Chapter 273 - 193: Sword Imprint, Long Lake Forgetful

Chapter 273: Chapter 193: Sword Imprint, Long Lake Forgetful

Yu Fei made a few attempts and discovered his Sword Qi’s spatial traversal ability only had a range of 10 centimeters. The distance was short, but it was enough to leave him pleasantly surprised.

’Sword Intent is a type of spiritual intent,’ he thought. ’And don’t forget, this stuff can be imbued into psionic bullets. Does that mean bullets infused with spiritual intent can now traverse space?’

’Would a single bullet have a chance to bypass an enemy’s armor and directly strike their vital points?’

The breakthrough to the Inner Qi Realm had been thrilling but ultimately safe. Yu Fei had even gained a second silver-grade talent. The rewards were plentiful.

But as Yu Fei calmed down, he began to think about something else.

The late Sima Hong had harbored ill intentions. Perhaps his dying wish for Yan Sea to find a successor for the Tribulation Sword lineage wasn’t so simple.

Yan Sea once said that the events of that year were quite a coincidence. All the disciples who cultivated the Tribulation Sword techniques, along with Sima Hong himself, had died. The only survivors of the Tribulation Sword lineage were Chen Yu and Yan Sea, two outer disciples who didn’t even know the techniques.

Yu Fei was ninety percent certain that Yan Sea didn’t know the truth. His master himself was afflicted by the corruption of a demonic cultivation technique. As for Chen Yu... Yu Fei had had too little contact with him to read anything.

’In that case, Sima Hong’s death probably wasn’t a coincidence,’ he mused. ’It’s highly likely someone discovered that old bastard was up to no good and took him out.’

’But they specifically spared Yan Sea and Chen Yu, which is strange.’

Martial Artists weren’t detectives. In the brutal world of life-and-death combat, most acted on impulse. Looking back now, the events of that year were shrouded in mystery.

For now, this matter didn’t affect Yu Fei much. He had been initiated into the Tribulation Sword lineage by Yan Sea ten years after Sima Hong’s death and had no connection to the original incident. The fact that Yan Sea had survived ten years ago and was still alive now after becoming a Grandmaster proved that his teacher had been completely ignorant of the scheme from start to finish. He was a textbook pawn.

After Yu Fei refined the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus, a new question emerged: how should he proceed with his cultivation?

Yan Sea had given him two Cultivation Techniques.

The [Tribulation Sea Sword Lotus Transformation Skill] required various treasures to strengthen the Sword Lotus, which would in turn enhance one’s cultivation talent and Formless Sword Qi. But now it was clear that the fucking thing didn’t just strengthen the Sword Lotus—it strengthened Sima Hong, who was hiding inside it. ’Thank god I haven’t started practicing it,’ he thought, ’or I would’ve just been helping that bastard achieve his goals.’

Then there was the [Tribulation Sea Formless Cutting Intent Scripture], a scripture for strengthening one’s Sword Qi by slaying enemies and absorbing their Evil Qi. Both Ye Shuping and Tang Shengquan had told him not to practice this Cultivation Technique after breaking through to the Inner Qi Realm, frankly stating that absorbing too much Evil Qi would affect one’s sanity. And now... the thing was completely useless to him anyway.

With a critical eye, Yu Fei studied both Cultivation Techniques in detail, mainly hoping to find a direction for his future cultivation.

Yu Fei read carefully, constantly using the Void Mirror to look up information.

Many of the secret treasures required by the [Tribulation Sea Sword Lotus Transformation Skill] were used to enhance one’s soul. They were supposedly for the Sword Lotus’s growth, but in reality, they probably all ended up in Sima Hong’s greedy hands.

’And the name, "Transformation Skill"... Was this really about nurturing a Sword Lotus? It was more likely that Sima Hong planned to pop out of the Sword Lotus in the end!’

’Then there’s the [Tribulation Sea Formless Cutting Intent Scripture]. Using Evil Qi to practice swordsmanship would inevitably cause the user to lose control of their emotions. But what if the user was a puppet? If you have no emotions to begin with, how can you be afraid of losing control?’

The Tribulation Sword techniques Sima Hong himself practiced must have been different from the ones he passed down. Yu Fei guessed that he had likely tampered with the most critical component: the Primordial Energy Sword Lotus Seed.

After careful study, Yu Fei roughly pieced together Sima Hong’s devious plan.

When a Martial Artist practiced the [Green Lotus Sword Nourishing Skill], they first had to perform a blood sacrifice to the Cyan Lotus Sword. This sword contained a sealed fragment of Sima Hong’s Sword Intent, which established a connection between them.

Yan Sea had said that besides Yu Fei, no one had ever cultivated the Sword Nurturing Skill to perfection. This meant no one else had overcome Sima Hong’s Sword Intent. As a result, a shadow would be left in their hearts—a belief that Sima Hong was invincibly powerful.

Upon establishing their Tribulation Sword Dao Foundation, a first-realm Martial Artist would have already exhausted their focus just refining the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus Seed. With their low realm and unenlightened soul, it would be impossible to discover the hidden trap that old bastard had planted in the seed beforehand.

Afterward, the will he left in the Lotus Seed would secretly accumulate power by using the five-elemental primordial energy and other treasures the Martial Artist absorbed. When the Martial Artist broke through to the Inner Qi Realm, that son of a bitch’s will would emerge, drawing on the newly generated Innate Qi to strengthen itself, delude the Martial Artist’s soul, and corrupt them.

Then, during their cultivation from the fourth to the sixth realms, the Martial Artist would be simultaneously "feeding" that son of a bitch and absorbing Evil Qi into their own body. Their soul would inevitably become hopelessly impure. That bastard would likely wait for the opportune moment to seize complete control of the Martial Artist’s soul, turning them into Sima Hong’s puppet.

This explanation also cleared up some things that had been nagging him.

The Tribulation Sword techniques had immense killing power; surely some prodigies would have been interested. Yan Sea had claimed that prodigies looked down on it, but Yu Fei suspected the old bastard was just afraid of being exposed. The top prodigies were all in the Seven Great Sects, and any accident involving them would be thoroughly investigated. That’s why he only targeted ordinary Martial Artists.

Setting aside the technique manuals, Yu Fei fell into deep thought. He had completely refined the Primordial Qi Sword Lotus, and its Sword Qi abilities had become an instinct of his soul. He estimated that his future cultivation would likely be tied to the [Star Soul Forging Scripture].

From this point on, his Formless Sword Qi had embarked on a completely new path. No one could help him. Perhaps Ye Shuping might have a solution, but Yu Fei was instinctively reluctant to seek him out.

With this in mind, Yu Fei began to plan his next steps in cultivation.

First was the choice of a fundamental Cultivation Technique. After a Martial Artist entered the Inner Qi Realm, the selection of fundamental techniques expanded greatly. It was unlike the realms before, where everyone’s techniques were based on the same core principles.

Cultivation in the Inner Qi Realm was incredibly diverse. He would need to do some research before seeking Ye Shuping’s guidance on the matter.

Second, he still needed to polish his [Void Wind Shadow Sword] to the perfection level. Its Phantom Sword Intent could enhance his Illusory Sword Intent, as the two were hierarchically linked.