When that streak of sword light soared forth, it was bright yet not dazzling, like the gentle radiance of the moon cascading down.
Among the nine cultivators—men and women—present, in that split second, all felt their Dharma Swords grow slightly heavier, their vision filled with chaotic flashes of golden light. A biting chill surged toward their faces, startling them so thoroughly that they hastily retreated.
It was only after they withdrew ten steps that the sword light abruptly dissipated. Zhang Yan, however, remained standing in place, unmoving, his expression unchanged—as if he had not made a move at all.
"Where is Chu’er? Where is Junior Sister Chu’er?"
One female cultivator in the group cried out in alarm, and they only then realized that one of their sect members was missing. Without a doubt, Zhang Yan had taken action. The young cultivator leading the group immediately erupted in anger, roaring, "It must be him—he has captured Junior Sister Chu’er! Fellow disciples, do not, by any means, let him escape!"
As he shouted, he pointed a finger forward. Beside him, his Flying Sword shot out of its sheath with a resonant clang, streaking straight toward Zhang Yan to strike him down.
The nearby disciples, hearing his call, acted without hesitation. Each performed a hand seal to cast their spell, and one after another, Dharma Swords leaped from their sheaths. In an instant, eight streaks of sword light shimmered in the air, all slicing toward Zhang Yan in unison.
Zhang Yan offered only a faint smile. Without revealing any discernible technique, he simply swept his sleeve. A streak of blue Xuan Guang surged forth to meet those incoming Dharma Swords. A series of crisp, clear sounds followed, and in the blink of an eye, the originally intact swords shattered into two pieces, clattering to the ground.
Witnessing this scene, the disciples of Chongyue True Temple froze in place, utterly at a loss.
Even the most advanced of them had only reached the Ming Qi Second Realm and had never encountered such techniques. The moment that blue Xuan Guang emerged, it became apparent that their opponent was a Xuan Guang Practitioner, with a cultivation far beyond their own, entirely out of their league.
Zhang Yan’s initial plan had been to withdraw after achieving his objective, knowing full well that these Chongyue disciples could neither catch him nor identify his origins. Yet, after his recent display of swordsmanship, a sudden thought struck him, leading him to change his mind. He raised a finger toward a distant mountain ridge and, with a smile, said, "Do you see that ridge over there? If you are dissatisfied, feel free to seek me out there."
Having said this, he ascended into the air with a tunneling light, vanishing into the sky.
The disciples of Chongyue True Temple exchanged uneasy glances. The young cultivator ground his teeth and declared, "Junior Sister Chu’er has been abducted by this Daoist for no reason—this is undoubtedly a slap to the face of our Chongyue Temple! This matter cannot be left unresolved. The rest of you, stay here. I’m going to report this to the Elder to seek justice."
Meanwhile, Zhang Yan arrived atop the mountain ridge. He descended from the clouds, selecting a flat patch of land to land upon. From the sleeve of his robe, he retrieved a gray cloth bag. With a small shake, he poured out the captive girl, who collapsed limply to the ground. Her eyes remained shut, unconscious.
This cloth bag, taken from the Jiu Kui Demon King, had been an incidental acquisition at the time, yet Zhang Yan hadn’t expected to find it so useful so soon. As a tool for abduction, it proved exceedingly convenient.
Knowing that the girl would naturally awaken in due time, Zhang Yan paid her no further heed. Instead, he stood atop the mountain ridge, gazing into the distant sky, his expression contemplative.
During that fleeting moment when he had unleashed his sword, his initial intent had been to sever all the Dharma Swords in the opponent’s possession using his sword ball. Unexpectedly, at the critical moment, he discovered in delight that the True Recognition within the sword had grown noticeably stronger, its connection with him now closer than ever before.
Eager to test this newfound strength, he redirected the sharp energy to transform it into a soft force. The resulting strike hit the scabbards of the Dharma Swords. Though outwardly unharmed, the swords had already been internally ruptured. Consequently, a single streak of Lan Yun Xuan Guang was all it took to shatter them completely.
Unlike Dharma Treasures, sword balls required the cultivator to envelop them with their own Xuan Guang when performing a Flying Slash. Thus, beyond the inherent quality of the sword ball itself, the strength of the practitioner’s cultivation played a crucial role in determining its power.
Since ascending to the Second Realm of Xuan Guang, Zhang Yan had gained the ability to manipulate the transitions between soft and sharp energies at will. Yet, he had struggled to convey this property into his sword ball, which seemed to resist him for reasons unknown—until today, when he finally succeeded.
Reflecting on the matter carefully, he realized that, despite nurturing his sword ball’s True Recognition with warmth and diligence over time, its growth had remained stagnant. Strangely, however, duels and battles had yielded tangible progress. Evidently, only through honing oneself in combat could the True Recognition be tempered and developed.
This realization struck him like a bolt of clarity. Inwardly, he thought to himself, *No wonder the disciples of the Shaoqing Sect always sought to provoke formidable enemies before setting out into the wider world. So, that was the reason.*
The general perception of Shaoqing Sect disciples was that they were arrogant and domineering, with no regard for others, often resorting to their Flying Swords to kill at the slightest provocation. Now, upon closer consideration, these disciples were clearly chosen and cultivated with precision. How could they truly be as shallow as they appeared?