'Let's see if there's anything useful in the ring,' he closed his eyes and sent his Qi through the ring once more. It activated, and he was sent into the spacious room inside the ring.
It was rather empty except for two cabinets facing each other; they were tall, almost reaching the ceiling of that space.
'Tch, this man was poor, I thought that after getting a spirit ring I would at least be rich, ahhhhh what a scam.'
He began moving through the space, inspecting each box in the cabinet shelves.
'Mmmm, this should do," he pulled out a set of pristine white robes. He donned them carefully; they fit strangely perfectly, as if they were tailored for him.
'I wonder why he kept these; they look like they wouldn't fit him, did he have a son…?' Tianyu wondered, tightening his sash.
As he explored further, he found a sword tucked back at the end of one of the shelves. The hilt was a striking blend of black and blue, and the scabbard was plain, simple blue.
Next to it lay a book, its cover inscribed with elegant characters:
Twenty-four formulas of the astral blade.
"I hit the lottery finally, a martial technique, this is great," he quickly took the book out of the spirit ring and began flipping through the pages.
'Ahh, it's a full sword movement technique…It looks to be around a third-grade technique, tsk, I thought he was broke. Where did he get the money to buy all this? Tianyu wondered, already engrossed in reading.
After reading for quite a while, he stood and drew the blade; it felt cold and quite heavy to the touch.
"I have never held a proper blade before; it's different from the wooden things I was using before."
He took a deep breath, centring his Qi within him. His hand flexed slightly and pulled out the sword with an upward thrust; a blue light shot out, slicing several trees next to the cliffside. They were all sliced cleanly in half.
One by one, he began to move according to the steps he saw in the book.
'If this is just the first form… what happens when I do the second one?'
His movements changed as he began the second movement, he moved on to the third and fourth, all the way to the last movement. He began combining movements, flowing from one stance to another, channelling his Qi into the sword in longer, more intricate bursts.
With each strike, the blue light along the blade grew brighter, more intense, dancing like lightning.
He leapt into the air, spinning, and brought the blade down in a diagonal arc. The force created a shock wave, uprooting nearby shrubs and leaving a deep scar across the earth.
'Incredible… it feels like the sword is alive, even my Qi is moving faster inside my body,' he murmured, eyes gleaming. He repeated the steps, and as he practised more, he sensed a faint consciousness within the Astral Blade, guiding him, urging him to correct his stance.
Tianyu focused further, closing his eyes. He allowed his mind to merge with the blade, following the rhythm of the Qi as the book instructed:
"A practitioner of the blade shouldn't only carry the sword in their hand, they must carry the blade in their hearts, minds and souls. When swinging the blade, the wilder must have the intent to strike, for with any hesitation maketh the blade dull."
A sudden realisation struck him.
" I see, just like the lotus, I should understand the flow of my blade."
He took the blade and held it up to himself,
"Huuuu."
He swung again, and this time, the blade was silent. There was no massive burst of Qi; instead, it flowed, slicing cleanly through a cluster of rocks as if they were paper.
His heart raced. This is just so incredible, I think I can now fight against that brute Lu Yan.
"Mmmm, let's see there also a movement art as one of the forms: Astral Flash!, let's try it.'
Tianyu Qi moved in segments: some to his feet, others to his hand, and the rest to his Qi core. His breathing was rhythmic.
Boom!
He blurred and moved forward with great speed. His blade flew out of its sheath, and a blue flame shot out like a lightning bolt, tearing a gash into the cliff so deep that the edge of the cliff was sliced off cleanly, falling to the ground below.
Tianyu staggered backwards, panting, sweat dripping from his forehead. Who the hell created Astral Blade doesn't feel like a third-grade lighter forth or fight grade skill.
He smiled grimly, gripping the hilt tightly.
The wind rustled around him as he continued to practice, each strike leaving a mark on the earth, a testament to the growing power of Tianyu Xing and his ever-deepening bond with the Astral Blade.
Tianyu practised longer. The sun rose and fell, and his sword danced through the sky. He didn't feel tired; instead, a warm comfort rushed through him. The more he understood his sword, the more his Qi replenished itself.
He found himself in a trance-like state, blade flowing from formation to formation.
"Uhuu…" He finally stopped, taking a deep breath. Everything around him felt calm. There was no sound, only silence. Tianyu raised the sword and pointed it upwards, then slowly brought it down in a smooth, controlled motion.
When the blade touched the ground, there was a massive explosion that cracked the earth around him. The blast was so strong that it flung him backwards. He crashed into a tree, his back slamming against it, and it broke through.
"Oho—!" He coughed, spitting out blood as the trance snapped.
"What…!" His eyes widened as he looked around.
The area was a disaster. Everything had been reduced to rubble. The power he unleashed was equivalent to that of a second-grade foundation stage.
"What was that technique? I almost killed myself with my own move. How ridiculous that would've been," he muttered, meditating.
His hands were torn open and bleeding.
"What a great skill, it will be my trump card."
"Now I think I'm ready. I hope they haven't found it. Let's go get that fire essence." Tianyu placed the blade into his storage ring and leapt off the cliff. His senses felt sharper than before; he could see hundreds of metres ahead as he moved.