บท 31: Forest of Ruin
Although he was truly excited that he was able to successfully execute the Flame Slash, he didn't let it get to him since it could be a fluke.
He gripped his sword tightly once more and recalled the feeling of letting everything burst in one slash. He took a deep breath and concentrated his sights to the charred sword mark on the wall. He raised his sword one more time and slashed down with his full power.
Bang!
Surprisingly, another orange sword light came out of the slash, filled with the same intense power as before as it collided at the same place where the previous sword light landed, charring more of the wall as a somewhat deep hole in the shape of a cross was formed.
Shi Li blinked his eyes twice as he looked at the hole on the wall that was expanded thanks to his slash. Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself down and looked at his wooden sword.
"I've successfully done it alright," Shi Li couldn't help but lightly smile as he walked towards his courtyard's training space.
"The Flame Slash only focuses on one thing and that is strength," Shi Li muttered as he walked. The Flame Slash focused on channeling all of the strength within the soul and body onto the end of the sword and then bursting it in one go. With this in mind, he recalled Tian Zhenfei's movements as he cross-referenced it to his own movements.
He could feel that there were some similarities between his movement and Zhenfei's movements and that made him feel happy, but when he noticed that Zhenfei was able to slash out at a speed incomparable to his, he knew he had a lot of polishing to do.
Shi Li stood in front of the pillar and placed the wooden sword on the ground as he bent his knees perpendicular to the pillar.
"Let's see how much strength I can exert at the moment."
During this past week, not only was Shi Li focused on successfully executing the Flame Slash, he also spared time to cultivate his soul and body. Let's just say...with his aptitude, it didn't take him a lot of effort to make considerable progress.
Bang!
The ever familiar white light covered the pillar as usual. Shi Li took this time to grab the wooden sword and wait for the results.
42.
Not long after, the white veil dissipated and out came a double-digit number that made Shi Li satisfied with his progress. He already reached the peak of the second level in his soul while he has made some progress on cultivating his body.
"And now," Shi Li gripped his sword tightly and he channeled all of his strength to the tip of the sword. "Flame Slash!"
Bang!
The sword landed squarely on the pillar, creating a loud explosion sound that would definitely a person's eardrums when they were close enough. But for Shi Li, it was nothing. He took a step back and saw that there was no scratch nor any nick on the pillar which made him click his tongue.
"Damn. This strength measuring pillar is definitely strong."
The white veil that usually covered the pillar appeared for a short while before disappearing and allowing Shi Li to see his strength when he struck with his sword.
"With this strength, I can fight against cultivators at the peak of the third Martial Novice stage," Shi Li placed the sword on his back and laughed. "Well that's considering if they only cultivate the soul anyway."
After that, Shi Li turned around and started to walk to his father's room, with a plan in mind, leaving the number on the pillar alone.
The number on the pillar was 63.
...
Shi clan, Shi Xingwan's room.
Knock knock.
"Hm?" Shi Xingwan raised his eyebrows as he sent a wisp of qi to scan who was behind the door. Sensing that the person was familiar, he then said, "Come in."
Creak...
Shi Li opened the door before slowly closing it. He then went to a nearby chair and sat on it as he waited for his father to finish his work.
Coincidentally, Shi Xingwan was tidying the papers on his desk before placing it under the desk. He then looked at his son with a smile and asked, "What brings you here, my son?"
Shi Li took a deep breath before looking at his father in the eyes with a stern gaze and said, "I want to head to the Forest of Ruin."
Shi Xingwan took a deep breath and muttered, "I knew this day would come." He then let out a breath and asked Shi Li, "Do you know where the Forest of Ruin is? Its dangers?"
Shi Li, who has read almost every geographical book in the clan library, nodded his head and answered, "The Forest of Ruin is located about 20 kilometers to the east of our town, Verdant Breeze Town. It has a diameter of over 5 kilometers and is home to multiple beasts."
At this moment, he tried to persuade his father. "Father, you know me. I'm not that stupid to head to my doom. I'm just going to the outer area of the forest. I want to practice my Flame Slash on the beasts."
Shi Xingwan's ears perked up after hearing a certain phrase. "D-Did you just say Flame Slash?"
"Oops, the cat's out of the bag," Shi Li couldn't help but smile as he stood up and grabbed the wooden sword from his back while still looking at his father. "I can do Flame Slash, although it takes me a while to do so."
Shi Xingwan's eyes lit up and asked, "C-Can you do in front of me, my son? Don't worry about damaging anything, I'll set up a qi barrier around you."
Hearing that his father would conjure a barrier around him, he nodded in agreement. Shi Xingwan stood up from his seat and channeled all of the qi in his body as a light blue barrier surrounded Shi Li.
"There. You can start," Shi Xingwan said.
Shi Li nodded and raised his sword. He then grasped on the hilt tightly as he channeled all of the strength in his body and soul to the sword. Not long after, he slashed down.
"Flame Slash!"
Bang!
A faint orange sword light darted towards the qi barrier as Shi Li finished slashing down. It only took a short moment for the sword light to collide with the qi barrier, slightly distorting it in the process as the sword light dissipated.
Not long after, the qi barrier surrounding Shi Li dissipated. Shi Li then placed the wooden sword on his back as he faced his father, only to be left with his mouth agape as an expression unimaginable was being expressed by his father.
His father had a wide grin on his face as he breathed heavily. His eyes were glistening like the stars while Shi Li could feel like there were hearts in his father's eyes. If this was just like another novel he read, they'd already be in the process of love-making. But this was the world of cultivation.
Shi Xingwan noticed that he got carried away and lightly coughed as a light smile was plastered on his face.
"Say Shi Li. I have a proposition for you," Shi Xingwan said.
"What proposition?" Shi Li asked as he gulped his saliva in fear of the difficulty.
"I want you to..." Shi Xingwan replied.
"Kill 50 Rank 3 beasts within a week."
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