In the quiet of early dawn, mist still clinging to the mountain cliffs outside, Li Qingyun sat cross-legged on the meditation platform in his personal cultivation chamber within Clear Sky Peak.
The air was serene, filled only with the soft murmur of flowing spirit streams carved into the stone floor. The entire peak itself seemed to exist in its own tranquil world—perfect for cultivating the sword.
With a thought, Li Qingyun opened his system interface.
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[System Interface]
[Host:] Li Qingyun
[Realm:] Foundation Establishment Realm — 1st Stage
[Physique:] Primal Chaos Vessel Physique
[Slots:]
Slot 1: Voidcleave Sword Manual — Transcendent
Slot 2: Ninefold Essence Sutra — Perfect (Transcendent Locked — Requires 500 Points)
Slot 3: Cloudveil Sword Control Method — Proficient
Slot 4: Empty
[Techniques:]
Jade Body Tempering Scripture — Transcendent (Unshakable Core)
Ninefold Essence Sutra — Perfect
Voidcleave Sword Manual — Transcendent (Sword Intent: True Edge)
Phantom Step Art — Perfect
Cloudveil Sword Control Method — Proficient
↳ Cloudveil Flight Method — Major Completion
Tranquil Void Heart Scripture — Beginner
[Bound Weapon:] Shadowfang — Spirit Grade
[Weapon Traits:] Adaptive resonance, enhances Sword Intent, evolves with usage
[Energy:] 223 points
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With a calm breath, Li Qingyun selected the fourth slot and infused it with will. The silver glyph representing the Tranquil Void Heart Scripture drifted across the interface before clicking neatly into place.
A soft, invisible resonance rippled through his sea of consciousness. Like a bell struck in the soul, it brought a sense of mental silence and inner clarity.
---
[Slot 4 Activated: Tranquil Void Heart Scripture — Beginner]
Effect: Begins cultivating the mental and spiritual soul through focused breath and emptiness. Enhances clarity, boosts resistance to mental attacks, and increases spiritual perception over time.
"It begins," Li Qingyun murmured.
He then retrieved the items from yesterday's resource hall visit. High-grade spirit stones, dense with radiant energy, gleamed faintly in the light. He also brought out the pills he received from resources hall as he tried them but their effects are minimal to the point it is almost negligible. Only the origin nourishment pill had some visual effects on him, others were not effective.
He willed the system to consume them.
[Converting resources...]
[High-Grade Spirit Stones × 10 — +200 points]
[Qi refining recovery pill × 10 — +100 points]
[Foundation condensing pill × 2 — +50 points]
[Minor sword qi tempering pill × 5 — + 50 points]
[Total Energy Acquired: +400 points]
[Current Energy: 623 points]
---
Li Qingyun raised an eyebrow slightly at the number. "Better than expected."
He paused, fingers gently tapping against his knee.
Should he use 500 points to break the limit on the Ninefold Essence Sutra and advance it to the Transcendent stage? The temptation was real. If he did so, his spiritual foundation would take a qualitative leap.
But after a few moments of silent contemplation, he shook his head. "No… not yet."
He was already at the first stage of Foundation Establishment. Though breaking limits would enhance his cultivation speed and depth, rushing it would invite imbalance. His current techniques were more than sufficient. Now was the time to deepen, not leap forward.
A ripple of spiritual energy suddenly pulsed around his seated form.
---
[System Notification:]
[Cloudveil Sword Control Method] has advanced to Minor Completion.
Effect Upgrade: Sword control clarity refined. Host's synchronization with spiritual and mental force improves significantly. Enables multi-target trajectory control and mid-flight adjustments of sword attacks with increased stability and precision.
---
Li Qingyun opened his eyes.
His vision sharpened subtly, not outwardly, but inwardly—he could now clearly feel the difference in his own mental domain. It was like stepping from a room lit by candlelight into one illuminated by morning sun.
He raised a hand and summoned Shadowfang with a thought.
Whoosh!
The blade appeared mid-air and floated without a tremor.
He pointed a finger, and the sword responded instantly, slicing a perfect arc in the air with crisp precision. There was no drift, no hesitation—only an invisible harmony between mind and steel.
Cloudveil Flight Method, too, had stabilized even further. He could now freely weave through narrow gaps at full speed or redirect mid-air without any delay.
"This is control," he whispered. "Not brute force."
The improvement wasn't earth-shaking—but it was clean, precise, and purposeful. The kind of growth only a true sword cultivator could appreciate.
After steadying his mind and watching the Cloudveil Sword Control Method step into Minor Completion, Li Qingyun stood silently on the training platform, deep in thought.
There was a shift—one that could only be felt by the cultivator themselves.
His mental threads, previously like cords tugged in different directions, now flowed smoothly like tributaries merging with a calm river. His perception expanded, no longer restricted to simple commands toward his flying sword. It was now like an extension of his arm, reacting with thought rather than intent.
Li Qingyun narrowed his eyes. "Time to put it into practice."
—Floating Sword Array Practice
The training platform atop Clear Sky Peak was spacious, lined with old formation marks and stone pillars. Li Qingyun waved his sleeve, and a pouch of bamboo sticks flew out, embedding themselves into the ground.
With another gesture, illusion talismans activated, causing multiple copies of the bamboo poles to shift and flicker, mimicking movement. Some were cloaked in minor illusions. Others spun rapidly.
With a flick of his finger, Shadowfang shot out from behind him, humming with resonance.
The sword split into sweeping arcs, carving through targets from erratic angles. The blade spun, twisted mid-air, halted, then changed direction, striking again. Each command had once required conscious thought—now, he simply willed the motion, and the sword obeyed.
Three targets appeared simultaneously, darting across the edge of the formation like phantoms. Shadowfang weaved through them with precision, the hum of blade and air merging into a rhythm.
Li Qingyun's breath steadied. His senses were no longer solely focused on one motion—he was splitting them without disruption, managing the arc of Shadowfang, the pull of spiritual threads, and his own footwork. His mental control had clearly improved.
After the final illusion target was shredded, the sword returned to his side with a light chime.
He exhaled, chest rising and falling with a faint sheen of sweat forming across his brow.
"Much smoother than before," he muttered. "Every motion wastes less intent. My grasp is beginning to align."
But it wasn't enough.
—Mental Disruption Training
To train further, he pulled out two talismans he had bought—Soul Disruption Talismans.
When activated, they released pulses that interfered with the clarity of mental focus. It was a training tool used to simulate battlefield confusion, illusion techniques, and even minor mental assaults.
Without hesitation, he activated one and tossed it beside him.
A ringing entered his ears. The world seemed to blur slightly, like staring through rippling water. His thoughts slowed—then split. A dull ache formed between his brows.
Shadowfang hovered before him, awaiting command.
He focused.
The blade moved—but sluggishly. Its edge stuttered, its arc crooked. He narrowed his eyes, biting the inside of his cheek. Blood filled his mouth, grounding his consciousness.
Again.
The sword cut forward, slicing a passing talisman illusion.
Again.
This time it darted to the left—crisp, not perfect, but sharper.
He cycled the Tranquil Void Heart Scripture as he stood amidst the confusion. His breathing fell into the rhythm of stillness. The ache in his mind subsided, clarity slowly blooming again.
Ten minutes passed before he dismissed the talisman's effect.
Silence.
Then—he clenched his fist.
Shadowfang launched again, carving a perfect horizontal arc through two targets in one sweep. The feedback in his mind was lighter, smoother.
"That… is control under pressure," he whispered.
—Dual-Sword Utility
He withdrew the slender, jade-colored longsword from his spatial ring. Its body shimmered faintly with pale mist—it was the Cloudveil Sword, the one gifted to him by the envoy when he entered the sect. It resonated gently with the Cloudveil Sword Control Method, making it a perfect match for aerial movement.
"Flight with Cloudveil. Combat with Shadowfang," he murmured. "Balance must be precise."
With the training ground beneath Clear Sky Peak empty, Li Qingyun prepared a complex training array using illusion talismans, movement interference markers, and simulated phantom targets. It was a multi-stage setup meant to simulate sudden ambushes, mental interference, and precision sword control in motion.
He stepped lightly onto the Cloudveil Sword, which rose beneath his feet like a drifting cloud. Compared to Shadowfang's sharp and battle-hardened presence, the Cloudveil Sword moved with elegance and calm. The spiritual threads connecting him to it felt lighter, more responsive—ideal for movement rather than killing.
He willed it forward. In an instant, he was soaring across the ridges of Clear Sky Peak.
With each twist and turn, he directed the Cloudveil Sword with delicate shifts of his mental intent. Where previously it required hard mental commands, now he merely thought of a motion, and the sword adjusted, gliding leftward around a rock pillar or dropping between narrow cliffs with surgical precision.
He passed through a series of pre-marked arcs between sharp ridgelines—this time not just for speed but flow.
"Minor Completion really changes everything," he thought, noting the reduced spiritual drain and improved reaction time.
Suddenly, phantom figures shimmered into view. Sword-wielding silhouettes appeared ahead, each positioned at random distances and heights—some charging, others hidden in clouds.
Li Qingyun's expression remained calm.
With barely a gesture, Shadowfang shot forward, slicing the first phantom cleanly through the chest. Before the mist of the destroyed illusion settled, another figure emerged from above.
This time, Li Qingyun adjusted the Cloudveil Sword's angle mid-flight—dodging the attacker's descent—and then spun mid-air, grasping Shadowfang directly.
The transition was flawless.
From flight to sword combat in less than a breath.
Li Qingyun moved like a blur in the sky.
He wove between aerial obstacles, guided Shadowfang with flicks of his fingers and shifts of his spiritual sense. Each illusion attacked differently—some used swords, others cast phantom spells to disorient his senses. But with the clarity brought by the Minor Completion of his Sword Control Method and the passive support of the Tranquil Void Heart Scripture, his reactions were sharp and unwavering.
Shadowfang parried one incoming strike, twisted, and cut another illusion across its back.
Each movement was deliberate.
Each strike bore Sword Intent.
Not even the unpredictable winds at this altitude could throw off his timing.
To push the challenge further, he mentally split his focus—one half maintaining the Cloudveil Sword's trajectory and balance beneath his feet, while the other directed Shadowfang in combat.
Sweat beaded on his brow. Not from physical strain—but from the mental burden.
Still, he endured.
Shadowfang spiraled around him in a ring of cutting arcs—shattering illusions from multiple angles while Li Qingyun twisted and soared upward in a corkscrew flight motion, dodging a barrage of illusory energy blasts.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, Shadowfang returned to his grip.
He dropped into a controlled descent through three illusion targets.
Each one was cleaved cleanly.
Each strike was lethal.
When he touched down lightly upon a floating stone platform hovering in the sky—placed as part of the sect's aerial training field—he exhaled.
Li Qingyun sheathed Shadowfang and stepped off the Cloudveil Sword as it slowly hovered beside him.
His breathing was steady.
His mind sharp.
"Control in flight, and combat during motion—two halves of the same path," he said softly.
His dual sword practice had shown him the synergy possible between speed, perception, and edge.