Destiny in Cinders

The injured Nian Quan showed even greater strength than before, having taken down an opponent from First Middle School in just one move. The crowd was completely stunned by this. Even those in the VIP seats were slightly shaken, speaking in hushed voices among themselves. An old, white-haired cultivator nodded slightly and said, ”That sword intent was remarkable. It’s no ordinary water-aspect sword intent. Is it the celestial river or the nether springs? I felt a vast and mighty true intent, and also... a hint of sorrow.”

”Yes, but the key lies in that explosive execution,” said another cultivator. He looked younger than the first, but his voice sounded more mature and wise. ”On the surface, it appears as if he’s simply using his arborealized hand to unleash a more powerful stream of sword qi. But in fact, it’s a secret technique of absolute focus meant to help cultivators push past the late stages of Qi Refinement. It’s at the very least a Foundation Realm technique.”

His insight was truly razor-sharp. Although Armorpierce Impetus was one of four parts of the Imperial Sky Art, he was able to grasp its essence. ” Nian Quan isn’t bad at all. Third Middle School has finally uncovered a real talent. After all, we need to bring in a few students outside of First Middle School to show that we value talent.”

Beneath the arena, An Jing and the others celebrated briefly before heading back to the breakroom. Part of Nian Quan’s arborealized arm had cracked open, out of which oozed a dark bluish-purple poisoned blood that carried a bitter, woody scent. Yet, he looked surprisingly at ease.

”When I unleashed all my sword qi, I caught a faint glimpse into the true intent of ailment sword qi. Channeling it at full force actually expelled a trace of toxic lethal qi. My fingers feel less stiff now, so I can at least use some basic sword techniques.” Drawing his blade, Nian Quan, demonstrated a few moves. Though An Jing spotted numerous flaws in his form, it was more than enough for the typical match between Qi Refinement students. Strikes carrying sword intent could disrupt incoming attacks. Even if they were slow, they were more than adequate for defense.

”I have some things to take care of tomorrow, so I won’t be around for a bit.” Unfortunately, An Jing wouldn’t be able to watch Nian Quan fight in the semifinals. His three days were up; he had to return to Void Embrace for a day before he could come back to Skysource. However, the timing worked out perfectly since he could make it back in time for the finals. ”Well? Are you confident I’ll get to see you fight in the finals?”

”Just you wait,” Nian Quan said with full confidence. ”Aside from the chairman, that Yan Chengju with the crimson ruyi scepter, there’s no way I’d lose to anyone else. ”I’m facing him tomorrow, and there’s a high chance I’ll lose. He’s hidden himself well. He’s clearly an earth-aspect cultivator, but he’s been using artifacts of entirely different aspects to throw everyone off. Meanwhile, I’ve already shown all my cards. Still, I’m going to do everything I can to make him use his real moves, then work my way out of the loser’s bracket. I’ll tear through the rest of the competition, recover, and try my best to master ailment sword qi. And when the time comes, I’ll face Yan Chengju again in the finals to determine the ultimate victor.”

”It’s great that you’re confident.” What worried An Jing most was actually Nian Quan’s mindset. Honestly, so what if he lost? A year ago, Nian Quan was just an ordinary student who barely knew how to fight. Now, thanks to the precious teachings imparted by Yvelbane, he had effectively become a mini war god. There was no shame in failing; lacking the grace to accept it was the truly terrifying part. Now that Nian Quan had shifted his mindset, he could face defeat head-on, and that was enough. Of course, winning would be even better!

An Jing and Huo Qing bade Nian Quan goodbye and left the special market.

”I wish I could master ailment sword qi as well, but it’s just too difficult.” Huo Qing felt a wave of emotion as they made their way back. He had been practicing the techniques that An Jing taught him when he wasn’t busy acting as a sparring partner for Nian Quan in the past two days. He achieved higher mastery over Armorpierce Impetus, significantly boosting his proficiency along with picking up a few clever tricks.

An Jing believed that with Huo Qing’s current strength, he wouldn’t be completely helpless against Gunner and his gang as he had been in the past. Although he might lose a head-on fight, he could unleash enough power to knock one attacker out cold, giving him the chance to escape. With the support of his own formation nearby, he could even fight while retreating and take down all of them. However, Huo Qing didn’t have the slightest clue about ailment sword qi.

”Your talent lies elsewhere.” An Jing shared everything he knew with Nian Quan, who picked it up incredibly fast. He had already grasped the first sparks today, and with his familiarity with sword qi and some late-night practice, he should fully master it within two days. Huo Qing, on the other hand, couldn’t quite grasp it. While he had a solid talent for body refinement, he struggled to project qi externally.

An Jing believed that Huo Qing’s aptitude for formations and body refinement made him a natural-born martialist. He didn’t have to waste time on refining qi at all; he should be pursuing Void Embrace’s martial way! It was no wonder Huo Qing had seemed so ordinary before. He was simply never meant for spirit-root cultivation.

Speaking of which, should I have Huo Qing officially switch over to martial cultivation? An Jing paused, lost in thought. Although Huo Qing lacked a lifearc, he possessed spirit roots. Triple spirit roots weren’t exactly efficient and were comparable to a superior mixed arc or certain root arcs, but it would be enough to get him to the Purple Mansion Realm. Void Embrace relied on lifearcs rather than spirit roots because of its environment and the nature of its Heavenly Dao. Although Skysource appeared barren, the spirit qi within safe zones remained viable, giving Huo Qing the chance to pioneer a martial path using spirit roots instead.

An Jing subtly probed him on the matter, leaving Huo Qing looking entirely bewildered. ”Switch to body refinement? But that’s what I’ve been practicing! Formations and body refinement don’t clash. In fact, most formationists are actually body refiners. We rely entirely on major formations for techniques, but if the formation is destroyed, techniques won’t save you anyway. It’s better to be a body refiner so you can survive the backlash or fight your way out of a tight spot if it comes down to it.”

”I see.” An Jing let out a sigh of relief. ”In that case, once you’ve made some decent progress with the Imperial Earth Art, I’ll teach you a secret body refinement technique. It tempers the internal organs, using your own body as a formation. However, this technique drains an immense amount of qi essence. You should put aside qi cultivation for now and focus on accumulating qi essence. Once all the techniques come together to build a formation that reinforces your body, you will be able to form an immortal foundation through body refinement.”

There was no conflict between qi cultivation and the martial path; progress in one sped up the other. In the later stages, both paths formed a mutually reinforcing cycle, though the early stages required twice as much time and resources. With An Jing’s talent and the resources of two worlds, he could advance both paths simultaneously from the very beginning.

Even with access to the resources provided by An Jing, however, Huo Qing didn’t possess the same talent. Naturally, he kept his focus on martial techniques, treating qi cultivation merely as a means to produce raw materials. Yet it would be easy to catch up on his qi cultivation as soon as he found success in the martial path.

”No problem! Hey, doesn’t this share some similarities with the Imperial Sky Art? Both allow you to temper the body using formations!” Huo Qing had always trusted An Jing unconditionally, and in turn, An Jing resolved to offer him more guidance by sharing his own insights into the martial path. Furthermore, Huo Qing had a unique grasp of the combination of formations and martial techniques, which was exactly why An Jing thought so highly of him.

By comparing their insights, Huo Qing’s knowledge in formations would allow him to draw analogies and inspiration that An Jing himself might miss even if his progress was slower. The connection between the Imperial Sky Art and formations as well as the Imperial Earth Art and elixirs was a good example. On his own, his knowledge had become an obstacle blinding him to the idea, but Huo Qing could fill in the gaps. Friends who trained together and learned from each other were the very definition of comrades of the dao.

Huo Qing had been driving back to Metalhand’s recycling house as they spoke.