Chapter 241: Chapter 241: Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique

Pei Yan suddenly let out a low, sorrowful laugh.

"The youngest Zhi Ming was just a youth when a flood dragon’s claw pierced his chest... yet he was still swinging his sword."

Xu Yunfan remained silent. He understood, of course, that the man’s spirit was utterly broken.

’How tragic.’

’One wrong move, and the entire game was lost.’

The twilight was the color of blood. Pei Yan dug his knuckles deep into a fissure in the rock.

The afterimages of Xu Yunfan practicing his Hammer Technique were a jarring blur. Amidst the piercing shriek of the Heavy Hammer tearing through the air, Pei Yan seemed to hear the cracking of bones as the ninety disciples of the Sword Pavilion fell into the flood dragon’s maw.

Nearby, Qi Huan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. The faint wisps of Demon Qi rising from his body only made Pei Yan’s heart grow more anxious.

As evening fell, Xu Yunfan was preparing to practice the Linn Character Technique when Pei Yan abruptly looked up. His eyes, filled with pained struggle, were fixed on Xu Yunfan.

"Brother Xu."

Pei Yan spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

"The essence of the Empty Clarity Sword Washing..."

Before he could finish, Xu Yunfan moved like the wind, appearing in front of Pei Yan in an instant.

The Red Flood Dragon Qi still swirling around Xu Yunfan was so powerful it vibrated the cave wall, creating a Turtle Shell Pattern of cracks. He forcefully suppressed his delight, keeping his expression calm.

"Have you come to a decision, Brother Pei?"

Pei Yan gazed at the surface of the Heavy Hammer in Xu Yunfan’s hand, where he could faintly make out the marks of impact.

He suddenly recalled the Instructive Inscription before the Sword Pavilion’s Celestial Hall.

A Sword Bone would rather break than bend.

’But what if it’s already broken?’

He looked down at the Jiao Poison writhing within the cracks of his breastplate. Dark green threads of venom had already crawled up to his Tiantu Acupoint.

Back then, when Elder Lingxu taught him "Sword Qi Circulating Through the Three Jiaos," he had said that if poison seeped into the lung meridians, a mild case would tarnish one’s Sword Heart. A severe case would cause one’s Sword Qi to backlash, resulting in a fatal explosion.

"What can you do to cleanse the Jiao Poison from my body?"

Pei Yan asked abruptly, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing against each other. At this moment, his heart was in turmoil, full of struggle and hesitation.

Xu Yunfan didn’t dare let his guard down. If Pei Yan suddenly changed his mind and went back on his desperate decision, all his efforts would be for nothing.

’It’s a shame I don’t know the Soul Searching Technique. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble.’

"It will be enough to cleanse the Jiao Poison from your Triple Jiao Meridians."

’The Qi of Ginseng from a Ten Thousand Year Ginseng King... just a few wisps would be enough to completely heal Pei Yan’s injuries. If I combine that with the searing heat of Earth Fire, the Jiao Poison can be forced out of his body quickly.’

"I want you to swear an oath on the Celestial Craft Cave!" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Pei Yan finally sat up straight, the struggle in his eyes rapidly subsiding. He shot a quick glance at Qi Huan, who was roasting meat off to the side.

"I’m going to go pick some more spices. I didn’t gather enough today."

Seeing this, Qi Huan didn’t hesitate for a second. He scrambled to his feet, ran out of the cave, and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, Xu Yunfan relaxed. ’Once a Swordsman has made up his mind, he won’t easily go back on his word.’

"Once I’ve recovered from my injuries, I can teach you the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique."

Xu Yunfan’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you trying to get something for nothing, Brother Pei?"

Pei Yan fell silent. He understood that Xu Yunfan was the type who wouldn’t act without a guaranteed reward. He changed his tune and said...

"The Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique is the prerequisite Martial Art for the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique. I can teach it to you first. If you can’t even manage to practice the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique, we’ll speak no more of this. If you succeed, then I can teach you the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique. But you must swear an oath! An oath on the Celestial Craft Cave!"

Xu Yunfan’s expression grew solemn as he suppressed his inner glee. This was an opportunity heaven-sent. In any other environment, under any other circumstances, he couldn’t even dream of obtaining something like the Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound Skill, let alone a secret Martial Art of the Sword Pavilion like the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique.

He nodded. "Go on."

"You must not teach it to anyone else. You must not mention this matter to anyone. And you must never display this technique to anyone."

Pei Yan’s gaze fell, his voice taking on a dark tone. It seemed he’d worked through his internal conflict, and the corner of his mouth even held a hint of a smile.

"Brother Xu, the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique is a Secret Technique for True Inheritors of the Sword Pavilion. No one outside the Sect Leader’s direct lineage can learn it. If it gets out that you know it, I won’t be the only one to suffer. You, and your entire Celestial Craft Cave, will be annihilated."

Xu Yunfan raised an eyebrow. The words were harsh, but what Pei Yan said was true. If this was exposed, Pei Yan wouldn’t be the one to die—he would.

"You have my word, Brother Pei."

Without the slightest hesitation, Xu Yunfan began to swear an oath on the Celestial Craft Cave and his own honor.

"Ancestral Master of Celestial Craftsmanship, hear me! I, your disciple Xu Yunfan, if I break my promise regarding the transmission of the Empty Clarity Sword Washing Technique... may I suffer the agony of a Red Flood Dragon’s Inverted Scale devouring my heart! May my major acupoints fester with rotting boils and venomous sores! May my lung meridians feel as if pierced by a thousand needles! May my Triple Jiao Meridians putrefy inch by inch! May my head ooze pus and my feet erupt in ulcers! May my entire family in this life be wiped out..."

Xu Yunfan recited the oath with such speed that Pei Yan couldn’t help but have second thoughts.

By the time Xu Yunfan finished the vicious oath—the likes of which Pei Yan had never even heard before—he began to wonder if he had been too demanding.

Pei Yan gave a few dry coughs, a rare look of embarrassment on his face.

"That’s enough. I will now impart the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique to you. If you can grasp the basics within a month, our agreement will stand."

Grasping the basics in a month would already qualify one as a genius in the Sword Dao. Xu Yunfan used a hammer; he was surely a complete amateur when it came to the sword.

This was a form of psychological comfort for Pei Yan. Ultimately, he needed a reason to get over the mental block.

Seeing the awkward look on Pei Yan’s face, Xu Yunfan inwardly curled his lip. ’In this life, I’m all alone. I have no immediate family to worry about anyway.’

"Listen closely. From Tiantu, a Frost Sword Spirit is born; in Danzhong, a cauldron refines true essence. Jade Liquid passes the throat; Pleiades Inversion hangs over the Twelve Peaks. The Ren Meridian is a scabbard for the autumn blade; the Chong Meridian is a furnace to quench the cold star. Qi flows through the Celestial Cover, observing all at ease; the sword knocks on the Purple Mansion, hearing the dragon’s roar..."

An Hour later, after reciting the final line of the technique, Pei Yan had to take a drink of water to soothe his throat. "Did you memorize all that?" he asked.

Xu Yunfan glanced at the message floating in his field of vision.

[You have been taught the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique]

[Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique (Uninitiated)]

Xu Yunfan felt a sense of relief. He’d grown a bit weary from practicing only the Thunderfire Qilin Hammer for the past few days. Having a new technique to focus on was a welcome change of pace.

"I’ve memorized it."

"Is there anything you need me to clarify?"

"Not for now. I’ll practice it a little first."

Hearing Xu Yunfan’s casual reply, a flicker of derision passed through Pei Yan’s eyes. When he had first learned the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique, it had taken him three full days just to comprehend the method, and another seven to grasp the basics.

’Xu Yunfan’s talent might be impressive, enough to be called the best in the Celestial Craft Cave, but among the Six Great Sects, he wouldn’t even stand out.’

’There are geniuses among geniuses, and prodigies among geniuses.’

’And he, Pei Yan, was one of those prodigies—blessed with an Innate Sword Bone!’

Xu Yunfan couldn’t be bothered with him. ’Just wait,’ he thought. ’When I master this in a single day, it’ll surely be enough to shatter Pei Yan’s Dao Heart.’

He immediately left the cave, casually snapped off a tree branch to use as a Longsword, and began to work on the Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique.

This Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique required one to generate Strength from their own flesh and blood in order to practice it. No wonder Pei Yan was compared to people like the Holy Son and Saintess of the Celestial Pivot Start Sect, who used unorthodox methods to condense their True Qi. To be able to generate Strength just from the Outer Three Harmonies was truly extraordinary.

The so-called Triple Jiao Sword Nurturing Technique involved treating the Triple Jiao Meridians as both a Sword Scabbard and a Sword Furnace, using them to continuously temper and nurture a core of Sword Qi.

With his Red Flood Dragon Mountain Coiling Strength as a foundation, Xu Yunfan was confident he could grasp the basics quickly.

(Thanks, everyone. That’s all for today. Thank you to Xianyun Bu for the tip, and thank you all for your votes and recognition. Thanks. I was a bit busy today and ran out of time. I’ll work hard tomorrow!)