Chapter 8: Seeking Fierce Beasts as Sparring Partners — Rapid Growth in Power

As Lin Xiao climbed the stairs, he felt a surge of genuine surprise.

He had assumed he would simply be picking two Human Grade techniques from the first floor of the Technique Depository.

He never expected Old Geng to extend such a generous favor.

The third floor of the Technique Depository was not somewhere ordinary disciples could enter.

You either needed merit or connections — relying solely on sect contribution points would never get you up there.

After smoothly stepping onto the third floor of the Technique Depository, Lin Xiao began browsing the shelves in search of techniques and martial arts suited to him.

After only a few glances, he spotted two familiar Earth Grade sword arts.

Both were ones he had comprehended while absorbing Sword Qi in Pyre Heaven Sword Tomb.

"Mystic Purity True Art — an Earth Grade low-tier cultivation technique. Difficult to enter, but with high growth potential; refines ten percent more Spiritual Qi than same-grade methods..."

"Asura Palm — an Earth Grade mid-tier martial technique. At full mastery, a single strike can destroy mountains and shatter the earth..."

Lin Xiao went through the techniques and martial arts one by one.

Worthy of the third floor — just reading the names and descriptions gave him a sense that these were no ordinary works.

He had considerable confidence in his own comprehension ability.

This time, he planned to select one movement technique and one body-refinement technique.

As for cultivation methods, his Qi Nourishing Art could still serve him adequately for now. What he lacked most at the moment was speed and physical constitution.

If he couldn't win a fight, he at least needed to be able to run.

And if he couldn't outrun his enemy, he needed to max out his ability to take a beating.

These two had to be chosen well.

After a long search, Lin Xiao settled on two techniques.

One was the Earth Grade low-tier movement technique, Shifting Phantom Step.

The other was the Human Grade perfect-tier body-refinement technique, Mountain Embrace Seal.

There was nothing to say about Shifting Phantom Step — among all the movement techniques on the third floor, this Earth Grade low-tier work was the absolute pinnacle.

As for the body-refinement technique Mountain Embrace Seal, Lin Xiao had deliberated over it for quite a while before making his decision.

There were Earth Grade low-tier body-refinement techniques available, but those few were all oriented toward cultivation support, with body refinement as a secondary function.

Only Mountain Embrace Seal placed body refinement at the forefront, dedicated entirely to strengthening the cultivator's physical body.

With his selections made, Lin Xiao left the Technique Depository and headed toward the Demonic Beast Forest.

This time, he intended to stay out for several days before returning.

His Tomb Guardian duties were done anyway, and going back to absorb Sword Qi wouldn't rapidly increase his strength.

It was better to train hard in the Demonic Beast Forest.

He aimed to achieve a solid result in the Outer Sect Trial.

Sword Demon Sect had over ten thousand Outer Sect Disciples, and among them were no shortage of geniuses and individuals of extraordinary aptitude.

Lin Xiao was well aware that his only edge was his comprehension ability — where effort was needed, he had to put in the effort.

Moreover, Sword Demon Sect was merely a top-ten sect within the Great Wei Dynasty. There were plenty of forces stronger than it, and the number of young prodigies among them was beyond counting.

Lin Xiao pressed forward without stopping.

The demonic beasts in the outer reaches of the Demonic Beast Forest were of lower levels, most possessing strength around the early to mid Spirit Gathering Realm.

Using such beasts to practice his sword arts would offer absolutely no pressure at all.

Without pressure, how could there be progress?

So Lin Xiao ventured more than ten li deeper into the forest.

Only when the demonic beasts around him were equivalent to the late Spirit Gathering Realm did he stop.

Good enough. This is the spot.

Without drawing on his Sword Intent, this level of challenge was just right.

Lin Xiao drew a longsword from his back.

It was an ordinary refined-iron longsword he had purchased from the sect for two Spirit Stones.

Not that he didn't want a better sword — he was simply short on funds. His entire fortune amounted to just over thirty Spirit Stones.

A decent sword cost hundreds or even thousands. He was genuinely poor.

"Roar!!"

At that moment, a wolf-type fierce beast suddenly burst out of the undergrowth.

It swiped its claws and tore Lin Xiao in two.

But strangely, there wasn't a single drop of blood on the beast's claws.

And the Lin Xiao that had been torn apart dissolved into a phantom and vanished.

A fake?!

The wolf-type fierce beast froze, then spun its head around to look behind itself.

The human had already appeared at its back.

"Did you really think I hadn't noticed you?"

"Heavenly Abyss Sword Art!"

Lin Xiao called out in a low voice, and the longsword in his hand was already in motion.

Accompanied by a sharp whistle of cleaving air, the sword struck with devastating speed, plunging heavily into the wolf-type fierce beast's body.

Crack!!

A crisp sound of shattering bone.

The wolf-type fierce beast was sent flying by the impact.

"Roar! Roar!!"

The wolf-type fierce beast's eyes turned red. It crashed to the ground and tried to rise and retaliate.

"Dark Moon!" Lin Xiao called out again.

Whoosh!

A crescent-shaped black Sword Qi came slashing down.

Splat!

Unstoppable, like splitting bamboo.

That single strike of Sword Qi cleaved the wolf-type fierce beast clean in two — dead beyond any doubt.

The battle had begun fast, and ended even faster.

Lin Xiao looked down at the beast's corpse and began reviewing his performance.

His first sword strike had been at a slightly wrong angle, and his Spiritual Energy output had been insufficient. What should have been a killing blow had produced a result that was merely passable...

Two minutes later, Lin Xiao collected the valuable parts from the wolf-type fierce beast's carcass, activated his movement technique to produce a fleeting afterimage, and vanished from the spot.

Indeed.

The technique Lin Xiao had used was Shifting Phantom Step.

From the time he had left Sword Demon Sect to the moment he encountered the wolf-type fierce beast, he had already trained the movement technique to minor mastery.

Such comprehension ability could only be described as terrifying.

Executing Shifting Phantom Step at high speed while producing a single afterimage — that was the mark of minor mastery.

When he could produce three afterimages, it would be major mastery.

Ten afterimages would be perfection.

After training Shifting Phantom Step to minor mastery, Lin Xiao felt his speed had more than doubled compared to before.

Worthy of an Earth Grade movement technique.

And so it continued.

Lin Xiao spent an entire day training his sword arts and movement technique, and by nightfall, Shifting Phantom Step had been refined to major mastery.

To push it further to perfection would require considerably more time.

On the second day, Lin Xiao turned his attention to the body-refinement technique, Mountain Embrace Seal.

Perhaps because body-refinement techniques differed fundamentally from movement techniques, Lin Xiao trained for an entire day before bringing Mountain Embrace Seal to its first layer.

Physical strength doubled. Defense doubled.

A layer of Spiritual Qi armor was constructed on the surface of his body, capable of withstanding attacks from opponents one minor realm above him.

Mountain Embrace Seal had nine layers in total.

With each layer advanced, the body would be further tempered, the Spiritual Qi armor would rise by another tier, and defensive power would increase dramatically.

"This is a bit slow," Lin Xiao muttered, puzzled.

If anyone else cultivating Mountain Embrace Seal had heard those words, they would have coughed up blood in fury.

For an ordinary person, forget one day — even a full week of training might not be enough to reach the entry level.

To complete the first layer required at least a month.

Completing the first layer in a single day was already a breathtaking pace.

Day after day.

Lin Xiao continued training diligently in the outer reaches of the Demonic Beast Forest.

During the day he worked on Mountain Embrace Seal and Shifting Phantom Step; at night he found a safe spot and settled into focused cultivation of the Qi Nourishing Art.

Lin Xiao's overall strength climbed rapidly.

On the tenth day.

Lin Xiao emerged from deep within the Demonic Beast Forest at speed, clutching a broken sword and wearing tattered, ragged clothes.

The several fresh wounds on his body made it clear that this excursion had not been easy.

"Damn it — the defensive power of Wheel Sea Realm fierce beasts is just absurd," Lin Xiao grumbled irritably.

Over the past two days, in his drive to push himself, he had gritted his teeth and plunged into the forest's depths.

Without drawing on his Sword Intent, he had essentially been chased around and beaten by Wheel Sea Realm fierce beasts.

His movement technique and sword arts had improved quickly, but the ordinary refined-iron longsword was far too fragile.

After only a few strikes, it had snapped in two.

His clothes had become the most wretched of rags.

Better head back to the sect first.

Lin Xiao made up his mind.

He could sell off some of the beast materials and exchange them for a suitable longsword.

Just as Lin Xiao was preparing to head back, he suddenly paused, his expression shifting.

Not far from him came the sounds of a battle.

And it was rapidly moving in his direction.

Should he take a look?

What if he could pull off a double-cross and pocket some gains?

Perhaps corrupted by the flood of memories from Sword Demon Sect disciples, or perhaps it was simply his nature — either way, Lin Xiao's first instinct was to exploit the situation.

Getting something for nothing, seizing resources from others — in the world of fantasy cultivation, such things were perfectly ordinary.

Soon, two figures came into view.

One fleeing, one pursuing.

The one fleeing was a young girl dressed in blue, blood on her body, her expression ugly and filled with fury.

The one pursuing was a burly man nearly two meters tall, wielding a long blade, his face twisted with ferocity.

Lin Xiao sensed their cultivation realms briefly and sized up the two.

The girl was at the Perfected Spirit Gathering Realm, while the burly man was at least... Wheel Sea Realm.

Time to slip away.

You two carry on fighting.

This has nothing to do with me.