Peerless Battle Spirit
Chapter 11: The Saber Art Levels Up

“I… I… I…” Fang Xue could not even speak properly, as if her throat was being clenched tightly. However, the rain of blood pouring down before her and the terror rising in her heart caused her to lose her mind, leaving only the mere desire to stay alive in her thoughts, “Please, I beg you, don’t kill me. I won’t do it again! Please…”

Qin Nan wore a cold expression, not even a hint of emotion could be seen from it.

The fear in Fang Xue’s heart grew stronger as she blurted out, “Qin Nan, I’m the daughter of the Fang Clan’s Patriarch. You wouldn’t want to kill me. If you do so, my… my father will avenge me… and, my brother… my brother has awakened a sixth-grade Huang ranked Martial Spirit. If you kill me, he… he will avenge me too…”

Qin Nan frowned after hearing this.

It went without saying that Qin Nan knew who Fang Xue’s brother was—the son of the Fang Clan’s Patriarch, Fang Rulong. Qin Nan had met him a couple of times before, but he was not familiar with him.

However, to Qin Nan’s surprise, Fang Rulong had awakened a sixth-grade Huang ranked Martial Spirit.

This caused Qin Nan to sense something was amiss; normally, the Fang Clan would immediately hold a grand feast inviting the people of the city to celebrate as someone from their clan had awakened a sixth-grade Huang ranked Martial Spirit. After all, a sixth-grade Huang ranked Martial Spirit was an incredibly rare sight even in all the history of Linshui City.

Although Qin Nan was slightly confused, he did not overthink it. He stared coldly at the woman before him and said, “Oh Fang Xue, you’re such an interesting person. You still dare to threaten me under such circumstances. We’re currently at the Longhu Mountain Range. Who would know the truth even if I ended up killing you here?”

Fang Xue’s expression stiffened. Her mouth was opened while she wore a blank expression, unable to find any words.

Following the flicker of the saber, Fang Xue’s life was ended instantly. Her eyes remained wide open with a hint of doubt, as if she were clueless as to how she had died.

Qin Nan stared at the corpse with an expressionless face, “Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that I’m not afraid of your father, as my father is the Qin Clan Patriarch. Besides, I’m not afraid of your brother either, as he is not worthy to be my opponent yet.”

After saying this, Qin Nan turned around and left the area. However, as soon as he took his first step, he immediately returned to the spot and searched the corpses, looting over twenty Body Tempering Pills and a piece of an ancient map.

“This woman is quite rich.” Qin Nan mumbled to himself and placed the Body Tempering Pills away. His attention was then directed to the map.

Qin Nan could easily tell that the map had originated from quite a long time ago.

“Judging from the conversation between Fang Xue and her bodyguards, they could only discover a cave by following the map, but it appeared to be in a ruined condition, with no sign of treasure. Since I’ve got nothing to do now, I shall take a look at the cave. I might even find something useful there…”

Qin Nan made up his mind.

There was still a day left until his return to the clan. Therefore, he had plenty of time to take a look around, and it would not delay his schedule.

Qin Nan followed the path notated on the map, and a cave appeared in his sights.

The cave was located among the woods. Its entrance was two men tall, surrounded by wild grass. It looked perfectly ordinary to him.

Qin Nan entered the cave, and was soon disappointed by the sight inside it.

The cave was only over ten feet deep, and he could easily see the end of the cave. Apart from piles of wild grass, there were only a few rummaged spots. There was nothing notable that caught his attention.

“It seems like this map is a scam indeed.” Qin Nan shook his head slightly, and prepared to take his leave.

As he turned around, he suddenly saw a handprint on the wall. The print was incredibly deep with a clear outline, and he could sense a vague icy aura from it.

“Mm?” Qin Nan’s eyes flickered with doubts. His instinct told him that the print was something worth taking a closer look at.

He immediately approached it and inspected it thoroughly. He even drew out the Black Iron Saber and tinkered with the print, but to his disappointment, it appeared that the print was not some sort of hidden switch. Either there had been a battle here or someone had been practicing their Martial Skill here and had left the print on the wall.

However, at that instant, Qin Nan’s figure shuddered violently as the Divine Battle Spirit inside him was unleashed from his back, producing a magical aura.

“Why did the Divine Battle Spirit come out on its own…”

Qin Nan was startled, but before he could think about it, the ordinary handprint on the wall emitted a ferocious and imperious aura, as if its suppression was able to bring about a destructive force!

“This is…” Qin Nan was left in awe. If it weren’t for the protection from his Divine Battle Spirit, Qin Nan was sure that the aura from the handprint alone could crush him into pieces.

At that instant, Qin Nan finally came to a realization. The handprint was not just something ordinary. It had been left here by an expert, thus the reason why the handprint would emit such a powerful aura.

“It appears that the treasure mentioned in the map turned out to be this handprint. However, as Fang Xue and her bodyguards’ cultivations were too low, they could not sense the aura concealed inside the print. If it weren’t for the Divine Battle Spirit, I wouldn’t have been able to discover it either!”

Qin Nan took a deep breath while staring at the terrifying handprint. His face was filled with joy.

With the protection of the Divine Battle Spirit, he would not need to worry that the intent from the handprint would injure him. Instead, he could inspect and comprehend the intent in order to improve himself.

In the Martial World, every Martial Skill emphasized refining one’s intent. The stronger the intent, the greater the skill’s power.

This handprint that contained the intent of an expert was without a doubt useful in raising his comprehension.

Qin Nan did not waste any time. He immediately sat down before the wall with his legs crossed, staring at the handprint. Meanwhile, his mind became extremely focused.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

At that instant, a series of explosions took place in his mind.

It was as if a giant palm with terrifying strength had descended from the sky, trying to crush Qin Nan into pieces. At that instant, the human-figured Divine Battle Spirit raised his head slightly, causing the incoming giant palm to stop in its tracks and float in Qin Nan’s mind.

Qin Nan calmed his thoughts and comprehend the intent it emitted.

“The intent that this palm possesses is incredibly imperious, it possesses a tremendous destructive force…” Qin Nan comprehended it in detail, allowing his inner being to improve unknowingly.

This was the process of refining his will.

Time gradually passed; Qin Nan had spent an entire day sitting in front of the handprint.

While he was sitting in front of the wall, there was no sign of any aura being emitting from his body. Even his breathing had stopped, as if he had turned into a statue.

The following moment, his eyes sprang open. A cold beam of light was emitted from his eyes, as if it were trying to engrave something onto the wall.

The aura emitted from his body was accompanied by a sense of imperiousness, which had surpassed the pressure of the fifth-layer Body Tempering Realm.

“Such a rewarding benefit in a day. What a pity, my cultivation is too low, I could only learn so much from the handprint.”

Qin Nan shook his head. He was utterly confident that the handprint was left by a Martial Emperor.

The intent of a Martial Emperor was not something Qin Nan could understand at this stage. If it weren’t for his Divine Battle Spirit, he would have been injured by the intent.

“Now...let’s try out the Thundercrash Saber Art!”

Qin Nan wore a calm expression as he drew out the Black Iron Saber from his waist. He slowly shut his eyes. After the period it took for an incense to burn, Qin Nan’s eyes sprang open while he slashed forward instantly with the saber in his hand.

ROAR!

A shocking sound of thunder could be heard.

An icy glow accompanied by an imperious aura was fired toward the wall, resulting in a deep cut being formed on it.

“The slash was somehow linked to my mind. It’s highly possible that I’ve achieved the Foundation Stage of One with the Saber! I believe ordinary fifth-layer Body Tempering Realm cultivators would not be able to resist that slash!”

Qin Nan was immersed in joy.

The benefits he had acquired here at the cave were tremendous. Without the help of the handprint, he would not have been able to achieve the Foundation Stage of One with the Saber.

“Well, I’ve been here at the Longhu Mountain Range for five days. I’d guess my father has already prepared the pills for me. It’s time for me to return to the clan…” Qin Nan’s eyes flickered. He exited the cave and started his journey back to the clan.

...Meanwhile, in Linshui City, the Qin Clan was having a monthly clan meeting...

XephiZ

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