Chapter 103 - The Hints Left Behind (2/2)

What made it even stronger was the fact that the number of sword silks follows an arithmetic progression; the 1st sword style required the manipulation of one sword silk, two sword silks for the 2nd style and so on. Thus, the complexity rapidly increases with every increment of the sword art. When it had reached to 27th sword style, the complexity of the sword array was so great to the point that even Zhong Yue's Great Sun Primordial Spirit was nearly unable to manipulate it!

When it reaches to 64th style, the requirement on the user's Primordial Spirit would be exorbitantly high!

No wonder Senior Martial Brother Tan Zhen said that the [Sixty Four Sword Styles] was incompatible with his path of cultivation. He walked the path of brutality and strength, while the [Sixty Four Sword Styles] was an art that focused on finesse and subtlety, emphasizing its various permutations and transformations. It required an extraordinary ability for calculation and control; without such endowments, it would be useless despite how much one practices.

Zhong Yue thought to himself, This [Sixty Four Sword Styles] is a waste of resources in the hands of Senior Martial Brother Tan Zhen, only in my hands can its power be fully unleashed.

Tan Zhen, on the other hand, had also been enlightened on the defensive and combat techniques of the Martial Masters, he was proficient in the techniques of different clans, various kinds of totem carvings began to crawl over the surface of his skin, and even his psyche bonded onto his bones. He stomped in midair while casting all sorts of Martial Masters' techniques, blasting the air in an imposing manner.

Especially the fish-dragon totem and techniques of the You Yu Clan he had acquired, his body was surrounded with dragons scale shields while the immense strengths of the fish-dragon surged in his body, allowing him to be even stronger than Zhong Yue in close quarter combat!

His cultivation base was already stronger than Zhong Yue, and now armed with the defensive and offensive techniques of the Martial Masters, it was like a tiger who suddenly got attached with wings!

But the flaws in Tan Zhen were also evidently glaring – that was the lack of a profound physique-refining art. He was after all, increasing his body strength through the ways of a Qi Practitioner, which was not in the true sense strengthening his mortal body.

Whereas Zhong Yue's [Great Sun Prodigious Emanation Art] was a bona fide physique refining art, one that could strengthen his body to rival the Martial Masters'!

"After learning the defensive and offensive techniques of the Martial Masters, I can raise my name in Dragon and Tiger Challenger Board by at least five rankings!"

Tan Zhen laughed and landed down abruptly, he said, "Junior Martial Brother Zhong, I'm going to challenge the ones above me in the rankings of Challenger Board, do you want to come along? With your current prowess, you would be able to reach at least the top thirty of the board!"

Zhong Yue shook his head and declined as he smiled, "The 27th sword style is quite hard, I still need some time to consolidate my understanding and master the 27th sword style. Furthermore, I wouldn't be able to cast the 27 sword styles I learned from you in the duels. Otherwise, if the Shui Tu Clan were to see me casting it, they would suspect you and it will bring arise to troubles."

"Junior Martial Brother Zhong is so caring for me. I, your elder brother, am so grateful."

Tan Zhen walked out, smiled and said, "I'm going to challenge someone, you must wait for my good news!"

Zhong Yue stood up and sent Tan Zhen off, he then returned back to the cave dwellings, his eyes flashed with a cold light as he mumbled lowly, "Also, I can't let Xiao Chuqing know of the fact that I've learned the first 27 sword styles of the [Sixty Four Sword Styles]. Now, Xiao Chuqing must've noticed the tiny clues I've left behind? During the duel with Senior Martial Brother Tan Zhen, I've left no traces of my footprints and didn't use any soul weapons; but the more measures I take to cover my tracks, the more suspicions I would incur. Then, when I leave the mountain, she would surely follow behind…."

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards into a dark smile, "Xiao Chuqing, I've revealed a flaw that could ultimately reveal my identity, but at the same time, I've sown the seed that would allow me to reap your life. I only hope that you will not miss this fleeting opportunity to catch me!"

He settled his mind and submerged himself into the transformations of the 27th sword styles. It was not easy to learn it, Elder Shui Zian's talent was incredibly amazing, if the sword skill Shui Zian created could be mastered within a few days, then the Sword Cocoons would not be worthy enough to receive a designation as one of the Ten Malefic Weapons and Shui Zian will not be able to live up to his talent as well..

Hua-laa——

Zhong Yue's psyche ocean surged vigorously. Suddenly, a strong tide billowed up into the air and turned into a few thousand feet long giant python, slithering and soaring in the skies, changing quickly, dreary and fearsome; it was him visualizing all of the mutations of the 1st sword style, and casting it in his psyche ocean.

The giant python soared above in the air of the psyche ocean, casting all of the sword's will and mutations out; after an unknown amount of time, another giant python suddenly gushed out from the psyche ocean, and the two pythons soared parallel to each other, forming an intricate and perennially changing sword array!

After a long time, the third giant python gushed out and joined in the sword array, Zhong Yue submerged himself in casting the sword skill while at the same time gaining insights on the abstrusity of the first 27 sword styles, the number of giant pythons manifested from his psyche were also gradually increasing. Each time a new giant python entered the sword array would betoken mastery of another sword style, enabling him to move to the next one.

Time continued flowing indifferently as day after day passed by, there were already twenty giant pythons soaring in Zhong Yue's psyche ocean. He had cultivated the first twenty sword styles and had mastered all of them. But the changes and mutations in the sword array of the 20th sword styles imposed an immense burden on his brain; the myriad transformations in the sword slaughtering array were too intricate and complex, placing a tremendous strain on his control ability to the point where he was on the verge of breaking down!

Although Zhong Yue had a bad impression of Shui Zian, to the point that he had even taken Shui Zian as a traitor to Swords Gate. But he still had to acknowledge and pay his respect towards this Swords Gate elder for creating such a formidable sword array, the [Sixty Four Sword Styles]!

"The 20th sword style is more than enough!"

Zhong Yue suddenly opened his eyes and whispered lowly. "Because I only have twenty rays of Sword Qi, eighteen Coral Tree Sword Qis, one Xiang Dragon Sword Qi and one Wooden Sword Qi!"

All of a sudden, Xin Huo voiced out, "Brat Yue, if you want to kill that celestial heifer, the 20th sword style can't do it, but 4th sword style might be able to."