Chapter 149: The Art of Sword Flight

Yan Chixia was blessed with extraordinary natural talent, making him a true prodigy in the path of cultivation. Undaunted by hardship, deeply dedicated, and exceptionally skilled in his practice, his cultivation gradually surpassed that of She Mei'er, with whom he had previously advanced side by side.

Far from feeling any jealousy, She Mei'er harbored deep admiration instead. In her eyes, the more outstanding and exceptional Yan Chixia became, the more deeply she fell in love with him.

By now, Yan Chixia's cultivation had entered the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm, whereas She Mei'er was still lingering at the final stage of the Golden Core realm. While feeling immense admiration, She Mei'er could not help but harbor a quiet anxiety within her heart. She was terrified that as the gap between their cultivation realms grew wider, she would no longer be worthy of him. After all, to this day, She Mei'er remained unyieldingly and infatuatedly devoted to pursuing Yan Chixia.

Ever since that single embrace with She Mei'er had been accidentally witnessed by Bai Xiaoyue, Yan Chixia had sworn never to embrace her again. True to his word, from that moment until now, he had never touched She Mei'er once. Despite her constant pestering, wheedling, and relentless attempts to act intimately with him, Yan Chixia invariably met her advances with righteous and stern refusals.

At this, Bai Xiaoyue felt a heartfelt sense of comfort and relief!

On the day of his eighteenth birthday, Yan Chixia had once promised that whenever he mastered the art of sword flight, he would return to Kaoshan Village to visit Madam Zhao Li, Taohua, Li Xiaohu, Zhang Shitou, Zhao Jinsuo, and Chen Xiaobao. His original aspiration remained completely unchanged, and these thoughts never left his mind. Therefore, when his cultivation advanced to the Nascent Soul realm and Master Qingxu began teaching him the Art of Sword Flight, he memorized the incantation with boundless excitement and immediately threw himself into his practice with unprecedented enthusiasm.

***

In the Qingxu Taoist Temple, Yan Chixia was invariably the first to rise each morning.

Today was no exception. Long before the third watch of the Yin hour, before the morning star had even appeared on the eastern horizon, Yan Chixia was already awake. He quickly dressed, washed up in record time, and stepped out of his room in high spirits. Walking straight to the grassy clearing in front of the temple, he sat facing the east, calmed his mind, and spent half an hour practicing his inner Qi. Then, standing up, he silently recited the incantation to summon the Chixia Sword from his storage ring. With the sword in hand, he assumed an opening stance and began to practice the sword forms with heroic grace.

By now, the eastern sky was tinged with a fish-belly white, and the brilliantly bright morning star had emerged on the horizon. As the dawn's early light cast a golden glow over the majestic Zhongnan Mountains, Yan Chixia finished his sword forms and began practicing the Art of Sword Flight.

Silently reciting the incantation to return the Chixia Sword to his storage ring, he stood with a solemn expression, executed the hand seals, and swept his palms outward to gather his inner Qi. As his hands continued to move fluidly, surges of immensely powerful Qi rolled forth from his Dantian, continuously converging into his palms. Gradually, feeling his palms brimming with potent Qi, he ceased his movements and slowly brought his palms together. The moment his palms met, a flash of golden light illuminated the air, and a transparent, three-inch-long precious sword appeared between his hands.

At the sight of this, Yan Chixia cried out:
"Hasten!"

Instantly, the miniature sword condensed from his inner Qi shot forth from his hands, flying more than ten paces away before suddenly expanding with a whoosh into a massive sword! Roughly eight feet long and one foot wide, it was completely transparent and floated motionlessly suspended in mid-air.

Yan Chixia leaped up gracefully in a single bound, instantly landing his feet upon the blade. He then channeled his spiritual power to steer the flying sword. However, after carrying Yan Chixia for a mere twenty-seven or twenty-eight paces through the air, the sword went *bang* and vanished completely into thin air.

Suddenly treading on empty space, Yan Chixia dropped straight down onto the grass.

Standing there in silence, he could not help letting out a sigh and murmuring:
"Ah, I've failed again!"

"Failure is the mother of success!" As Yan Chixia's voice trailed off, Bai Xiaoyue's voice rang out from behind him.

Hearing this, Yan Chixia hurriedly turned around to see Bai Xiaoyue approaching with a radiant smile. He greeted her cheerfully:
"Minzi, good morning!"

"Good morning, Danzi!" Bai Xiaoyue replied in a sweet voice, walking quickly up to him. "Danzi, don't be discouraged. You've only been practicing the Art of Sword Flight for less than a month, and you're already seeing initial results. That is already quite remarkable!"

"Yet this is still far too short of my goal!" Yan Chixia said, truly anxious. "Minzi, I've wanted to return to Kaoshan Village for a long time! But because Zhongnan Mountains are so terribly far from the village, I simply haven't been able to go back... I've been longing to master sword flight so I can return to our homeland together with you!"

"Indeed," Bai Xiaoyue said with a gentle nod. "Danzi, I completely understand how you feel! To be honest, I yearn to see your hometown; and as for your childhood friends, the neighbor aunties, and Taohua, I truly wish to meet them all..."

"Sister Bai, I want to meet them too!" Before Bai Xiaoyue could finish, Tu Xiaomeng came running up swiftly, her face beaming with smiles. "Brother Yan, whenever you return home, will you take me along as well?"

"Hehe... Count me in too!" Songtar followed closely behind, running over as well.

Yan Chixia immediately agreed with great cheer:
"Alright, no problem! Xiaomeng, Songtar, once I successfully master the Art of Sword Flight, I will take both of you along to Kaoshan Village."

"That's wonderful!" Tu Xiaomeng said happily. "Brother Yan, you must practice even harder then! I believe that with your brilliant talent and sharp intellect, it won't be long before you master the Art of Sword Flight! Brother Yan, I have high hopes for you, keep it up!"

Encouraged by Tu Xiaomeng, Yan Chixia's enthusiasm for practicing the Art soared. With renewed vigor, he resumed his training right away.

Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songtar stood together, watching with rapt interest.

They watched as Yan Chixia stood in place, waving his hands to condense a three-inch-long transparent sword. With a shout of "Hasten!", the sword darted over a dozen paces away, expanded with a whoosh into a gigantic transparent sword, and hovered suspended in mid-air. Yan Chixia then leaped upward, landed upon it, and began his flight.

Bai Xiaoyue, Tu Xiaomeng, and Songtar watched with bated breath, a mixture of excitement and suspense. Seeing Yan Chixia standing atop the sword, his robes fluttering as he completed a full circuit in the sky above the Qingxu Taoist Temple and continued moving forward, they could not help breaking into applause.

Clapping her hands, Tu Xiaomeng cheered:
"Splendid, simply wonderful! Brother Yan, keep it up! Keep—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the sword beneath Yan Chixia's feet went *bang* once more and vanished into thin air! In an instant, Yan Chixia plummeted back down onto the grass.