Chapter Forty-Three: Mastery of the Blade

"No, I have to think of another way!"
"It seems the only weakness is his spiritual fields. No matter how reclusive he is, he can't simply neglect his fields, can he?"
With this thought, Chen Zi'ang made up his mind and quickly hurried off.

It was the third month of spring.
Warm breezes caressed the land, sunlight poured down resplendently; it was another perfect day.
Qin Ming hefted his spirit hoe and stepped outside.
He had been secluded in arduous cultivation for many days, leaving no time to tend his spiritual fields.

After a short walk, Qin Ming arrived at his fields.
In his three acres of Golden Spirit Rice, tender shoots had already broken ground.
Two radiant golden inscriptions greeted his eyes:
[Name]: Golden Spirit Rice [Trait]: Faint Magical Power (2% maturity)
[Name]: Golden Spirit Rice [Trait]: Quality Enhancement (3% maturity)

Qin Ming moved on to his two acres of medicinal fields.
Among the high-grade first-tier spirit plant, Devilflame Grass, twelve had survived, and among the supreme first-tier spirit plant, Seven-Leaf Yellow Ginseng, eleven had taken root.
Nearly a fifty percent survival rate—already quite high for these rare plants.
But what truly excited him was—
Among these twenty-odd spirit herbs, two had generated new traits!
[Name]: Devilflame Grass [Trait]: Mastery of "Blood-Burning Blade Art" for ten days (1% maturity)
[Name]: Seven-Leaf Yellow Ginseng [Trait]: Abundant Soul Power x5 (1% maturity)

Qin Ming's eyes gleamed at the sight of these traits, his spirits surging.
"Just when I needed it most, the pillow arrives!"
He had been struggling with the "Blood-Burning Blade Art" for days, making no progress and nearly losing hope. Now, suddenly, a new path opened before him.
Without hesitation, Qin Ming gritted his teeth and used a [Ripen] trait, immediately accelerating the maturity of these two spirit herbs.

Half a day later, the Devilflame Grass and the Seven-Leaf Yellow Ginseng grew rapidly before his eyes and ripened.
Qin Ming harvested both plants at once.
Within his spiritual sea, two green trait leaves instantly appeared.
The traits he currently possessed were:
Ripen x2
Regenerative Seed x2
Abundant Soul Power x5
Mastery of "Blood-Burning Blade Art" for ten days
The rest had been consumed in his daily cultivation.
As for the two traits in the Golden Spirit Rice field, he decided not to waste another Ripen trait—the Golden Spirit Rice matured once per season, and its growth cycle was short.

With these tasks complete, Qin Ming cleared his mind of distractions and activated the [Mastery of "Blood-Burning Blade Art" for ten days] trait.

A thunderous sensation crashed over him—an epiphany of the blade art poured into him like divine nectar.
In that moment, Qin Ming felt as if he had spent decades mastering the "Blood-Burning Blade Art."
He could not wait to test his newfound mastery and see just how powerful this consummate blade art truly was.
Thrilled, Qin Ming leapt up and slipped into the woods behind his spiritual fields, seeking a secluded spot to practice.

He ran deeper into the forest.
Suddenly, the same sense of impending crisis as last time flooded his mind.
His vigorous blood and energy instantly perceived four murderous auras locking onto him from behind, closing in at great speed.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Four streaks of azure light arced through the sky!
Four cultivators in Spiritfeather Sect robes, riding magic boats, blocked his path.
Two were at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement, one at the seventh, and the last—at the eighth.
None of them bothered to hide their intent; it was clear they thought him easy prey.
The eighth-layer cultivator was none other than an old acquaintance—Chen Zi'ang.

"Well, well, Fellow Daoist Qin, where are you hurrying off to in such a panic?" Chen Zi'ang's expression was playful, but his eyes glinted coldly as he ground out each word, "You really made me wait. I’ve been lurking here for days just to catch you!"
The seventh-layer cultivator beside him chimed in, "Senior Brother Chen, we must give this brat a good lesson—let him know the price of defiance! Heh heh!"
"And why does this kid like skulking in the woods so much? Made us chase him all over," another, at the sixth layer, said mockingly as he sized Qin Ming up.
Seeing Qin Ming was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement, he volunteered, "Let me handle this. No need for you, Senior Brother Chen, to dirty your hands."
With that, he drew a mid-grade magic sword, formed a sword seal, and sent the flying sword hurtling like a bolt toward Qin Ming.

The others stood by, completely unconcerned, as if watching a play.
The sixth-layer cultivator, confident of his victory, smirked—dealing with a mere spirit farmer was hardly worth his effort.

Qin Ming gazed impassively at the incoming sword, not even making a move to dodge.
"Heh! Scared stiff, are you?" the assailant laughed triumphantly.
Just as they all believed Qin Ming would be taken down without a struggle, the situation changed in an instant.

Whoosh!
When the flying sword was within a foot of Qin Ming, he acted.
He simply extended his right hand and caught it effortlessly.
Clang!

The speeding mid-grade magic sword was clamped tightly in his grip, unable to advance or retreat, its blade quivering violently.
Qin Ming tightened his grip, channeling his blood energy into the sword.
In an instant, the sword lost contact with its master.
He unceremoniously slipped it into his own storage pouch.

The sixth-layer cultivator across from him looked as though he'd seen a ghost and cried out in terror, "Impossible! He caught a magic weapon barehanded!"
"He's a body cultivator!"
Only then did the four realize something was amiss.
They each drew their magic weapons, instantly on guard.

Qin Ming glared venomously at his assailant and said coolly, "Since you struck at me with your sword, why not try receiving my blade?"
As his words fell, a sinister black saber appeared in his hand.
He’d been fretting for a chance to test his blade skills—today, these four would serve as his whetstone!

Qin Ming’s blood energy erupted, surging into the Blackwind Saber.
His blood ignited, and a blazing flame three inches long burst forth from the blade, sharp and fierce.
Swish!

He leapt into the air, his figure vanishing, leaving only an afterimage behind.
The first form of "Blood-Burning Blade Art"—he brought the saber down upon the sixth-layer cultivator, slashing out eighty-one crimson arcs in a single instant!

The target, caught off guard, hastily produced a golden bowl magic shield in defense.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The fiery blades struck the golden bowl and, as if cleaving tofu, sliced through it effortlessly.
Without slowing, the blades continued forward, instantly piercing the man’s body.

Boom!
A cloud of blood erupted in the air.
The sixth-layer cultivator was hacked into dozens of pieces by that single strike, his remains raining down from the sky.

The scene was so abrupt that silence fell instantly.
The three remaining Spiritfeather Sect disciples swallowed hard.
What kind of terrifying blade art was this? Even a defensive artifact was smashed to pieces!

With a single slash, Qin Ming had utterly cowed the hearts of the three.