Chapter 67

Ming Qi's sword duel was like commanding two armies, with the spiritual energy in his chest being the troops. Now, Feng Ming felt that he had more spiritual energy than his opponent, but the other party suddenly used a cunning trick, preventing him from gathering his forces, which put him at a disadvantage. If he could not overwhelm the other in one go, he was confident that the other would ultimately lose once he regained his composure!

Based on his estimation, Zhang Yan's spiritual energy in his chest was at most between thirty-six and forty-two. He only needed to hold on a little longer.

With this thought in mind, Feng Ming naturally struggled to hold his ground under Zhang Yan's relentless pressure, hoping for a moment to turn the tide.

When the two sword pills had revolved thirty-six times, he saw that Zhang Yan was still at ease, and his face could not help but show a hint of panic, though he remained relatively calm. However, he felt his strength waning, and a sense of unease began to grow within him, intensifying as time passed.

When the forty-second revolution was over, a thought flashed through Feng Ming's mind, one he himself did not believe. His body began to tremble, and the movements to control the sword pill became increasingly difficult. At this point, he could only stiffly follow Zhang Yan's sword pill, unable to counterattack.

By the forty-eighth revolution, he could no longer hold on, and the last bit of strength he tried to muster failed to come. The sword pill faltered.

Zhang Yan's sword pill, however, easily made another revolution and charged straight at Feng Ming. The latter could only watch helplessly, unable to stop it.

With a "slap," Feng Ming was struck in the chest by Zhang Yan's sword pill, taking two steps back. His eyes showed disbelief, and his expression changed several times, from reluctance to confusion, and finally to shame and anger.

Zhang Yan smiled faintly and bowed to Feng Ming, saying, "Senior Brother, I am grateful for your concession."

Feng Ming stood there, silent and motionless, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Elder Chen, who was watching from the stone platform, frowned. He waved his拂尘 (fly whisk) and whispered something. The Daoist child beside him stepped forward and said, "The Ancestor has ordered this Senior Brother to come up for a discussion."

Zhang Yan walked up to the stone platform with composure and bowed to Elder Chen, but not with the deference due to a senior, but as an equal.

Elder Chen's expression turned displeased, and he asked coldly, "I want to ask you, have you ever learned this flying sword technique before?"

Zhang Yan shook his head and said, "No."

Elder Chen pointed at him with his fly whisk and shouted, "Nonsense! Don't lie to me! Your sword control is mature and fluid, clearly the result of years of practice! Tell me, who taught you?"

Under the intense gaze of the other, Zhang Yan remained calm and answered frankly, "I have been in the Upper Academy for less than a year and broke through the second level of Ming Qi just a month ago. I was on a mission to the Water Kingdom recently and only returned to the Upper Academy today. I don't know where you get the idea of years of practice."

Elder Chen's assessment of years of practice was indeed accurate. Practicing flying swords usually takes more than a year of dedicated effort, unlike Zhang Yan, who spent two hundred days in the残玉 (fragmented jade) to hone his skills, making the years of practice well-deserved.

"Hmm? Less than a year since you entered?"

Elder Chen's frown deepened. He had been in long-term seclusion and only recently came out at the request of Elder Xun to teach sword techniques. He had only met Feng Ming today and knew nothing about Zhang Yan, and no one would mention such a trivial matter to them.

He asked, "What is your name? Whose disciple are you? Do you have any duties?"

Zhang Yan's expression turned serious, and he stood straight and answered, "I am Zhang Yan, a supervisor of the Alchemy Hall, and my master is currently the head of the Alchemy Hall."

Elder Chen was taken aback, "You are Senior Uncle Zhou's disciple?"

He thought to himself, "No wonder he seemed disrespectful earlier; he is my peer, so there is nothing wrong with that."

Then he turned to look at Feng Ming, feeling conflicted.

Originally, he had promised Elder Xun to grant the Star Sword Pill to Feng Ming, but Zhang Yan's superior skill in controlling the sword pill had unexpectedly intervened. With thousands of disciples watching, he could not act unfairly. So he called Zhang Yan up, intending to pressure him into withdrawing, but he abandoned this idea upon learning that Zhang Yan was a disciple of Zhou Chongju.

Zhou Chongju held a special position within the sect and was of high seniority. He usually did not show favor to anyone except the sect leader. Moreover, he was a renowned alchemy master in Donghua Continent. Elder Chen's authority over other disciples might have some effect, but it was useless against Zhang Yan, as he could not control him.

Though he was also an elder, he only held the title due to his cultivation and seniority, and could not be compared to the elders in the True Crossing Hall who were addressed by their Dharma names.

As he was in a dilemma, he felt a slight tremor under his feet and his face brightened. He looked up at the sky and smiled, "Is it Senior Brother Xun?"

Soon, a red glow appeared in the sky, followed by a fiery red mass descending from above. The fire exploded and then faded, revealing a tall and robust cultivator with a full beard. His presence was overwhelming, and each step he took felt like an earthquake.

Zhang Yan was inwardly startled, "His body moves with wind and fire, his actions are like mountains, and his breath forms clouds. This is clearly the second level of the Core Formation realm, where the Core Aura leaks out."

The cultivator, before even reaching Zhang Yan, laughed heartily, "So you are Senior Uncle Zhou's disciple, truly a young hero. Since that is the case, I, as an elder, cannot be stingy."

He strode toward Zhang Yan, and even before he was close, a wave of heat hit Zhang Yan's face.

The cultivator stopped in front of Zhang Yan, who was half a head shorter, and stared at him, "Junior Brother Zhang, earlier I was manipulating wind and fire in the air and saw you control your spiritual energy, making forty-eight revolutions before defeating Feng Ming. I assume you, like Feng Ming, have forty-nine units of spiritual energy in your chest, which is indeed outstanding. But what if your opponent is even stronger?"

Without waiting for Zhang Yan to respond, he pointed to his chest and abdomen, "I have a technique called 'Creation from Nothingness,' one of the secret transmissions of the 'True Source Sword Canon.' It allows you to make three more revolutions when your spiritual energy is exhausted. Since you want this sword pill, I cannot let this technique be separated from the sword technique. I will test your character. If you can find a thousand black stone shad by sunset, I will pass both the technique and the Star Sword Pill to you. If you fail, it means you are not meant for this sword technique, and the sword pill will not be given to you. What do you think?"

The black stone shad is a specialty of the Longyuan Great Marsh. Its roe can be used in alchemy and is also a delicacy. When cooked properly, even cultivators find it irresistible. Zhou Chongju's fishing boat contained a black stone shad that was three thousand years old.

However, these fish have a membrane under their bellies and can grow wings after long cultivation, making them the fastest in the water. They are also tough and cunning, preferring to play in deep waters, making them very difficult to catch.

Although there was still half a day until sunset, catching a thousand was a daunting task. Even ten would be a challenge for someone with bad luck.

Zhang Yan sneered inwardly, "This is clearly a way to prevent me from getting the Star Sword Pill. As an elder, you are shameless, setting up obstacles to give the sword pill to Feng Ming, calling it a test of character, but in reality, you want me to give up."

However, do you think I will back down just because of this?

He immediately agreed, "Then please wait patiently, Senior Elders. I will be back soon."

The two elders were surprised by his quick agreement and exchanged glances. Elder Xun smiled and waved, "Go ahead. My fellow disciple and I will wait here. Whether you succeed or not depends on your luck."

Zhang Yan did not say more, launched his flying boat, and took off into the sky.

However, he did not go to search for black stone shad but returned directly to Lingye Island. When the restrictions were lifted, Luo Xiao came out first and bowed, "Welcome back, Master."

Zhang Yan looked around and saw a group of mermaid beauties playing in the water, creating ripples. Originally, they could only move within a five-mile radius of Lingye Island, but now they were truly "like fish in water."

However, Zhang Yan could not let them rest at this moment. He called them together, explained his intentions, and gave the order. Over a hundred mermaid beauties responded in unison and swam into the depths.

The laborers living on the shore, seeing the opportunity, quickly brought several large bamboo baskets from Chixia Island and placed them on the shore.

Zhang Yan nodded and flicked his sleeve, distributing a large number of pills. As a supervisor of the Alchemy Hall, and with Zhou Chongju not limiting him, he had plenty of pills to spare. The laborers, who had rarely seen him, were pleased by his generosity, feeling they had chosen the right person to follow, and all knelt to thank him.

After more than an hour, the mermaid beauties returned. Each of them carried a waterproof, intricate small bag, and each bag contained one or two lively black stone shad. However, the number was far from a thousand. Zhang Yan thought, "The people of the Water Kingdom claim that mermaid beauties are especially skilled at catching fish and can dive into the deep sea. Could the rumors be wrong?"

The mermaid beauties, skilled at reading people's expressions, did not dare to speak much. They quickly threw the black stone shad into the baskets and dove back into the water. One of them, however, was bolder and poked her head out, "Master, don't worry. We are not yet familiar with the habits of the black stone shad. Give us another hour, and we will surely gather enough."

Zhang Yan smiled, "No problem. Even if the number is insufficient, I will not blame you. Just do your best." His resolve was strong, and he remained calm, knowing that external things, though helpful in cultivation, should not cause him to lose his composure. Even if he did not get the sword pill today, he would not be disheartened.

Hearing this, the mermaid beauties were overjoyed, feeling a sense of freedom. They redoubled their efforts, as they were the most emotional among aquatic beings, often affected by sadness and thus having shorter lifespans.

Another hour later, when the mermaid beauties returned, each of them had seven or eight black stone shad in their bags, with some having over ten. Adding to the previous catch, the total was nearly two thousand, far exceeding Zhang Yan's expectations. He was very satisfied and generously rewarded them with more pills.

He then asked the mermaid who had poked her head out earlier, "What is your name?"

The mermaid answered obediently, "I am Shang Shang."

Zhang Yan nodded and flicked his finger, sending a pill into her hand, "This Transformation Pill is for you. It will help you shed your fins and scales and gain a human form."

Shang Shang was initially stunned, then looked at Zhang Yan with tears streaming down her face. She had thought she would be a slave for life, but now she saw a glimmer of hope. Not only could she shed her fish body, but she could also transform and walk on land, with a chance to cultivate. Overwhelmed with emotion, she lifted her head and sang.

At first, she sang alone, but feeling the joy in her voice, the other mermaid beauties joined in, creating a harmonious and moving chorus that echoed around Lingye Island.

Luo Xiao sighed, "Master, the singing of the mermaid beauties can make even the hardest hearts shed tears, the most evil people repent, and the most desperate people regain hope. It is a rare and precious sound."

Zhang Yan nodded in agreement, "Indeed, it is beautiful and rare."

However, he did not know that a hundred feet above, someone was flying by, hearing the song and frowning, "Lewd and evil music, bewitching the heart! What kind of demon is in the heartland of our Lingcang Sect?"

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