ziwen arrived together to investigate the situation here.
Looking at the layers of rolling mountain fog not far away, their attention immediately fell on those mysterious energies, and their gaze became solemn.
They were not unfamiliar with this fog concealing such strange energy.
It was Scorching Mist!
"As expected, the Scorching Mist from the Outer Realm has drifted in again this year!" Liu Ziwen took a deep breath and said slowly.
Wangyue Prefecture sits on the far north border, not far from the Outer Domain. Every few years, Scorching Mist from the Outer Realm occasionally flowed into the prefecture, causing disasters to certain villages and towns.
If it becomes more severe, even county cities within the prefecture might be swallowed by the Scorching Mist from the Outer Realm.
The Scorching Mist itself is not very harmful, but the true root of the disaster is the large number of Fog Beasts attracted by the Scorching Mist.
Because of this, in the past, the borders of Wangyue Prefecture have been shrinking, abandoning many villages and towns near the Outer Realm, even two county cities had to be abandoned.
Yet, the disasters brought by the Scorching Mist still persisted.
"In just a short time, it has already drifted here. With this situation, this wave of Scorching Mist invasion will be troublesome again." Liu Ziwen furrowed his brow, and in his words, he had already sensed something, immediately drawing his weapon.
Next to him, Song Ping’an also drew his saber, frowning as he stared at the distant fog that seemed to be boiling over.
Unsurprisingly, in the next moment, several birds suddenly emerged from the fog, quickly approaching the place where the two were.
These birds had necks as long as water snakes, with twin heads and three eyes on top.
Their three pupilless eyes were white and hazy, strands of Scorching Mist Energy coiled around their bodies, unable to be dispersed.
Based on such form, they were undoubtedly Fog Beasts, and had locked onto the two of them.
Martial Artists within the Human Race, after being tempered, their flesh holds a great attraction to these Fog Beasts.
Thus, these flying bird Fog Beasts directly rushed towards them, craving the Martial Artist Essence Blood in their bodies.
...