Chapter 125: Chapter 125: Sword Gang

Fang Chen’s pupils constricted, his face revealing obvious surprise for the first time. "Spiritual Qi?!"

Seeing this, Fan Yutong added, "The reward for the top ten is indeed a wisp of Primordial Spiritual Qi. However... it might not necessarily be of top quality."

"Not necessarily?" Fang Chen frowned slightly.

"Yeah," Fan Yutong explained. "The rewarded Spiritual Qi might be stored in the academy’s inventory using Sealing Spirit Liquid, or it could be a substitute sealed by other special means.

"You know how it is. A lot of Primordial Spiritual Qi must be collected for Refining the exact moment it is born to retain the highest vitality. Only that can be called top quality.

"No matter how good a preservation technique is, over time—sometimes even just after an hour—the Spiritual Qi’s ’vitality’ and ’Dao rhyme integrity’ will leak away a bit, reducing its effectiveness."

Fang Chen certainly understood.

According to Qingyang Academy’s ancient texts and his own understanding, top-quality Primordial Spiritual Qi prioritized "freshness." It was Heaven and Earth Energy in its most primordial and abundant state, naturally condensed under specific conditions. Any form of storage would degrade this "freshness."

Even so... this was still an incredibly rare opportunity.

"But even if it’s preserved, slightly inferior ’high-grade’ Spiritual Qi," Fan Yutong continued, "with good luck, it can still push your Qi Sea Progress by twenty-five to thirty-three percent. If you actually get thirty-three percent and pair it with a Realm-Breaking Pill, it’s entirely possible to break through to the Profound rank."

Fang Chen nodded inwardly, knowing it was definitely worth giving his all.

At this moment, Fan Yutong leaned in closer, her voice carrying a trace of longing and mystery.

"I heard that if you can take first place, the Jing’an Martial Arts Academy will do everything in their power to fight for the best follow-up resources for you!

"That means... even if the Spiritual Qi you need is hidden in some dangerous Secret Realm, or even in Alien Race territory, they might find a way to organize a force and retrieve it for you!"

Fang Chen’s eyes flickered. "Oh? That sounds great."

"But," he asked the crucial question, "how exactly do you participate in this ranking tournament? Is it an arena battle?"

"Of course it’s not a simple arena battle." Fan Yutong shook her head. "The quotas are... well, they’re more or less predetermined."

"Predetermined?" Fang Chen was somewhat surprised.

"It’s not completely under the table, either."

Fan Yutong was just about to explain in detail when Teacher Liu Suifeng on the podium spoke up, his voice ringing clearly throughout the Skill Transmission Hall.

"Alright, quiet down."

Liu Suifeng clapped his hands. The lazy smile on his face remained, but as his gaze swept across the room, it carried an invisible pressure. "I assume some of you have already heard about the ranking tournament."

The hall instantly fell silent. All the students pricked up their ears.

"Same old rules."

Liu Suifeng’s tone was casual but allowed no room for argument. "Before next week, the various clubs must submit their recommendation lists to Teacher Qin Zhenyue for review. The number of quotas and the distribution method will remain the same as in previous years."

His gaze paused on a few students with obviously powerful Auras, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"When you all ’exchange pointers’ in private, know your limits. Don’t make things too ugly. Alright, that’s all for that."

In just a few sentences, he had outlined how one could participate in the ranking tournament.

It wasn’t an academy-wide open tryout, but rather a fixed number of spots filled by outstanding members recommended by each club. This clearly reflected a mechanism of competition and balance that the academy tacitly approved of, or even actively encouraged.

Fang Chen understood clearly.

It seemed that securing a spot—let alone fighting for a high rank—would require the support and maneuvering of one’s club, on top of personal strength.

He glanced at Fan Yutong beside him. She nodded back at him; her meaning was obvious.

Liu Suifeng dropped the topic of the ranking tournament and shifted gears, his face revealing a rare trace of pure, Martial Artist excitement.

"Let’s put other matters aside and begin today’s lesson. Today... heh, even your teacher is a little excited."

He unfastened the seemingly ordinary Longsword at his waist and casually executed a sword flourish.

"Just a few days ago, the Flowing Wind and Returning Snow Sword that I’ve painstakingly cultivated for over twenty years finally reached... Perfection."

BUZZ—

As his words fell, the Longsword in his hand let out a clear, melodious, and drawn-out thrum of its own accord, despite barely having any True Essence poured into it. The light around the blade seemed to distort slightly.

A wave of low murmurs and gasps instantly swept through the students below.

"Congratulations, Teacher Liu!"

"Wow! Swordsmanship at Perfection?!"

An even more knowledgeable student cried out involuntarily, "A High Martial Realm Swordsmanship cultivated to Perfection... Doesn’t that mean..."

Liu Suifeng smiled faintly, confirming their suspicions.

"That’s right. By a stroke of luck... I’ve condensed a Sword Gang."

"Sword Gang?!"

These two words were like stones tossed into a tranquil lake, stirring up even greater ripples.

Many students—especially those who had only recently entered the High Martial Realm—looked bewildered. However, the older students and those from extraordinary backgrounds all revealed expressions of shock, envy, and even awe.

Fang Chen’s heart gave a sudden lurch.

Sword Gang!

This was the exact stage above his Sword Aura!

Sword Gang was a further condensation, sublimation, and Qualitative Change of Sword Aura! Only by cultivating a High Martial Realm Cultivation Technique of Swordsmanship to true Perfection could one condense a Sword Gang!

He instantly pushed the matter of the ranking tournament to the back of his mind. His entire Heart Spirit was focused on Liu Suifeng. His gaze burned with intensity, refusing to miss a single detail.

Liu Suifeng didn’t keep them in suspense. He needed to set a clear benchmark for these future Martial Artists.

"Watch closely, everyone." He spoke in a relaxed tone, yet brimmed with confidence.

Without adopting any stance, he merely gave his wrist an incredibly steady twist and pointed his Longsword diagonally forward.

There was no earth-shattering eruption of momentum, nor any flashy glow of True Essence.

Yet, right where the tip of the sword pointed, the air seemed to be forcefully parted by an invisible power. A Light Blade roughly three feet long, condensed to the point of being nearly tangible and glowing with a translucent cyan-jade hue, quietly extended from the sword’s tip!

This Light Blade looked even more solid and stable than Fang Chen’s Sword Aura. Fine patterns of flowing wind and drifting snow circulated along its edges. The surrounding air temperature plummeted drastically due to its mere existence, faintly sparkling with the glimmer of condensing ice crystals.

This was Sword Gang!

A power far more condensed and razor-sharp than Sword Aura, deeply infused with the unique spiritual resonance and will of the Cultivation Technique!

Liu Suifeng casually raised his sword toward a deep-black Profound Iron Sword Testing Stone—standing half a person tall—that had been prepared beside the podium, and gave it a gentle wave.

The cyan-jade Sword Gang slashed downward.

SWISH—

There was no loud clash of metal upon metal, nor any scene of shattered rock flying everywhere.

The Profound Iron Sword Testing Stone, which was sturdy enough to withstand the full-powered strike of an ordinary High Martial Realm Martial Artist, had its upper half slowly slide off along a mirror-smooth diagonal cut. It crashed onto the stone floor with a heavy THUD.

The severed surface was as smooth as a mirror, faintly radiating a layer of cyan-white frost!

The entire Skill Transmission Hall plunged into instant silence.

Everyone’s eyes went wide. Holding their breaths, they stared at the smooth cross-section of Profound Iron and the slowly dissipating cyan-jade Sword Gang, utter shock written all over their faces.

With just a casual wave, he had sliced off such a massive chunk of Profound Iron?

Was the might of Sword Gang actually this terrifying?!

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