Chapter 450 - 210: Three of Us Against One Xiao Chen, The Advantage Is Mine
Chapter 450: Chapter 210: Three of Us Against One Xiao Chen, The Advantage Is Mine
On a deserted island roughly a hundred thousand miles south of Hundred Herbs Island.
Xiao Chen landed, paused to regulate his breathing, and prepared to practice his Swordsmanship.
Ever since the Wind and Thunder Dual Swords had merged with his Life Pill to become his Lifebound Flying Swords, he hadn’t yet used them.
This rare trip outside was the perfect opportunity to test the power of the *Sharp Light Cloud Sword*.
For hundreds of miles in every direction, there was nothing but open sea. He could cast his Magic freely without worrying about being seen.
He summoned his Flying Swords to inspect them. Nurtured by his Life Pill, the two swords’ colors had grown even purer.
One was a stunning azure, like a dewdrop condensed on a tender bamboo leaf high in the mountains on an early spring morning. The other was a deep indigo, like the outermost shimmer of a fiery cloud at dusk in late autumn.
Even though the two Spirit Swords had already sheathed their own external brilliance.
But anyone could tell with a single glance that they were undoubtedly a pair of Supreme Treasures.
After all, they were his Lifebound Flying Swords, naturally different from ordinary items.
With a mere thought from Xiao Chen, the True Essence in his body split into two streams and flowed into the Dual Swords.
At first, nothing happened. But as the hundredth stream of True Essence settled in, the Wind and Thunder Dual Swords suddenly let out a crisp ring.
Instantly, a gentle breeze brushed against his face, causing his robes to flutter. Arcs of lightning coiled around him, making him look as ethereal as an immortal.
"Alright, now *that’s* an effect!"
Xiao Chen glanced around and nodded, satisfied.
’Forget about power for a moment; you can’t deny it looks incredible, can you?’
"Sharpness first coalesces, heart’s light a burning torch..."
Executing the Sword Technique while wielding the Wind and Thunder Dual Swords was a completely different experience from practicing empty-handed.
As a Yellow Level Swordsmanship, the *Sharp Light Cloud Sword* consisted of only two paths—Soaring Sharpness and Soaring Heart-Light—totaling no more than twelve Sword Techniques.
Its deliberately simple design was meant to make it easier to master.
Therefore, it only took Xiao Chen a mere hour to grasp the basic forms, officially reaching the entry-level for this Swordsmanship.
"Soaring into the Clouds... Slash!"
Facing the endless sea before him, Xiao Chen swung with all his might. A blast of Sword Light, swift as the wind, swept out with unstoppable momentum, kicking up towering waves dozens of yards high on the ocean’s surface.
In an instant, the effect spread from the deserted island, stretching out for over two thousand yards.
He performed all twelve Sword Techniques in a single, fluid sequence. Watching the colossal waves crash before him, Xiao Chen felt his spirits soar. All the tension from his recent, arduous cultivation vanished.
’It’s a pity there are no fellow sect cultivators to test this against in a real spar. It’s just not as satisfying.’
If he were a Sect Cultivator, he could often test his cultivation progress by sparring with his peers after a breakthrough.
Of course, back when Xiao Chen was in the Li Huo Sect, he never sought out spars either.
After all, with his Augments, he knew he would win even without fighting.
The reason he was suddenly thinking about it now was that he couldn’t accurately gauge the combat strength of the other Cultivators here in the Eastern Domain.
The Nine Luminaries Profound Pill’s effect was indeed excellent, effectively strengthening his True Essence.
But it likely wasn’t enough to achieve the legendary feats of Magic he’d heard about—spells that could span hundreds or even thousands of yards at will.
Even when paired with a Celestial Level Cultivation Technique, he was still leagues away from that kind of power.
Xiao Chen didn’t think that Shouyuan True Man would lie to him for no reason.
This meant there must be other ways to increase Magic Power in the Eastern Domain that he just hadn’t encountered yet.
’It’s not a huge problem. If worse comes to worst, I can just buy more Nine Luminaries Profound Pills.’
In any case, judging from the True Yang Fire Dragon incident, improving the quality of his True Essence could also be amplified by his Augments.
Besides, these things were ultimately just protective measures for his journey.
Focusing all his effort on raising his Realm was the most important thing.
Speaking of which, Xiao Chen discovered that the Nine Luminaries Profound Pill had a side effect.
Actually, that might not be the most accurate way to put it.
The main issue was that as his True Essence grew more refined, it began to affect the rate at which he could both recover and condense it.
This was understandable, but it also created a problem.
His cultivation speed had slowed down. After all, where he could once condense a strand of True Essence in two days of focused cultivation, it now took him nearly four.
It was already late January. At this rate, he might not reach the threshold of the Middle Stage Golden Core Realm until next year.
In truth, for a Golden Core Cultivator with a five-hundred-year lifespan, one year wasn’t a long time at all.
Some Cultivators would go into seclusion for three to five years at a time.
It was just that Xiao Chen had grown accustomed to advancing by leaps and bounds, which was why he was now anxious to see if he could go even faster.
Based on past experience, this was the time to consume Spiritual Objects to accelerate his cultivation.
He had always done this before, which was how he had ensured his cultivation progressed at lightning speed, leaving others far behind.
The problem was, Xiao Chen was currently in a strange financial position, caught between being rich and poor.
As a Loose Cultivator, he now possessed over a million Spirit Stones in total, which was a considerable fortune, not to mention his numerous Tier Four Spiritual Objects.
Even the former chief disciple of the Star-Picking Sword Pavilion was definitely not as wealthy as him.
But consuming Tier Four Spiritual Objects directly was a bit of a waste, and selling them would attract unwanted attention.
Meanwhile, top-tier Tier Three Spiritual Objects easily cost tens of thousands of Spirit Stones each. If he consumed them daily as he had before, his million Spirit Stones would be gone in less than two months, which was clearly not a sustainable option.
’I need to figure out a way to earn some Spirit Stones. Is there any quick and easy way to make money?’
As Xiao Chen flew back to Hundred Herbs Island on his sword, he began to ponder ways to make money.
’Studying Alchemy now would be a bit slow, wouldn’t it?’
’Maybe I should go after some bounties?’