Revenant Immortal

Chapter 4 - Fateful Encounter (1)

The following morning, Su Fan woke up to pale golden sunlight shining through the cracks in his wooden hut, bringing a gentle warmth to the air.

 

"Xiaoyu, did anything happen while I was asleep?"

 

【There's nothing unusual, Host, except a little squirrel snuck in and took some of your food.】

 

"En."

 

"Wait, do you ever sleep?"

 

【Systems don't need sleep, Host. I'm active all the time and always monitoring your surroundings.】

 

"That's actually pretty convenient."

 

He picked up his sword and went out to train his body.

 

He practiced a downward and upward cut in one continuous movement. As his blade moved through the air, a blue panel suddenly popped up before him.

 

《 Daily Mission: Sword Mastery Training 》

 

Complete the basic sword techniques using the correct form.

 

《 Objectives 》

 

Vertical Downward Slashes: [0/500]

 

Vertical Upward Slashes: [0/500]

 

Horizontal Slashes: [0/500]

 

Straight Thrusts: [0/500]

 

《 Reward 》

 

Formless Shadow Sword Art Technique (★★★★★★)

 

【Host, completing this daily training will give your body a strong foundation and reward you with an advanced sword art technique.】

 

Su Fan took a closer look at the panel and asked, "Formless Shadow Sword Art Technique? Xiaoyu, is this sword technique really that good?"

 

【Host, the Formless Shadow Sword Art Technique is a 6 Star manual created by Lu Wushuang, a genius who was one of the Six Fingers of the Shadow Sect, known throughout the world as the King of Assassins. He created this art by fusing shadow qi with the dao of stealth, allowing a blade to move without leaving a trace. Targets won't even realize their heads have been severed until they slide right off their shoulders. Once mastered, your strikes become formless, deadly, and impossible to dodge.】

 

He nodded, adjusted his grip, and started training. He threw himself into the routine, swinging his blade over and over until his breath grew heavy and sweat soaked his shirt. After hours of hard work, he stopped to wipe his forehead, but when he checked, the counter had not moved at all.

 

"What's going on?" Su Fan complained, leaning on his sword. "I've been swinging for hours! Why hasn't a single strike counted?"

 

【Host, your form is completely wrong. You're using brute force instead of the right weight shift, wrist movement, and breathing. The system only counts swings done with proper form.】

 

He followed Xiaoyu's corrections step by step. He fixed his stance, centered his weight, and adjusted his arm. When he brought the blade down again, the counter finally changed to one.

 

With the proper form and posture, Su Fan put all his focus into the training. He brought his blade down in a steady rhythm until all five hundred vertical downward slashes were done. Without stopping, he moved right into the five hundred vertical upward slashes, feeling the strain in his shoulders. Next came five hundred horizontal slashes, and finally, five hundred straight thrusts. By the time he finished the last move, his muscles burned with fatigue, but his body felt stronger, and his movements were much smoother than before.

 

《 Daily Mission Complete! 》

 

【Host, congratulations on completing the daily mission on your first day!】

 

An old manual appeared in front of him, dropping into his hands. The cover was made of dark leather, with a Chinese character written on it.

 

《 Would you like to master the Formless Shadow Sword Art Technique? 》

 

"Yes."

 

Suddenly, a flood of information poured into his mind: images, sword paths, qi flow, and decades of assassin experience. Su Fan closed his eyes, letting the knowledge settle in.

 

When he opened them, his gaze was sharp and focused. Gripping his sword, he channeled shadow qi into the blade.

 

The sword turned black and flickered with dark energy. Su Fan stepped forward and unleashed a smooth horizontal strike.

 

SWOOSH!

 

"First Stance: Heavenly Dark Half-Moon Slash."

 

(A/N: Lu Wushuang created this move while fighting a high-stage cultivator under a full moon. When the enemy's barrier blocked half his attack, the remnant energy condensed into a sharp crescent that sliced straight through them.)

 

Without stopping, he shifted his position and triggered the next move. In an instant, his body split into six shadow clones, completely surrounding the tree.

 

SWISH!

 

Every clone struck at the exact same second from every direction, leaving no blind spots.

 

SLASH!

 

"Second Stance: Six Phantom Severing Blade."

 

(A/N: Lu Wushuang came up with this technique after watching a pack hunting its prey. He summoned the shadow clones to strike at the same second from every angle, making it impossible to dodge or block.)

 

Su Fan raised his arm, and all the floating dark swords fused into one giant black blade hanging in the air. He swung his hand, and the colossal sword slashed down, splitting the air with crushing pressure.

 

BOOM!

 

"Third Stance: Abyssal Blade Descent."

 

(A/N: Lu Wushuang created this domain after he was cornered by an army of cultivators in a dark valley. He trapped them in an isolated shadow realm and condensed all the surrounding qi into one massive sword, destroying them all at once.)

 

He caught his breath and gripped his sword tightly for the final move. Shadow energy wrapped around the blade, compressing until even space seemed to ripple. He swung the sword in a clean horizontal line.

 

ZIP!

 

Darkness sliced through the sky, opening a thin crack as if splitting space itself.

 

CRACK!

 

"Fourth Stance: Void Severance."

 

(A/N: Lu Wushuang created this stance when he reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship during a life-or-death battle with the Martial Sovereign. Experiencing sudden enlightenment, he compressed his qi so tightly that his strike bypassed physical defense and cut through space itself to kill his opponent.)

 

Looking at the space splitting from his final strike, Su Fan took a deep breath and looked at his hands in disbelief.

 

"This Formless Shadow Sword Art is way too deadly..." Su Fan muttered, staring at his sword as his eyes widened. "Every stance is made purely for a one-hit kill. The speed, the qi flow, how it cuts through space without leaving a single trace... if I catch someone off guard with this, they won't even realize their head is gone until it hits the floor."

 

"I can never use this in front of anyone unless it's a real life or death situation. The Azure Cloud Sect is strict, and the elders are always looking for an excuse to get rid of anyone who steps out of line. If they see me using a high level assassin art that isn't in the sect records, they'll instantly think I stole a secret manual or that I'm a spy from another sect. They won't even bother asking for an explanation. Best case scenario, I get kicked out and crippled. Worst case, they label me a traitor and kill me on the spot to keep it quiet. Until I'm strong enough to protect myself, this technique stays completely hidden as my final trump card."

 

After finishing his sword training, Su Fan sat down cross-legged on the ground and began to meditate.

 

He closed his eyes and began absorbing the Heaven and Earth Qi into his body, meditating non-stop from morning to night.

 

Because of the Golden Immortal Physique he possessed, his cultivation speed was a hundred times faster than a normal person. The spiritual energy around the hut rushed into his body like a whirlpool.

 

The body of a cultivator was truly weird. Without eating or pooping, they could survive just fine as long as they had the qi from heaven and earth nourishing them. The only reason cultivators still ate food was simply that it was part of their daily life and habit of being an immortal master.

 

As the qi filled his meridians, a clear sound rang out inside his mind.

 

BANG!

 

《 Qi Condensation Realm: Level 7 》

 

The qi didn't slow down at all. Driven by his Golden Immortal Physique, it kept surging through his body.

 

BANG!

 

《 Qi Condensation Realm: Level 8 》

 

BANG!

 

《 Qi Condensation Realm: Level 9 》

 

BOOM!

 

《 Qi Condensation Realm: Level 10 》

 

Su Fan opened his eyes, feeling the immense strength flowing through his entire body. In just one single day and night of non-stop training, he had broken through four times in a row, reaching level 10 of the Qi Condensation Realm!

 

Su Fan was tempted to test out his new strength, but seeing that the night had already passed and morning was arriving, he decided to head back inside the hut instead.

 

"Xiaoyu, can the Martial Twin Soul Ring hide my cultivation level?"

 

【 Yes, Master. The Martial Twin Soul Ring can completely conceal your aura and mask your true strength. 】

 

Su Fan nodded in satisfaction. Without wasting time, he used the ring to suppress his cultivation from Qi Condensation Level 10 all the way down to Level 1. That way, he wouldn't draw any suspicion from the elders or other disciples, keeping his true progress completely hidden.

 

Just as he was getting ready to finally sleep, heavy rain started pouring outside, hitting against the wooden roof.

 

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

 

Someone suddenly knocked on the door of his hut.

 

Su Fan opened the door, surprised to see two people standing outside in the rain.

 

The first person was Yu Bao, a close friend of the former owner of this body, Zhao Ye.

 

Standing right beside Yu Bao was a peerless beauty wearing a veil over her face. Her long silver hair fell gently down her back, and her cold purple eyes carried a sharp, icy glow. Even with half her face hidden, her unreal presence was impossible to ignore. She was none other than Sect Elder Zi Rui.

 

Elder Zi Rui was a legendary figure within the Azure Cloud Sect. Her beauty was matchless, but her talent was even more terrifying. She possessed a Divine Grade Ice Attribute Physique, making her an absolute monster in cultivation. At the ridiculously young age of 21, she reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. By 27, she became a core disciple, and by the age of 31, she broke through to the Golden Core Realm, becoming the youngest Elder in the entire history of the Azure Cloud Sect.