Chapter 147 - The Birth of Two Sword Intents! Evolving to the Fourth-Class Realm!
Chapter 147: The Birth of Two Sword Intents! Evolving to the Fourth-Class Realm!
He was being refused entry!?
An Fan turned ashen as he stared at the tightly shut entrance of the Jade Pavilion. A fire of rage began to surge inside him.
All around him, the various fourth-class Main Path Guild disciples all looked extremely angry.
“They’re merely a sub-branch of the Jade Pavilion…” muttered one of the disciples, venting his anger.
An Fan did not lose his ability to think rationally and stormed into the store. Even though it was a sub-branch, to be designated as a branch owner by the Jade Pavilion meant that Owner Wu’s cultivation was higher than the fourth-class realm. If they forced their way into the store, they might not be able to gain any advantage.
“Whatever amount Fang Lang has come up with… we’ll offer you even more!” called out An Fan as he knocked politely on the door.
Owner Wu’s responded coolly from inside the store, “You won’t be able to afford that much.”
The flight sword rune that Fang Lang possessed was not something that An Fan would be able to give her.
Her words were extremely forthcoming and direct. Her words were extremely sharp and nearly caused An Fan to lose control of himself!
He swiftly flung his sleeve as his eyes burned with an angry fire. “Surround every corner of the Jade Pavilion in a blockade and keep a close eye on Fang Lang. I doubt he’ll spend his whole life hiding in the Jade Pavilion!”
“After all, it’s impossible for the Jade Pavilion to cease trading for a lifetime!”
As soon as he finished speaking, An Fan left with a swish of his sleeves.
It was definitely a good solution to surround the Jade Pavilion. Even though they wished to capture Fang Lang quickly, he was hiding inside the Jade Pavilion they had no other option. Each branch of the Jade Pavilion was equipped with extremely powerful defensive runes. If they forced their way in, the outcome might be difficult to bear.
It would be better to blockade the Jade Pavilion and wait for Fang Lang to exit the building. Fang Lang would be unable to get away!
After a while, a strong wind began to surge in the small Linjiang City.
Disciple after disciple of the Main Path Guild rushed over and entered Linjiang City. Close to a thousand Main Path Guild disciples, all below the fourth-class realm arrived in the city. The influx of people caused the winds to start in the small city.
The local government in Linjiang City was not very powerful. When faced with this situation, they could only send news of this to Changan City.
…
The news that Fang Lang was besieged inside the Jade Pavilion of Linjiang City spread like wildfire.
The news that the new Imperial Examination champion Fang Lang was instructed by his master to head to the Main Path Guild to retrieve the Reincarnating Lotus Sword had already garnered much attention.
The battle that broke out at the Main Path Guild also attracted the attention of many.
Even though many warriors were far away from the action, they used various methods to observe the Main Path Guild from afar. Hence, when the first sect leader of the Main Path Guild, Zhao Taifeng, appeared, an uproar broke out across the world.
He was a realm transcending warrior, the most powerful being in the Tang Dynasty. Despite his presence, Fang Lang still managed to escape because the Reincarnating Lotus Sword contained Xuanyuan Taihua’s divine sense which helped him get away.
At that moment, the Main Path Guild had sent out all their disciples under the fourth-class realm to hunt Fang Lang. This had caused an uproar. All the various guilds paid close attention to this situation.
Hence, as soon as the news that Fang Lang was besieged in Linjiang City broke out, a couple of second-class and third-class guild disciples rushed over to watch the excitement.
…
Mount Shu.
At the same time all this was happening, a flight sword tore through the sky and landed in the Sword Guild.
The ancient bell in the Sword Guild rang out once again. Many of the Sword Guild disciples drew out their swords without hesitation as they gathered on the great plaza of the Sword Guild.
Wen Ting held a flask. His rapier was hung at his waist. His scarred, elderly face wore a grim expression as a killing intent emanated from him.
Fang Lang entered the Main Path Guild in order to retrieve the sword. However, in the process, he was being hunted by the Main Path Guild disciples. This news caused a huge uproar when it reached the Sword Guild.
The Sword Guild foundation was not like the Main Path Guild. However, it was previously the First Guild in the world as well. How could they sit by and do nothing when Fang Lang was being bullied in this manner!?
“The Main Path Guild is such a bully. How dare they bully a disciple of our Sword Guild!?”
“Fang Lang entered the Main Path Guild to retrieve a sword. That sword belongs to our guild! How dare the Main Path Guild try to snatch the Reincarnating Lotus Sword and plan to drag Fang Lang back to their guild to repent his actions!?”
“They are truly despicable! Our Sword Guild will not be able to tolerate such insult! The Main Path Guild are such terrible bullies!”
“Since the Main Path Guild has called this incident a cultivators’ vendetta, we should solve it using the cultivators’ way!”
All of the Sword Guild disciples wore cold expressions.
Even though the Sword Guild was ranked number ten among all the Tang Dynasty sects, the entire sect was extremely united. They were extremely unsettled by this situation.
Fang Lang entered the Sword Guild and had practiced sword arts on the great plaza of Mount Shu. He was a Sword Guild disciple. Hence, everyone was enraged to hear the news that Fang Lang was besieged in Linjiang City.
The disciples of the various pavilions in the Sword Guild brandished their swords under the lead of the many elders, rushed towards Linjiang City.
Blade light tore through the skies, making it look like a river of blade energy rolling across the clouds!
A group of swords left Mount Shu, alarming all the warriors who lived in the Sword Guild area!
Many of the warriors knew what these Sword Guild disciples were planning to do.
The Main Path Guild announced that this was a cultivators’ vendetta. Hence, the Sword Guild planned to solve this issue the cultivators’ way.
…
Linjiang City.
Owner Wu sat in the courtyard of the Jade Pavilion. She frowned. She had relayed the news that Fang Lang needed 20 Meteor Flight Swords even though she had no idea what Fang Lang planned to do with them.
Since Fang Lang had already paid, she needed to find a way to fulfill this order.
She requested the supply from all the Jade Pavilion branches in the neighboring cities and was able to obtain the stock that she required. It was not difficult to obtain 20 Meteor Flight Swords.
The middle-aged manager stood quietly to one side and bowed respectfully to Owner Wu. “Owner, are we really going to offend the Main Path Guild because of Fang Lang?”
“The Main Path Guild disciples below the fourth-class realm are currently gathered in Linjiang City. They have completely barricaded our store so that nothing can get in or out. This is putting a lot of pressure on us.”
Owner Wu shot the middle-aged manager a death stare and shook her head. “What are you scared of?”
“The Jade Pavilion Guild has always placed our customers first, especially valuable customers like Fang Lang. Fang Lang is inside our store so we’ll need to protect him. If he leaves the Jade Pavilion, we’ll naturally not get involved.”
“However, the news has spread like wildfire. Do you think that the Sword Guild will let this slide so easily?”
“I’m guessing that the warriors of the Sword Guild are on their way here. The dispute between the Sword Guild and the Main Path Guild may reach a culmination point on the outskirts of Linjiang City,” said Owner Wu.
“However, this has nothing to do with us. As long as Fang Lang is inside our store, we’ll have to ensure his safety.”
As soon as the middle-aged manager heard her words, he clasped his hands and said, “I see.”
Owner Wu’s eyes shone brightly as she looked at the entrance door that was tightly shut.
She was highly anticipating seeing Fang Lang’s method to turn the tables. Now that the situation had come to this, Fang Lang would find it difficult to leave Linjiang City. This was because in terms of overall strength, the Sword Guild was much weaker than the Main Path Guild.
Even if the warriors of the Sword Guild came to help, the Main Path Guild warriors would stop the Sword Guild warriors outside the city, preventing them from getting into the city to help Fang Lang.
This was the reason that staying inside the Jade Pavilion was not a solution for Fang Lang. After all, he would not be able to remain hidden inside the Jade Pavilion forever.
Fang Lang was not a disciple of the Jade Pavilion. Hence, the Jade Pavilion would not fight to the death just to protect Fang Lang. In the end, Fang Lang would still need to face the genius Main Path Guild disciples in Linjiang City.
…
The Jade Pavilion prepared a quiet room for Fang Lang. It was very peaceful and calm there. A silencing spell was placed on the room so it seemed like a separate place from the outside world.
After Fang Lang and Owner Wu finished the transaction, the System prompt rang in Fang Lang’s consciousness unexpectedly.
‘Ding! The experience is maxed out. System level up.’
‘Congratulations, you have completed a purchase related to cultivation and obtained the Green Reward Egg.’
There was a ripple of emotion in Fang Lang’s eyes. He could not help but smile.
‘Ding! Friendly reminder. The System will undergo an upgrade. The upgrade process will not affect the System functions.’
Another System prompt appeared, causing Fang Lang to feel a little surprised.
His eyes froze. Fang Lang attempted to mobilize the System panel but found that he could not do so.
Fang Lang’s heart lurched. He switched into the Quintuple Binding Mode. Thankfully, the five phantoms appeared and Fang Lang could sense his cultivation speed increase drastically!
The System’s cultivation resource was not affected either.
After the System upgrade, the cultivation resource was refreshed. The extent of the upgrade on the cultivation resource was astounding.
He now had 200,000 gold coins, a high-grade spirit crystal, 50 mid-grade spirit crystals, and 1,000 low-grade spirit crystals. The total value was 1,000,000 gold coins.
This was a massive fortune. Fang Lang had never seen this much wealth in his life before. Even if all the Fang family assets were sold, it might not come close to this amount.
“System, smash the egg.”
Since he had completed a purchase related to cultivation, he received a Reward Egg. Of course, Fang Lang would choose to smash the egg in the moment of his greatest need.
The Green Reward Egg did not bring as much joy as the Silver Reward Egg had since the amount of reward was extremely small.
However, having something beats having nothing for Fang Lang.
In the midst of the bright lights, the System prompt appeared.
‘Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained the 3x Speed Card.’
Fang Lang furrowed his brows. He was not overjoyed to have obtained this new card.
He kept it in the inventory then took out the spirit crystals. He focused his mind and prepared for the intense match that would be coming up. The key to him flipping the situation would be evolving to the fourth-class realm.
In the Main Path Guild, Fang Lang was able to gain an understanding of time sword intent through the help of Xuanyuan Taihua. He had the foundation to achieve a breakthrough. Hence, Fang Lang was extremely confident that he would be able to evolve.
Other people might be filled with fear towards attempting to evolve. However, Fang Lang was different.
Even though he was currently evolving at high speeds, Fang Lang was not worried about the outcome if he failed to evolve!
His mind kicked into action. The high-grade spirit crystal appeared in his palm.
The quality of the high-grade spirit crystal was excellent. It was extremely valuable and was produced in extremely low numbers since the imperial courts completely controlled production. Only the great sects could get their hands on such a resource.
With the help of the System, Fang Lang was able to easily obtain a high-grade spirit crystal.
He gripped the spirit crystal in one hand and activated the Quintuple Binding Mode. The spiritual energy in the spirit crystal surged frenziedly into Fang Lang’s body as though it had found an outlet. It flowed unceasingly into his body, spreading across all Fang Lang’s vital organs and limbs.
Fang Lang did not immediately choose to use the Grade-Rush Card to speed up his breakthrough. After all, he was currently in an environment that could be considered safe. It was unlikely that the Main Path Guild disciples would force their way into the private room prepared by the Jade Pavilion.
Fang Lang could guess what An Fan and the others’ next move was. They must be stationed outside the Jade Pavilion, waiting for him to exit the store to pounce on him and attack.
Fang Lang even guessed that there must be runes placed on each exit of the Jade Pavilion. Apart from that, there would also be numerous talismans hidden there.
As soon as Fang Lang stepped out of the Jade Pavilion, he would be faced with the attacks and explosions of the various runes!
However, Fang Lang was not worried because being worried would not help him.
His current mission was to evolve urgently and advance from the third-class realm to the fourth-class realm. Even though Fang Lang could achieve this with the Meta Sword Nurturing Spell, it was extremely exhausting. It would also not be able to hurt a fourth-class, ninth-grade phantasm realm genius like An Fan.
Hence, the power of a third-class realm seemed insufficient to Fang Lang.
He needed the power of a fourth-class. With the power of a fourth-class combined with time sword intent, the Meta Sword Nurturing Spell and the ten thousand blade skill, Fang Lang would possess the power that could defeat a peak fourth-class realm cultivator.
After all, with the Sword Nurturing Spell, Wen Ting was able to defeat a ninth-class cultivator as a fourth-class.
The Meta Sword Nurturing Spell lessened the side effects but its power was also weakened. However, it should be no issue to kill a fourth-class, nine-grade disciple.
Whoosh.
Fang Lang activated ten thousand blade skill. His energy center instantly became like a ravenous beast. It was like a black hole and absorbed the spiritual energy in the high-grade spirit crystal unceasingly.
The quality of the high-grade spirit crystal was unsurpassed. A single high-grade spirit crystal equaled ten mid-grade spirit crystals. Apart from that, the pureness of the spiritual energy also helped with the cultivation efficacy that far exceeded the property of ten mid-grade spirit crystals.
As his energy center filled with spiritual energy, Fang Lang quickly propelled the condition of his body to its peak.
All of a sudden, Fang Lang opened his eyes in the room.
‘System, use the Grade-Rush Card!’
‘Ding! The Grade-Rush Card has been activated. Happy Cultivating.’
As the Grade-Rush Card was activated, Fang Lang, who was stuck at the bottleneck of the fourth-class, ninth-grade sword-wave realm, now felt more relaxed and at ease.
Fang Lang’s body suddenly glowed with a bright light. All 360 acupuncture points on his body were filled with hidden sword wave. Each bolt of sword wave struggled out at that moment.
On Fang Lang’s back, a phantom of a flower began to appear. Countless sword waves spurted out of his acupuncture point and poured towards the flower, filling it up. The flower gradually became more solid and life-like.
The phantom of the flower was actually the time sword intent formed after the Innate Sword Intent Seed blossomed. The flower formed from the sword wave would be stained by time sword intent.
Even if Fang Lang’s time sword intent was not strong, it would not be too far from being able to truly turn back time.
Fang Lang’s current sword intent had a special effect. It was able to slow down his opponents.
As the Grade-Rush Card broke Fang Lang’s cultivation shackles, a boundless absorbing force exploded in his vessels. A single high-grade spirit crystal that equaled ten mid-grade spirit crystals instantly surged into Fang Lang’s body.
In his spinning energy center, that sword intent flower glowed extremely brightly.
Next to that sword intent flower, gradually… another sword phantom began to form.
This was the mark of a fourth-grade, sword-intent realm—the Virtual Sword.
The power classification of the sword intent realm was calculated based on the number of swords. The swords referred to the Virtual Swords, which were formed from sword intent.
A person who just advanced to the sword intent realm will have a single Virtual Sword. A first-grade peak will have ten Virtual Swords. A ninth-grade sword intent cultivator will have 100 Virtual Swords!
That was the classification of power in the sword intent realm. Even though the Virtual Sword does not have any offensive power, since it contained sword intent, it would greatly increase the attacking power when placed on a weapon.
Fang Lang sat as the high-grade crystal in his hand slowly dimmed. The spiritual energy inside it was almost completely drained.
In his spinning energy center, more and more Virtual Swords began to appear beside the time sword intent flower. In the end, he ended up with nine Virtual Swords. This was enough to show how high the quality of time sword intent was!
Just as Fang Lang assumed that everything had ended, he suddenly realized that inside his energy center, as the ten thousand sword skill continued to work, another sword intent flower slowly began to blossom!
The ten thousand sword intent of the ten thousand sword skill!
The sword intent flower bloomed once again!
Fang Lang did not expect that he would gain an understanding of another sword intent!