Chapter 58: The Violet Thunderbolt Sword

  Lu Qing's heart moved, and he also sighed. Perhaps he was still too naive. Even his master spoke with emphasis on strength. No wonder the ancient sages had fallen. In the past 50,000 years, the Ten Thousand Great Mountains had been practicing the principle of "survival of the fittest" and "the strong are revered".

  It's not bad to say that Lu Qing thought that the current Ten Thousand Great Mountains are centered on the Central Sword God Mountain, constantly expanding outward. The closer to the center of the Sword God Mountain, the more abundant the heaven and earth yuanqi and the earth vein ore deposits are. Relatively speaking, the level of the sect is also higher, and the strength is also stronger.

  The entire continent follows such a rule, what else can one expect? It's best to just keep one's own mind. Lu Qing's gaze fluctuated for a moment, but soon calmed down, looking at his master Xuan Qing, waiting for his words.

  As if in deep thought, after a long while, Xuan Qing finally said: "Now I can guarantee that if you can become pregnant with the sword embryo and reach the rank of Sword Master by the age of twenty, the reward for your Lu family will not be taken back."

  "After a pause, as for the matter of Nian Yunjian's sword, it is a major event related to the sect's promotion, so I couldn't give you preferential treatment. You can only obtain it through your own strength. If everything goes smoothly, I can help you get this much."

  "Thank you, Master. Lu Qing is already very satisfied."

  "Well, in that case, you've now entered the realm of a sword guest. Although I think your foundation is quite solid, still go down the mountain to gain experience for a few months. You're still young and haven't accumulated enough worldly experiences. Wait two more days until the headcount is finished, then go to Purple Mist Peak to choose a task and descend."

  He nodded and said, "Yes, Master."

  "Go ahead—"

  Outside the Grand Hall of Dawn, Duan Qingyun and Yu and Hua stood waiting at the gate.

  "I'm telling you, Qing Hua, he won't deceive us, right?" Duan Qing Yun asked somewhat uneasily, turning his head to ask Yu Jihua on the side, "Is this really true? It's simply unbelievable. Does that mean I'll become a junior brother next time we have a big competition?"

  Looking at Duan Qingyun scratching his ears and cheeks, Yu Jihua felt a burst of laughter, but soon became somewhat puzzled. However, the slowly opening temple door interrupted his thoughts.

  At this moment, Lu Qing stepped out of the grand hall step by step without haste or delay. The aura on his body seemed to be there and yet not there, as if it had merged with the surrounding heaven and earth. His face was like jade, without a single impurity, and his entire being was filled with a light and ethereal feeling.

  Staring blankly at Lu Qing walking out, Duan Qingyun's eyes were dull and she muttered to herself: "Monster, monster!"

  Looking at Lu Qing's expression, Yu Jihua said: "It's really hard to believe that you can now almost rival me. Judging from your body movements, I'm afraid you've already touched the threshold of being able to wield heavy and light forces with ease."

  His expression calm, Lu Qing said: "It's just an unexpected encounter, no matter what, we are friends, aren't we?"

  Yu and Hua Xian was taken aback for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face: "It seems that your realm has improved a lot, now I am not as good as you."

  A smile also appeared on his face, Lu Qing looked at Duan Qingyun, but saw that he still had a bitter face, muttering "Shixiong Shidi" in his mouth, the chubby face was twisted into two deep folds, looking very funny.

  "Alright, stop embarrassing yourself here, let's go." Yu Jihua saw the situation and couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. He walked forward and slapped Duan Qingyun hard on the back, finally pulling him out of his daze.

  "Alright, alright," Duan Qingyun let out a sigh and patted Lu Qing's shoulder, "You're stronger than me, kid. From now on, I'll be relying on you, my junior brother. If anyone messes with me, you'd better help me fight back."

  Lu Qing and Yu Ji Hua were both stunned at the same time, then burst out laughing simultaneously, attracting the attention of some outer sect disciples who were passing by. Duan Qing Yun, on the other hand, raised her round head nonchalantly, completely ignoring them without even a glance.

  Two days passed, and Lu Qing returned to Mingyue Lake. However, possibly due to the extremely cold snowy winter weather, the hundred-meter-high waterfall had been completely frozen. The entire Mingyue Lake had turned into a white ice surface. The waterfall hung down, crystal clear and transparent, connecting to the bottom of Mingyue Lake. The large black rock under the waterfall was sealed in the icy lake water and the frozen waterfall.

  Yesterday, Zhao Qianye also returned to Chaoyang Palace. When he saw Lu Qing, he didn't say a word and immediately took action. However, his cultivation was suppressed at the Sword Guest Small Heavenly Rank. His swordsmanship was the same as Lu Qing's, using only one set of Xu Ri Thirteen Swords. But Lu Qing's performance still shocked Duan Qingyun and others extremely. The majestic purple electric sword energy and Zhao Qianye's fledgling wind and thunder sword energy cancelled each other out. In the air, it seemed like countless thunderclaps rang out. The scattered lightning sword energy pounded the ground, creating hole after hole, each one a foot deep. Mud and ice shards flew everywhere.

  Lu Qing's swordsmanship, after being honed through his exchanges with Nie Qingtian, had already subtly crossed the threshold of lightness and heaviness. His movements, from the raising of his hands to the changing of his stances, seemed to have accelerated significantly. The massive Heart-Refining Sword in his hand appeared as light as a feather, but the two observers, Duan Qingyun, knew that this was merely an illusion born from their own limited realm. At this moment, Yu Jihua couldn't help but acknowledge that Lu Qing had already surpassed him in terms of swordsmanship.

  Facing Zhao Qianye's wind and thunder sword energy, Lu Qing only felt that his current purple electric sword energy had finally met a worthy opponent. Even when Nie Qingtian's Xunfeng sword energy faced his purple electric sword energy, it was necessary to add a little more force to completely suppress it. However, although Zhao Qianye had not yet fully integrated and refined the wind and thunder energies, the nascent wind and thunder sword energy was already in no way inferior to Lu Qing's purple electric sword energy. In fact, when dealing with Lu Qing, Zhao Qianye was even more relaxed than Nie Qingtian, which was a difference in their sword energies.

  Of course, even if Lu Qing's progress was rapid, he couldn't be a match for Zhao Qianye, who had been immersed in the art of sword fighting for a long time. After exchanging blows for the time it takes to burn an incense stick, despite Lu Qing using all his strength, he was still defeated by Zhao Qianye with a single strike of the Wind and Thunder Sword, which sent him stumbling back with the tip of the sword pointed at his throat.

  By today, all the inner disciples have basically arrived. After registering with the outer disciple in charge of recording, Lu Qing planned to head to the External Affairs Hall outside Zixia Peak.

  At this moment, Lu Qing and the other three were practicing on the surface of Mingyue Lake. Although the lake was frozen, it had a good effect on mastering swordsmanship and grasping force. On the slippery ice surface, Lu Qing and the others practiced swordsmanship tirelessly. Since seeing Lu Qing's progress in his jumping technique, Duan Qingyun also restrained her usual temperament and began to practice swordsmanship with the other three every day.

  It was already noon, and the thick snow didn't melt much due to the sunlight. Since Mingyuetan was frozen, they couldn't catch any snow fish for food either. However, Duan Qingyun still managed to catch a few snow rabbits, roasted them over the fire, and everyone shared the food with the liquor that had been brought along to ward off the cold.

  "Follow me——" Zhao Qianye stood up and walked towards a nearby empty space.

  Lu Qing and Yu Ji Hua exchanged a glance, then followed closely behind.

  "You've chosen to wield the heterodox Purple Lightning Sword Qi, so now you can only choose to practice the profound sword techniques of Lei Xing. Otherwise, your body will explode and die from the conflicting powers." Zhao Qianye said steadily, looking at Lu Qing.

  Lu Qing looked calmly at Zhao Qianye and said, "Master wants to pass on the Zi Xuan Wind Thunder Sword to me."

  "Not bad, although the Purple Thunder Sword can also be obtained from the Wu Ge, but without guidance, as you gain a deeper understanding of swordsmanship, introducing the two energies of wind and thunder into your body will be extremely dangerous. Those failed inner sect disciples back then were all killed at this step, either dispersing their energy or having their meridians burst open due to being unable to withstand the impact of the two energies."

  Lu Qing's eyes narrowed, and he knew that the Purple Thunder Sword was not so simple. Although Lu Tianxiu, the Sword Emperor, had used it to dominate the world with unparalleled power in the past, now only Zhao Qianye had barely managed to master it, and its difficulty was indeed great.

  "But you're different," Zhao Qianye said, turning the conversation around. "You've gone through life and death to achieve Leixin's unique sword energy, so you already have an advantage that others don't. Introducing the power of the thunder energy seed won't be a big deal, just be careful when introducing the Xun wind energy and adjust accordingly. However, your situation is unprecedented, so still be cautious. You're about to descend the mountain, I'll protect you from evil spirits, wait until you've absorbed the wind and thunder energies before leaving."

  Next, Zhao Qianye recited a segment of the incantation to Lu Qing, but as he recited more and more, Lu Qing's heart was increasingly shocked. Indeed, his current mood was also deeply shocked.

  Not for anything else, but as Zhao Qianye recited the incantation, he discovered that the mouthful of Zi Xuan Feng Lei Jian was almost identical to the hammer method incantation of Lu's family Da Yuan 36 hammers, only slightly simplified in some places.

  What's going on? Lu Qing's mind was racing with thoughts. He had long known that the Lu family's Dahuan 36 Hammers were actually an extraordinary sword technique, but he never thought that it would be transformed into the Zi Xiaozong's 500-year-old ultimate and profound sword technique, the Purple Clouds Wind and Thunder Sword, which countless people had attempted to master but only one person had succeeded.

  But after a brief shock, Lu Qing was relieved again. Indeed, the original Lu Tian Shu was expelled from the Lu family, but becoming the legitimate heir and receiving the Great Yan's 36 hammers were certain. However, Lu Qing then became puzzled again - why didn't his family's countless traditional classics make any mention of this? Was it that for thousands of years, apart from Lu Tian Shu, no one else had discovered the secret within?

  The so-called Zi Xiao Feng Lei Sword was actually the Lu family's Da Yun Thirty-six Hammers.

  PS: Ten Steps has been working hard to maintain a daily update of 6,000 words and finally fell off the new list, but Ten Steps will continue to keep it up. I hope everyone can continue to support Ten Steps and cast your recommendation votes for me. Of course, I also hope that new friends who have just started reading can collect them. Next, Lu Qing has finally gone down the mountain to practice, and the following story will be even more exciting and mysterious. Everyone is free to guess, you can post your opinions in the book review area, Ten Steps will add precision when seen.