socalfunplaces Page 87
Page 87
In the spacious hall of the sword room, Lu Mingfei's chest heaved violently, and hot sweat streamed down his forehead and neck, soaking his clothes.
He took a deep breath and completed the final sword move, "block," almost dropping the heavy Crimson Sky sword from his grasp.
Finally finished practicing!
He leaned on his sword, panting heavily, his whole body soaking wet as if he had just been pulled out of the water.
An absurd thought flashed through his weary mind:
Even in a dream... I can get this tired?
What made him even more uneasy was whether the sword skills he had practiced so hard in his dream would really be useful in the real world.
He hastily wiped the sweat from his face and looked up ahead.
Thirty meters away, Lu Mingfei, with his white hair, sat upright behind a low table formed from flowing starlight, with a plain-colored futon beneath him.
"Teacher, I've finished practicing!" Lu Mingfei's voice was a little hoarse.
"Oh." The white-haired Lu Mingfei didn't even bother to lift his eyelids, and responded indifferently.
Beside the low table stood a woman wearing a cheongsam with silver trim.
She was slender and graceful, yet remained motionless like a flawless sculpture.
What's most striking is her hair, which shines with a cool, pure diamond-cut luster, so perfect it seems unreal.
At this moment, she was holding an antique teapot, and with smooth and precise movements, she poured the dark green tea into the starlight cup in front of the white-haired Lu Mingfei.
A refreshing aroma of tea permeated the air.
The tea line stopped steadily at two-thirds of the way down the rim of the cup. The woman in the cheongsam withdrew her hand and put the teapot back in, instantly transforming into a silent stone statue, standing beside the white-haired Lu Mingfei.
Lu Mingfei, with his white hair, casually tapped the starry desktop with his fingertips.
The starlight cup filled with emerald green tea suddenly floated up and flew steadily to Lu Mingfei's eyes.
"Drink it." The command was brief and forceful.
Lu Mingfei dared not delay and reached out to grasp the floating starlight cup.
It felt cool and smooth to the touch, like jade, and the tea in the cup was a deep, rich green. He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
The expected warmth did not materialize.
The tea soup, upon entering his throat, transformed into a refreshing and invigorating coolness, like nectar, instantly washing away all his fatigue!
Amazingly, the sweat on my body also condensed, turning into tiny, shimmering crystals, as if I were covered in stardust.
A warm current surged up from the lower abdomen, flowing rapidly to the limbs and bones, generating a continuous stream of energy wherever it passed!
"Sit upright and regulate your breathing! Carefully experience all the sensations of practicing those thirteen forms." The voice of the white-haired Lu Mingfei came again.
"Yes, teacher!" The wonderful feeling of warmth and coolness flowing through his body invigorated Lu Mingfei. He bowed to the white-haired Lu Mingfei and then sat down cross-legged—sure enough, a futon appeared silently under his feet.
He placed Chixiao horizontally in front of his knees, put his hands on his knees, closed his eyes, and sank his mind into his dantian.
Fragments of memories from tens of thousands of sword strikes replayed like a tidal wave in his mind.
At the same time, the new life force in the abdomen became increasingly hot and intense, like a seed breaking through the soil, greedily absorbing nutrients and growing at an astonishing speed, completing a small cycle in the meridians of the whole body.
About an hour later, Lu Mingfei slowly opened his eyes.
The scene before us has been completely transformed!
The Sword Chamber Hall vanished without a trace.
He found himself still sitting cross-legged on the futon, but beneath the futon lay a vast, clear, and tranquil lake!
Looking into the distance, the lake reflects the blue sky, creating a seamless horizon.
The lake is surrounded by an endless expanse of dense primeval forest, like a green wall.
His companion, Chixiao, lay quietly on the smooth, mirror-like surface of the water in front of him.
"My lord, you're awake." The Crimson Sky Sword trembled slightly, emitting a steady, calm male voice.
Lu Mingfei nodded subconsciously: "Mm..."
He looked around at the unfamiliar and vast surroundings, a hint of bewilderment in his eyes. "Where am I?"
Chi Xiao explained:
"This is the place of cultivation arranged for you by the Dao Lord."
"Your next training task is twofold: First, use the 'qi' within your body to cut down all the trees in the surrounding dense forest."
It paused slightly, then said, "Secondly, cut off the water in this lake, dividing it in two. Once both are completed, the cultivation is considered successful."
Lu Mingfei was dumbfounded!
He looked up abruptly, his gaze sweeping over the towering tree wall that stood silently at the horizon—its scale was so vast that its edges were nowhere in sight!
Looking down at the pool of clear water beneath me, I estimate it to be at least two hundred meters in diameter!
Cut down all these trees? And cut down such a large lake?!
He hurriedly pressed for an answer:
"Teacher...do you have any other requests?"
"The Daoist Master has left a message," Chi Xiao said calmly, "You have two days left."
"Damn it!" Lu Mingfei jumped up from the futon with a start!
Without a second thought, he reached out and grabbed the Crimson Sky from the water's surface—it was a ready-made divine weapon!
However, just as his fingertips were about to touch the hilt of the sword, the futon beneath him turned into starlight like quicksand and disappeared in all directions without warning!
"Pfft!"
"Gululu——!"
Completely unprepared, Lu Mingfei fell directly into the icy lake water!
He choked on several mouthfuls of water before he could react, the lake water rushing into his nostrils. He struggled desperately, using both his hands and feet to finally float back to the surface.
His soaked hair clung to his scalp, with water droplets constantly dripping from his forehead and chin, making him look incredibly comical.
He was panting heavily, looking up at the Crimson Sky, which was suspended in mid-air and motionless, and forced an awkward smile:
"Uh... um... Brother Chixiao, can't we really use you to cut down trees?" Without a suitable tool, these two tasks are going to be a disaster!
"No." Chi Xiao's answer was firm and left no room for negotiation. "The Dao Lord's decree is clear: you must use the Qi you have cultivated yourself."
With all hope shattered, Lu Mingfei sighed and resignedly dog-paddled his way to the shore.
Since we can't use the Crimson Sky Sword, we can only rely on "Qi"...
Lu Mingfei wrung out his soaked sleeves, understanding dawning on him—this test was of his skills in the Qi Refining chapter of the Shangqing Sword Scripture!
He stood on the solid lake shore, took a deep breath, and tried to dispel the chill of the lake water and the fishy smell of the aquatic plants.
Concentrate, close your eyes, and let the mental techniques and incantations of the "Shangqing Sword Scripture - Qi Refining Chapter" flow through your mind, causing the warm current in your dantian to stir once again.
A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, his right hand pointing outwards like a sword!
hum!
A faint whooshing sound rang out, and an almost transparent, invisible sword formed from the condensation of fine air currents appeared just an inch in front of his fingertips! The sword's blade faintly swirled with energy.
Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up immediately, and a smug smile spread across his face:
It worked?! The first attempt at condensing sword energy went so smoothly?!
His excitement overcame his doubts, and his confidence grew.
Without hesitation, he immediately transformed his fingers into a palm and grasped the invisible sword of energy!
"Hey!" Lu Mingfei shouted, and with an invisible sword of energy, he slashed down fiercely at the roots of a huge tree next to him, a tree as thick as a person could hug and with bark as gnarled and menacing as if cast from black iron!
puff--
The imagined sound of trees breaking did not occur.
The moment that invisible sword of energy touched the dark green, hard bark, it vanished without a trace, like a soap bubble hitting a rock, with a soft sound!
The condensed airflow was completely dissipated and vanished into the air, as if it had never existed.
Lu Mingfei's smile froze completely. His arm was still in the downward chopping position. He was completely dumbfounded as he looked at the dragon-scaled giant tree in front of him, which was completely unharmed and had not even had a single bark wiped off.
"What...what happened?" he exclaimed, staring incredulously at his empty hands.
The blade of Chixiao tilted slightly, as if "looking down" at the towering tree blocking its path, and a steady voice rang out at the right moment, answering his question:
"This tree is called 'Dragon Scale Wood'. Although it is not among the top-grade spiritual plants, its bark is layered and harder than gold and iron, comparable to dragon scales protecting the body."
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingfei finally took a closer look:
Sure enough! The rough bark had an unusually peculiar texture, like countless layers of fine, shimmering black scales tightly inlaid together, with a perfect fit!
Chi Xiao explained:
"To cut through the dragon scale wood, the sword's edge must be sharp enough to cut through refined steel."
Lu Mingfei turned his head with difficulty to look at Chi Xiao, who was suspended in mid-air:
"Um... Brother Chixiao... really... can't we use you?"
Chi Xiao's sword seemed to grow even colder: "No."
Looking at this vast forest of dragon scale trees, Lu Mingfei felt somewhat helpless.
Chi Xiao pointed out, "If you want to cut through these dragon scale trees, it's not enough for the sword to have a physical form; it needs a spirit!"
"Think back to the thirteen basic sword techniques that the Daoist Master had you practice. You can try to use that feeling of practicing swordsmanship to chop down trees."
Lu Mingfei immediately regained his composure, and an invisible sword reappeared in his palm.
He recalled the key points of practicing the cleaving sword technique, and then chopped at the dragon scale wood he had just cut down again.
"Shh!"
The sword's edge went halfway down the dragon scale wood.
"It's promising, it can work!" Lu Mingfei's eyes lit up immediately.
……