Chapter 418: Chapter 146: The Might of Thunder, A Fist and Saber Awe the Crowd; Fusion: Nine Tribulations Blood Prison Saber and Twelve True Forms Fist

She watched Chu Fan stop and fall silent, and her heart, which had been soaring just a moment ago from his ready agreement, suddenly sank.

A pang of disappointment and hurt washed over her. ’Does he think teaching me the Sword Technique is a waste of time?’

The dim light concealed the sudden dullness in her eyes and the way she bit her lower lip.

Just as a thousand thoughts raced through Li Qingxue’s mind and she was about to ask to be excused, Chu Fan turned to face her. His gaze was serious. "Senior Sister, I suggest you stop practicing the original Seven-Star Bead Slash."

"Why?" Li Qingxue blurted out, a hint of urgency in her voice that she hadn’t even noticed herself.

Chu Fan didn’t answer directly. "I once promised the Cao and Li Families," he said, "that once my Sword Technique reached a certain level of success, I would merge the Seven-Star Bead Slash and the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber to create a stronger Sword Technique, and then pass it down to the two families."

A flicker of hope rekindled in Li Qingxue’s dejected heart.

Her lovely eyes widened slightly. Recalling the unpredictable Sword Momentum she had seen when Chu Fan was training that afternoon, a guess surfaced in her mind. "Don’t tell me... you’ve already made progress merging the techniques?"

Her voice trembled with anticipation.

Chu Fan nodded. "I’ve made some progress, yes, but it isn’t fully complete yet."

He paused, then added, "In fact, I didn’t just merge two techniques. I’ve combined the Seven-Star Bead Slash, the Ninefold Thunder Shock Saber, and the Nine Blood Soul Blades—Three Saber Techniques in total—into a single new one."

His original plan was to wait until the new technique was fully formed, then extract the essence of "Seven-Star" and "Thunder Shock," simplify it, and pass that version on to the Cao and Li Families. After all, not everyone was willing to be tainted by Evil Qi.

But now, his gaze fell upon Li Qingxue, measuring and thoughtful. "But... Senior Sister, of everyone in the Cao and Li Families, you might be the only one who can directly practice this new technique that merges all Three Saber Techniques."

"Me?" Li Qingxue paused, confused. "My constitution isn’t Special, and my physical strength and vitality are nowhere near as vigorous as my cousin Cao Yan’s."

"If it’s a matter of absorbing Evil Qi..."

Chu Fan shook his head, prompting her. "It’s not about physical talent. The key is... that wild mountain ginseng from Tianxing."

"I ate half of that wild mountain ginseng, and you ate the other half, Senior Sister."

He explained further, "I suspect Tianxing’s ginseng didn’t just raise our Cultivation; it also subtly altered our bodies. That’s why I’m able to absorb and perform Refinement on the Evil Qi from the Nine Blood Soul Blades without any side effects."

Li Qingxue was incredibly sharp; it clicked for her instantly. A delighted surprise lit up her face. "Are you saying... because I also ate the ginseng, my body might have changed in a similar way, allowing me to withstand the corrosion of Evil Qi just like you?"

’So, in the entire Cao and Li Families, I’m the only one who can handle practicing this new technique that uses Evil Qi?’

’Everyone else can only practice a simplified version, with the Evil Qi stripped away?’

"Exactly," Chu Fan nodded in confirmation.

Beside them, Zhao Tianxing’s eyes went wide with envy.

The wild mountain ginseng was his.

But he hadn’t gotten to eat even a single rootlet.

It was a good thing it was Tianxing. Anyone else would probably be beside themselves with regret.

"However..." Chu Fan’s tone changed, growing cautious. "I’m still exploring this new technique myself. As for the Evil Attraction Technique within it, we still need to verify if there are any hidden dangers should you practice it."

"If you’re willing, Senior Sister, you can try practicing the most basic part of the Evil Attraction first, just to see if your body can truly handle it."

"If everything goes well, I’ll teach you the complete Sword Technique once I’ve perfected it."

Her disappointment had long since vanished, replaced by a secret delight at being singled out and a craving for the powerful technique.

Li Qingxue nodded at once. "I’m willing to try!"

The two began practicing right then and there in the Martial Arts Arena.

To give her a direct feel for it, Chu Fan demonstrated a few moves from the Nine Tribulations Blood Prison Saber, which he had already cultivated to the level of Small Success.

As he swung the Long Saber, a Blood-colored Blade Gang pulsed faintly. The bone-chilling Evil Qi was infused with the ferocity of the Thunder Blade and the swiftness of the Seven-Star technique. The Sword Momentum was both domineering and deceptive, its power simply staggering!

Li Qingxue stood to the side, her heart pounding uncontrollably as she watched this new technique that merged the essence of all three.

The new technique’s sophistication and power far surpassed her imagination, as if it had opened a door for her to a higher Realm.

And the one teaching her this technique was Chu Fan.

Under Chu Fan’s guidance, Li Qingxue carefully drew a faint wisp of Evil Qi into her body.

Sure enough, once the Evil Qi entered her meridians, it caused no discomfort or conflict at all. Instead, it was quickly assimilated and absorbed by her own Primordial Qi.

"It really works!" Joy flashed in Chu Fan’s eyes as well.

But he didn’t press on recklessly. "Senior Sister," he said earnestly, "even though your body can adapt, I only just created the Nine Tribulations Blood Prison Saber. There are still many intricacies that need to be refined. To be safe, let’s wait until I’ve perfected and stabilized it further. Then I will teach you the complete Sword Technique, alright?"

His tone was full of concern and responsibility.

A strange, warm current suddenly surged through Li Qingxue’s heart.

He wasn’t just teaching her a powerful technique that only she could practice; he was also being so meticulous and considerate of her safety.

This feeling of being treasured, of being given special consideration, was like a warm stone dropped into her cool, detached heart, sending ripples spreading through it.

She looked at Chu Fan. His expression was focused, and his brow held a maturity that belied his age. The corners of her mouth curved up unconsciously into a faint but genuine smile, and she let out a soft, "Mm."

She didn’t leave right away. Instead, she walked quietly to the edge of the Martial Arts Arena, found a stone step to sit on, and hugged her knees. Her gaze softened as it fell upon Chu Fan, who was now in the middle of the arena practicing the Twelve True Forms Fist.

Chu Fan merely assumed she wanted to observe the Mental Realm of the Nine Tribulations Blood Prison Saber a bit longer, or was perhaps interested in the Twelve True Forms Fist. He paid it no mind and immersed himself once more in his Cultivation.

The moonlight, fluid as water, washed over the Martial Arts Arena’s Profound Iron Giant Stone, casting the afterimages of his blade and the shadows of his fists in sharp relief.

In the center of the arena, the wind from Chu Fan’s fists howled, his presence immense and powerful.

At the edge of the arena, Li Qingxue watched in silence, a secret tenderness swirling in her gaze.

Zhao Tianxing squinted, his gaze flicking between Chu Fan and Li Qingxue. A smirk touched his lips before he ambled off to another corner to continue practicing his Moon Eclipse Arrow.