Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Words as a Sharp Weapon

Xu Yunfan appeared pleasant and friendly, but in reality, he was cruel and ruthless. His words were humble and polite, yet his actions were merciless.

Hearing the hint of dissatisfaction in Qi Huan’s voice, Pei Yan’s thoughts stirred. He suddenly recalled that when he and Qi Huan had left the Celestial Craft Cave, Qi Huan had been similarly lukewarm when mentioning the renowned Xu Yunfan, hailed as the number one of the Celestial Craft Cave’s younger generation.

He instantly understood that there was a deep rift between Xu Yunfan and Qi Huan.

The setting sun stretched Xu Yunfan’s shadow long as he swung his hammer. The Thunderfire Qilin Hammer tore through the twilight. With a surge of Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength, the Heavy Hammer, wreathed in a thunderous, fiery wind, swept across the rock face, burning a spiderweb of scorch marks onto the basalt.

Pei Yan leaned against the cave wall in the shadows, his knuckles unconsciously rubbing the blackened veins on his wrist—a sign of the Jiao Poison’s corrosion. If not for his Divine Weapon Armor suppressing it, he couldn’t possibly be here contemplating these matters.

Although Xu Yunfan didn’t seem to be showing off, the moment he picked up the Heavy Hammer to practice, it hummed with his every move. It created gusts of thunderous airflow as the hammerhead sparked with Thunder Fire, a display of extreme danger.

’His strength is no less than my own. In fact, seeing how relaxed and effortless he looks, maybe... maybe he’s even stronger than me.’

Of course, this was something he was unwilling to admit.

"His Hammer Technique..."

He swallowed hard, forcing the astonished words back down his throat.

As the Sword Pavilion’s once-in-a-century Innate Sword Bone, he was all too familiar with this level of effortless mastery.

Eight years ago, when he first wielded the Divine Weapon Green Bamboo Sword, he too could casually slice through the autumn rain without a single drop touching his clothes.

Yet the man before him swung a four-hundred-jin Heavy Hammer with even more grace than he himself showed when performing a simple sword flourish.

As the leading disciple of this generation in the Sword Pavilion, he possessed an Innate Sword Bone. He could comprehend any Swordsmanship at a glance and master it with but a little practice. Though merely twenty years old, he had been aided by the Sword Pavilion’s Secret Medicine and infused with all manner of Treasure Elixirs. Furthermore, the Sword Qi of the Divine Weapon Green Bamboo Sword tempered his body day and night. Thus, in just eight short years, his muscles, bones, and skin had all reached the Realm of Great Perfection.

In his entire life, he had never been outmatched. He even dared to draw his sword against masters of the Blood Exchange Realm.

Yet this Xu Yunfan, only a few years his senior, had clearly already entered the Blood Exchange Realm.

’How in the world did he cultivate?’

He had originally assumed Xu Yunfan had just stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter. But over the next few days, he watched Xu Yunfan train without rest. The man barely stopped for anything but meals; he didn’t even sleep.

As he watched Xu Yunfan once again pick up the Heavy Hammer to go out and train, Pei Yan’s expression finally changed. He looked over at Qi Huan, who seemed entirely accustomed to the sight.

"What is that meditation technique he practices every night?"

’To be able to replace sleep... it’s an incredibly tempting prospect.’

Qi Huan shook his head slightly. "I don’t know. It’s not a technique from the Celestial Craft Cave. The Celestial Craft Cave... doesn’t have a meditation technique like that."

When Xu Yunfan had finished his evening meal and was once again picking up his Heavy Hammer to train, Pei Yan stopped him.

"Brother Xu... one moment!"

"Have you made your decision, Senior Brother Pei?" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The Blood Qi that had just begun to surge through Xu Yunfan instantly receded, and the white steam rising from between his Armor Leaves swiftly dissipated.

He casually leaned the Heavy Hammer against a stone column, the impact shaking dust from the stalactites on the cave ceiling.

Pei Yan’s pupils contracted slightly.

’When Xu Yunfan unleashes his Strength, that hammerhead perfectly displays its power as a Treasure Artifact. As his Strength flows, the nine spiral lava patterns on the handle light up in succession, and those scale-like marks on the hammerhead...’

He instinctively touched the Ice Armor on his chest. The Jiao Poison coursing through his Triple Burner Meridian immediately flared with a sharp pain, as if reminding him that his time was running out.

Pei Yan frowned at the dust falling from the ceiling.

He waved a hand in front of his face and asked.

"That meditation technique of yours, does it have a name?"

Xu Yunfan instantly understood what Pei Yan wanted, and a hint of a smile touched the corners of his eyes.

"You want to trade this technique for the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique?"

Pei Yan said, "The Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique is out of the question. However, I have a technique called the Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound Skill. While it can’t compare to the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique, it is a top-tier martial art for the Organ Cultivation Realm. If you can use it to cultivate that realm to Great Perfection, you might even be able to step into Nine Realms Qi Cultivation."

Xu Yunfan replied, "Even if I gave this technique to you, you wouldn’t be able to learn it. If not for a stroke of luck and a bizarre series of coincidences, I wouldn’t have been able to grasp it myself... The Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound Skill is good, but I want the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique more."

A hint of disbelief crossed Pei Yan’s face. "With my aptitude, I can understand any martial art in the world at a glance and master it with a bit of practice. How can you, Brother Xu, say I won’t be able to learn it without even telling me what it is?"

Xu Yunfan simply smiled, offering no explanation.

’The Linn Character Technique is far too important. I would never reveal it.’

’Besides, this Dharma Gate was obtained through my Attribute Panel’s ability after touching the Extreme Dao Relic Shell. It was equivalent to an Empowerment. How could I possibly teach it to someone else before I’ve reached Great Success myself?’

Before Pei Yan could speak again, Xu Yunfan said coolly, "Brother Pei, your time is short. I’m afraid something has gone wrong with this Little Heaven and Earth Secret Realm. Otherwise, the Six Great Sects would have opened the exit long ago. There’s no way it would be delayed this long with no news."

His gaze was deep. "There is hope only for the living. If you die, it’s all over for good. That Evil Flood Dragon devoured more than ninety disciples from your Sword Pavilion. Don’t you want to kill it with your own two hands?"

’For someone as proud and arrogant as Pei Yan, torture is useless. He would rather die than breathe a single word under duress.’

’The only way to get what I want is to break down his mental defenses, piece by piece.’

’Why else would I have chosen to stay in a mountain range so barren of Spiritual Qi? It was to weaken his ability to resist the Jiao Poison.’

’As an itinerant of the Sword Pavilion, he must have a way to absorb the Heaven and Earth Primordial Spirit Breath. But I’m confident he can’t detect the Spiritual Qi convergence points around here.’

Every one of Xu Yunfan’s words stabbed into his heart like a knife, turning his face deathly pale.

He had been so complacent back then. After discovering the heavily wounded Evil Flood Dragon, he led ninety-six Sword Pavilion disciples into a Sword Array to slay it, only to realize how gravely mistaken he had been.

If not for those ninety-plus Sword Pavilion disciples sacrificing their lives, he would never have survived.

During his final assault on the Evil Flood Dragon, he had been resolved to die, only to be saved by the timely arrival of Xu Yunfan and Qi Huan.

The campfire cast flickering shadows across Pei Yan’s face. Seeing him sitting there in silence, Xu Yunfan spoke again.

"The souls of more than ninety of the Sword Pavilion’s heroes are still wailing in that flood dragon’s belly. Brother Pei, are you truly content to die and let that stand?"

CRACK!

Pei Yan’s knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. Veins bulged on his neck and forehead, his expression twisting into a savage mask.

He swallowed with great difficulty. In a daze, he once again saw the final moments before his fellow disciples dissolved into a mist of blood. More than ninety of them had sacrificed themselves for the greater good, desperately blocking the deadly sweep of the flood dragon’s tail to create an opening for him.

But he had thrown everything he had into that attack, even igniting a Secret Martial Art to make his Blood Qi boil, unleashing the majority of the Cyan Bamboo Sword’s divine power. Still, it had been useless. He had even lost his left arm for his efforts.

Pei Yan grew rapidly agitated and broke into a violent coughing fit.

"Those kids... Before we set out, every single one of them paid their respects to me as their Senior Brother in the Ancestral Hall."