Oh no, oh no!
Han Feng was filled with a mixture of regret and anxiety.
Where his gaze landed, a tiny hole had already appeared in a massive embrace-wide tree trunk before him.
That sword qi had pierced straight through, its destination unknown. Although it left only a small aperture in the colossal pine tree, an overbearing and peerless terrifying sword intent had instantly sapped all vitality from the tree that had grown for I-know-not-how-many years. The pine needles, originally as lush and thick as a canopy, withered to a dull yellow at a speed visible to the naked eye, looking just like an elderly person at the twilight of their life.
I was careless...
Han Feng thought to himself. If such an overbearing and fierce sword qi were to strike a person, wouldn't that be disastrous?
Feeling uneasy, Han Feng hurriedly stood up and left the Main Peak, following the trajectory of that sword qi to search the opposite peak.
Before long, he had arrived at this sword-shaped peak. Seeing that the place was tranquil and secluded with a unique ambiance of its own, he had no heart to linger over the scenery.
Along the way, he had successively seen gigantic trees and sturdy rocks pierced through by sword qi—some penetrated into holes, others blasted into powdery dust...
The might of a single sword had actually reached such a level!
Han Feng smiled bitterly to himself, gaining a deeper understanding of the "Sage of Books" gift he had initially received.
That book "True Interpretation of Swordsmanship" had a note at the beginning stating that for these swordsmanship arts, those with high comprehension could master them in a few years, and lesser ones in a dozen or so years. If one failed to comprehend them after decades, one must not force it, and so on.
Yet when he read that book, it took him only a short half-hour or so from start to finish before he completely mastered it, and he had once startled the heavens and earth with a single beam of sword light!
Was this the heaven-defying comprehension of the so-called "Sage of Books"?
These past few days, Han Feng had read many books and already gained a general understanding of this world. Given his current realm of the Golden Core Realm, it was utterly impossible for him to unleash such terrifying sword qi just now.
It was just that the sword of a moment ago had moved in accordance with his heart, somehow triggering a resonance with heaven and earth, drawing forth a sliver of profound heaven and earth might, which in turn created such terrifying and boundless power!
If he were to do it again, with Han Feng's current Golden Core Stage cultivation, the sword qi he emitted would likely reach its limit if it could pierce a stone wall within a hundred paces, its remaining momentum unable to even pierce thin plain silk.
This sword qi's destructive power was still continuing!
Han Feng looked back and gazed into the distance; he was already at least several thousand feet away from the Main Peak, yet wherever the sword qi reached, it still pierced trees upon meeting them and shattered rocks upon encountering them!
Who on earth could be living on this strange peak?
I hope it didn't hurt anyone!
Although the predecessor whose body he had transmigrated into was an unreliable Sect Master, he certainly couldn't continue carrying on such an undependable persona.
That fellow had concocted a bed-attendant roster—though sleazy and wretched, it was at least aimed at increasing the population. For him, having just arrived, to reduce the headcount of this seemingly sparsely populated Jiushen Sect was simply unjustifiable.
Eh?
It's her!
Suddenly, Han Feng's eyes lit up. His gaze landed on a familiar slender and graceful figure not far away, dressed in white and drifting like an immortal, and a trace of joy immediately appeared on his face.
Since Luan Jian happened to be here, he could just ask who was on this strange peak, hoping there weren't any injuries or damages.
"Luan Jian!" Han Feng called out from afar, smiling, "So you're here too!"
Luan Jian, the Peak Master of Sword-Asking Peak, maintained a demeanor as cold and aloof as ever, but upon seeing this person and hearing those words, her eyes—which usually resembled an ancient, unrippled well—still twitched imperceptibly twice.
What time is it!
Yet this clueless Sect Master was still joking and fooling around!
You didn't know I was here?
Hmph!
You had only been well-behaved for less than two months, and I thought you had finally changed your temperament. Who would have thought your true nature is truly hard to alter.
You used to run to my Sword-Asking Peak eight times a day—did you forget?
And now you're still putting on an act of pleasant surprise; truly... shameless!
"Luan Jian, Peak Master of Sword-Asking Peak, greets the Sect Master." Sighing inwardly, yet maintaining a calm composure as if nothing in the world could disturb her, Luan Jian turned around, bowed slightly toward Han Feng with an air of poise.
"Ah! So this place is Sword-Asking Peak, and you are the Peak Master!" Han Feng was even more delighted; that would make things much more convenient.
"Who else is on this Sword-Asking Peak besides you? I didn't see a single soul along the way." Han Feng looked around left and right and asked casually.
Ah! This Sect Master truly has no sense of propriety; how could he expose his own shortcomings like this?
Luan Jian felt vexed in her heart. Although the dwindling population of the Jiushen Sect was no secret, a formidable enemy might be lurking in the shadows right now, and speaking so casually about it was practically inviting a catastrophe!
Taking a slight breath, Luan Jian put on a stern expression and said indifferently: "Although Sword-Asking Peak has only this one disciple, it is more than enough! Even if there were tens of thousands of troops and horses, they would never dare to lightly offend us! A few days ago, this disciple delved deeply into our sect's Wenxin Sword Canon, broke through the shackles, and reached the supreme realm of sword heart communicating with the divine!"
"Even if there is a Nascent Soul Stage powerhouse here, if they wish to offend my sect, they must first test whether this disciple's treasured sword is sharp!"
?
Han Feng was baffled for a moment.
How was it that Luan Jian, this girl who looked like an immortal descending to the mortal realm, seemed to be having her persona shatter?
What was the necessity of those two sentences?
According to his customary understanding, the meaning of these two sentences should simply be... showing off.
Ahem!
It's just the two of us here; do you need to show off in front of me?
Wenxin Sword Canon, right? It was on the very top shelf of the bookcase, and I finished reading it ages ago.
Although I didn't practice it, relying on my extraordinary comprehension as the Sage of Books, it took me at most half a day to master it. What a big deal.
So, Luan Jian, oh Luan Jian, is there any need for you to deliberately act so proud?
Shaking his head, Han Feng figured that since no one was injured, that was a good thing; he might as well go back and read his books. Today, this girl was acting all strange—since she didn't care to talk to him, why should he subject himself to this awkwardness?
Luan Jian, however, suddenly asked: "Sect Master, you have spent years in secluded cultivation on the Main Peak and long ago reached the realm of returning to truth. Today you suddenly pay a visit; could it be that you have already refined your pill to form a nascent soul, achieving a brand-new breakthrough?"
What utter nonsense was she talking about.
Han Feng did not know that these words were not meant for him at all, so he failed to understand them. He frowned and said straightforwardly:
"I gained some insight while reading earlier and thought of a few lines of cultivation formulas recorded in that True Interpretation of Swordsmanship. Carried away by the moment, I flicked out a strand of sword qi, which headed toward Sword-Asking Peak here. I was terribly afraid of accidentally harming any of our sect's disciples, so I came looking. Since only you are here and you're completely fine, I'll be heading back."
Pfft!!
Unawares, Luan Jian, the Peak Master of Sword-Asking Peak—who had previously maintained a cold, aloof, and untainted otherworldly temperament—underwent drastic changes in expression upon hearing these words. Her pupils, which were normally as sharp as a sword blade, suddenly dilated, staring in disbelief and unyielding fixation at Han Feng. Immediately following that, even her stance grew unsteady, swaying a few times as she swallowed with extreme difficulty the surging backlash of blood rushing straight up into her chest.
After a long while.
She exerted her utmost to suppress the churning blood and qi, barely managing to gather her Golden Core—which had been on the verge of being shattered by the sword intent in her Nirvana Palace—back into shape. Breathing heavily, her chest heaving continuously, she gazed at the bewildered-looking Han Feng and said in a trembling voice: "Sect Master! You... you mean, that sword qi just now was, was unleashed by you?!"