Gu Ningyun dodged to the side, clearing the area.
The sword dancer seemed to have entered a special state, with green wood spirit energy swirling around the blade.
She watched Zhan Fei Bai dance with her sword; with every strike, an endless force of life filled the courtyard.
The sword intent prototype: Life.
With a sudden shift in her aura, Zhan Fei Bai performed a reverse parry.
Though the energy was still green wood spirit energy, it now carried an endless power of plunder.
The vitality from moments ago vanished without a trace under this single strike.
The sword intent prototype: Plunder.
Holding the alms bowl containing Jue Sheng, Gu Ningyun retreated to the eaves of the house, her eyes fixed on the figure in the courtyard without so much as a blink.
The person in the courtyard swung her sword with bold, sweeping motions. Life and Plunder refused to yield to one another, clashing incessantly within her sword moves.
Zhan Fei Bai paid no mind to the struggle. Her movements were continuous, the long sword moving according to her will, unleashing a hundred strikes in the blink of an eye.
The courtyard's built-in protection array had already activated, blocking all the force from the sword intent prototype.
Time slipped away unnoticed until the sky was blanketed in stars. Jun Luo stepped out of his room, intending to practice his sword in the courtyard.
Seeing the scene, he stopped under the eaves. Standing opposite Gu Ningyun, he focused his attention on the display before them.
Life and Plunder fought for a long time, and rather than weakening, both sides grew stronger as they clashed.
Finally, at a certain moment, both reached their absolute peak. As Zhan Fei Bai brought her sword down in a heavy chop, the boundless forces of Life and Plunder exploded outward toward every corner of the small courtyard.
Even with the array blocking the impact, Gu Ningyun and Jun Luo couldn't help but take a step back.
Zhan Fei Bai's wrist trembled slightly as her sword intent prototype became increasingly fluid.
With every lift of her hand and every swing of her sword, the transition between Life and Plunder became natural.
No matter which force she transitioned to, she could unleash the maximum power of both sword intent prototypes.
Closing her eyes, she performed a reverse parry. Life and Plunder no longer fought but instead exerted their power together.
The green sword intent prototype, carrying two diametrically opposed forces, slammed into the array simultaneously.
The array flared with brilliant light, which took a long time to fade.
A divine sense suddenly swept over them, followed by a voice that echoed through the neighboring courtyards.
“Fellow Daoist Qingxu, a disciple under your wing has damaged three array patterns of the meditation courtyard's earth-rank low-grade array. Remember to bring six hundred mid-grade spirit stones in compensation to the Dharma Hall.”
As Zhan Fei Bai finished her final strike, she held her sword behind her back and looked at Gu Ningyun with sparkling eyes.
Hearing the voice, she froze. After exchanging a few glances with Gu Ningyun, Jun Luo, and Jue Sheng, a blush slowly crept up from her neck to her earlobes, and then to the corners of her eyes.
Jun Luo walked into the courtyard, his gaze fixed on the array patterns while his feet turned toward Zhan Fei Bai.
After a moment of hesitation, he decisively chose the Dao of the sword over the array, stepping closer to Zhan Fei Bai.
“Was Senior just honing her sword intent prototype?”
Zhan Fei Bai nodded. “The wood attribute governs life; it can grant vitality, but naturally, it can also plunder it.
“Since I cultivate both, my sword intent prototype naturally focuses on both as well.”
“Life and Plunder share the same source, yet they are mutually exclusive and incompatible.”
Jun Luo fell into thought for a moment. “To cultivate both to perfection... that is difficult.”
“Is the talent of Xiaoyao sword cultivators always this monstrous?
“I only mentioned a single detail, yet you could already see the core issue.”
Zhan Fei Bai looked at Jun Luo in surprise, a hint of admiration flashing in her eyes.
Jun Luo pursed his lips and said nothing, his gaze lowering slightly.
Had they not been well-acquainted, Gu Ningyun might have thought Jun Luo was simply being an 'ice face,' maintaining that same cool and indifferent expression regardless of what happened.
But after spending so much time together, she could see through it.
Jun Luo acted this way because he was actually at a loss for words when faced with praise from others.
Not knowing how to respond, he simply stiffened his face and remained silent.
She smiled and took over the conversation. “Senior’s sword momentum was fluid just now, and your transitions were seamless. Does this mean you have already filled the gaps and reached perfection?”
“Indeed. I have you to thank for that, Ningyun.”
Gu Ningyun rested her chin on her clenched fists.
She pondered for a long while. “I don't understand. I was only practicing basic sword moves.
“How did Senior manage to realize the perfection of these two sword intent prototypes, Life and Plunder, from my daily basic practice?”
The sword she practiced and a wood-attribute sword intent prototype shouldn't have had anything to do with each other.
“I originally thought that for Life and Plunder to coexist, I had to make them reach a balance.
“But both are incredibly powerful forces, and neither side would yield an inch. Trying to make them reach a balance was an immense struggle.
“From the moment I developed the sword intent prototype, I had to intervene forcefully, suppressing the power of both just to barely allow them to coexist.”
“Why must they coexist? Is it not fine to use only Life when you need vitality, and only Plunder when you need to take it?”
“Since I have mastered both powers, I always wanted to try making them work together.”
“What happens when Life and Plunder work together?”
Gu Ningyun recalled what she had seen earlier. Zhan Fei Bai’s final three strikes.
One strike was primarily Life, one was primarily Plunder, and one contained both.
Life held a power that made living things stir, while Plunder gave the sensation of life force draining away.
When the two forces combined, Life became mysterious and unpredictable.
“It is still only a sword intent prototype; I haven't fully grasped it yet.
“If you want to know, I will come find you for a spar once I have figured it out.”
Seeing Gu Ningyun nod, Zhan Fei Bai continued.
“There aren't many wood-attribute sword cultivators, and I've never even heard of one who simultaneously realized both Life and Plunder.
“I knew that suppression wasn't a long-term solution, but I could never find a way to fix it.
“My master isn't a wood-attribute cultivator, so he didn't have any good ideas either.”
She said this as her gaze landed on Gu Ningyun. “That was until I saw you practicing your sword.
“Senior Jue Sheng splashed quite a bit of water—in fact, the more you improved, the more it splashed, ensuring you could never shatter every single droplet.
“But even so, you never gave up or grew weary.
“Instead, you pushed yourself to the limit time and again, breaking through your own boundaries.
“Ningyun, I don't know if you've realized it yourself, but your sword possesses a relentless grit that is unwavering until the goal is met.
“I haven't seen your sword qi.
“But I imagine that your sword qi must have been honed to the absolute peak of your current stage in every aspect.”
Gu Ningyun touched the hilt of her peach wood sword.
She could still practice more. Every session brought new gains.
Even if they weren't visible for the time being, quantitative changes would eventually lead to a qualitative breakthrough.
Seeing her lost in thought, Zhan Fei Bai didn't press her. “It was your relentless grit that inspired me.
“I suddenly thought, so what if Life and Plunder are constantly at odds?
“The fact that they can fight like this only proves that they are equally powerful.
“Why should I suppress their power just to make them play nice?
“Why not go with the flow and cultivate both of them to their absolute limits?
“The moment that thought occurred to me, for some reason, I felt a strong urge to draw my sword and try.”
At this point, Zhan Fei Bai turned a bit red again.
“Perhaps the shift in my mindset influenced the sword intent prototype.
“I stopped trying to make them coexist or forcing either side to compromise for the other.
“I simply focused on training both to their extremes to unleash the strongest sword intent prototype possible.
“Strangely enough, Life and Plunder began to follow my will, even coexisting.
“And then... the meditation courtyard's array was damaged.”
An earth-rank low-grade array could block the attacks of a Golden Core stage cultivator. Zhan Fei Bai was only at the peak Foundation Establishment stage, yet that final strike had managed to destroy three array patterns.
Gu Ningyun's gaze fell on the array patterns, and she vaguely understood why the other woman insisted on using both sword intent prototypes at the same time.
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