ALL NOVEL Chapter 16: Swordplay
First things first…
Leaf.
His first son and most powerful of his children, the one he is most proud of. Root watched as his son fought against their pest problem, the thousands upon thousands of small ants… Oh, right. After he reached the [Foundation Formation] realm, his physical form went from teenager to young adult now, so Leaf looked like a tall young man. The sword he once held had to be readjusted to fit his new size, and of course this changed the sword itself! The [Thorn of Pain and Protection] has been infused with Iron Qi, now having an iron handle and this glimmer of shining in the wood blade. The other iron and silver sword he held was called [Thousand Cuts Needle], and it was a paper thin sword that presented a very sturdy durability!
Leaf has also developed the technique he wanted - [Soft and Hard Blade Technique].
Leaf used this technique and Root was in awe of how smooth it could be used- Leaf created that technique on his own, and Root never felt prouder than he feels right now. The [Soft and Hard Blade Technique] is simple in concept, but hard to execute… Intent of the blade was what changed the technique! There are 5 stances in this technique, but each stance could be used in either the [Hard] intent, the [Soft] intent, the [Smooth] intent, and the [Rough] intent. Each intent changed how each stance worked or affected the surrounding area, and even how it affected the target!
The first stance was a simple slash, called [Simple Slash]. With the [Hard] intent, the slash would increase the weight and speed of the attack, making the slash able to cut really tough opponents.
With the [Soft] intent, the blade would not even cause ripples in the air, being able to slip through shields instead of breaking them!
With the [Smooth] intent, the blade would move and agitate the wind around it, increasing the speed of the strikes the blade performs next.
With the [Rough] intent, the blade would move against the wind, pushing it away, and the result of said pushing was a wind flying blade that was shard and could cut through many things.
The possible combinations of intents with the techniques made Leaf have a smooth and very versatile fighting style that could change depending on the opponent. He even had his very own movement technique that helped him dodge and avoid attacks, the [Leaf in the Wind Technique]! Leaf moved along with the wind, and using his Nature Qi, he could change his body's movements faster than one could even blink!
Right now, Leaf was using his [Simple Slash] with the [Hard, Rough] intent, combining the intents into one, making his slash create a large wind slash that was faster and caused a large damage and cut through the many ants and killed about several thousands of them. Using his second stance of his [Soft and Hard Blade Technique], called [Simple Turn] - Using this stance, Leaf would simply turn his sword in any direction he wants to, slashing towards the direction he chose - with the [Smooth, Rough] intents, a whirlwind of Nature Qi was created around him, making this hurricane of sharp wind blades that protected him from the onslaught of thousands of ants, killing many of them as they charged mindlessly towards him.
"...this is getting annoying." Leaf whispered and Root witnessed something Leaf was working on for too long. His sword simply touched the ground as Leaf converted Nature Qi into Fire Qi, like his father taught him to, and used the third stance of his [Soft and Hard Blade Technique] called [Simple Stab] - As the name implies, the technique is just a plain stabbing motion towards anything and anyone - with the [Soft, Hard, Smooth, Rough] intent!
[Soft] intent makes any technique able to slip through things, [Hard] intent makes any technique hit harder and stronger with added weight, [Smooth] intent makes technique easier and faster to perform, while [Rough] intent makes any technique have a harder time being executed but adds a lot to the technique.
What happens when all intents are used at once?
"Simple Stab - Eruption."
With three simple words, Leaf stabbed the ground - He was at the border of his father's forest, defending it from the annoying ants that wish to devour the trees, they come every day, and Leaf kills them every single day as well - and this heat spread outwards in the ants direction. Converting Nature Qi into other Qis is something Leaf learned from his father, and although Fire Qi is damaging to him, he was careful! From beneath the ground before him, flames started to rush and move as if alive and consumed all the ants before his eyes, burning them alive and leaving behind a simple small shard of red that was the ants Demonic Beast Core.
Leaf never cared for them, but his father? He had an amazing idea.
"Leaf." Coming to his mind was the voice of his father. "Gather the red crystals… I want them." Leaf did not ask why his father wanted the crystals or why, he simply nodded to the trees behind him, knowing that his father could see him doing so, and called with his authority his lesser siblings - They came to him, floating like small green orbs shaped like many animals. "Help me, little ones." With a few thousand of his siblings helping, Leaf was able to gather the red crystals and take them to his father, who appeared before him by phasing through the wood of his own bark, smiling softly at him-
Leaf did not expect the hug, and how he felt so… warm.
"Thank you, son." Simple words that made Leaf feel almost… broken? No, not like that- He always worked and never expected his work to be appreciated, because he was the older child and his authority required him to always be the one doing and not receiving. He didn't even expect his father to thank him! He just did his duty… "...you're welcome, father." It feels good… to be appreciated.
"Would you like to witness the birth of your possible future sibling?" Hearing his father wanting to make another child, after Chaos and Lumin, Leaf felt excited- Their family was growing, and he felt happy to witness it. "Yes."
"Then, watch carefully, this might help you understand the Dao." Root smiled as Leaf's eyes widened in surprise, eyes focused as he simply lifted his finger softly- All the gathered crystals of red Demonic Qi gathered into a single place, they started to crack and turn to dust before all the dust gathered into a simple small pearl that shrunk in size. Before his very eyes, Leaf witnessed something he saw many times as Nature Qi gathered around the now purified Demonic Qi and formed a simple seed that contained the Demonic Qi.
The process was smooth, and Leaf could barely understand how his father was able to do such a thing… As the seed fell upon the ground, a bright red and purple flower blossomed, only to simply wither before their very eyes. Leaf thought his father didn't succeed for a split second, but when a sharp clawed hand shot out from the ash, he smacked himself mentally for being foolish and not believing in his father's abilities.
What crawled out of the ash and soot was a beautiful and small fairy-like being, but instead of fairy insect-like wings, this one had more bat-like wings at her back. Her hair was short and bright purple, her eyes were red and her ear pointy like many of his siblings- His father smiled at the little one, saying a simple word: "Lilith." That was his new sister's name it seemed, and the little demon simply snorted before floating towards her dad, touching his hand and saying: "Well, I guess that is a good name, it's not like I like it or anything." Ah… Is that the famous Tsundere? Leaf still has a lot of knowledge from sleeping in his father's canopy and absorbing the wisdom he shares through many dreams.
His siblings also enjoyed sleeping by their father's roots, branches, canopy, absorbing the wisdom of his dreams as well! It was an amazing opportunity, and they all loved to see concepts beyond their imagination… They only saw simple and small things, like technologies that they wanted to try and copy, recipes of many foods, and even techniques and abilities! Which was how they got in the habit of saying their technique's names out loud, because according to their father's memories, it made the attack stronger somehow.
Root: *sweats in anime*
[Status]
Name: Lilith
Species: Demonic Spirit
Cultivation Root: Demonic, Dark, Yin [Good Quality]
Age: 0 Years
Qi Realm: Qi Gathering (1st Stage)
Techniques -
F RANK: [Demonic Spirit Cultivation]
F RANK: [Demonic Spirit Flying]
E RANK: [Demonic Eyes]
Amidst the Trees, Inner Circle
Hiu Yang sighed softly as her small spirit helped her gather the abundant Nature Qi around her and circle it into her core right above her stomach. Her contracted spirit… She learned of this after she saw Yan Zhun with his small salamander of fire he called Sister, so she approached one of the small and cute Nature Spirits that looked like a kitten and tried to make a contract with it, that was when Sect Master Leaf appeared before her and with his guidance, she was able to make a contract with Mei Mei!
With Mei Mei's help, she was able to successfully gather as much Qi as she could, and she was able to get into the 7th stage of the Qi Gathering realm, which apparently was very good? Her mother praised her every moment she got, and even Zhu Tei would say she was strong!
Which was why she got a little bit, a tiny amount, arrogant.
Which was why she looked down at the ones who once looked down at her and her mother- You see, Hiu Yang might be a child, but she was not stupid! Her father cheated on her mother, having another child and choosing to leave her and her mother behind and put his attention and effort on the other child, leaving her and her mother… They had to work for even a tiny piece of bread, many times her mother even gave up her own food to give her the tiny piece, lying about how she was not hungry.
Her resentment towards her father grew the longer they spent living for scraps in the village… Which was why when she had the opportunity, she did not hesitate to act.
One of the people who managed to get away and found their home, was the woman and child of her father. The man was also alongside them somehow- He survived the attack, running the opposite direction her and her mother ran to, and for some reason found his way here.
She hates them, so she took her mother and begged Sect Master Leaf to allow her to live alongside her in the inner circle, and when Sect Master Leaf begrudgingly allowed her to live there, Hiu Yang was delighted- Happily she came and took her mother, being extra loud and happy when she told her the news and they took their own things to be moved to their new home at the INNER CIRCLE.
She enjoyed the look on her father's face when he tried to beg his past wife for her help, only to be ruthlessly rejected and thrown away by his own daughter with a simple palm strike. She learned a lot from Sect Master Leaf even though he never said anything, she learned by observing him!
Her journey as a cultivator is going to be amazing.
