Chapter 82: Qi - Reinforcement Stage Reached (2)
I picked up the rusted blade that I had previously used to practice. My hand on the hilt shivered a little, but then my eyes became firm, and I clenched the hilt of the blade tightly. Then, I slashed at my left arm.
There was zero hesitation behind my slash.
Screech—
For a moment, I thought sparks might appear as the blade and my arm collided.
But.
The blade managed to create a very small, almost non-existent vertical wound that would go unnoticed if one did not focus. Even though the wound healed within the blink of an eye, there was no doubt that this seemingly ordinary, rustic blade had managed to leave a mark on my arm. This, despite it having been strengthened after a whole month of taking medicinal baths, including my current use of Qi strengthening.
Ding—
[Host, invest now, and I promise you will receive an invincible physique reward. No longer would you be hurt by these ordinary weapons.]
I ignored the "Destined Adversary System's" tip. Just the name had "adversary" in it. That was enough for me to remain vigilant.
I opened the drawer with a sharp rattle and picked up a needle from inside. I had bought these when Mei Xueyin had attempted to use a needle on me.
Time for the ultimate test.
"Before you use a needle, you must cleanse it," my mother once told me, holding it over a candle flame. "Fire burns away impurities, just as hardships temper the soul."
A distant memory appeared in my mind.
I smiled and walked back with a burning lantern from the wall.
Carefully, I heated the sharp edge of the needle. Seeing the dark smoke rising from the needle, half of its silver surface was now covered with black charcoal, while the other remained smooth and polished. I smothered the candle.
And this time, I did not use Qi Reinforcement.
I eyed the needle and then my arm's soft skin. Sweat started appearing on my forehead. My heart started beating faster.
Ba... Thump! Ba... Thump.
From a very young age, I had been afraid of needles. Whenever, for any reason, a needle needed to be applied to my arm, I would tense up. Now, I closed my eyes tightly and slowly continued my hand's journey, holding the needle toward my other arm.
Eik...
I felt a hot sensation against my arm's cold temperature. No doubt it was the heat from the needle. I tried taking deep breaths, but it only made me pant for more air.
"I am strong now. I am no longer the old me. I can do it..."
I recited any sort of motivation that I thought could help.
Aghh...
Forget it. I placed the needle on a clean cloth. With a frown, I glanced at the blade placed on one side while the needle rested on the other. The enormous blade did not scare me, but the fear of the needle was just something else. But I needed to overcome this weakness as soon as possible. If others found out that the true successor of the Hidden Dragon Sect was afraid of needles, then my enemies and opponents would take out needles, and I would be forced to retreat.
"Master, are you alright?" Shadow Sentinel's voice sounded from the other side of the door.
"Okay," I said in a loud voice, just enough to pass through the door.
"I heard slashing sounds and panting from your room, which is why I came to ask."
"It was me. I was practicing. And you came quite early," I said, the last part sarcastically. I mean, if Shadow Sentinel was here to protect me, it should have moved and appeared in my room at the first sign of disturbance.
"Sorry, Master. I spread out my senses and did not find any other person in your room besides you. I only got concerned because of your rapid breaths. I thought something had happened to you during your cultivation. I apologize once again."
I felt embarrassed that I had doubted Shadow Sentinel when it was only looking out for me. "You can go back," I said from within the room.
But an idea came to my mind.
"Wait. Can I ask you something?"
Shadow Sentinel's body stiffened slightly. I could not see it, so I did not think anything was wrong.
"Did he figure out why I am here and what the ancestor's intention is?" Shadow Sentinel thought inwardly but then shook its head. From its master's voice, it did not seem like its motives had been exposed.
"It is nothing much," I said and opened the door to my room to find Shadow Sentinel standing outside respectfully, its hands folded behind its back. "Help me test my physique. I have reached the peak of the fifth level of Qi Condensation. And now it is time for me to see how pure my Qi is by using it to reinforce myself."
Shadow Sentinel heaved a sigh of relief from an angle where I could not see and then faced me again.
A/N:
I have noticed that in recent chapters, I have bombed you guys with many new concepts in Silent Dao Sovereign. While the mysteries and some old concepts have not yet properly settled within the readers and even in my mind, in the next few chapters, I will be polishing and refining those old concepts. If you guys remember some theories I stated before and I am forgetting them, you can mention them here or in the comments on Royal Road.