Mountain Venerable and Sea Immortal

"Without qi, one cannot control things; without things, one cannot precisely control them; without sword qi, one cannot be sharp."

The "Laoshan Guanhai Jue" takes controlling objects, controlling qi, and controlling swords as its three progressive cores. With qi as the core and spirit as the commander, the human body's acupoints and meridians progress from initial opening to the complete circulation of qi, and finally to the unity of sword and meridian, undergoing a transformation layer by layer.

Controlling objects is the foundation of the realm. It involves using spirit to control qi and qi to move objects. It requires concentrating the spirit and gathering qi, condensing qi threads and aura, and binding external objects with intention to achieve control. It is the basis for refining qi and cultivating spirit, as well as controlling swords.

With Qi control as the core realm, one can refine Qi into essence, refine Qi to open the meridians, and make Qi flow like the tides. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the true Qi in the body circulate to form a great cycle. Qi can be released outward to form a fierce aura, internally refined to strengthen the meridians, and transformed into waves, laying the foundation for controlling objects and providing energy for controlling swords.

Sword control is the pinnacle of mastery, where Qi becomes the sword's bone, intention becomes the sword's soul, and the sword's veins are cultivated simultaneously. Qi is infused into the sword body, the sword generates spiritual light, and divine intention controls the sword, achieving resonance between man and sword. It is the ultimate system of mastering objects and sharpening Qi.

Lin Yan sat cross-legged on the reef, his back ramrod straight, surrounded by a light sea mist. A pale blue sea breeze swirled at his fingertips; it was the spiritual energy of heaven and earth that he had drawn upon, flowing slowly through his meridians according to the route of the "Laoshan Sea-Watching Technique".

The energy flow in his dantian became increasingly solid. The foundation of the first level of Qi Refining had long been as solid as a rock through day-to-day arduous cultivation, and now it was subtly resonating with the Qi in his body with each breath.

He took a deep breath, focused his mind, and slowly circulated his internal energy. The surrounding sea energy seemed to be drawn by invisible threads, slowly flowing towards the peach wood sword at his waist.

At first, pale blue sea air flowed into the wooden sword like a thin stream, causing it to tremble slightly and emit soft, rustling sounds, as if responding to its master. Lin Yan focused intently on guiding the sword, not daring to slacken in the slightest. He knew that the core of the Artifact Control Realm was to control the Qi with the spirit and to move objects with the Qi; only when the mind and the flow of Qi were in harmony could one truly control external objects.

As the sea air gradually stabilized, Lin Yan's mind stirred, and the pale blue sea air suddenly surged into the sword like a tide. The wooden sword glowed faintly, and a clear, melodious hum rang out, as if a sleeping spirit had been awakened.

With a slight twitch of his fingertips, the peach wood sword slowly rose into the air, hovering and swaying gently. Lin Yan was overjoyed; this was the first time he had successfully manipulated an object. Although it was just a small peach wood sword, it allowed him to truly experience the profound mystery of the "Laoshan Guanhai Jue" (a martial arts technique).

With a slight lift of his fingertips, the wooden sword traced a soft arc in the air before landing steadily in his palm. Lin Yan gripped the wooden sword tightly, feeling a warm sensation in his palm—the mark of the sea air merging with the wooden sword.

Just then, the turtle suddenly let out a low, alert growl, tucked its neck in, and pressed its limbs tightly against the rocks, as if it had sensed a great danger.

Lin Yan and Yun Xi looked up at the same time, gazing at the distant sea.

On the sea surface, a thick, black mist suddenly rose from the once calm waters, as dark as ink, chilling to the bone, and slowly spread towards the shore. From within the mist, a cold laugh could be faintly heard, hoarse and eerie, as if it came from the depths of hell.

"The cultivators of Laoshan are quite interesting."

As the voice faded, the sea mist surged violently, as if a colossal creature were writhing within it. Lin Yan's heart tightened, and he gripped his peach wood sword. The sea energy around him instantly condensed, transforming into a pale blue barrier.

Yunxi gripped her longsword tightly, her eyes warily fixed on the black mist. She could clearly sense a chilling aura emanating from the mist, completely different from the righteous energy of the Laoshan lineage, making her heart tremble.

Lin Yan slowly stood up, his gaze fixed on the black fog, his mind racing. He understood that this was no ordinary sea fog, much less a natural phenomenon.

"Who are you?" Lin Yan asked in a deep voice, his voice carrying on the sea breeze.

A sneer came from the black mist, filled with mockery and cruelty: "Who I am is not important. What is important is that you two have delicate skin and tender flesh, which will satisfy my cravings today."

Before he finished speaking, a withered, black hand suddenly emerged from the black mist, its fingernails gleaming with a ghostly blue poisonous light, and viciously grabbed at Lin Yan.

Lin Yan's eyes narrowed, and with a slight movement of his fingertips, the peach wood sword instantly rose into the air and blocked in front of him, with light blue sea energy condensing on it to form a light shield.

"Bang!"

The black hand collided violently with the light shield, shattering it instantly and sending the peach wood sword flying backward. Lin Yan grunted, staggering back several steps, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth.

"Such powerful strength!" he thought to himself in surprise. The opponent's cultivation level far surpassed his own; he was at least at the Qi Control Realm or higher.

From within the black mist, the voice rang out again, tinged with mockery: "You've got some skill. Good, very good! Today, I'll show you what true power is."

As soon as the words were spoken, even more dark figures surged out of the black mist, densely packed, and pounced on the two of them.

Lin Yan took a deep breath and circulated the "Laoshan Sea-Gazing Technique" once more. Pale blue sea energy flowed around his body, and the energy in his dantian became increasingly solid. He knew that only by going all out could he deal with this sudden crisis.

"Amulet!"

With a thought, Lin Yan summoned countless strands of sea energy that coiled around the peach wood sword. The wooden sword rose into the air once more, its blue light flashing, merging with the sea energy to form a sharp sword shadow.

With a low shout, the peach wood sword flashed like blue light, slashing towards the dark figure.

"clang!"

One dark shadow was instantly cleaved in two, turning into black mist and dissipating. But even more dark shadows followed, covering the sky and seemingly endless.

Yunxi also gripped her longsword tightly, the blade gleaming with a faint white light, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lin Yan.

"Lin Yan, let's join forces!"

Lin Yan nodded, and their eyes met, their hearts in sync.

"Control Qi!"

Lin Yan circulated his cultivation technique, drawing the surrounding sea energy into his dantian. The first layer of refined true energy erupted, transforming into a pale blue aura that surged towards the black mist. At the same time, Yun Xi activated her cultivation technique, causing her sword to gleam with white light. A sharp white sword aura was unsheathed, merging with Lin Yan's aura.

"combine!"

The two shouted in unison, their blue and white powers intertwining and merging into a giant blade of light, which fiercely slashed towards the black mist.

"boom!"

The light blade cleaved through the black mist, revealing its true form.

Within the black mist stood an old man in black robes, his face withered, his eyes gleaming with a sinister blue light, and his body emanating a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

"I didn't expect that you cultivators from Laoshan would have some skill." The old man in black robes spoke coldly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Lin Yan and Yun Xi exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

"Who are you, and why are you attacking us?" Lin Yan asked in a deep voice.

The old man did not answer; the black mist around him surged again, transforming into countless black shadows that pounced on him.

Lin Yan and Yun Xi gripped their weapons tightly, their eyes resolute.

"Today, let's see just what you're capable of!"

Lin Yan took a deep breath and activated the Sea Gazing Technique once more. The light blue sea energy surged and flowed, and his Qi Refining True Qi rose steadily, merging with the sea energy to condense into a thick light shield.

The white light of Yunxi's longsword intensified, and the sword energy and the light shield intertwined once more, transforming into a powerful light blade that slashed straight at the black-robed elder.

"boom!"

A deafening roar shook the heavens, tearing a massive gap in the black mist. The old man in black robes groaned, staggering back several steps, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"It actually managed to hurt me..." A fierce glint flashed in the old man's eyes. "It seems I need to get serious."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black mist surged, transforming into a gigantic black shadow that blotted out the sky and crashed down on the two of them.

Lin Yan and Yun Xi exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with resolute determination.