Chen Ping's Sword

"Isn’t this person formidable?"

Earlier, hearing the woman’s words, Chen Ping knew this Sword Elder was surely a skilled expert, yet Hua Lian’er seemed unconcerned.

"He can’t catch up with us. Seventh Brother, your Seven Stars Step has reached Mastery Realm. Your breath is long, speed swift, making it difficult to be caught.

Moreover, this stepping technique, its ability to change direction, is unmatched under the heavens.

During the day, in the open fields, Sword Elder might manage to pursue us forcefully due to his profound cultivation. But in this unique night-time forest environment, he’s not much of a threat."

So that’s how it is.

Chen Ping nodded his head.

The current situation indeed didn’t allow for too many daydreams.

Being able to maintain temporary stability is already a blessing from heaven.

"Then, just how strong is this person’s power, have you heard about it?"

"How strong?"

Hua Lian’er rarely fell silent.

She didn’t feel like talking.

Then, Chen Ping knew he couldn’t win.

If they were to fight head-to-head, they might face a life-and-death struggle...

So what’s the point of talking?

Better to run.

...

They ran for most of the night.

Along the way, they encountered some nocturnal forest assassins, which gave Chen Ping considerable trouble before he finally, safely approached a towering mountain ridge.

The ridge stood like a sword, with incredibly dense woods, even some treetops densely shadowed over the sky.

Thinking about the Divine Eagle watching from above was always an issue.

Chen Ping had no choice but to climb straight up.

He had a strong sense of direction. Although it was night, he subconsciously didn’t want to go too far into Youx Mountain.

When the time comes to leave again, it would be quite a hassle.

This sword-like mountain ridge was perfect.

No matter which direction they chose to flee in, the view would be open, and with routes well-planned in advance, the chances of shaking off pursuers were much greater.

He listened to the movements behind him.

Chen Ping knew that the "Sword Elder" Hua Lian’er didn’t want to talk much about indeed hadn’t caught up.

Perhaps he lost track.

Or stopped to rest somewhere.

Or maybe he already returned.

Whatever the situation, this was good news.

There was still some time left before dawn, a rare safe interval, enough to enhance his cultivation.

"Let’s rest here for a while."

They had been on the run for a day and a night, their nerves were tense.

Especially Hua Lian’er, who was dozing off on Chen Ping’s back.

After being let down, she couldn’t care less about how dirty the grass was, cleaned it off casually, and sat cross-legged to "fish". Before dawn, this was the darkest and sleepiest time.

A good nap would greatly help to restore energy.

Otherwise, it might be impossible to hold out all the way to Feiyun Crossing.

Although she knew the enemy behind them was formidable and powerful, for some reason, Hua Lian’er always felt as long as Seventh Brother was by her side, reaching Feiyun Crossing was not entirely impossible.

She slept peacefully.

Chen Ping, however, dared not sleep.

Or rather, didn’t want to sleep.

Compared to Hua Lian’er, his spirit and Essence, Qi, and Blood were many times stronger.

A bit of fatigue wasn’t a problem at all.

The surroundings were silent now, undisturbed, and it was the perfect time to enhance his strength.

Concentrating his thoughts to his mind, he saw the changes in the Spring and Autumn Silkworm attribute column.

[Spring and Autumn Silkworm (Second Transformation)]

[Talent: Trace Origin and Steal Fortune, Cocoon Rebirth]

[Innate Talent: 6 (Average Person)]

[Enlightenment: 5 (Average Person)]

[Tribulation Points: 52 (Breaking Realm)]

[Fortune Points: 54 (Change Destiny)]

[Cultivation Technique: Wandering Body Bagua Palm (Perfection), Spring Leg (Perfection), Seven Stars Step (Mastery), Silk Thread Puppetry (Great Success), Primordial Technique (Iron Body: Proficient), Clear Wind Shadowless Sword (Mastery), Sunset Divine Arrow (Mastery), Great Sun Scorching Sun Skill (Entry)]

[Body Refining: Tier Two (Refining the Organs) 60%]

[Qi Refining: Tier Two (Qi Cultivation) 31%]

...

The whole escape journey was filled with peril at every step, striving hard.

Using tactics and strength, several times avoiding mortal danger.

The harvest was, of course, significant.

The Realm Cultivation remained unchanged, as did Skills and Talents.

The greatest harvest, certainly, was in Tribulation Points and Fortune Points.

Respectively reaching as much as 52 points and 54 points.

The battle at Mingfeng Pavilion and Changhe were insignificant.

The main harvest actually came from the battle at Fireworks Alley and Jiangh Yudie’s place.

That battle at Fireworks Alley seemed insignificant, easily defeating Murong Gui and his two companions was perilous.

Any delay in swift defeat would’ve led to relentless pursuit with no chance to catch a breath.

Therefore, it was a turning point and a lifesaving opportunity.

That tribulation granted a total of 18 Tribulation Points.

After overcoming this tribulation, the gains in Fortune were only 6 points, which was even less than rescuing those kidnapped girls from Zhuang Hongyi at Mingfeng Pavilion, where it gave 10 points.

As for Jiang Yudie, this fellow truly lived up to the title of a "treasure boy." Not only did he give the "Frost Condensation" sword, but also thousands of taels worth of silver notes, and he was not stingy at all in contributing to Tribulation Points and Fortune Points.

He contributed 12 Tribulation Points and 18 Fortune Points respectively.

From this, it’s evident that if this Flower Thief hadn’t died by my hands, he would surely have stirred up more trouble in the future, with greatly increased power, causing even more far-reaching impacts.

However, this is all in the past now.

No need to overthink it.

Looking at the attribute panel, for the first time filled with such a huge harvest, Chen Ping couldn’t help but feel a restless eagerness.

If asked what he most wanted to do at this moment?

It’s actually not about enhancing his cultivation realm.

It’s about the "Swallow Returning Butterfly Dance" technique.

For this technique, Chen Ping had been eyeing it for a long time.

When Jiang Yudie mentioned his real sword technique and cultivation, it was indeed nothing much.

However, when combined with this Valley’s Ultimate Skill of Hundred Flowers Valley, it became extremely troublesome.

Had it not been for a scheme that lured him into action, the two of them might have been entangled by the Flower Thief, until the reinforcements caught up and completely surrounded him to death.

One can imagine how dangerous Jiang Yudie was.

How strong this lightweight body technique is?

In terms of dodging and pursuing the enemy, in environments like mountains and forests, it’s even more potent than the "Seven Stars Step."

The Seven Stars Step, when performed, would be obstructed by trees and rocks, unable to fully unleash its potential.

But the "Swallow Returning Butterfly Dance," however, could weave around trees and leap over ridges effortlessly, doing it mechanically without any thought at all.

It was created precisely for such complex environments as forests.

The Spring and Autumn Silkworm truly has a spirit of its own.

At this moment when using the "Trace Origin and Steal Fortune" talent, the light orb from Jiang Yudie’s death was exceedingly bright, far outshining those of others, including the Pure Land Sect disciple Yuan Ping and Blood Shadow Saber Fengping.

Not to mention the Incense Master Dong Jinzhong of Cyan Hall and Tan Sihai of Changhe Gang, whose light orbs appeared like mere stars next to the moon, utterly lacking the value of stealing fortune.

...

"Don’t come over!"

Chen Ping shouted in his mind in terror.

If only he could have detached from Jiang Yudie’s body, experiencing everything as a mere observer.

He would have run away long ago.

Chen Ping realized for the first time that during "Trace Origin and Steal Fortune," there’s not necessarily no risk involved.

Although it’s not life-threatening, it could cast a lifelong shadow on one’s psyche.

A different kind of devastating harm.

For instance, the person before him, having a waist as wide as a water barrel was the highest compliment one could give.

This woman was almost two meters tall.

And her waist? Perhaps not less than two meters...

The fat on her body was layered, moving the earth and shaking mountains with each step, even cracking the wooden boards beneath her.

Yet this woman added insult to injury with layers of makeup, her lips so red they looked about to bleed, and as she moved, the face powder fell off, nearly causing Chen Ping to fall head over heels.

No, he couldn’t fall, as it was Jiang Yudie controlling the body.

Yet this fellow seemed unbothered, nearly wanting to hug the obese woman’s feet and gnaw on them.

Bending over, his expression was exceedingly ingratiating, spewing sweet words that could make one feel sick.

The infatuation, the obsession gave Chen Ping, for the first time, the desire to break free and walk away.

No more possessing.

But he couldn’t, that "Swallow Returning Butterfly Dance" technique was truly alluring.

Completely irresistible.

While Chen Ping was internally torn, struggling between fleeing and waiting a bit longer.

The woman finally stopped pressing further.

She merely blew a flying kiss, potent enough to make one vomit for three days and nights, then began her real mission.

Teaching.

"Baboe, this body technique was something my lady stumbled upon in the Butterfly Fairy Ruins, along with it came a Brewing Technique for Hundred Flowers Brew. Sadly, as my lady isn’t fond of alcohol, she didn’t cherish it much, so I never learned it."

At this point, a trace of unseen sorrow surfaced on the obese woman’s face, she paused briefly before continuing.

"Looking back now, not learning that Hundred Flowers Brew was indeed a pity; my lady said that it was an Immortal Treasure, nourishing Essence, Qi, and Blood more than most treasures in the world. If you few babes were to drink it, you’d be even more lively at night, hehe..."

"Ugh..."

Chen Ping felt the urge to vomit again.

However, he realized that this particularly obese woman was genuinely starting to teach now.

Her tons-heavy body strangely moved like a leaf, dancing as if a butterfly.

In the treetops and foliage, she moved with an unrivaled agility and grace.

Her fluid twists and turns left Chen Ping secretly amazed.

This speed, this change, was many times stronger than Jiang Yudie’s.

Especially when he saw that incredibly obese body flickering like a ghost occupying nine positions in the air, his heart exclaimed, "Struck gold."

Such flickering speed, faster than Jiang Yudie’s "Swallow Return" technique, could almost seem like teleportation to the untrained eye.

[This technique, you’re the first I’ve taught it to, my babe. The first layer, "Butterfly Dance," focuses on variability;

The second layer, "Swallow Return," focuses on speed; the third layer, "Hidden Shadow," excelling in stealth...]

The fourth layer, "Unsettled," combines the abilities of the previous three, controlling the air, lightning-fast, ever-changing, and masking spiritual perception; with boundless mysteries.]

Chen Ping listened closely and realized it was indeed as she described.

’Boundless mysteries.’

Following this, the obese woman carefully explained each key point, while Jiang Yudie, naturally indulged in sweet flattery. Fortunately, the woman considered Jiang Yudie’s need to focus and learn the body technique, thus refrained from any immediate romantic entanglement.

Otherwise, Chen Ping really couldn’t guarantee if he could endure and not leave.

...