Chapter 457

Xu Yan glanced at his fellow disciples, a smile played upon his lips, and said, “There’s nothing unusual.”

He was the one who set up the Sword Array, so how could there be anything unusual in it?

Meng Chong scratched his bald head, seeming somewhat vexed. He had carefully sensed for any anomalies and indeed noticed some, as if he were enveloped in a sense of impending danger.

“Could it really be just my imagination?”

Since their senior brother had claimed that nothing was amiss, he started to think it was merely a figment of his imagination.

Li Xuan’s mouth twitched slightly as he noticed that Xu Yan had narrowed the scope of the mountain and river Sword Array to the position where Meng Chong stood.

This development confused Meng Chong even more.

Why was the feeling of danger intensifying?

He felt surrounded by danger. The environment around him seemed increasingly threatening, as if he would face innumerable attacks at any moment!

“Junior Brother, did you notice anything abnormal?” Xu Yan asked.

Meng Chong scratched his head in frustration, “Sort of… I feel somewhat threatened. But it doesn’t make sense. With our master nearby, even if a Refining God Heavenly Man is watching, we would not be in any danger.”

Xu Yan nodded thoughtfully. Meng Chong was not an ordinary martial artist. Although the Sword Array was hidden well, Meng Chong was able to detect it.

He had chosen not to react to the anomaly due to the assurance of his master’s presence.

In an instant, Xu Yan lifted the Sword Array, and it enveloped Su Lingxiu.

“Junior Sister, did you notice anything?” Xu Yan asked.

He was trying to figure out how to make the Sword Array more hidden and silent.

Su Lingxiu knitted her brows, “I don’t know why, but I feel like the plants around us have somehow become sharper, dangerous almost.”

“Is that so?”

Xu Yan nodded, and in a heartbeat, he infused the ground and even the surrounding nature’s spiritual energy with Sword Intent.

“Huh, that feeling is gone. But there’s something… something that doesn’t quite feel right.”

Su Lingxiu remarked in surprise.

Upon seeing their senior brother, Meng Chong’s mouth twitched. He understood that their senior brother was surely up to some mischief!

“Senior Brother, what new realization have you come to?” Meng Chong asked out of curiosity.

“Sword Array!”

Xu Yan let out a sigh, and the Sword Array sprang to life of its own accord.

Looking at the various embodiments of the Sword Intent, everything from the plants to the soil seemed ready to transform into sharp swords. Furthermore, each of these swords moved according to a specific pattern.

Meng Chong’s scalp had goosebumps as he realized, “So, this is the Sword Array?”

Previously at the Dai Family residence, Xu Yan had exhibited the might of the Heart Sword Realm, turning everything into swords.

However, that was a mere instance of transforming everything into swords for attack purposes. In contrast, the Sword Array not only transformed things into swords but also manipulated them according to a unique pattern, which made the attacks more potent and lethal.

“With this Sword Array, I am confident that I can take down Dai Sheng!” Xu Yan announced as he withdrew the Sword Array.

He now had the ability to slay a martial artist in the early stages of the Refining God Heavenly Man Stage by himself!

“I feel like I’m close to a breakthrough, I should find a quiet place to cultivate.”

After bidding his master farewell, Xu Yan turned around to leave, he was getting closer to reaching the intermediate stage of the Divine Intent State.

“I’ll go cultivate too!”

Meng Chong exhaled heavily. When their senior brother was already capable enough to independently execute a martial artist at the early stage of the Refining God Heavenly Man, he had to work even harder. Luckily, he had just grasped the cultivation technique as a supporting method, which he could now test to see the results.

Xu Yan and Meng Chong both left to find isolated spots for cultivation.

Only Su Lingxiu stayed behind, sitting beside Li Xuan, she concurrently served tea to her master and asked, “Master, how long will it take for our junior brother to get started with his cultivation?”

Li Xuan glanced at Fang Hao, who was down the valley, and said, “Once the energy of the heavens and earth starts to fade, that will be the sign that he has started.”

Upon hearing this, Su Lingxiu looked at the strange trap set up by Fang Hao. Among the mountains, the energy of the heavens and the earth was still collecting and slowly increasing. It was far from subsiding.

“Master, what level will our junior brother reach once he starts?” Su Lingxiu asked out of curiosity.

Li Xuan pondered for a moment. Fang Hao was originally a Great Grandmaster martial artist. Using the energy of the heavens and earth, he was rebuilding his martial arts foundation and becoming an extraordinary martial artist. He wouldn’t be starting from scratch.

“Tongxuan Realm.”

Once Fang Hao begins, he will be in the Tongxuan Realm!

Normally speaking, extraordinary martial artists should be in the Innate Realm when they start.

Since Fang Hao is the first extraordinary martial artist and already possesses a martial arts foundation, his starting point will naturally be higher.

“Normally, extraordinary martial artists need to temper their bodies, strengthen their roots, learn array diagrams, the strange layout of heaven and earth and so forth before they start. Only with a solid foundation can they reach the startup requirements.

“Even though they reach the Innate Realm once they begin, the training before starting would not necessarily be faster than orthodox martial arts, body martial arts, or Dan medical martial arts.

“For those who lack talent, training in these other martial arts might even be slower.”

Li Xuan assessed quietly.

“Once Fang Hao starts and receives the feedback from the extraordinary martial arts, we will know the real training path of extraordinary martial arts.”

Li Xuan looked forward to it.

Half a month later, the energy between heaven and earth started to weaken. The treasure Fang Hao had used to set up the strange formation of heaven and earth began to show some cracks. It was about to reach its usage limit.

“He’s about to start, isn’t he?”

Li Xuan silently watched.

A few more days passed.

All of a sudden, a smile formed on Li Xuan’s face. Fang Hao, standing in the valley, seemed somewhat different than before.

The Daoist Golden Book opened up above the Soul Pedestal.

“Your apprentice Fang Hao has started on the extraordinary martial arts path you created. Your extraordinary martial arts have been perfected, making you a hundred times more powerful than others in the same realm.”

Li Xuan squinted slightly. The method of extraordinary martial arts manifested in his mind.

However, the feedback from the Daoist Golden Book didn’t disappear.

“You have created the fourth kind of martial arts, your extraordinary martial arts have advanced to the Divine Intent State.”