by Imperfection
Several days later.
Inside his cave dwelling, Lü Yang sat upright on a meditation cushion. His right hand formed a hand seal, a point of spiritual light gathering at his fingertips before condensing into a flying sword of white bone, thin as a cicada's wing.
The sword glowed a pale greenish-white, and when it hummed, it rang with the sound of thunder.
"Go!"
Lü Yang flicked his finger, and the white bone flying sword instantly transformed into a magnificent streak of light several meters long, shooting forward. The sword light shrieked as it tore through the air like heavenly thunder rolling across the sky.
"What a fine sword art!"
At the sight, delight surfaced on Lü Yang's face. He then shifted his hand seal, and the white bone flying sword split into two mid-flight.
The next instant, Lü Yang's figure vanished from where he stood, as though he had teleported, reappearing at the location of one of the streaks of sword light. As his hand seals shifted, his body seemed to transform into a bolt of lightning, flickering freely between the two streaks of sword light.
This continued for a long while before Lü Yang finally stopped, his face filled with excitement.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful, this Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art!"
The sword art was actually quite simple in concept. Once mastered, the practitioner could split off streaks of sword light and then instantly teleport into any of the divided sword lights.
The higher one's spiritual power, the greater the distance one could traverse.
If the Sect Master of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion were to act personally, he could sit within the pavilion itself and teleport ten thousand miles with a single sword strike, taking an enemy's head in the midst of a casual conversation.
And this was merely the technique's most basic application.
At higher levels, it was said one could truly manifest the might of Divine Firmament Thunder through the sword light. Unfortunately, that part of the technique was beyond Lü Yang's reach.
Not because he could not extract it, but because Yun Miaoqing herself did not know it either.
That was only natural. After all, if this were the complete Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art, a mere 1,000 Contribution Points would never have been enough to acquire it. 10,000 would be more like it.
"Hmph. Hopelessly clumsy!"
A cold sneer came from behind him. Lü Yang turned to find the woman from the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion watching him with an expression of undisguised disgust, contempt, and disdain.
After several days together, Lü Yang had come to know her fairly well.
Her name was Yun Miaoqing, an Inner Sect disciple of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion. She studied under Divine Firmament True Person , specialized in the Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art, and had once possessed a cultivation base at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.
Lü Yang looked at Yun Miaoqing with curiosity. "Did I perform the sword art incorrectly?"
Yun Miaoqing turned her head away. "You think I would tell you? Fiend! Even if you steal my sword art, you'll only ever be a cat trying to draw a tiger!"
"Why make this harder than it needs to be?"
Lü Yang shook his head, walked up to Yun Miaoqing, and spoke with a helpless expression. "Are you sure you won't tell me? Or are you going to make me use that again?"
"That..."
A blush immediately appeared on Yun Miaoqing's delicate face.
"You mean that demonic art? You think I would submit?"
"You say that, but... you've already submitted once." Lü Yang pointed at the mark on Yun Miaoqing's chest. "Surely you haven't forgotten?"
"You're lying!"
Staring at the brand on her body, Yun Miaoqing pressed her lips together in humiliation. "That time, you only succeeded because you took advantage of my weakest!"
With that, she clutched tightly at the pendant hanging from her neck.
It was a small, exquisitely crafted sword of white jade. Only disciples of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion could possess such a dharma sword, and it served the same function as Lü Yang's disciple token.
"I am a disciple of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion. I am irreconcilable with the Demonic Path! That will never change!"
"No matter how powerful your demonic art may be, the human heart cannot be swayed by such wicked and crooked tactics.
"My loyalty to the Sword Pavilion will never waver.
"I swear it upon my dharma sword!"
As her words fell, Yun Miaoqing clenched her teeth, her gaze resolute as she stared at Lü Yang, like a pure lotus trapped deep in mud yet untouched by a single speck of filth.
---
Another day passed.
Inside the cave dwelling, Lü Yang sat cross-legged on his meditation cushion, his five centers facing the heavens.
After a long while, he let out a heavy, deep breath. At the same time, Yun Miaoqing lifted her swan-like, pale neck and let out a long, leisurely sigh.
"You've actually mastered the Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art quite well. There aren't any major problems. If there is an issue, it lies with external materials..."
Yun Miaoqing spoke, her face flushed and her voice weak.
Under Lü Yang's "harsh interrogation," she had ultimately begged for mercy. When Lü Yang questioned her again, she merely let out a cold snort before obediently explaining:
"All disciples of our Sword Pavilion, upon entering the Qi Refinement realm, use a secret technique of the sect. They take an object of metal essence, combine them with various supplementary medicines, and refine a sword pellet. Every sword technique in the Pavilion requires a sword pellet's support to unleash its full power. The higher the quality of the sword pellet, the greater the might of the sword technique."
With Yun Miaoqing's explanation, Lü Yang finally understood.
As things stood, cultivating the Divine Firmament Sword Control True Art allowed him to split only two streaks of sword light, and the effect was limited to teleportation. His speed had increased, but his offensive power was lacking.
However, with a sword pellet's augmentation, the number of sword lights he could split off would at least double.
He could also merge his body with the sword pellet, unleashing devastating strikes while teleporting between the sword lights. Fighting with this advantage, he would hold the upper hand against any opponent.
In a direct confrontation, Lü Yang would only need to command the sword pellet and surround his opponent with sword light, trapping them like a turtle in a jar.
"This is why the disciples of my Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion are the best at fighting throughout Jiangnan."
At this, a look of pride surfaced on Yun Miaoqing's face.
The next second, however, as Lü Yang moved forcefully, the pride on her face vanished, replaced by a deep blush. An involuntary moan escaped her lips.
Yun Miaoqing squeezed her beautiful eyes shut. She waited for a moment, but when she realized Lü Yang had stopped moving again, she shifted restlessly and opened her eyes.
"Fiend, you..."
Lü Yang stood. "So the missing piece is the sword pellet. I know the refinement method now... right, that's all I needed. Go rest."
Yun Miaoqing: "???"
Was he serious? That's it? It's over?
What about the draining?
The next instant, she caught herself and instinctively clutched the dharma sword at her neck. No, this is fine... I am a disciple of the Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion, after all...
---
"Time to earn some money."
Stepping out of his cave dwelling, Lü Yang began thinking about the future.
I only have 50 Contribution Points right now. After 30 are deducted for this month's rent, if I don't earn more soon, I'll have to move back to the Joyful Union Hall next month.
Within the Primordial Saint Sect, there were many ways to earn Contribution Points.
These included, but were not limited to, salaries from holding various positions within the sect, selling personal belongings, rewards for completing bounties, and sect missions.
But for a 'three-no' disciple like me, no backer, no wealth, no power, I have no connections for a sect position, most of my personal items are worthless, and I'm not strong enough to complete the high-paying bounties. The only option left is sect missions, doing odd jobs for the sect just to scrape by...
The more Lü Yang thought about it, the more indignant he became.
I'm already cultivating immortality, and I still have to work for a living?