Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 806 Feather Scales (Part 9)

“Mainly speaking, the effects of ‘Gushe’ are twofold.” Ming Qitian said as he met Pei Ye’s curious gaze, “First, it transforms the mysterious into the real, turning all the mysterious energy that can be touched into true energy, which can then be used by the sword; second, it cultivates the Heavenly Heart, making one’s eyes only on the sword, and unaffected by worldly affairs. The other characteristics you mentioned, such as flying and ice and snow, are merely extensions and aids to these two.”

"Miss Ming possesses a heart of clarity and impartiality; isn't she inherently unaffected by worldly affairs?"

“That is a heart undisturbed by emotions, but it is still a mortal heart, and it is different from being completely indifferent and cold,” Ming Qitian said. “For example, if you intend to harm me, you might have a chance to succeed by hiding your true intentions; but if you face Gushe, there is no possibility at all.”

The current "Gushe Heart Sutra" has not yet reached the true state of "Heavenly Heart", but the temperament of calmly observing the world has begun to show. Last night, he said to Hongzhu, "If you can defeat me in one move, you don't need to use two." Ming Qitian clearly respects this opponent's desire to fight.

A cloud realm descended.

The clear, ethereal clouds, two hundred feet long, almost covered the entire sword platform. When viewed from above, they looked like a giant white moon falling into the capital city.

And the red pearl was submerged in the clouds.

Since entering the Xuanmen, Ming Qitian has been invincible. The reason is not only his iconic, cloud-like Gushe True Qi, but also a despair that only those who are in it can truly understand—the struggle for Lingxuan has never existed from the beginning.

The basis of the battles between the Xuanmen is the struggle and use of spiritual energy within the same area. But the moment you stand opposite her, all the spiritual energy you can touch disappears and turns into clouds for her to use.

She is the sole master of the clouds.

The Ice and Snow Body is designed for this purpose. Neither mortal nor spiritual bodies can control or circulate such a vast amount of true energy; only the Ice and Snow Body can do so without any gaps or hindrances.

Even Hongzhu was not spared.

In a single exchange, before the blood she spat out could even fall, all the spiritual energy within her was completely taken away. It wasn't drawn by some greater force, but rather, in an instant, it all became utterly unfamiliar, transforming into a completely different, alien power.

Hongzhu and He hadn't felt the spiritual mystery detach from them for many years.

It was as if I had instantly returned to before I was nineteen, with only the abundant true energy within my body.

Ming Qitian's gaze pierced through her, and under Gu She's eyes, He Hongzhu felt as if she had nowhere to hide.

That was truly a single move; she didn't hold back.

Before a moment had passed, He Hongzhu looked up at the woman in mid-air, feeling completely controlled in both body and mind.

Ming Qitian looked down at her, and with a command like a glazed edict, a vast cloud of energy instantly pierced through He Hongzhu's body, like a startled dragon.

White clouds engulfed her, and she and Hongzhu were like a lone boat in the clouds, with blood in the air and fragments of her clothes forming a bright red embellishment.

Outside the sword platform, a chorus of exclamations arose, some in astonished praise, others speechless with shock. No one had expected that he would be defeated by Hongzhu in just one exchange, but the fact was undeniable.

The woman standing in mid-air was truly like a deity. With a flick of her wrist and a finger, she moved with the grace of clouds and water, and Hongzhu's sword was swallowed up by the mist. There was no formal swordsmanship, but it possessed a unique beauty.

Now people know what she gained from the "Challenge the Swordsman" competition.

But Winter Sword Terrace fell silent for a moment.

Or perhaps there is no silence, only a break in time.

A spurt of blood erupted from Ming Qitian's neck, making the Gushe Divine Woman appear like a crane with a broken neck. Her tattered red robes billowed beside her, her eyes wide with fury, and the clash and friction of swords produced a teeth-grinding sound.

Like a demon rising from hell.

The vast cloud formations broke cleanly at this moment, leaving a straight, two-hundred-foot-long streak of azure energy that stretched across the cloud formations, extremely thin, straight, and sharp.

He Hongzhu should have many ways to deal with Gu She's cloud realm. She knows a lot of sword techniques, many exquisite methods of manipulating Xuan Qi that people can't even imagine, knows the "Xuan Jing", and is also very good at playing with swords.

But all her methods could at most make her lose less miserably, but not win her.

There is only one swordsman who has a chance to defeat this white-clad swordsman, and that was decided three years ago with the red pearl.

Without needing profound energy, the true energy of the eight lives and the sinews and bones of the spiritual body are all condensed into a single strike, which is then compressed into an extremely short, extremely short time, as thin as a hair, thus obtaining the supreme sword technique of the White Deer Palace.

A bowl of water poured on flat ground will only leave a damp patch, but poured into an anthill, it will cause a flood.

Through continuous compression, you can reach the heights of immortals and gods from the eight vital energies of mortals.

When He Hongzhu saw this sword technique in her childhood, she scoffed at this conjecture. At that time, the previous generation of "Sword Demon" Qi Wuming stood beside her. He had already entered the Heavenly Tower and solemnly said that the ancient swords left by the ancestors should not be underestimated.

He raised an eyebrow at Hongzhu and asked, "So you've learned it?" Qi Wuming replied, "No."

He and Hongzhu threw it aside.

She had faced numerous difficulties and formidable enemies since childhood, but they all eventually fell behind her until she bumped into this young man in white.

Three years ago, Ming Qitian still had a youthful innocence on her face. At that age, she and Hongzhu were competing for second place on the Fu Ranking. But this girl stood on the Yu Test stage, which became her insurmountable barrier.

After not touching a knife for three months, Hongzhu thought about it day and night, and finally brought out this knife technique again.

Of course, you must master the impossible sword to defeat the impossible enemy.

He and Hongzhu burned themselves out for three years.

The previous generation of Qi Wuming had never mastered the sword, nor had Qi Wuming's predecessor. She mastered it.

The Immortal-Slaying Blade, [The Fallen Deer from the Green Cliff].

She was struggling to control it, but perhaps Gu She wasn't a complete deity either?

In that fleeting moment, her red eyes met those of a woman whose face was flawless, and fresh, unfamiliar blood gushed from her neck. But those bright eyes lingered on her through the cracks in time.

……she is.

Or rather, at least she was closer to the realm of immortals than her own sword.

Liuli parried the blade, her blood as fresh as a fish's. Ming Qitian showed no emotion in response to the blow, continuing to parry and turn, while Hongzhu felt she had lost control of her blade.

With her vital energy depleted, her body had no support, and she staggered to her knees.

Ming Qitian's sword was pointed at her throat.

"You flatter me." She sheathed her sword and bowed. The clouds dispersed, leaving only an empty and quiet sword platform.

He and Hongzhu stood up, leaning on their knives, returned the salute, and left the stage.

The brilliance and brevity of the first arena far exceeded people's expectations. Countless people remembered the magnificent and beautiful clouds and the dazzling blue light, but few knew what they were.

The duel between the two women was so short and intense that people's attention was not fully focused on the subsequent matches.

Changsun Che lost to He Miao, but fought to a draw with Nie Shangheng. Considering that Chi Ji was injured, he will likely be ranked higher than Chi Ji in the end.

Zhao Wu'e defeated Qi Ye, but also lost to He Miao. However, He Miao's winning streak was broken by Qi Ye.

However, Qi Ye lost to He Hongzhu, and from then on, all those below He Si lost the qualification to challenge the higher-ups.

Pei Ye sent a small jade sword to inquire about Ming Qitian's injuries. Although the little chubby sword looked clumsy, it still functioned normally when it flew. After a while, the sword returned with two words on the note: "No problem." Jiang Yin'er watched curiously from the side, while Changsun Jue comforted his brother who had not won a match.

Changsun Che didn't seem too worried about the results, but he must have enjoyed the girl's encouragement.

When Ming Qitian reappeared in the afternoon, she caused the second surge of people since the Feather Scale Trial began. She stood on the stage, the blood from the morning had not left any trace on Bingxue, and opposite her was Li Shenyi.

“Sword Master, please.” Li Shenyi drew his sword and smiled. “I am no match for you, Sword Master. I have a favor to ask: I wish to witness the divine power of the Sword Manual. May I ask?”

Ming Qitian raised her eyes: "I can defeat you even without using the 'Sword Tactics'."

Li Shenyi nodded: "Is that so? It's because my skills are not good enough."

These words sounded cold, and many who heard them were first stunned, then gasped, intimidated by the unapproachable nature of this young swordsman.

But Pei Ye understood the meaning of these words—Li Shenyi was not a true swordsman, and his swordsmanship could not surpass Ming Qitian's swordsmanship, so he could not learn from the failure of "Sword Tactics".

This is not surprising, because Pei Ye received the same answer when he asked the woman for something.

Ming Qitian pulled out the glass and gestured, "Please."

If Li Shenyi's sword still had room to shine in front of He Miao, and he was defeated after several twists and turns, it completely lost its luster in front of Ming Qitian.

Swords are more powerful weapons than knives, but not in the presence of this woman.

In three moves, Ming Qitian knocked Li Shenyi's sword away.

Li Shenyi sighed, pressed his left hand to his wrist, and closed his open eyes.

"How did Miss Ming lose to Li Shenyi three years ago?" Pei Ye asked last night while carving jade. "Is that 'Great Body Formless Method' that powerful?"

“Yes. From a spiritual perspective, Li Shenyi’s ‘Chun Body’ is a counter to the ‘Gushe Heart Sutra’,” Ming Qitian said, “especially when it’s limited to the two-hundred-zhang Winter Sword Platform.”

"Because when the Imperial Palace stands in the center, the spiritual energy it can reach is only one hundred feet in front and behind," Pei Ye said.

“Indeed, the two on the stage must compete for every bit of spiritual energy. When facing others, ‘Gu She’ is very effective. If I want, I can control the entire sword stage. But when facing ‘Shen Wu Xiang’, it’s the opposite.” Ming Qitian lowered his head and carved the jade sword. “I can turn the spiritual energy I control into true energy, but the spiritual energy will solidify into his ‘Chun Shen’ first.”

"Then... Miss Ming doesn't have any internal energy to use?"

"Only a very small portion."

"Did Miss Ming lose last time because of this? Do you have a way to deal with it this time?"

There's no special way, just get through it.

"Ok?"

“‘The Body of the Tree’ will take root on the Winter Sword Platform. Its spiritual structure is very stable. At first, you are in the shade of the tree, and later you are in the tree’s embrace. You can compete with your opponent for spiritual essence, but you cannot compete with him for his body,” Ming Qitian said. “In the struggle for spiritual essence, he is invincible.”

"Then, then use a sword?"

Ming Qitian nodded: "The sword is always a viable option. But even if you can defeat him countless times and inflict many seemingly fatal wounds, it's just some sap flowing from a tree. Without abundant spiritual energy, it's difficult to unleash truly effective killing power."

Pei Ye was stunned: "Wouldn't that be a dead end... Mind Realm, using the Heart Sword?"

“I used it three years ago, it was ‘Butterfly’. But Li Shenyi’s mental state was the foundation upon which he was able to form the Great Chun.” Ming Qitian said, “It was very stable and vast. He made himself slumber in the Great Chun. The butterfly and I were real and illusory, but to him it was just a rest in the long years. There was nothing I could do, so I lost that match.”

"Then... how will Miss Ming win tomorrow?"

"It's better to compete with him for the Spirit Profound Realm."

"Is it because you can't compete?"

"Hmm. But I can cut branches and leaves, and they will all turn into my Gusha True Qi, accumulating slowly like this... As long as I obtain about one-tenth of it before he defeats me, that will be enough. With just one-tenth, I can defeat him."

“Because I later studied some esoteric texts,” she said.

Chun's body had already taken root on the Winter Sword Platform. Before people noticed the flow of spiritual energy, the white-clad figure had already drifted backward, and the next moment, some kind of hidden and invisible flow was born on the entire platform.

No one has seen it, but they can sense its colossal existence from Li Shenyi's flowing hair and robes, and from the ever-changing clouds around Ming Qitian. It is far more terrifying than the blood-like shape that He Miao brought that day.

Many people near the stage couldn't help but shrink back, as if afraid of being devoured by some invisible beast.

The cloud formations that once stretched for two hundred feet in the sky were now compressed to a mere five or six feet, which was already quite alarming.

In this battle, Ming Qitian was extremely passive. The clouds around her were constantly being squeezed and torn apart, slowly being devoured. Areas that the sword could not reach were inevitably hit.

Li Shenyi stood still with his eyes closed, orchestrating the encirclement and annihilation of the sharp white crane within his own body.

But the sword in the woman's hand was indeed too helpless. Li Shenyi remembered that she was far from being this powerful three years ago. Now, with just a sword, she could create a space for herself and still have the power to cut off his occasional overreaching branches.

Ming Qitian has indeed rarely experienced such pressure in the past three years. If we exclude the Immortal Lord and Mirror Dragon last year, then it should be said to be a unique experience.

He took refuge in the Great Toon Tree, becoming its nourishment, and they lived and grew together, with eight thousand years as spring and eight thousand years as autumn... Ming Qitian could feel himself being enveloped layer by layer, and the outside air could not penetrate at all.

She glanced down at the glass in her hand; it was less than a tenth of its original size. She hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to accumulate more strength or make her move now. Both were risky decisions.

Then she chose the latter option, and at that moment she heard some noise outside the stage, so she turned her head and glanced in that direction.

Just then, they saw the young man standing on the mat, holding up the "clapping slave" sign high. There were many people below, and he led them in loudly shouting, "The Ming Sword Master will surely win!"

Ming Qitian curled the corners of her lips, withdrew her gaze, and gently shook the glass.

Clouds began to grow from her sword, reaching a length of five or six zhang, but before the Great Chun tree, they resembled a newly sprouted seed.

In just a short while, the seed sprouted and spread rapidly along the branches of the Chinese toon tree.

Following these snow-white cloud tendrils, people gradually came to see this enormous, tangled, and awe-inspiring creature. Bundles and strands of spiritual energy were intertwined in a way that made one dizzy, and it seemed to be breathing gently. Its roots filled the entire Winter Sword Platform.

Further up, the tree trunks reach for the sky.

But now this scene resembles a fleeting dream.

Wherever the clouds touched, the rhythmic pulsation ceased, as if the tree had become a jade carving. Then the jade carving softened and scattered like snow... In a few breaths, a gust of wind swept by, and the entire tree turned into a sky full of falling snow.

For a long time, no one made a sound, until a few scattered people recognized it and murmured out this long-lost esoteric scripture:
"The Seven Volumes of the Cloud Palace Master's Journey to Heaven..."

In any case, its appearance inside Mount Kongtong was never seen by anyone before; this was the first time it had appeared before the public in such a shocking way.

The fifth volume of the Xuanjing section, "The Cloud Palace Master's Journey to Heaven (Seven Volumes)" – [On the Equality of Things and Their Forms]

In terms of the most profound skill of the current head of the Li family, this young swordsman surpassed him.

(End of this chapter)