Chapter 219: Uguisudori’s Feather, Defining The Sea Of Qi! One Of The Four Extremes: Nine Tribulations Temple, Manga Artist And Kisaragi Station
【After discussion and contemplation with others, your trait·Sword Skill（3%） has now been updated to Sword Skill（4%）!】
【After discussion and contemplation with others, your trait·Sword Principle（2%） has now been updated to Sword Principle（4%）!】
“Based on the experience with the Rin Character Technique, this type of skill should undergo a subtle change once it reaches ‘5%’, though it’s uncertain at the moment.”
In the 40th Floor of the Sengoku Projection Secret Realm, Shangshan Che sat and discussed the Dao with his own projection, delving into the Natural Reason School for several hours.
Although the projection’s attainment in the Natural Reason School was far inferior to his own, not even having broken through to Expert Level.
But that didn’t matter.
For Shangshan Che, the existence of the projection undoubtedly brought countless fresh ideas.
And that was indeed the case.
A single discussion without a clear purpose had caused Skill and Reason combined to rise by a full “3%” in progress!
This progress was downright terrifying.
And the effects of both “Sword Skill” and “Sword Principle” progressing simultaneously were also very evident.
Immediate and visible.
In terms of Sword Skill, Shangshan Che could clearly feel that his grasp of all the knowledge related to the Natural Reason School had deepened a bit more.
Whether footwork, stance, or sword-drawing motions, the angles were all slightly better than before.
Don’t underestimate this “slight bit.”
When experts clash, that tiny fraction could be the last straw that tips the scale.
And all powerhouses who rose from humble beginnings, from weakness to strength, were composed of countless such tiny fractions.
As for Sword Principle…
“This uncontrollable thing is my ‘Sword Principle’?”
In the slightly cramped bathroom, Shangshan Che sat on the toilet lid, gazing uncertainly at the two or three sporadic “threads” drifting out from his body.
He was certain that he couldn’t see these things before leaving the secret realm.
But apart from representing his own understanding of kendo, what exactly was the use of this so-called Sword Principle?
No matter whether Shangshan Che used thought, Qi Barrier, or Spiritual Power, he couldn’t manipulate these nearly illusory and ethereal threads.
They also didn’t seem to bring any clear increase in combat power.
After tinkering for a while with no gains, Shangshan Che could only take out his mobile phone and ask Lili Zi, whose profile picture was unusually lit up.
The next instant, Shangshan Che, who was about to place his phone on the sink nearby, felt a vibration in his palm.
He flipped open his phone.
Instant reply.
【Li: Sword Principle means something completely different for everyone, so I won’t say more.】
【Li: But in general, it can be divided into four major stages: “Discovery, Observation, Utilization, Convergence.” Right now, Shangshan Jun, you’ve already entered the “Discovery” stage.】
【Li: A step further than when you left—congratulations.】
【Moon Sand Sauce: Thanks.】
【Moon Sand Sauce: Speaking of which, I just tried this Sengoku Projection Secret Realm. It’s really helpful for sword practice, and you get three lives to die for free. Lili Zi, won’t you come join?】
【Li: No thanks, I have my own cultivation method, which won’t be inferior to this.】
【Moon Sand Sauce: Got it.】
After replying, Shangshan Che stared at Lili Zi’s last message for a moment and couldn’t help but laugh.
This statement seemed like a simple refusal, but upon closer inspection, it was utterly arrogant beyond measure.
Lili Zi’s words were practically equivalent to everyone in a cultivation novel discovering an ancient secret realm teeming with treasures and manuals, where sects, rogue cultivators, and prodigies were fighting tooth and nail to get in.
Yet someone sitting in an ordinary cave abode says, “I can just meditate in place and won’t progress any slower than you lot fighting to the death.”
Shangshan Che paused at the thought.
Speaking of which, what level had Lili Zi’s strength reached?
He hadn’t sparred with her since returning, so it was hard to gauge.
But if this continued, wouldn’t his home one day suddenly produce a Tenri Slope Sword God who dominated the world?
There was just one thing—Lili Zi had clearly loved clashing with unfamiliar geniuses and powerhouses at the beginning.
This was evident even before she had contact with the Supernatural.
Even dragging along the hilariously amateur team from Sakura Capital High School’s Kendo Club, Lili Zi insisted on frequently participating in kendo tournaments across the nation.
And her heartfelt joyful smile every time they sparred…
So, was Lili Zi actually holding back all this time now?
Perhaps the moment she heard terms like “Sengoku Challenge Secret Realm” or “Top 100 Ranking,” her heart burned with longing and fervor, more eager than anyone to clash with unknown powerhouses, to experience fierce battle, victory, and defeat.
Yet Lili Zi still suppressed all these thoughts and emotions, sitting alone in the empty dojo to cultivate.
Because she knew that at least in the current stage, this would allow her to progress and grow faster.
Perfect unity of knowledge and action.
Shangshan Che shook his head: “Terrifying, terrifying.”
After waiting a bit with no further questions or responses from Lili Zi, Shangshan Che set his phone aside and shifted his gaze back to the prompt in front of him.
Because his gains went far beyond this.
【Your skill, Natural Reason School proficiency +122!】
【Your skill, Five Thunder Technique·Qi Convergence proficiency +821!】
【Your skill, Spirit Control Technique·Qi proficiency +677!】
These three proficiency prompts were the total proficiency Shangshan Che gained from battling his way to the 40th Floor under the enhancement of the secret realm rules.
Most of it came from battles with projections after the 30th Floor, and among those, the prolonged life-or-death fierce battle with Ootama Hoshi accounted for the majority.
So Shangshan Che was still very grateful to Ootama Hoshi.
Not only had he delivered the Mountain God’s Heartstone to open his Sea of Qi in life, but even in death, he continued to hone his technique.
【After discussion and contemplation with others, your skill, Five Thunder Technique·Qi Convergence proficiency +172!】
—After discussing the Natural Reason School with his own projection on the 40th Floor, Shangshan Che naturally also researched the Five Thunder Technique with the projection for quite some time.
Because the projection was in the “Rage” state, its senses were extraordinarily sharp, its Spiritual Power within terrifyingly vast, and it didn’t matter if it died.
This made the projection the perfect test subject for the Five Thunder Technique.
After all, Shangshan Che couldn’t normally ravage his own body recklessly with the Five Thunder Technique, nor could he cultivate and research it within the mere one-hour limit of “Rage.”
“But with the projection, it’s different.”
Without even lifting a hand, Shangshan Che just had a thought, and a flash of Lightning surged at the edge of the bathroom mirror.
Ordinary people wouldn’t even notice this Lightning came from Shangshan Che; they’d just think it was static electricity.
“This makes using the Five Thunder Technique in combat even swifter and more concealed.”
Shangshan Che nodded in satisfaction.
This was just the harvest from one exchange and discussion, and he still had two opportunities per day going forward.
—While others were getting electrocuted into charred heaps or experiencing their first decapitation on the 40th Floor by their own projections.
Only he was happily putting his projection to work.
Just thinking about it made Shangshan Che’s mouth nearly split into a grin.
He glanced once more at the current proficiencies of his three skills.
【Natural Reason School（Expert 330/10000）】.
【Spirit Control Technique·Qi（Expert 1755/4000）】.
【Five Thunder Technique·Qi Convergence（Mastery 1616/2800）】.
Among them, Natural Reason School had improved the least, still far from max proficiency… The increased cultivation difficulty after choosing “Skill and Reason” was no joke.
“But as long as I keep going step by step, there will definitely be gains.”
Shangshan Che calmly waved his hand to dismiss the proficiency panel.
Then, he looked toward the rewards obtained from the Projection Secret Realm.
He set the Spell Scroll aside for now; it wouldn’t be too late to use it when needed.
The next item was the Ordinary Plain Spear.
No, more accurately, it should be called “Ordinary Plain Spear.”
Shangshan Che first gestured toward the lower left and upper right corners of the bathroom before taking out a dusty box about one meter in length from his Storage Bag.
【”Ordinary Plain Spear”（Special Item）】
【Quality: Normal】
【Current Stock: 99】
【Effect: Generates one Plain Spear of the same quality as “Ordinary Plain Spear” each day.】
【—Samurai do not die unarmed.】
That’s right, “Ordinary Plain Spear” wasn’t a single Plain Spear.
It was a box that could store Plain Spears, generate one daily, and allow arbitrary adjustment of the extracted Plain Spear’s length.
Shangshan Che unfastened the iron clasp on the box and saw a Plain Spear less than a meter long lying in ordinary wood inside.
At the center of the Plain Spear’s shaft were five white low-quality paper tags.
【40cm】, 【80cm】, 【150cm】, 【300cm】.
And one final blank tag, allowing the user to define the length themselves.
Because the bathroom space was small, Shangshan Che pulled out the 【40cm】 tag and then extracted the Plain Spear from the box.
With a snap.
The Plain Spear, originally about a meter long, shrank to a short forty centimeters the moment it left the box.
Shangshan Che raised this unremarkable Plain Spear and examined it closely: “Little Jia, this thing is pretty magical, huh.”
More crucially, though this Plain Spear had no standout features and was just an utterly ordinary iron tool in every aspect.
It excelled in versatility and quantity!
Right now, the box held a full ninety-nine Plain Spears, and it would continue to increase!
If the “Ordinary Plain Spear” prefix changed to “Excellent Plain Spear,” “Rare Plain Spear,” or even higher…
Shangshan Che licked his lips; this box truly had dreamy potential.
At the thought, Shangshan Che couldn’t help but sigh.
If only Zashiki were his shikigami… With her craftsmanship, not to mention later stages, “Super Excellent Plain Spear” would absolutely be no trouble.
But that was impossible.
—If Zashiki were willing to become his shikigami, she absolutely wouldn’t possess her current exquisite craftsmanship, nor could she effectively enhance the box.
Shangshan Che sighed with some emotion.
“I-I can do it too!”
Hearing the sigh, Kaga Kiyomitsu thought her master was dissatisfied with her inability to change size at will, so she immediately flew out from the scabbard.
However, after flailing in mid-air for a good while, she didn’t change her blade length by even a centimeter.
No helping it; the old blacksmith hadn’t included “resize” when hammering out her code.
Just as Shangshan Che was about to pat and comfort the inexplicably downcast Kaga Kiyomitsu, he suddenly noticed that the commotion on the street outside had completely vanished.
Strange.
He pushed open the small flower window just big enough for one head with his finger and cast his gaze toward the street.
In an instant, Shangshan Che understood.
Because he saw a silhouette.
Minamoto Shizuka’s silhouette.
—The pure white robes paired with Hotarumaru at her waist were too distinctive; Shangshan Che recognized her at a glance.
This silhouette couldn’t be stared at for long…
Shangshan Che quickly withdrew his gaze, wanting to close the window again.
But it was too late.
A calm yet intrigued gaze suddenly swept over this block of houses, lingering deliberately on Shangshan Che’s face for two beats.
Like a greeting.
—Oh no.
Shangshan Che’s face twitched as he slammed the window shut.
He had only wanted to peek at what was happening, but ended up caught by Minamoto Shizuka herself.
If Minamoto Shizuka exposed him later during her challenge, that would be big trouble…
Shangshan Che rubbed his temples, not overly troubled.
After all, such things came too suddenly, catching one off guard.
—If he couldn’t avoid it, then he’d just face it head-on.
—Treat it as a probe before the Seed Battle.
With the thought flashing, Shangshan Che cleared his mind and closed his eyes to begin Internal Vision of his Sea of Qi.
The current Sea of Qi, with the help of the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi scrap, had Hannya and the Four-tailed Fox card sharing equally, neither encroaching on the other, appearing quite harmonious.
—The amount of Qi Barrier contained in the Sea of Qi was roughly equivalent to forty percent of his body’s total, and the recovery speed was a full double that of his normal state.
But compared to when he first placed the scrap inside, the Sea of Qi’s expansion speed had slowed considerably.
It was foreseeable that the expansion speed would only grow slower.
So, it was time for another strong stimulus to jolt the Sea of Qi and remind it of its roots!
Shangshan Che’s gaze shifted between the 【Anchor】 and 【Uguisudori’s Feather】 for a good while before first settling on the Anchor.
—That is, the perfectly proportioned transparent triangular crystal now in his palm.
【Effect: Placing it in the Sea of Qi will greatly enhance Sea of Qi stability. It will also produce unknown beneficial effects based on the Sea of Qi’s nature.】
Since the Anchor’s effect was this, placing it into the Sea of Qi first would definitely cause no major issues.
In contrast, Uguisudori’s Feather… who knew if it would start fighting the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi scrap in the Sea of Qi.
Shangshan Che Internally Visioned the Sea of Qi for a good while longer, confirming he fully mastered every inch of space and every strand of Qi Barrier within, before moving the Anchor above the Sea of Qi.
No reaction.
Neither the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi scrap nor the two cards floating and sinking in the Sea of Qi reacted to the Anchor’s appearance.
It seemed fine to just drop it in.
So thinking, the Qi Barrier giant hand hovering above the Sea of Qi, grasping the small Anchor, suddenly released.
“—Oh oh oh oh oh oh!”
Before the Anchor even entered the Sea of Qi, waves of excited cheers came from outside the window.
“What the hell?”
Dividing a bit of attention to the outside, Shangshan Che first pushed open the window for a glance, then picked up his phone and opened the Special Affairs Office APP.
His pupils contracted slightly.
【1st Minamoto Shizuka 40th Floor】
Shangshan Che looked up at the time again and fell into contemplation.
He had indeed guessed that Minamoto Shizuka could slay his 40th Floor projection.
But he hadn’t expected it to be this fast.
In just over ten minutes, she had slashed her way from the first floor and slain him.
Shangshan Che looked up, as if seeing his projection annihilated by that pitch-black blade: “You guy, couldn’t even hold out half an hour? What a waste…”
That said, Shangshan Che felt no timidity or urge to retreat.
Instead, he was filled with anticipation.
Minamoto Shizuka, Saito Ryuichi… these were opponents he’d face in the future Seed Battle; the stronger, the better.
What fun was defeating the weak?
Only crushing these powerhouses and geniuses with even greater strength would benefit him more.
And be more enjoyable.
Shangshan Che smiled and withdrew all his attention back into his body.
“Hm?”
In the Sea of Qi, everything was calm.
But hadn’t the Anchor clearly fallen inside?
Shangshan Che focused his mind and found the equilateral triangular crystal stably lying at the very bottom center of the Sea of Qi, emanating faint fluorescence.
He tried moving it with Qi Barrier but found it impossible no matter what.
As if it had already taken root.
In other words, the Anchor had bound to his Sea of Qi and taken effect.
But where was the effect?
Apart from the edges where the two-colored Sea of Qi met becoming slightly gentler, Shangshan Che found no other changes.
“That’s it?”
He suspected he hadn’t unlocked the Anchor’s proper use.
But no prompt appeared.
After much contemplation, Shangshan Che decided to ask Katsumi next time they met.
As a great Merchant whose footprints spanned the Eternal World and Mortal Realm, Katsumi must have seen such Special Items and figured out their uses.
Several minutes later, after multiple failed attempts, Shangshan Che finally took Uguisudori’s Feather from his bag to above the Sea of Qi.
This jet-black feather was different from the Anchor.
The moment it entered the Sea of Qi, Uguisudori’s Feather seemed activated by some hidden switch, boldly emanating Qi and swirling at extreme speed above the Sea of Qi.
There was even a faint shrill cry emanating from the feather.
If he closed his eyes, it would feel like a real Gūhuāniǎo patrolling its territory.
The scorching and cursed Qi belonging to the Gūhuāniǎo descended, splitting into two to press toward the two cards at the east and west poles of the Sea of Qi.
—Seeking to displace them and become the sole ruler of this Sea of Qi.
Shangshan Che, quietly observing this, chuckled.
This Uguisudori’s Feather lived up to being the essence of a Great Demon; quite ambitious.
“But sorry.”
Before the two Incarnation Cards could react clearly, Shangshan Che’s indifferent voice echoed through every part of the Sea of Qi.
A searing white Qi Barrier giant hand coalesced from the void, seizing the rapidly swirling Uguisudori’s Feather, making it tremble and vibrate in futile resistance.
“—Once you’re in my body, dragon or not, you coil for me! Tiger or not, you lie down for me!”
Soon, the defiant Uguisudori’s Feather quieted unwillingly under the suppression of Shangshan Che’s Qi Barrier giant hand.
Even if its essence was superior, right now it was just a handful of boundless water.
Even those earlier “ambitious” actions were merely instinctual remnants left by that Gūhuāniǎo Great Demon.
The Qi Barrier giant hand’s two fingers pinched the end of Uguisudori’s Feather and flung it into the Sea of Qi.
Gulp gulp.
Accompanied by Uguisudori’s Feather’s unwilling wail and the Sea of Qi’s churning, the jet-black feather embedded into the second slot of the “Five Elements Defining Object.”
【Fire】.
But even in submission, it didn’t choose to fuse with the Four-tailed Fox card.
Instead, it floated independently in the Sea of Qi as a slightly disadvantaged third party.
The Sea of Qi, originally dominated by black-red and pink-white, stirred.
Soon, a purer, deeper black surged up from the depths of the Sea of Qi.
In an instant, Shangshan Che felt a faint scorching sensation throughout his body.
【Due to your Void Qi Sea being influenced by the “Uguisudori’s Feather” Defining Object, your Physique +1】.
【Due to your Void Qi Sea being influenced by the “Uguisudori’s Feather” Defining Object, your Spiritual Arts +1】.
【Due to your Void Qi Sea being influenced by the “Uguisudori’s Feather” Defining Object, your Fire attribute resistance has increased!】.
Before he could fully savor the changes from Uguisudori’s Feather, he noticed the two cards trying to jointly swallow the black portion again, though progress was slow.
This wouldn’t do.
The tangible Qi Barrier giant hand immediately descended, slapping each Incarnation Card once, then using Qi Barrier to divide the boundary between Uguisudori’s Feather and the others.
Thus allowing the three to steadily continue expanding and developing.
“The Sea of Qi’s expansion speed is back up… even a bit faster than before?”
After observing for over ten minutes and confirming no issues, Shangshan Che withdrew his attention from the thriving Sea of Qi.
Compared to a normal Sea of Qi, the Void Qi Sea—especially one choosing the Five Elements Realm path—was all about long-term development.
It required five Incarnation Cards and five high-quality Defining Objects to reach completion.
And with less than a fifth filled, it had already developed to this extent.
Its potential was truly limitless.
Shangshan Che raised his fingertip, observing the Qi Barrier emerging from it, now carrying an extra “scorching” sensation and theoretically increased damage.
And not just that.
Deeper black Lightning flickered before Shangshan Che’s eyes compared to before.
Under Uguisudori’s Feather’s influence, his Five Thunder Technique lost its previous grandeur but gained a lethal edge with a hint of curse.
In layman’s terms, it changed the Five Thunder Technique’s skin from white to black—Shangshan Che had no complaints.
He naturally preferred whichever was stronger.
Sitting on the toilet lid, Shangshan Che savored the sensation of his Sea of Qi expanding every second.
He exhaled comfortably.
This feeling of growing stronger in the moment was simply too exhilarating…
But not even a few minutes later, another wave of shocked cries came from outside the window.
“What the hell do these onlookers want? Shouting at every passerby?”
He irritably opened the window and stuck his head out, wanting to tell the melon-eating crowd on the street not to yell and disturb the peace—Tamamo was still sleeping.
Kids who don’t sleep well won’t grow tall.
However, Shangshan Che didn’t shout it out.
Because his Sword Principle, Clear Mirror in his heart, and the corner of his eye enhanced by the Eye of Interpretation all jumped suddenly.
Simultaneous warning!
On the street, surrounded by several black-clad figures emanating powerful Qi, a beauty in loose black kimono and wooden clogs stepped drowsily from the sedan backseat, rubbing her eyes as if not fully awake.
—That’s how it looked to others.
But in Shangshan Che’s eyes, that wasn’t a beauty at all…
No, it wasn’t human!
Staring at the humanoid creature emanating searing white light of Destruction toward the entire Under Heaven, yet bearing not a trace of Spiritual Power.
This thing was no different from a tactical nuke…
Shangshan Che’s eyes narrowed involuntarily from the glare.
“This level can only be achieved with the Four Extremes Breathing Technique, huh.”
Under his silent gaze, the kimono beauty seemed to notice, so she turned, bowing her head slightly toward him in faint apology.
This gesture earned her quite a bit of favor from Shangshan Che.
He remarked: “This face is pretty good-looking, on par with mine.”
Looking at his phone, Shangshan Che searched the forum for a while before finding her identity.
—【Kyuuketsuin Kin】.
Kyuuketsuin, like the Tokugawa family and Minamoto Family, was one of the Three Great Families mastering the Four Extremes Breathing Technique.
Kyuuketsuin Kin was this generation’s third son, not hugely famous but still drawing attention… Wait.
Shangshan Che paused.
Third son?
That was male?
After observing her in his memory for a good while, Shangshan Che still couldn’t see how this was male.
Apart from being flat-chested.
But you couldn’t judge gender just by that!
This Kyuuketsuin Kin wasn’t affiliated with the Special Affairs Office and probably wouldn’t join the Seed Battle.
Coming now… likely just to challenge the secret realm and check her own ranking.
Was that it?
Shangshan Che recalled Kyuuketsuin Kin’s expression; she didn’t seem very willing or expectant.
But soon, reality proved Shangshan Che wrong.
Because in less than half an hour, the Top 100 Ranking shifted again.
【2nd Kyuuketsuin Kin 40th Floor】
This proved another of Shangshan Che’s projections had been blasted to bits.
At this point, another on-site “live streamer” posted on the forum that Minamoto Shizuka had been kicked back to the Mortal Realm.
Meaning she had failed the 41st Floor.
The crowd was in uproar, and forum posts multiplied several times over afterward.
Soon, someone said Kyuuketsuin Kin’s progress had also stalled at the 40th Floor.
Most were shocked that these two could only surpass “Strategist” Saito Ryuichi and anonymous 666 by one floor.
But someone didn’t think so.
…
“This is bad, very bad.”
In a somewhat dim room, manga books, crumpled paper balls, an old tablet, and empty soda bottles littered the space haphazardly.
Someone hugged their knees on an ergonomic chair, eyes downcast, staring at the 【anonymous 666】 pushed to the bottom of the Top 100 Ranking stele by these guys.
She raised the stylus in her hand to the tablet.
And in the messy room, only one spot was pristine.
It was a clean empty space cordoned off with an acrylic cover, housing an exquisite station model.
A small label was stuck on top of the model.
It read,
—【Kisaragi Station】.
