Chapter 41: Suddenly Not in the Mood to Speak

Feng Xi hurriedly cast a vine of spiritual power to entangle the spectral phantom of the flying sword, but it was shattered instantly. The phantom even gave a couple of vibrations. Feng Xi had a strange feeling that it was mocking her.

Feng Xi sneered, quickly forming hand seals, and unleashed dozens of spiritual vines in an instant, wrapping the sword phantom like a rice dumpling! A few breaths later, the vines were shattered once again. Feng Xi kept wrapping; if dozens couldn't hold it, she would use hundreds. Let's see who could outlast whom.

Jun Wen looked at the sword phantom, now resembling a silkworm cocoon: "..."
*The Junior Sister can actually perform instant seal-recasting?! I can't even do that! Isn't that a skill for the Golden Core stage?!*

At that moment, five more sword phantoms shot through the air. Jun Wen had no time for idle thoughts and rushed to engage them. Feng Xi finally managed to dissipate the first phantom and joined the fray. She quickly discovered that even with her ability to release a large number of spiritual vines, she could handle at most two sword strikes at a time.

In contrast, Jun Wen was far more impressive. He did not rely on brute force but fought with great strategy, resolving the battle with minimal spiritual expenditure. A genius of the sword path—the reputation was well-deserved!

By the time this round of attacks ended, Jun Wen had sustained a few minor cuts on his left shoulder, though they were merely superficial. Feng Xi, having been under Jun Wen's protection, remained unscathed. Jun Wen didn't even have time to apply medicine to his wounds before asking, "Junior Sister, how do you know how to perform instant seal-recasting? Who taught you?"

Feng Xi was bewildered. "What is instant seal-recasting?"
Jun Wen: "..."

When he learned that Feng Xi had simply figured it out on her own through trial and error, he was left completely stunned. However, thinking back on his own display of prowess, his confidence returned!

"Junior Sister, although you are strong, you are still quite lacking in the way of the sword. To repel a sword strike, you must first understand what kind of sword intent you are facing, and then tailor your defense to its specific characteristics. For example, the ones that just came at us were 'Swift' sword intents. Their strength is being as fast as lightning, but their weakness is equally obvious: they have many flaws. Its speed is meant to hide those flaws. Therefore, we must not be hasty. Once you find the weakness, you strike. Do you understand?"

Jun Wen spoke eloquently, his confidence not only fully restored but also feeling, for the first time, a sense of authority as a senior brother.

After rambling for a while, he added, "Junior Sister, it's a pity I don't have an extra sword on hand, or I could have given you some pointers."

Feng Xi suddenly remembered she still had a wooden sword in her storage ring and took it out. "Fifth Senior Brother, please teach me!"

Jun Wen looked at the wooden sword in her hand: "...Junior Sister, where did you find this piece of junk? Even if you can't bond with a flying sword, you should at least get a decent blade! This pathetic thing probably couldn't even kill a baby chick, right?"

Feng Xi smiled brightly. "I just picked it up. I originally intended to send it to the kitchen as firewood, but I got busy and forgot. Regardless, it's still a sword. Hurry up and teach me!"

Jun Wen nodded. "Fine, then I will first teach you the Xuantian Sword Technique of our Xuantian Sect. Of course, this isn't something you can learn in a day; it's mainly to let you get a feel for it. I'll demonstrate it once, and then I'll teach you move by move."

As he spoke, Jun Wen began to practice. Though usually somewhat laid-back, his entire demeanor changed significantly once he began to wield the sword; it must be said, he was quite charismatic. After finishing, he said, "Junior Sister, now I will teach you the first move, 'Golden Roc Spreads Its Wings'..."

His words came to an abrupt halt, as Feng Xi had already begun practicing. Although her movements were slightly stiff, every gesture was accurate, lacking only in fluidity.

After Feng Xi completed the entire set, she asked Jun Wen, "Fifth Senior Brother, did I do it right? You were moving so fast that I couldn't see clearly, so I just mimicked what I saw. Please don't laugh at me!"

Jun Wen: *Suddenly, I don't want to talk.*

By the time the next wave of attacks arrived, Feng Xi was already performing the Xuantian Sword Technique with decent form. The only issue was that her wooden sword held her back; while she could barely channel spiritual power into it, she couldn't command it to fly or attack freely like Jun Wen's sword.

Feng Xi kept a firm grip on the hilt, struggling to perceive the "sword intent" Jun Wen had spoken of. In the end, she gained nothing. She even sustained a few more superficial wounds from failing to dodge in time.

Jun Wen consoled her, "Junior Sister, don't be too anxious. It’s not easy to perceive sword intent. Take our Xuantian Sect, for example; there are only a few hundred people who can perceive sword intent, and those who can perceive two types can be counted on one hand. Someone as young as me who can perceive two types? Only me! This is normal, after all, not everyone has my talent for the sword..."

Feng Xi: *Are you comforting me or bragging about yourself?*

Feng Xi certainly wouldn't give up. She continued to try and perceive the intent during the ensuing battles, but... she still gained nothing.

She stared at the wooden sword in her hand. "Fifth Senior Brother, I don't think it's my lack of aptitude; it's that this piece of junk sword is useless! When we get out, I'll go back to the Myriad Sword Wall and try again. Maybe this time I'll be able to claim a flying sword."

Jun Wen lied through his teeth, "Yes, I also think you'll be able to successfully get a flying sword this time." *Forget it, no point in dampening her spirits now. Let's just focus on getting out.*

For some reason, Jun Wen suddenly felt a chill. Immediately after, his flying sword began to hum incessantly—a piercing, grating sound. Then, countless sword phantoms shot toward them.

Jun Wen nearly fainted from fright! Forget being a sword genius; even a sword ancestor would be done for in this situation!

Feng Xi reacted quickly, grabbing Jun Wen and dragging him into an auxiliary cave. Those sword phantoms crashed around the Myriad Sword Cave like headless flies, and eventually, for some unknown reason, they began to fight each other! Even though these were only weakened versions of the sword intent, the killing aura and bloodlust were palpable to Feng Xi and Jun Wen.

A full two hours later, the sword phantoms dissipated one after another. Only then did Jun Wen let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, thank goodness, that scared the life out of me! We really escaped death this time!"

However, he soon began to cry. After waiting for several hours with no further attacks, he realized that the sword intents had completely vanished. He also realized, in hindsight, that there had been no sword attacks in the auxiliary cave either. In other words, the sword intents in both the auxiliary cave and the Myriad Sword Cave had been wiped out entirely.

Jun Wen looked at Feng Xi, his voice trembling. "Junior Sister, we are finished!"

The Myriad Sword Cave held a status only second to the Myriad Sword Wall within the Xuantian Sect. While nominally a place to punish disciples, it was actually a training ground for disciples to perceive sword intent. Since the founding of the sect, countless disciples had grown by training in the Myriad Sword Cave.

Now, he and Feng Xi had foolishly caused all the sword intents inside to disappear. They were sinners against the sect! The kind of sinners whose crimes could not be redeemed even by dying ten thousand times!