Chapter 8: There's Nothing to Fear

The night at the Sword Peak was very quiet. On the vast mountain top, there were only three disciples. Under the moonlight, the green sword aura weaved through the bamboo forest, finally landing in Xu Sui's hands.

"It truly deserves to be a spiritual treasure. Without this commanding feeling, it would take some time to master the God Sky Sword Technique," Xu Sui remarked.

"You are being modest. Your deficiency lies in spiritual roots, not your own comprehension," Li Qingyi replied.

The cold moonlight shone on Li Qingyi. The mountain breeze lifted the corners of her clothes, making her look like a fairy from mythology, capable of ascending to the heavens with a light tiptoe.

Xu Sui's comprehension was indeed outstanding. Whether it was low-level spells or the inherited technique of the Thunder Pool in his palm, he quickly grasped them all.

Such performance strengthened Li Qingyi's determination to find celestial treasures. While leaving tomorrow might serve as an excuse to gather resources for the future, there was another purpose – to inquire about information on celestial treasures in Youzhou City.

Although Youzhou City belonged to the mortal realm, many wandering cultivators gathered there, making it well-informed.

However, what concerned Li Qingyi at the moment was something else.

"Are you planning to do something dangerous recently?" Li Qingyi noticed a detail during their conversation. Xu Sui's enthusiasm for learning was exceptionally high, unlike when learning other techniques in the past.

Considering that the God Sky Sword Technique was meant for killing enemies, Xu Sui must be planning something risky to be so focused.

"Master discerned it?" Xu Sui briefly recounted the events of the day, acknowledging the sharpness of Li Qingyi.

Despite Li Qingyi appearing younger than Xu Sui, she was a several hundred-year-old monster. Compared to that, Xu Sui was just a 26-year-old child.

"Thud~" Women are always sensitive about age. Li Qingyi, being an out-of-body stage cultivator, had even stronger intuition. She lightly flicked Xu Sui's head with her fingers, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Don't complain in your heart. As for the matter of entering the Cloud Dream Marsh, be cautious." Seeing the small bump quickly swelling on Xu Sui's head, Li Qingyi felt a bit sorry.

She gracefully moved to Xu Sui's side, and with a finger like sheep-fat white jade, gently massaged the swollen area. With the influx of spiritual energy, the pain and swelling quickly subsided.

"Besides, you have life-saving means on you."

"What life-saving means do I have?" Xu Sui, who was enjoying the massage from his master, was taken aback by this question.

The things the system picked up were completely beyond Xu Sui's control. Currently, it couldn't be considered his life-saving means. Apart from the system, Xu Sui had no other possessions.

"What's the function of the disciple token from Mount Lofu?" Li Qingyi continued.

"It serves as proof of identity, a medium for the soul lamp, and... the protection of the master." In fact, the effects of sect tokens were quite similar across sects. Besides being proof of identity, they were also connected to the soul lamp. A drop of blood could establish this connection. If the disciple died, the soul lamp would extinguish.

The last function could only be utilized by major sects like Mount Lofu. For some promising talented disciples, the master would implant a strand of consciousness in their token. In critical moments, the master could sense danger and rush to the disciple's aid.

"But such means are usually reserved for disciples worthy of cultivation. When did Master use it..." Xu Sui was puzzled.

"From the beginning." According to the sect rules, disciples of Mount Lofu generally received their tokens when reaching the Qi Refining stage. Due to Xu Sui's poor spiritual root aptitude, he didn't step into the Qi Refining stage for a long time. This gave Li Qingyi the opportunity to observe his character.

Thus, before Xu Sui received the token, there was already a life-saving method embedded within it. Xu Sui's soul lamp was even placed on Li Qingyi's bedside, a daily reminder to check it a few times for peace of mind.

"Go back and contemplate. Use your spiritual energy to temper the flying sword regularly, so you can handle it well in battle." After the small bump on Xu Sui's head completely subsided, Li Qingyi left with these words, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

At this moment, Xu Sui remained in place, carefully sensing the sensation on his head. When the warmth completely dissipated, he finally made a certain decision.

"If my aptitude was poor before, it's understandable. But now that my aptitude has improved, I can't lag behind Master."

Returning to his small bamboo building, Xu Sui directly took out the damaged Snow Silkworm White Silk from the storage space, intending to comprehend the sword intent on it.

It was only a risk of being considered eccentric. This level of risk was much smaller than practicing the Evil Expelling Sword Technique. Others might say "cut when it needs to be cut" for sword practice, but what did Xu Sui have to fear?

"There's nothing to fear anymore."

As Xu Sui infused spiritual energy into the Snow Silkworm White Silk, strands of sword intent were activated. This mysterious and profound feeling surrounded him, instantly unraveling and mastering Xu Sui's doubts about the God Sky Sword Technique.

If the God Sky Sword Technique was compared to a treasure trove, Xu Sui now held a universal key. He freely roamed within this treasure trove, making his comprehension of the God Sky Sword Technique progress by leaps and bounds. The nearby Green Silk Sword seemed to sense something, emitting a crisp sword hum and dancing around Xu Sui.

"This sword intent seems extremely similar to the God Sky Sword Technique Master transmitted. Could it be a hidden treasure?" 

According to common sense, even if the sword intent on the stockings came from an out-of-body cultivator, low-level cultivators could only reference it but not completely accept it due to differences in mindset and swordsmanship. Otherwise, they would be bound by the predecessors' constraints, making it difficult to surpass them in the future.

However, this sword intent seemed as if Li Qingyi personally imparted it, allowing Xu Sui to quickly and effortlessly grasp the God Sky Sword Technique. This dilemma haunted Xu Sui until the sword intent dissipated. He carefully examined the stockings, suddenly feeling a sense of familiarity.

"This... should just be the same style." A bad premonition arose in Xu Sui's heart. Recalling the scene under the hazy moonlight, Li Qingyi seemed to be wearing this style of stockings.

Coupled with this sword intent, could it be...

"I must hide it; otherwise, my cultivation life may end prematurely."

"Remember that you're going to the Cloud Dream Marsh tomorrow. I've prepared something to avoid the miasma for you..."

Before Xu Sui could hide the things in his hands, Li Qingyi pushed open the door of the small bamboo building. Even though Xu Sui reacted with the fastest reflexes of his life, the perception of an out-of-body cultivator was extremely keen. How could he mistake his own personal belongings?

The next moment, a bone-chilling coldness filled the entire small bamboo building.