Xiao Wuchen was following clues to the secret stronghold of the Xuan Yin Sect, hidden amongst the rolling mountains of the Western Regions. Over the past few days, he had relentlessly eliminated Xuan Yin Sect branches, and his "Flower Blooms to Reveal the Buddha" sword technique had improved daily. However, the deeper he ventured, the more he sensed an unsettling aura completely different from his own yin-like internal energy.
Finally, deep within a poisonous miasma-filled canyon, he found an ancient altar hidden in the mountainside.
Just as he was about to infiltrate it, a hoarse, aged voice sounded behind him, carrying with it a chilling coldness.
'Young man,' it said. 'You've gone to such lengths to sever my Xuan Yin lineage. Do you really think I'll let you live to reach the Heavenly Ranking?'
Xiao Wuchen whirled around, his pupils contracting slightly.
A figure stood high above the canyon entrance, bathed in the afternoon sunlight. His body was withered, and a long black robe shrouded him like night. His eyes were sunken, but they emanated the oppressive aura of a peak Foundation Establishment Realm expert. This person was none other than the leader of the Xuan Yin Sect, Old Man Xuanji!
System alert: extremely dangerous target detected.
Target: Old Man Xuanji
Estimated cultivation level: Mid-stage Qi Condensation (possibly higher due to the unique nature of his cultivation method).
Internal Force Attribute: Extremely yin and poisonous, highly corrosive.
'Old Man Xuanji?' Xiao Wuchen gripped his longsword tightly and circulated his true energy to its limit as he watched Old Man Xuanji warily.
Old Man Xuanji let out a strange laugh; his voice was as harsh as fingernails scratching a blackboard. 'You do have some courage. Unfortunately, my Mysterious Yin Corrupting Heart Technique is most effective against your kind of pretentious, feigned elegance!"
He moved, his figure as fast as black lightning.
Old Man Xuanji unleashed a pure evil attack. His internal energy had transformed into a black, poisonous mist with a strong, foul odour. Wherever the mist touched, the rocks hissed and crackled as if they had been splashed with sulphuric acid, corroding instantly.
Xiao Wuchen did not dare take it head-on. Instead, he used the 'Flying Swallow Through Willows' movement technique to create distance while simultaneously countering with the 'Flowers Bloom to Reveal the Buddha' sword energy.
Although his sword energy was swift and yin, it was like encountering its natural enemy once it came into contact with the old man Xuanji's corrosive black internal energy. Rather than penetrating directly, the corrosive power rapidly dissolved his yin-like true energy with a similar but more advanced form of 'poison'.
'Your yin-like strength is just child's play! Not ruthless enough, not poisonous enough, not pure enough!' The old man Xuanji sneered. With each exchange of blows, Xiao Wuchen felt as if a piece of his internal energy had been bitten off. Not only was his true energy greatly depleted, but he could even feel a sharp pain in his meridians.
Xiao Wuchen was shocked. His prized subtle internal energy had become a weakness.
His own subtlety was a blend of softness and hardness, a deathly stillness within life, whereas the Mysterious Elder's subtlety was utter decay and destruction.
In the presence of the Mysterious Elder, his sword intent seemed hesitant and indecisive.
Relying on the speed of the 'Flower Blooms to Reveal the Buddha' technique and the subtle adjustments made by the system's 'Meridian Guidance', Xiao Wuchen repeatedly dodged Elder Xuanji's fatal attacks from impossible angles.
Seizing a tiny opening in one of Elder Xuanji's moves, he channelled all his true energy to unleash the desperate 'Buddha's Light Returns'. This sword strike contained the ultimate yin and yang power accumulated within the Flower Blooms to Reveal the Buddha technique, and was aimed directly at Elder Xuanji's chest.
Caught off guard, the sword energy grazed Elder Xuanji's chest. Although it was only a shallow wound, he let out a beast-like roar.
"Brace yourself, junior! You're courting death!'
However, this strike bought Xiao Wuchen precious time. He knew that, given Elder Xuanji's level of cultivation and restraint of internal force, the longer the fight dragged on, the more certain his death would be.
Xiao Wuchen couldn't afford to linger in battle. He burned some of his essence blood, forcibly activating his movement technique and transforming into a blur as he fled towards the edge of the valley.
Elder Xuanji didn't immediately give chase. He looked down at his chest, where a faint, life-giving green light was seeping from the shallow sword wound. A flicker of surprise and greed crossed his eyes.
'This sword technique... it actually contains a trace of life force unlike anything I've ever encountered before! Interesting! But you can't hide forever!'
Xiao Wuchen ran frantically until he had completely shaken off the old man Xuanji's aura before daring to stop. His face was pale, blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth and his clothes were corroded in many places. His injuries were far more severe than they appeared.
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and reflected.
'My martial arts aren't pure enough.'
This was his greatest realisation. Old Man Xuanji's evil art had taken 'insidious poison' to its extreme — pure destruction. In contrast, his gentle and subtle "Flowers Bloom to Reveal the Buddha" always carried a trace of concern and tenderness for humanity, like a flower in a greenhouse quickly withering under the old man Xuanji's pure poison.
In order to restrain such extreme destruction, one cannot resort to gentle, tepid methods, but must instead unleash extreme vitality!
Xiao Wuchen looked at his corroded arm, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"When the flower blooms, one sees the Buddha... But if the blooming of the flower is merely to see the Buddha, it is ultimately a mere formality. A true blooming flower must be a vibrant life force, powerful enough to withstand all decay!'
System Quest: [The Challenge of the Mysterious Elder] Completed (Narrowly Escaped).
Reward: Martial Arts Comprehension Value Greatly Increased.
Xiao Wuchen flew swiftly and finally took shelter in the ruins of an ancient temple, a place rarely visited by humans. He dared not use his internal energy again because every time he activated true qi, the residual corrosive toxicity travelled against the flow of energy through his meridians, causing excruciating pain.
He sat cross-legged, his face already ashen.
System notification: The host's internal organs and meridians are being eroded by a high-intensity "Mysterious Yin Corrosive Heart Poison".
Poisoning status: Mild internal energy disorder, moderate meridian corrosion.
Warning: If not cleared in time, the toxicity will merge with the host's yin-type internal energy, accelerating the deterioration process.
Xiao Wuchen knew how potent this poison was. The Mysterious Old Man was indeed a giant on the path of evil; his poison was not just any poison, but a "reverse extreme" that targeted yin-type internal energy. As it invaded his meridians, it attempted to transform his yin-type true qi into a corrosive force of the same origin.
He tried to neutralise the poison using the gentle, nourishing energy inherent in the 'Flowers Bloom to Reveal the Buddha' technique. However, the moment his true energy touched the black aura, it was rapidly devoured and transformed by it.
'This is using my yin energy to strengthen itself...' Xiao Wuchen gritted his teeth, cold sweat pouring down his face.
He realised the missing link in his sword intent.
The essence of 'Flowers Bloom to Reveal the Buddha' is 'softness within strength, withered trees blossoming in spring', with 'yin softness' at its core. However, for him, this yin softness had only reached the stage of "softness", not the stage of "true spring".
The Corrosive Power of the Mysterious Elder: Pure destruction, the ultimate yin.
Xiao Wuchen's yin softness: A 'softness' between 'life' and 'death', lacking in depth.
If he could perfect "vitality", elevating his sword intent to "true withered trees blossoming in spring", then the life-giving force within his inner strength might be able to suppress this rotting "death intent".
Currently, however, he is poisoned and his inner strength is chaotic, making deep comprehension impossible.
'It must be cleaned up, or my life will be in danger...'
Xiao Wuchen took out a high-grade antidote pill and swallowed it. However, the pill's potent yang energy was firmly enveloped by the Xuan Yin Corrosive Heart Poison, which made it difficult to penetrate.
Desperate, he remembered the Xuanji Elder's palm strike, which pushed the yin to its extreme of decay.
He decided to take a risky gamble.
Instead of using the gentle approach of 'Flowers Bloom to Reveal the Buddha', he guided the yin true energy within his body, circulating it in the same way as the Xuanji Elder. He wanted to imitate the 'ultimate poison', using poison to fight poison — or at least to achieve a temporary balance between the two forces and buy time for the antidote to work.
However, he quickly lost control of his true energy as it spiralled out of control through his meridians. His true energy lacked the pure 'toxicity' of the Xuanji Elder — this imitation would only hasten his demise.
In an instant, his true energy went completely berserk and his meridians were torn apart by excruciating pain.
"Cough!" Xiao Wuchen spat out a mouthful of black blood and nearly fainted. He had failed. Imitating the path of destruction would only lead to his own downfall.
He collapsed to the ground, his consciousness fading. Just as he was about to reach the brink of despair, he was flooded with the memory of Su Mubai's righteous spirit, along with the image of the lotus sword that had bloomed amidst the bloodshed when he first entered the martial world.
The key was not to imitate destruction, but to find the faintest yet most tenacious "vitality" within "When Flowers Bloom, Buddha Appears" and amplify it infinitely!
He had to discover the true meaning of the flower's "bloom" before the poison consumed his heart completely.