Chapter 66

" Aunt, what do you think of this pair of willow-leaf curved swords? " Shang Xia asked.

At this moment, Shang Xi seemed to have completely ignored what her nephew was saying, carefully examining the two curved swords in her hands. Her infatuated gaze and gentle movements were as if she were caressing her own lover.

Shang Xia had to ask again, "Aunt, do you know how to use swords?"

Shang Xi's gentle caress of the sword blade paused, and her eyes flashed with a cold light as she looked at Shang Xia.

Shang Xia's entire body bristled, feeling as if his aunt's gaze was like two blades slicing towards him, and he instinctively made a dodging motion.

"Intent of the Sword!"

Shang Xia exclaimed, looking at his aunt in surprise, "Not only have you cultivated sword techniques, but you have also achieved the Intent of the Sword?"

What does the Intent of the Sword mean?

A martial artist practicing a set of sword techniques, after becoming proficient, can easily emit a sword beam when using the sword according to the method of circulating primordial energy.

If a martial artist's sword technique cultivation advances further and reaches the realm of mastery, they can cleave the air with a single sword stroke, emitting a sword aura!

If a martial artist ultimately comprehends the divine power of sword techniques, then with every movement, the Intent of the Sword will accompany them.

Just now, Shang Xi was able to infuse a thread of the Intent of the Sword into her gaze, which means she has cultivated a divine power of sword techniques!

Shang Xi recently advanced to the first level of the Martial Intent Realm.

So, her divine power of sword techniques was either cultivated in the Martial Essence Realm or the Martial Extreme Realm.

A high-ranking Martial Intent Realm expert who has cultivated a divine power of sword techniques, when forced to use a long sword, and even a flexible sword, as a sword!

Shang Xia thought about this scene and felt both amused and heartbroken!

"Aunt, haven't you thought about forging a sword for yourself?"

Shang Xia asked cautiously.

Shang Xi's gaze could not be taken away from the willow-leaf curved swords: "How could I not? I have a goose feather sword forged from extraordinary materials, but what's the point? Can it compare to a fine weapon? Moreover, it's a mid-grade fine weapon!"

Shang Xia continued, "Then... Aunt, do you think the family would agree if I use this pair of curved swords to exchange for the ownership of the flexible sword 'Yuhe'?"

Shang Xi's gaze immediately left the sword blade, looking at Shang Xia with a smile, "So, you had this idea all along!"

Shang Xia smiled awkwardly, looking a bit embarrassed.

Unexpectedly, Shang Xi said, "Don't worry, 'Yuhe' is yours from now on!"

"Uh," Shang Xia didn't expect his aunt to agree so readily, and even determined the ownership of the fine weapon without consulting anyone, making him somewhat disbelieving, "Don't you need to seek the opinions of the elders in the family?"

Shang Xi, without raising her head, said, "Who dares to oppose?"

Shang Xia was taken aback and quickly added, "But 'Yuhe' is a mid-grade fine weapon, and although this pair of willow-leaf curved swords is worth as much as a mid-grade fine weapon, they are ultimately just low-grade fine weapons..."

Shang Xi put the two willow-leaf curved swords into the brocade box, clearly treating them as her own, then looked at Shang Xia and said solemnly, "But in my eyes, exchanging a mid-grade fine weapon that I can't use for a pair of low-grade fine weapons that can boost my strength by thirty percent, I've already made a huge profit! Who dares to oppose me? This logic holds even with your grandfather!"

Shang Xi's words were incredibly domineering, and Shang Xia was completely reassured.

Seeing his aunt admiring the pair of willow-leaf curved swords, Shang Xia couldn't help but cough lightly, "Aunt, this 'Yuan Guang' dagger, no, it should now be called the 'Wuxing' dagger. Do you think it would be better to let Uncle Seven use it first?"

"This dagger is your own trophy, and who you give it to is your own choice; the family won't interfere!"

Shang Xi said casually, her gaze falling on the dagger that had been modified to remove all traces related to the Hundred Arts Pavilion. She picked it up.

As a thread of primordial energy flowed into the dagger, it immediately began to disappear in Shang Xi's palm.

Through the perception of primordial energy, Shang Xi frowned slightly, "This dagger is a good weapon for assassination, but apart from its invisibility, it doesn't have much else to commend it. Its quality is almost the lowest among fine weapons. However, it is still a low-grade fine weapon, which is much better than ordinary weapons."

She paused, "Strictly speaking, this fine weapon isn't entirely suitable for Uncle Seven, but using his folding fan in battle is also too ridiculous."

Shang Xia laughed, "That's true, but I'm afraid this dagger still has some loose ends. Although Uncle Hong has changed its appearance, it might still be noticed by someone with ill intentions if used in battle."

Shang Xi gave him a look, "You're worried about someone recognizing it now? Why didn't you think about this when you took it?"

Shang Xia replied matter-of-factly, "A fine weapon was right there, Aunt. What would you have done?"

Shang Xi, choked by her nephew's words, said irritably, "Don't worry, since this matter was handled by Brother Quan, with his meticulousness, he wouldn't have overlooked these details."

As Shang Xia's aunt, Shang Xi couldn't possibly be unaware of his thoughts.

This Wuxing dagger, although Shang Xia's own possession, was originally found in the brocade cloud carriage, meaning its original owner should be on the Mystic Peak.

As one of the four major families in Mystic City, the Shang family only had five fine weapons in total, showing how precious they were.

If the news of this dagger being in Shang Xia's possession leaked, a dispute would almost certainly ensue, unless Shang Xia was willing to return it to its rightful owner.

Therefore, in this matter, Shang Xia needed to rely on the family's power.

In other words, he was preparing to use the family's influence to his advantage.

Although Shang Xia believed that the ownership of a fine weapon was enough for the family to protect him,

this way of making enemies for the family might lead to different views from some within the family.

Shang Xia was gradually growing up, his cultivation having advanced to the Martial Extreme Realm, making him a key force in the family. No one would treat him like a child anymore.

Even as the legitimate grandson of Shang Bo, Shang Xia had an inherent advantage within the Shang family, but he still needed his own allies.

His aunt Shang Xi, who was almost like a second mother to him, was his most intimate and natural family ally.

As for Yan Qi, although he was nominally just Shang Xia's attendant and not a member of the Shang family, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Martial Extreme Realm and was on the verge of forming a martial will, making him a significant potential force for the Shang family.

Especially on the Mystic Peak, where nearly half of the Shang family's combat strength was absent, Yan Qi's importance was even more pronounced. It was only natural for him to wield a low-grade fine weapon.

If the ivory folding fan could be temporarily handed over to Shang Quan, then even if his grandfather and Uncle Wu couldn't directly intervene in the competition among the younger generation, Shang Xia would still have three influential allies by his side.

"I haven't seen Uncle Seven for a long time. I heard he has been with Uncle Quan recently. I will probably stay in the Shang Tower to cultivate for a while. Aunt, could you deliver this dagger to him on my behalf?"

Shang Xia said, handing the Wuxing dagger to Shang Xi.

Shang Xi, however, looked somewhat hesitant, "He isn't with Uncle Quan, and I haven't seen him for a long time either."

Shang Xia's heart tightened, "Is he in any danger? What did Uncle Quan say?"

Shang Xi looked puzzled, "That's the strange part. Uncle Quan clearly knows where he is, but he won't tell me. This is a bit suspicious. If only Uncle Wu were here, I could ask him directly."

Shang Xia said, "Could this have something to do with Grandfather Wu?"

Shang Xi was taken aback, then said, "Don't worry about this. Focus on your cultivation. A major battle is imminent, and every bit of improvement counts."

Shang Xi, having obtained a suitable weapon, was eager to try it out. She chatted casually with Shang Xia for a moment and then hurriedly left.

As a high-ranking expert in the third level of the Martial Intent Realm, the training ground was of little use to her.

Before leaving, she reminded Shang Xia to suggest that the ivory folding fan, a low-grade fine weapon, be temporarily handed over to Shang Quan.

After Shang Xi left, Shang Xia finally showed a smile of joy.

From now on, the mid-grade fine weapon, the flexible sword 'Yuhe,' truly belonged to him!

He drew 'Yuhe' from his waist, and his primordial energy flowed into it almost without any resistance, making the flexible blade instantly straight.

The Fang Gang Sword Technique: First Form: Rushing Stream!

A single sword thrust, with the momentum of facing a thousand enemies!

Shang Xia's primordial energy flowed within him, and under the guidance of the sword technique, it surged like a reverse current.

At the tip of the 'Yuhe' sword, a sword beam about an inch long flickered.

Second Form, Third Form, Fourth Form...

Shang Xia performed all nine forms of the sword technique almost seamlessly.

With each form, the sword beam at the tip of the 'Yuhe' sword flickered, and the length of the flicker increased while the amplitude decreased, making the sword beam gradually more brilliant and sharp.

When Shang Xia completed the final form of the Fang Gang Sword Technique, 'Changing the Heavens and the Earth,' the accumulated sword momentum suddenly burst forth. The sword beam, which had almost solidified at the tip of the 'Yuhe' sword, suddenly transformed into a sword shadow, slicing through a green steel sword on a weapon rack over twenty yards away in the training ground.

After the sword aura dissipated, the residual force of the sword beam continued to pierce the weapon rack, creating numerous holes, and even penetrated the wooden parts of several weapons, causing the rack to collapse.

Sword Aura!

When Shang Xia practiced the Fang Gang Sword Technique to its final form, the sword beam on the 'Yuhe' sword transformed into a sword aura!

Of course, Shang Xia's cultivation in the Fang Gang Sword Technique was far from reaching the realm of mastery.

The appearance of this sword aura was due to Shang Xia's progress in sword techniques, the accumulation of the momentum from the nine forms of the Fang Gang Sword Technique, the quality of the 'Yuhe' sword as a mid-grade fine weapon, and the transformation of the Two Instruments Primordial Energy in his body at the final moment.

The combination of these factors led to the transformation of Shang Xia's final sword stroke into a sword aura.

Such a sword aura would not significantly enhance Shang Xia's current strength and had little practical combat value.

However, this sword aura pointed the way for Shang Xia's future sword technique cultivation, eliminating any bottlenecks in his practice of the Fang Gang Sword Technique.

But Shang Xia seemed unsatisfied. After a brief rest, he memorized the insights from his recent sword practice and allowed his depleted primordial energy to recover. Then, he made a completely different starting gesture, unlike the Fang Gang Sword Technique!

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