Longevity Martial Arts: Grinding Experience in the Chaotic World Chapter 1299 673: Sword Qi (2)

Tang Zhiyuan offered a nod, then unexpectedly inquired.

"And what about Ling Xiao? Do you intend to confront him together?"

Ke Yucheng responded with a shake of his head.

"Ling Xiao has been immersed in seclusion lately, and… I also have the distinct feeling that he poses an even greater threat than Gu Sheng. Let us deal with one adversary at a time."

As these two individuals were hatching their schemes, within a different cave dwelling situated on Three Days Peak, Wang Yuchen was engrossed in meditation, seated in the lotus position at the heart of a Spirit Gathering Array, with Spiritual Power swirling vibrantly around him.

Ever since his decisive defeat at the hands of Ling Xiao, he had resolutely secluded himself, dedicating all his efforts to bitter cultivation, driven by an unwavering vow to eradicate the humiliation he had endured.

"Ling Xiao… Gu Sheng…"

Wang Yuchen gritted his teeth, his hands fluidly executing a series of intricate spell seals as torrents of Spiritual Power surged forcefully through his meridians.

Abruptly, a sequence of gentle knocks upon the cave entrance shattered the intensity of his cultivation.

"Who is it?!"

Wang Yuchen’s eyes snapped open, blazing with a furious, bloodshot glare.

The sheer audacity of his cultivation being interrupted threatened to unleash a tempest of rage.

"Senior Brother Wang, it is I, Liang Yu, a newly joined disciple. I have a matter of significant importance to report."

A voice, tinged with both respect and palpable unease, emanated from beyond the sealed entrance.

"A new disciple?"

Wang Yuchen let out a chilling, sardonic laugh. With a flick of his sleeve, the substantial stone door boomed open, and an invisible force unceremoniously yanked the hapless newcomer inside, slamming him onto the cold, unyielding stone floor.

Liang Yu experienced a disorienting blur before finding himself violently deposited on the ground. Despite the searing pain, he scrambled to his feet, managing a bow.

"Senior Brother Wang, I implore you, please restrain your anger. I truly have an urgent matter…"

"A fledgling who has just barely passed the basic entry trials, what pressing matter could possibly necessitate such a disturbance?"

Wang Yuchen gazed down upon Liang Yu with an air of profound condescension, releasing his formidable Spiritual Power pressure without any semblance of restraint.

Cold beads of sweat trickled down Liang Yu’s forehead, yet he stood his ground, determined.

"It pertains to the genuine identities of Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao…"

Deep within the secluded cavern of Xuanming Divine Mountain.

Gu Sheng was seated in a cross‑legged posture, his bare upper torso glistening with fine droplets of sweat, catching the dim illumination with a bronzed, metallic sheen. The tattered remnants of clothing scattered around the immediate vicinity served as silent testament to the sheer ferocity of his recent cultivation session.

"Hah!"

With a guttural shout, a multitude of razor‑sharp tendrils of Sword Qi erupted forth from Gu Sheng's body, etching deep, varied gashes into the surrounding stone walls.

Fragments of rock rained down, dust swirled into a thick cloud, and the entire cave structure emitted a faint, resonant tremor.

Gu Sheng’s eyes suddenly snapped open, unleashing two palpable beams of Sword Intent that shot forth like piercing daggers, effortlessly slicing through the formidable thickness of the mountain wall.

With a deafening roar, two immense, bottomless craters were violently excavated just outside the cave’s entrance, sending colossal plumes of dust soaring towards the heavens.

"Cough, cough… Gu Sheng! Can you, for the love of all that is sacred, show a little more caution?!"

From a short distance away, Ling Xiao found himself violently gasping for air, choked by the dense, acrid smoke. He had no recourse but to forcibly extricate himself from his deep cultivation state.

He casually waved his sleeve, dispersing the suffocating dust to reveal a strikingly handsome countenance etched with an expression of utter helplessness.

Only then did Gu Sheng become aware of his own disheveled state. He sheepishly rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"My apologies, I momentarily lost control."

Ling Xiao’s gaze swept appreciatively over Gu Sheng’s bare torso, a mocking smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"Do tell, this marks the third instance this month alone, does it not? Don’t try to tell me you harbor some peculiar masochistic tendencies, do you?"

"Be gone with you!"

Gu Sheng retorted with a hearty laugh, retrieving a fresh set of form-fitting black attire from his Storage Ring and proceeding to don it.

"When one cultivates the Heavenly Sorrow Sword Art, Sword Qi inevitably leaks outwards. Clothing being shredded is merely a standard consequence."

Ling Xiao curled his lip in skepticism and casually tossed a jug of exquisite Spiritual Wine towards Gu Sheng.

"Right. You’re simply the type who disregards their own life and death during cultivation."

Gu Sheng deftly caught the jug and, tilting his head back, took a long, deep draught. The potent, fiery liquid flowed smoothly down his throat, effectively dispelling the lingering chill of residual Sword Qi that coursed through his being.

He brought the back of his hand to wipe away the moisture from his lips, his eyes Glimmering with an intense light.

"And what about your progress? How fares that Heavenly Rank Martial Technique you’ve been diligently practicing?"

"Currently at the First Level of Great Success."

Ling Xiao gave the wine jug a slight shake, his tone betraying a subtle, yet undeniable, sense of pride.

"While I may not possess your prodigious, almost monstrous, talent, I still stand among the elite of my peers."

Gu Sheng emitted a low chuckle at this assertion and raised a single finger.

"One Heavenly Rank Martial Technique, perfected at the First Level."

He then paused, raising a second finger.

"Additionally, an Earth Rank Martial Technique, also perfected at its First Level."

"What?!"

Ling Xiao nearly choked on his wine, his eyes widening in sheer astonishment.

"Since when did you acquire yet another Earth Rank Martial Technique?"

"While you were utterly fixated on mastering that Phantom Step technique."

A cunning glint flickered within Gu Sheng’s eyes.

"So, perhaps you’d be amenable to a sparring session?"

Ling Xiao hastily waved his hands in a gesture of emphatic refusal.

"Spare me, I beg you. Engaging in a spar with a veritable monster like yourself is tantamount to inviting certain defeat and humiliation."

He sighed, a subtle undercurrent of envy coloring his tone.

"I truly don't grasp your cultivation methods. We joined the Sect at the same time..."

Gu Sheng merely offered a smile without a reply, taking another drink of wine. Only he was aware that those solitary nights spent training, those precarious moments on the brink of life and death, were the price paid for his current accomplishments.

"Right."

Ling Xiao abruptly lowered his voice. "Do you want to venture out tonight? If we remain cultivating in this cave, our very bones will grow stiff."

A fighting spirit ignited in Gu Sheng's eyes. "That's precisely what I was considering. Direct combat is the ultimate test of one's prowess."

The two men exchanged a knowing look, then tapped their wine flasks together in unspoken agreement. "However, we must exercise extreme caution," Ling Xiao stated, his expression turning grim. "Xuanming Divine Mountain is no sanctuary like the training grounds within the Sect. The Demon Beasts here are ruthlessly savage. I heard that just last month, three Core Disciples met their demise halfway up the mountain."

Gu Sheng nodded, his gaze drifting towards the cave's entrance, where the sky was slowly deepening into twilight. "The training regimens of Qinghe Holy Land are inherently brutal. Only those capable of enduring this harsh environment can truly be called experts."

"Speaking of which," Ling Xiao confided further, his voice hushed, "have you heard? There have been recent rumblings near the mountaintop. Whispers suggest that traces of Xuanming True Water have been discovered."

Gu Sheng's pupils constricted infinitesimally. Xuanming True Water, a legendary celestial treasure; a single drop possessed the power to purge marrow and cleanse meridians, a coveted prize that countless cultivators yearned to possess.

"Is this intelligence trustworthy?"

"There's an eighty percent probability of its veracity." Ling Xiao moistened his lips. "But ascending to the mountaintop now is exceptionally perilous. Reports indicate the presence of Fourth Rank Demon Beasts."

Gu Sheng contemplated for a moment. "To ensure our safety, it would be prudent to confine our activities to the mountainside for a few days. Once we have a grasp of the situation, we can then contemplate venturing upwards."

As the duo discussed their plans, concealed behind a colossal boulder several hundred meters away, two pairs of chilling eyes were fixed intently in the direction of the cave.

"Those two fools actually dare to go out under the cover of night," Tang Zhiyuan stammered, a tremor of apprehension in his voice. "The nights on Xuanming Divine Mountain are at least ten times more lethal than the days."

Ke Yucheng, standing beside him, let out a cold chuckle. "It would be for the best if they met their end devoured by a Demon Beast, sparing us the effort of dispatching them ourselves."

Tang Zhiyuan turned his head to peer at his companion. "By the way, where did you procure such a substantial number of points to acquire these Concealment Talismans? A single one costs fifty points!"

A flicker of pain crossed Ke Yucheng's face. "I was originally hoarding them to exchange for a Breaking Barrier Pill. Just fifty more points and I would have been able to break through." He clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening. "But that scoundrel Gu Sheng humiliated me on the sparring platform. If I do not exact vengeance for this slight, I, Ke Yucheng, swear I am no human!"

"Solely for the sake of venting your anger?" Tang Zhiyuan gaped at him incredulously. "That's an Elixir Pill that could aid your breakthrough to the Spirit Sea Realm!"

Ke Yucheng flashed a sinister grin. "It's not solely about revenge. I've received credible information that Gu Sheng possesses an extraordinary Treasure. Otherwise, how could his progress have been so rapid?" He paused, a glint in his eye. "As long as we seize it, all sacrifices will be justified."

Tang Zhiyuan swallowed hard. Despite a gnawing unease, avarice ultimately clouded his judgment. "Th-then we shall trail them discreetly from a distance and act when an opportunity arises?"

"Hmph, coward." Ke Yucheng cast a contemptuous glance at him. "If you harbor fear, you may depart this instant."

Tang Zhiyuan's face cycled through hues of green and white before he finally ground his teeth. "Who says I'm afraid? Let's proceed then!"

At that very moment, a bone-chilling wind suddenly surged across the entirety of Xuanming Divine Mountain. The sky, which had retained a sliver of daylight, was instantly engulfed by ominous dark clouds, plunging the land into an impenetrable gloom.

"What is happening?" Tang Zhiyuan clutched Ke Yucheng's sleeve in sheer terror.

Ke Yucheng's expression also shifted drastically. "Something is amiss, this Yin Qi..."

Before he could articulate his suspicions, a deafening roar reverberated from the mountaintop, its sonic force so immense that the very mountain shuddered. A brilliant arc of cyan Sword Qi ascended directly towards the heavens, striking ferociously at the swirling black Demonic Qi amassed above the peak.

"Boom—"

Following an earth-shattering detonation, a blinding radiance illuminated half the sky. Even from their distant vantage point, all four could feel the suffocating pressure emanating from the cataclysmic event.

Facing the mouth of the cave, Gu Sheng and Ling Xiao's faces shifted in unison.

"That... that felt like Sword Qi?"

Ling Xiao's voice shook.

"Who could possibly unleash such dreadful Sword Qi from the summit of this mountain?"

Gu Sheng's eyes narrowed, the Sword Qi coursing through his own body stirring in response without conscious command.