Blind Spot
Chapter 527: Destiny 2

Chapter 527: Destiny 2

"Hold the sword firmly, but keep your heart calm. What you are practicing is the fundamental entry-level sword technique of our sect—Water Smoke Sword Technique, which is most suitable for adapting to the Faceless Sword Technique. It’s also extremely fitting for beginners."

At a corner of the Faceless Sect’s training ground, under a large green pine.

A row of children under the age of ten was being corrected one by one under the guidance of a young man in a green shirt with long hair.

The young man had a handsome appearance, with eyes like the stars shimmering faintly, and his brow seemed to be smiling at all times.

He was none other than Huo Qingkong, the number one talent of the Faceless Sword Sect.

He was also the one whom Li Chengyi suspected to be the future Faceless Scholar.

Only...this fellow had a gentle disposition, respected his elders, cherished his juniors, and was extremely well spoken of throughout the entire sect.

Li Chengyi initially thought it was just a facade, but later realized that this was truly the person’s nature.

Because he, Evil Flower, could sense Evil Thoughts at any time, yet he never felt it from Huo Qingkong.

Even Yun Chen sometimes harbored anger and evil thoughts when he was in a bad mood.

But Huo Qingkong did not.

Not at all.

While teaching a group of children who knew nothing, Huo Qingkong remained incredibly patient, seeming to greatly enjoy being with the children.

"Come, take a break. These are the candied haws I bought for you, topped with hawthorn and apples~" Huo Qingkong waited until the children, holding wooden swords clumsily and practicing until they were too exhausted, reached back and instantly pulled out a bunch of candied haws.

Eh!

Suddenly, a group of children rushed over in high spirits, but Li Chengyi and another little chubby girl stayed put, quietly contemplating the essence of the sword technique they had just practiced.

Li Chengyi was observing Huo Qingkong, while the little chubby girl had her gaze fixed on Li Chengyi.

However, the former had a look of observation, while the latter was filled with reluctance.

When Li Chengyi noticed someone staring at him and turned his head, the little chubby girl snorted coldly and turned away.

Her name was Zhao Yuan, and upon coming to the mountain, she lost her own name, just as Li Chengyi was now called Bai Lu.

The only different one was Huo Qingkong; his Taoist name was Qing Kong, derived from his real name, which showed his special treatment.

"Bai Lu, Zhao Yuan, don’t you want any?" By this time, all the candied haws had been given out, and Qing Kong looked towards the last two children.

The two were children of similar background: one a foster child of Elder Kui Ling, and the other a disciple of Elder Mu Ling. Their identities and origins were alike, their aptitudes were similar, and they both learned the basic sword techniques quickly.

There was a hint of competition between them.

Huo Qingkong found this somewhat amusing.

Bai Lu was adorable, with small deer horns starting to protrude, always tempting people to touch them.

Zhao Yuan, the little chubby girl, had pinchable cheeks and waddled as she walked, making her all the more endearing.

Teachers always favor the students with the best talent and the best results, and if looks add to that, the favoritism becomes even more evident.

Qing Kong was no different.

He held the candied haws and approached the two children.

"What, don’t you like candied haws?"

"It’s alright," replied Li Chengyi.

"I don’t like them!" Zhao Yuan answered curtly, imitating Li Chengyi’s simplicity and indifference.

"How about... this, then?"

Qing Kong smiled slightly, waved a hand behind him, and when he brought it back, he was holding two pieces of blue crystal that emitted a fluorescent glow.

"Do you like this? This is the Pure Heart Stone. It can improve consciousness and eliminate distractions."

He split the Pure Heart Stone in two and offered a piece to each of them.

"Here, take one each. Using these will make it easier to think and comprehend sword techniques, replenishing the consciousness power you’ve expended."

He truly liked the two adorable children, although he himself wasn’t much older.

These two Pure Heart Stones were resources he had scrimped from his own cultivation allowance.

In a sect like the Faceless Sword Sect that extraordinarily valued the training of consciousness power, such resources were incredibly valuable. A common disciple’s hard work for a year might only earn enough for a few pieces of Pure Heart Stone.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Qing Kong!" Li Chengyi’s eyes lit up as he quickly accepted it.

He also realized that in the Faceless Sword Sect, cultivation was mostly focused on consciousness power, with physical strength being secondary.

Their pursuit was to cultivate consciousness to the Heavenly Spirit Realm, with the physical body being secondary and expendable.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Zhao Yuan hurriedly accepted the Pure Heart Stone as well.

Feeling the strength with which Li Chengyi took the crystal, Qing Kong looked at him with a hint of surprise.

"Bai Lu, you are quite strong, but you must not neglect consciousness cultivation because of your strength. The core principle of our sect is the cultivation of consciousness. The physical body is an illusion, a boat full of weaknesses. As long as the consciousness remains, the body can be rebuilt at any time."

He instructed carefully.

"Yes, Bai Lu has learned his lesson," Li Chengyi nodded earnestly.

He had now realized that all the disciples and members of this place did not focus on physical cultivation or training, but devoted themselves entirely to the practice of their techniques.

"Both of you have a good foundation now. I’ll have to participate in the competition among the Four Sects soon, so I might not see you. Remember not to be lazy when I’m not around," Qing Kong said with a smile.

The aura around him was elusive, and just the trace that escaped made Li Chengyi feel slightly alarmed.

At just about eleven years old, Huo Qingkong’s mere presence had given him a feeling akin to facing a Yin God.

An eleven-year-old Yin God...

Tsk tsk....

Such a talent, truly terrifying to the extreme.

Thinking of the future, he could well be the predecessor of the Faceless Scholar. A shadow rose in Li Chengyi’s heart.

During his time in the sect, he had basically confirmed that Huo Qingkong was the future Faceless Scholar.

He had even sneaked to Huo Qingkong’s residence to observe, the same cottage he had explored initially.

Because of his overwhelming talent, the sect allowed Qingkong to live alone near the edge of the main hall, to avoid the influence of others and to cultivate in solitude.

And that cottage, in fact, also had a special function, being able to clear the mind and allow for greater focus.

After parting with Qingkong, Li Chengyi and the plump little Zhao Yuan each returned to their own attic abodes.

Master Kui Ling had already settled by the window of the attic, working on sewing something.

Seeing Li Chengyi return, she flashed, instantly moving to the bottom of the attic and gently embraced Li Chengyi.

"You’re back? Have you made any progress today? I’ve heard from your apprentice brother Qingkong that you’re improving very quickly."

Tsunamis of emotion seemed to engulf Li Chengyi instantly, and he involuntarily tilted his head back in an attempt to struggle free.

But despite her slender frame, Kui Ling was incredibly strong.

To be exact, none of the reclusive sword masters of the mountains were physically weak. Even if their main focus was on the power of the mind and consciousness.

With the strength of dozens of tons in one hand, she forcibly pulled Li Chengyi back into her embrace.

Even though Li Chengyi’s strength far exceeded this level, he was still just an eight or nine-year-old child.

If he were to use hundreds or even thousands of tons of Giant Strength... it would be too easy to expose his mysterious past.

So he could only resist passively, enduring Kui Ling’s tight embrace and the neurotic melody of some baby song she had seemingly learned from nowhere.

"There, there, all your weariness and troubles fly away." Kui Ling doted on Li Chengyi, kissing his deer-horn-like hair.

Fly my ass!

Li Chengyi thought to himself helplessly.

Having spent quite some time with her, he faintly felt that Kui Ling might have some mental issues.

To be precise, it was not just her; the entire Faceless Sword Sect seemed to have similar issues.

Emotional volatility.

And... once they set their sights on a goal, they became somewhat obsessive.

He was unsure of the reasons, but with Kui Ling, it was particularly evident.

"Come, Yun Chen and Tie Zhu searched for a long time for materials, and I’ve spent a long time sewing this just for you."

Kui Ling held Li Chengyi in an embrace, instantly moving back to the second floor of the attic.

She took a sky blue pouch embroidered with silver threads from the table and happily placed it in Li Chengyi’s hands.

"Take a look at this."

"What is this, Mother?" Li Chengyi had by now shamelessly gotten used to addressing her as such.

"Oh, this. Have you ever noticed, although our sect is a Sword Sect, no one seems to carry swords?" Kui Ling embraced Li Chengyi, placing him softly on her lap as she spoke gently.

"That’s true." Li Chengyi thought back and indeed, while the lower-level disciples carried swords, he had never seen the stewards or elders carrying swords.

"The reason is this." Kui Ling tapped the pouch gently, her beautiful eyes revealing a hint of tenderness.

"This is a Sword Nurturing Pouch. One of the reasons why the Faceless Sword Technique is so powerful lies in this item. The Sword Technique has a matching Sword Nurturing Technique that can turn any ordinary sword into a divine weapon. And this pouch is for concealing and nurturing swords."

"Is this for me?" Li Chengyi’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Of course it’s for you. This is a special Sword Nurturing Pouch I made from my own hair. No matter where you are, as long as you encounter danger, I can sense your location through this and come to rescue you quickly." Kui Ling said earnestly.

"Mother! I love you so much!!" Li Chengyi’s face showed an expression of joy.

Damn... I’m about to vomit myself...

Despite feeling nauseated at his own calling, this was the first time he had encountered a treasure akin to a space pouch, and he was genuinely delighted.

"Come, let Mother rub your face!" Seeing his reaction, Kui Ling’s maternal instincts kicked in, and she hugged him and began to rub his cheeks vigorously.

After rubbing Li Chengyi’s cheeks until they were red and almost swollen, she finally let go.

"Alright, let’s all cool down a bit." Kui Ling smoothed her hanging hair.

Li Chengyi was obviously very calm; it was she who was not...

"Using the Sword Nurturing Pouch is simple. You’ve mastered the introductory sword techniques, and next you’ll start officially learning the Faceless Sword Technique. The first step in the technique includes the Sword Nurturing Technique, which you will use to nurture the blade you wish to enhance."

"There’s no restriction on the choice of sword blade, but ideally, it should be made from durable and sturdy material. You might want to try with a basic blade first. Nurturing a sword consumes the Consciousness Power that you cultivate, also known as Divine Intention. So when you feel your spirit is weary and unable to maintain, make sure to stop immediately; otherwise, you might suffer from consciousness collapse, fainting, and injury."

Kui Ling carefully cautioned.

Li Chengyi nodded, but his thoughts inevitably drifted to the blades he could possibly nurture.

The abundance of Golden Swords from the Gladiolus Floral Dress and the one-time magical Evil Thoughts sword, the Yinglong Sword, could qualify.

Both should be suitable.

Especially the Yinglong Sword, whose power he no longer fully utilized. However, just on its own, the sword was still quite extraordinary. Judged purely on the blade itself, it was a divine weapon.

If he could nurture and enhance its power....

And then there were the Golden Swords from the Gladiolus Floral Dress, which could increase in hardness and strength along with his own physical condition. These might be even better for nurturing.

"Remember, a Sword Nurturing Pouch can only nurture one sword at a time. You can only choose another after the previous one is damaged. And if the sword blade is damaged, your spirit will suffer. You must be careful." Kui Ling’s reminder echoed once again.