Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 290 - Two Hundred and Fifteen: The Prelude to Sword Essence_2

Chapter 290: Chapter Two Hundred and Fifteen: The Prelude to Sword Essence_2

Shade is a welcomed relief beneath a large tree.

Xu Yuan had spent countless silver taels on his cultivation, especially after returning to the Imperial Capital. The total cost had already reached four hundred thousand taels.

There might not be a second person in the world who consumed medicinal pills like he did, not even the Crown Prince.

Looking at the long run, the cultivation resources he had used were enough to train several Great Grandmasters, yet they had only served to rapidly increase the cultivation level of his mediocre self.

If he continued to consume pills at this rate to reach the Third Grade Great Master level, it would cost at least a million silver taels from his father’s wealth.

Feng Jiuxuan was not sure if it was possible, but he became slightly interested and said,

"The sword technique you used just now has some tricks to it, almost as if you teleported over."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan smiled,

"It was created by a genius with exceptional natural talent, indeed very powerful."

Feng Jiuxuan asked directly,

"A genius with exceptional natural talent?"

Xu Yuan smiled faintly, "That’s Qin Mo, the one who was previously killed by Xu Changge in Jingjiang Prefecture."

"That remnant of a massacred village? To create such a technique with an Eighth Grade cultivation..."

Feng Jiuxuan’s eyes took on a trace of solemnity, "Among those of the same rank, your brother might not be his match, and had he been allowed to grow, he truly would have posed a great threat."

Xu Yuan spread his hands,

"Dead men don’t grow."

The two figures stood on the rooftop, under the clear sky, with the gentle breeze of early summer blowing.

Feng Jiuxuan’s slender eyes showed a hint of amusement. He didn’t dwell on this topic, but rather asked,

"Changtian, are you ready now?"

Xu Yuan was a bit puzzled,

"Huh? Ready for what? Uncle, didn’t you tell me to find you after I made my breakthrough to Grade Fifth?"

The look in Feng Jiuxuan’s eyes became peculiar,

"Didn’t Changge tell you?"

"..."

Xu Yuan’s eyelid twitched, and he replied firmly, "No."

Feng Jiuxuan seemed to understand something, giving his nephew a helpless look. He patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder, leapt off the building with a jump,

"All the same, you’ll understand once it starts. Come on down first."

The Sword Pavilion was forty zhang high and was the highest building in the Prime Minister’s Mansion, containing countless divine weapons inside.

Xu Yuan didn’t rush to jump; his strength didn’t allow it. Standing at the edge, he peaked down at the distance to the ground.

It could probably kill forty demon hunters, but it shouldn’t kill him.

With that thought, Xu Yuan carefully made a few shifts and landed heavily on the ground.

In front of the Sword Pavilion was a huge training field, about the size of two soccer fields combined.

This place was also a forbidden area within the Prime Minister’s Mansion, reserved solely for Feng Jiuxuan to practice sword techniques.

After all, it was the dojo of a Sword Saint.

Once on the ground,

Xu Yuan’s feet were a bit numb. He looked up to see Feng Jiuxuan standing in the middle of the training field, staring at him calmly and said,

"Changtian, try swinging your sword at me."

"Swing my sword?"

Xu Yuan was slightly perplexed, asking quietly, "Like the time in the Inner Court before?"

Feng Jiuxuan shook his head, his voice soft,

"Swing it however you wish; as long as you can swing your sword at me, Changtian, you may use the Soul Power of Luo Daofan."

Upon hearing this, although Xu Yuan was still somewhat confused, he didn’t ask further questions. He first estimated the distance between them.

The distance to his uncle was about twenty zhang.

Might as well stick with the old routine.

Step Void Slash + Blood Ink Jade.

Having made up his mind, Xu Yuan held the Qingyu Sword level with his chest, staring at Feng Jiuxuan who was not far off, pressing his thumb on the hilt of the sword.

The moment their gazes locked,

Xu Yuan suddenly felt as though he were flying, and during this flight, he saw a headless body dressed in blood-soaked clothes.

The view plunged into darkness.....

...

...

...

Time passed unknowingly,

Waking from unconsciousness, the first thing he saw was a luxuriant starry sky.

Beautiful.

But that intense terror of utter death lingered in Xu Yuan’s body.

It wasn’t near death, but the despair of being utterly dead.

Enduring the discomfort in his heart, Xu Yuan slowly sat up,

"Ha...huff... Did I just die...? No, that’s not possible, my uncle wouldn’t kill me..."

"Awake?" came Feng Jiuxuan’s indifferent voice from not too far away.

Xu Yuan shifted his gaze, looking at him, his voice trembling uncontrollably,

"Uncle... Uncle, what... what was that just now?"

Feng Jiuxuan smiled faintly, his voice gentle,

"It’s a way of using sword intent."

Xu Yuan remembered the illusions he experienced with Big Ice Lump and Ying’er just before the transition.

One time beheading, one time amputation.

Barely supporting himself to stand up, Xu Yuan ventured to ask,

"I experienced this feeling on Ran Qingmo and Ying’er, before I began cultivation, but I remember it shouldn’t have felt real."

Feng Jiuxuan shook his head, his eyes soft:

"It’s different. What you’re talking about is probably just an illusion caused by pressure, while my ’will’ can directly inflict damage on people."

To kill a person with a single glance.

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then asked:

"Uncle, did you ask me to reach Soul Condensation before coming here because you were worried about my will-spirit collapsing?"

"That was one of the considerations."

Feng Jiuxuan nodded and pointed to the Qingyu Sword lying on the side: "Let’s continue."

Xu Yuan stood obediently in place, not moving.

Seeing this, Feng Jiuxuan chuckled:

"Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you. This is to train your perception of ’will’."

Xu Yuan still didn’t move.

What a joke, he wasn’t stupid. Picking it up would probably mean another relocation for his head.

After a pause,

Xu Yuan asked with a forced smile, treading carefully:

"Uncle, weren’t we supposed to practice swordsmanship? And what about that something from Tianmen Mountain, the sword essence..."

"You have to perceive the ’will’ first before you can wield the sword essence," Feng Jiuxuan explained. "And once you grasp this, you won’t be caught off guard by others’ moves coming right at you."

"...."

Xu Yuan still didn’t move, glancing around him.

Feng Jiuxuan said with a smile:

"Changtian, stop looking around. Pick up the sword. Your father has entrusted you to me, and even if he comes to intervene, it’ll be pointless.

"Here, I call the shots."

"...."

After a few moments of silence,

Xu Yuan eventually chose to bend down to pick up the sword, guessing that avoiding eye contact with his formidable uncle might make things a bit easier.

Just as he thought that, the moment he picked up the sword, he vanished again.

...

...

...

Ten days later,

Xu Yuan realized that besides experiencing various ways to die, he couldn’t detect what his uncle referred to as ’will’ at all.

Once awake again,

and seeing Feng Jiuxuan still standing motionless at the center of the field, Xu Yuan greatly missed his elder brother Xu Changge.

This uncle, his strikes were even more ruthless than Xu Changge’s!

With the moon high in the sky, Xu Yuan sat collapsed on the field,

his head chopped off so many times that his mentality had started to shift a bit.

In short, he was beginning to let go.

After a moment of silence,

Xu Yuan suddenly said in his heart:

"Old Man Luo, how do I break this?!"

This uncle also said that he could borrow Old Man Luo’s strength.

Although he was down on his luck now, the old man was a Saint, after all; he should have a way to cope.

Old Man Luo’s reply was quite straightforward:

"Simple, have your uncle not aim directly for your head. Experience it a few more times and you’ll be fine."

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what it sounds like."

"....."

After a brief silence, Xu Yuan asked in his heart:

"If it were you dodging, could you avoid it?"

"Of course, the ’will’ your uncle is using is something you can avoid now."

"Then can you control my body to dodge it?" Xu Yuan said.

Old Man Luo’s voice took on a strange tone:

"Would that be meaningful?"

"At least demonstrate it."

"Fine then, relax."

The old man agreed readily, his voice tinged with a hint of eagerness:

"I’d like to see just how strong these young lads are today."

"...."

Feng Jiuxuan, who had been standing in the middle of the field waiting for Xu Yuan to get up, suddenly raised his eyebrows, saying nothing, but his gaze on Xu Yuan revealed a trace of interest.

In the silence,

Old Man Luo leisurely picked up the Qingyu Sword from the ground.

In silence,

the sword in his hand tilted slightly upward, as if bracing for something.

Unfortunately, Xu Yuan, this noob, couldn’t see it.

Under Old Man Luo’s control, the chill on the sword’s blade danced like a butterfly in the moonlight.

Suddenly,

the previously motionless uncle slightly tilted his head, seeming to dodge something flying past.

And this time, Xu Yuan caught a glimpse of it.

It wasn’t energy, but an indescribable shadowy figure.