The weapon cultivator caught sight of his companion fighting a female sword cultivator. His eyes narrowed as he realized,
"I didn't expect… both of them are sword cultivators," he muttered while facing the enemy sword cultivator.
He spun sharply, channeling his qi into his blade. Lightning gathered, forming a crescent arc.
"Thunderclap Arc!"
The strike shot forward, a blade of lightning tearing across the air toward male sword cultivator.
---Thunderclap Arc: Channels lightning qi into a wide arc slash that releases a visible lightning crescent toward the enemy. ---
He did not retreat. Instead, Madara stepped forward and swung his sword diagonally.
"Sword Qi Slash!"
A wave of condensed sword qi surged out, colliding directly with the lightning crescent. The impact exploded midair, sending dust and debris scattering across the prairie.
The Thunder God Sect disciple advanced without pause. Using Storm Flash Step, he disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared at Madara's flank. His blade whipped around in a swift backhand slash, brimming with lightning qi.
Madara reacted immediately. His sword angled precisely at the last moment, catching the strike and redirecting it past his torso.
The disciple's face darkened as he thought to himself,
"He isn't even using a movement technique, yet he can still keep up with me and avoid my strikes."
Their weapons clashed again and again. Lightning-charged slashes and qi-powered strikes pressed against Madara's steady defenses. Every attack was met with exact timing—clean parries, sharp cuts, and quick adjustments in footwork.
Throughout the exchange, Madara remained composed, his expression unchanged. His movements were measured, his responses controlled, never allowing the enemy's speed to overwhelm him.
...
When Luo Feiyan caught a glimpse of Madara's battle, she quickly realized that each time he unleashed a Sword Qi Slash, he deliberately struck the ground where the Dawn Dew Orchid grew. Recognition flickered in her eyes—this was a tactic they had once used during a mission. Understanding his intent, she too began subtly guiding her Gentle Breeze Slash to strike the ground while keeping her opponent occupied.
The body cultivator countered with a pair of Stormfist blows, his movements wild and unpredictable. Yet Luo Feiyan's swordsmanship was unwavering. At the final instant, her sword tilted into a slanted guard, diverting the force aside as she slipped into his blind spot. With a sudden surge of wind beneath her steps, she thrust forward with Light Gale Pierce. The sword strike tore through the air with a piercing whistle. The body cultivator twisted away in haste, but the blade still grazed his waist, slicing into his robe and leaving another shallow cut.
---
_____
Minutes passed as the clash dragged on, both sides locked in a relentless cycle of attack and counterattack. Lightning erupted in blinding bursts, wind roared with each sudden strike, and the dust beneath their feet churned violently under the force of their blows.
_____
---
The body cultivator's robe bore several slashes, with faint blood seeping at the edges, yet his strikes still came dangerously close. Luo Feiyan's breathing had grown heavier, but her sword remained steady, her eyes fixed firmly on him.
She noticed that the attacks she and Madara had been striking onto the ground—where the spiritual flower was rooted—had formed a square-shaped pattern around it. From this, she was certain that with one more powerful, precise strike near the flower, it would emerge on its own. She muttered quietly, "I hope this works…"
When the body cultivator charged with a lightning-coated fist, she met him directly, her sword rotating in a circular motion to redirect his blow. The force dispersed into the air with a loud crack.
Seeing that she was still standing, the body cultivator immediately used Storm Flash Step, reappearing with his Stormfist ready, and struck at her again.
---Stormfist: Fists wrapped in lightning qi that explode with electrical force upon hitting a target. ---
Luo Feiyan once again used her Wind Cutter Step to evade the strike. Step by step, she drew closer to where the spiritual flower was rooted. At the same time, the body cultivator launched another Stormfist at her.
"You're finished!" he shouted.
_____
...
Meanwhile, the weapon cultivator unleashed another Thunder Edge Slash, his eagerness to break through the sword cultivator's defense causing him to overextend. Madara's sword met the strike with a smooth twist, redirecting the force downward. In the same instant, he stepped into the enemy's guard, and with a flash of steel, his sword drew a clean, precise cut across the weapon cultivator's head.
...
_____
Once again, Luo Feiyan evaded. When the body cultivator's fist struck the ground, she stepped back to the right. From behind his left side, the Dawn Dew Orchid suddenly bounced upward from the soil. While it was still midair, Luo Feiyan swiftly aimed her storage ring at it.
Because of her quick action, the body cultivator turned his head slightly. "Fuck," he muttered, realizing what had appeared behind him. With his current stance and the suddenness of the moment, he could neither seize the spiritual flower nor stop the female sword cultivator.
_____
...
On the other side, the blade cultivator stumbled back, clutching the side of his head in shock. With the speed of the counterattack, he had no time to block the close-range strike, so he quickly sidestepped to the left while activating Storm Flash Step.
Seeing what the weapon cultivator had done, Madara swiftly backstepped and used his Body Flicker Technique to leave the area, for he saw that his partner had successfully obtained the Dawn Dew Orchid.
...
When the weapon cultivator appeared a short distance away, he felt a sharp pain in his right ear. Touching it, he realized it felt incomplete. Looking at his hand, he saw it was stained with blood.
"I didn't expect to be hit by that attack," he muttered.
Meanwhile, after Luo Feiyan retrieved the Dawn Dew Orchid and landed on the ground, she used her Wind Cutter Step to retreat from the area. The body cultivator was about to pursue her when someone spoke from behind.
"Lei Han, don't chase them."
Turning around, he saw his companion, Jian Yu, bloodied and holding his right ear.
"Jian Yu… your ear…"
Lei Han stopped speaking. Jian Yu said,
"I know," as he looked at his severed ear in his hand.
"What about our mission? The Dawn Dew Orchid only appears here once a month," Lei Han asked.
"There's nothing we can do but wait again," Jian Yu replied.
Hearing this, Lei Han growled in frustration,
"Bullshit… I didn't even get a chance to punish that woman."
"It's not the last encounter with those two. The sect tournament will take place two years from now," Jian Yu said, his gaze fixed in the distance, watching where the pair had fled.
...
As they ran together, Luo Feiyan spoke to him.
"I got it, Madara."
Madara responded to her, and as she glanced at him, she noticed that his robe showed no sign of blood or tears—only smudges of dirt along the hem of his sect robe. In contrast, her own robe was stained with dirt along the sleeves.
Several hours later, Luo Feiyan did not expect him to speak to her about her sword intent.
"Congrats, you've developed your own sword intent," he said.
"Thanks," Luo Feiyan replied. When Madara stopped looking at her and focused on their path ahead, she secretly allowed a small smile to appear on her lips.
That night, while lying on one of the tree's branches, Madara recalled the movement techniques used by the two mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivators.
"They both follow the concept of the Body Flicker Technique, the only difference being it's under the lightning element. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a technique here similar to those in the Narutoverse (technique)," he thought.
...
At the same time, within one of the courtyards, Elder Sect Tian Xu furrowed his brow and asked,
"What exactly happened? "
After recovering from their injuries, Lei Han recounted the full sequence of events. When he finished, the elder's eyes narrowed, and his lips pressed into a thin line, a trace of concern flickering across his features.
"I never expected there to be sword cultivators within the Heavenly Dao Sect," he murmured, his voice low and tense.
His gaze then drifted toward the door of the room he occupied. His fingers twitched slightly as he muttered to himself.
"And that's not all. Judging from their battle experience, one of the sword cultivators who faced Jian Yu is exceptionally skilled in swordsmanship. On top of that, his sword intent far surpasses that of the woman who confronted Lei Han."
He paused, eyes narrowing further, as if weighing the threat and calculating the implications for the upcoming sect tournament.
...
Inside the sect elder's quarters, a man sat in meditation, wearing a soft green garment with pale blue accents. The wide sleeves fluttered lightly, the outfit was designed for ease of movement, and subtle wave patterns were embroidered across the fabric. A small emblem of intertwined water and tree motifs adorned his chest.
Moments later, a green circular formation appeared beneath him, and along its edge, characters slowly rotated in a counterclockwise direction.
As the symbols on the circle began to spin faster, a figure resembling the man materialized above him, formed from qi. The figure then used the Mirror Soul Weaver Technique on his patient, who remained in a meditative position in front of him.
Mirror Soul Weaver (镜魂织术): A healing technique that summons a figure of the user above them, which uses luminous soul-threads to reattach severed limbs and organs with flawless precision, restoring meridians and qi flow as if the injury had never occurred. ---
...
"Luckily, one of the elders from the Verdant Tide Sect happened to be here in our sect to restore his severed ear," added Elder Sect Tian Xu.
...
After several days, as the sun began to set, Madara and Luo Feiyan returned to their sect. At the same time, they went to the mission hall to hand over the Dawn Dew Orchid and received the corresponding sect points for completing the mission.
Several months passed, and Madara had finally accumulated the required sect points to purchase the technique from the Contribution Exchange Pavilion. That morning, as he stepped out of his quarters, he noticed that the trees planted near the male quarters were starting to shed their leaves. "So, autumn has begun," he thought.
He took the Balance of Heaven and Earth Technique book and handed it to the attendant of the Contribution Exchange Pavilion. In return, he was given a token, which he was instructed to show to the guard on the second floor of the library. When he arrived at the library's second floor, he presented the token to the guard stationed at the staircase.
---Balance of Heaven and Earth Technique: Is the evolved form of the Yin-Yang Qi Absorption Technique. While the beginner method only refines Yin and Yang energies inside the body, this art connects the cultivator's internal cycle to the grand rhythm of Heaven and Earth itself. By aligning their qi with the natural balance of the world, practitioners harmonize Yin and Yang far more efficiently, drawing strength not only from the surrounding qi but also from the cosmic resonance of the sun, moon, stars, mountains, rivers, and sky.---
When the guard saw the token, he allowed Madara to ascend, but before passing, he warned,
"You have only one day to return the book."
Hearing this, Madara nodded and proceeded to the library's second floor. Upon arriving, he saw two rooms: one marked with the characters for low grade and another for mid-grade. Entering the Mid-Grade room, the first thing he noticed was its size—it was much larger than the rooms on the first floor. As he walked around, he saw rows of neatly arranged bookshelves and made his way to the technique he was seeking.
After locating the Balance of Heaven and Earth Technique, he exited the library and returned to his quarters to study it. Several hours later, Madara returned the book to the library and handed the token back to the Contribution Exchange Pavilion attendant.
The next morning, after finishing his morning routine, Madara went to the mission hall to meet his partner. When Luo Feiyan received the Task Medallion, she read the inscription: "Proceed to the Inner Gate of the sect."
---Inner Gate (内门): The separation between outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples. ---