Zhou Heng couldn't help feeling a shiver run down his spine.
He walked to the edge of the pond and looked down, only to see pitch-black darkness, invisible to his eyes. Unwilling to give up, he stretched out his right hand and touched the water, a strange chill surged towards him, making his blood feel as if it were about to freeze.
As soon as he touched the water, ripples imdiately ford, and the shadow moving on the cliff wall began to sway as well.
This was enough to prove that the shadow was indeed being reflected from the bottom of the water.
Zhou Heng quickly withdrew his hand, his brow furrowing even tighter.
The water was so cold that just a touch nearly froze him stiff, let alone if his whole body were subrged—wouldn't he be frozen to death in an instant? What was strange was that such icy water hadn't frozen over!
And yet, soone was able to move under the water as if walking on flat land—how unimaginable! Moreover, even if not frozen to death, had they not suffocated after such a long ti?
His spirit filled with adventure, and curiosity getting the better of him, he truly wanted to dive into the pond and swim to the bottom to find out the truth. But reason told him that would be pure suicide!
Zhou Heng was not afraid of danger, but he had no intention of living impatiently.
The shadow kept moving, its steps fluid, seemingly with a very special rhythm, which caused Zhou Heng to watch intently and uncontrollably ponder, and by the ti he ca to his senses, he was already mimicking the movents of the shadow.
Thump!
He tripped over his feet and tumbled to the ground with a solid thud.
The stepping technique appeared elegant like a deity when used by the shadow, but Zhou Heng's imitation was clumsy, like a drunkard who couldn't even walk, tripping over himself.
Zhou Heng sprang up and looked at the still swaying figure on the cliff wall, wondering to himself if he could strike the shadow with the Soaring Clouds Nine Forms if he executed it.
The stepping technique, seeming to carry a spiritual energy, was elusive, appearing ahead one mont and suddenly behind the next, utterly unfathomable!
I must learn it!
Zhou Heng put aside the doubts in his mind and focused solely on the shadow, closely observing the footwork, its intricacies with every move forward, backward, left, right—with nothing out of place, it was indescribably exquisite!
He constantly deduced the variations, bit by bit understanding the intricacies.
With each additional glance, he felt more enlightened, and Zhou Heng couldn't help but beam with joy, his face revealing a foolish grin filled with rich expression.
Before he knew it, the first rays of the morning sun penetrated the valley, and the shadow on the cliff wall imdiately vanished.
Zhou Heng felt a sense of loss as if a child had been robbed of a treasured toy, filled with reluctance. But the next mont, he felt soreness in his waist and pain in his legs, involuntarily sitting down on the ground, his whole body feeling as if it had fallen apart.
To think that practicing the mysterious stepping technique for an entire night had exhausted him to this extent?
Zhou Heng looked up at the azure blue sky, a wave of intense sleepiness coming over him, and he quickly closed his eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, he felt an intense hunger and quickly got up, leaving the valley to find sothing to eat.
The cave was so long that it took nearly two hours before he made his way out, starving and seeing stars, feeling like he could swallow a whole cow, horns and all!
After hunting a wild hare, Zhou Heng quickly found a river to wash it clean, lit a fire, and roasted it. After gobbling down his al, he patted his belly, showing a contented smile.
Continuing to hunt, Zhou Heng caught seven wild hares and a mountain goat, then chopped a large pile of firewood, bringing them back to Jue Valley in batches—he planned to live in the valley for a while.
After bustling about for an entire day, Zhou Heng finally took a mont to rest, then started to ponder over the Soaring Clouds Nine Swords and the mysterious footwork he had seen the night before.
Although the swordsmanship and footwork seed unrelated, Zhou Heng thought there was a hint of commonality between them, comparing and validating each other, leading to monts of sudden enlightennt.
"This stepping technique is incredibly ingenious; if I could execute Soaring Clouds Nine Swords with such footwork, who in the world could dodge it?"
Zhou Heng was filled with anticipation.
Night fell, and he was unsure, concerned that if the shadow did not reappear on the cliff wall, all his hopes would be dashed.
At midnight, the Black Sword released a surge of energy on schedule, and Zhou Heng quickly sat down cross-legged to digest this benefit. Nearly twenty minutes later, he stopped and the instant he opened his eyes, he saw the moving shadow on the cliff wall reappear.
It's here!
He was overjoyed, but forcibly suppressed the excitent, concentrating his mind to morize the wonderful stepping technique.
Complex, profound, and endlessly changing!
Zhou Heng couldn't help feeling secretly fortunate; if it weren't for his relentless practice of the Sky-soaring Nine Forms over the past month, he probably would not have been able to rember this intricate footwork. After all, the shadow was not intentionally teaching him, its speed was incredibly fast, missing a critical mont with a blink of an eye.
Unbeknownst to Zhou Heng, the east gradually brightened again, and soon the sunlight fell and the shadow imdiately disappeared.
Tired! Incredibly tired!
Zhou Heng sat down on the ground, feeling his eyelids as heavy as mountains and imdiately fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up in the afternoon, he hastily ate sothing and spent his ti again on the Sky-soaring Nine Forms and the footwork, continuously increasing his understanding, always finding surprising gains.
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As midnight approached, Zhou Heng, having assimilated the benefits from the Black Sword, indeed saw the shadowy figure on the mountain wall.
His life once again beca monotonous, sleeping in the morning, studying swordsmanship and stepping techniques in the afternoon and evening, and cultivating for a while at night before observing the mysterious figure's enigmatic movents, only leaving Jue Valley when he ran out of food.
Fortunately, because he spent less ti practicing his cultivation techniques, his consumption of food was also greatly reduced, otherwise, he could easily consu ten days' worth of food in a single day!
Although he didn't spend much ti on cultivation, the imnse benefits the Black Sword provided each ti were so astounding that his cultivation level still increased greatly every day, and after more than ten days, he reached the peak of the Fourth Layer of Body Refinent.
In just over two hours, Zhou Heng completed the breakthrough to the Fifth Layer of Body Refinent!
With his current near-demonic speed of advancent, he had beco sowhat numb, feeling only a montary joy before imrsing himself in the study of swordsmanship and stepping techniques, almost to the point of obsession.
Twenty days later, he made another breakthrough, reaching the Sixth Layer of Body Refinent, catching up with and even surpassing most of the younger generation of the Zhou family. What surprised him even more was that the Black Sword had been quietly transforming his body. Although the changes were minute, he could still feel them after two months.
His thinking beca more agile, his vision sharper, and his mory more outstanding!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
In the valley, Zhou Heng's figure was ethereal, treading with a stepping technique that was beyond description, blending into the surroundings as if he were one with the world, seemingly there yet invisible to the eye.
"After more than a month, I've finally mastered the operation of the entire stepping technique!"
"However, any movent technique requires the appropriate cycle of True Yuan Force to fully exhibit its power, and that's sothing beyond my reach! Even so, this technique remains profoundly mysterious and has significantly enhanced my ability to protect myself!"
"Although it's learned through stealth, it should still have a na... I shall call it Cloud Flying Step!"
Now that he again executed the Cloud Flying Step, Zhou Heng no longer felt the backaches and fatigued waist as he did at first, when every bone seed like it would disintegrate.
Just like with the Sky-soaring Nine Forms, at first, it felt like he was contending against the world itself, making every step laborious. But now, he was in harmony with nature, and his movents were unencumbered by any restraint.
"I've mastered the form of the Cloud Flying Step, but its essence can only be understood with the corresponding spell, a step I can't take!"
"There's no longer any reason for to stay here. Ti has already entered December, and with only twenty-two days left in the year, it's about ti to go back!"
"The day is already drawing to a close, so I'll stay one more night and leave first thing tomorrow morning."
Having made up his mind, Zhou Heng didn't practice the Cloud Flying Step after dinner but chose to practice the Sky-soaring Nine Forms instead—he had spent most of the past month on the Cloud Flying Step.
The long sword danced, casting out trails of silver, like dragons soaring through the sky, full of mystery.
But Zhou Heng was still not satisfied, as his grasp on the Sky-soaring First Form had remained at the level of form without seizing its essence.
This left him feeling frustrated.
Unlike the stealthily learned Cloud Flying Step, the Soaring Clouds Nine Swords was formally taught to him by the Black Sword. Although lacking a traditional cultivation technique, it was infused directly into his blood and body, which should have made it easier to master.
Was he really that inept?
Zhou Heng stood with his sword held crosswise, reflecting deeply. It felt like he was on the verge of an epiphany, yet he frustratingly did not know how to breakthrough.
He stood motionless as if he were a stone statue.
After a long ti, a peculiar chill touched his face, and Zhou Heng suddenly opened his eyes to see that the sky had begun to snow, each flake as large as goose feathers, making the night sky incredibly beautiful.
The deep winter had arrived!
The snow was heavy, quickly turning the valley silver-white. Zhou Heng did not move, becoming a snowman himself, blending into one with the world.
Wrapped in silver, a world of white.
Zhou Heng stared at the pure white, his thoughts seeming to fly into the limitless starry sky, looking down upon the world, imagining the vast scenes, and suddenly, a boundless pride surged through him, sending his blood rushing.
Hum!
The Black Sword in his Dantian, as if sensing sothing, started to tremble lightly.
This was the opportunity he had been longing for!
Zhou Heng laughed heartily, his figure shifting, and he drew his sword!
A miraculous scene unfolded—all the falling snowflakes suddenly froze in place, as if an invisible hand controlled everything!
Sky-soaring First Form!
With a single stroke of the sword, it felt as profound as the birth of the universe, ineffable in its mystique, akin to the chant of the Dao, with all things in harmony!
This sword finally carried the essence of spiritual energy!
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