C694 Natural Phenomenon

Upon returning to this world, Woo Zhengyang felt he was on the brink of a breakthrough. However, a series of events forced him to suppress this urge. Now, with the crisis at the Profound Heaven Sect finally resolved, Zhengyang's mind relaxed, and the nearly explosive sword-shaped genuine Qi could no longer be contained.

Sitting cross-legged inside Heavenly Death Peak, the air around Zhengyang moved without wind, as the fierce sword-shaped Qi threatened to burst forth.

In the martial path, refining Qi is just the entryway, thus called a Martial Disciple. Reaching the Reality Condensing Stage is a notable achievement, earning the title of Martial Master. But for those who truly advance, both Martial Disciples and Masters are still considered ordinary. Only by stepping into the Shape Gathering Stage does one truly enter the hall of mastery.

Entering the Shape Gathering Stage extends one's lifespan to 200 years, and many even experience signs of rejuvenation due to this increase. Regardless of such signs, entering this stage is akin to a rebirth for practitioners.

This rebirth naturally marks a new beginning. True Essence is the first step of this new journey. Though only a single letter apart, True Qi and True Essence are worlds apart. True Essence is a qualitative change that occurs when True Qi fills the meridians to their limit, essentially condensing the Qi into a liquid form. This transformation poses a significant challenge for many practitioners.

For Woo Zhengyang, this was a significant challenge. The nature of the sword-shaped genuine Qi made his breakthrough incredibly difficult. However, after a trip to his ancestral land, what seemed impossible suddenly became manageable. He found himself with an unexpected abundance of sword-shaped genuine Qi. Now, his task was to compress and merge it repeatedly.

Of course, while it sounded simple, the process was anything but. It was extremely painful. The sword-shaped Qi was inherently sharp, and forcing it to compress was like self-torture. It felt like countless tiny needles were erratically piercing through his meridians, causing constant stinging pain.

An hour passed, and Zhengyang's clothes were in tatters, shredded by the escaping sword-shaped Qi. While his body could withstand the strain, his clothes could not. This was just a small portion of the Qi that had leaked out; if fully unleashed, Zhengyang would be left with nothing on.

This gave a clear picture of the torment his meridians were enduring. After two hours, Zhengyang was drenched in sweat, and the mat beneath him was soaked through, with sweat even dripping onto the floor.

Three hours passed, and the sword-shaped energy surrounding Woo Zhengyang gradually diminished, except for a concentrated force in his core, stronger than before. This was the result of all the energy gathering there. Woo Zhengyang's task was to forge a single drop of true essence within his core.

As night gave way to dawn, the sky was painted with a brilliant red hue.

"Ding..."

A sound, not loud but incredibly resonant, like the hum of a sword, echoed from Heavenly Death Peak. It spread outward like an invisible ripple, reaching the ears of everyone in the Profound Heaven Sect.

The ripple of the sword's hum continued to expand, even penetrating the protective barrier of the mountain. Beyond the gates of the sect, in Profound Heaven Town and even further, people heard this peculiar sound.

Why would they suddenly hear a sword's hum?

Some doubted their hearing, but upon asking around, they found that others heard it too.

"Look over there, what's that in the sky?"

Amidst the confusion, someone pointed toward the direction of the Profound Heaven Sect and exclaimed in surprise.

Following the direction of the pointing finger, everyone was stunned.

Above the sect, the sky seemed to have torn open, revealing a cascade of colorful beams of light, refracting from the opening.

Amidst the vibrant beams of light, a pristine white jade sword hovered in the air, like a moon surrounded by stars.

"What is that? Is it a treasure appearing?"

"Have you ever seen a treasure appear from the sky?"

"Well, you never know, it could be a gift from above!"

"Even if it is, who could possibly reach it up there?"

As everyone speculated, an elderly man, well into his sixties, narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured, "This feels like a legendary phenomenon to me."

"Sir, what exactly is a natural phenomenon?" a young man asked cautiously.

While others were unaware, the young man knew well that this frail old man was actually a Martial King. They had been neighbors for months, and it wasn't until Woo Zhengyang made an appearance that he realized the old man, who seemed so feeble, could actually soar through the air...

"According to ancient tales, whenever something extraordinary appears, the heavens and earth manifest signs," the old man explained, stroking his beard. "These extraordinary items can be many things—natural treasures, martial arts techniques, or even a person or artifact triggering something that causes such phenomena."

"So, this phenomenon... is it Woo Zhengyang?"

The phenomenon appeared above the Profound Heaven Sect, suggesting that the cause, whether a person or an object, was likely within the sect.

When people talk about the Profound Heaven Sect these days, the first name that comes to mind is Woo Zhengyang.

"That must be him. Could it be that his King Rank sword is only now being refined? But wasn't his sword black?" the old man pondered, looking at the jade sword in the sky with curiosity.

"Sir, since this is a phenomenon of heaven and earth, it might just be symbolic and not related to the color of the No Life Sword," the young man beside him suggested cautiously. He was eager to engage with the powerful martial artist, hoping that maybe, in a good mood, the martial artist might take him under his wing.

"You're right, you're right. I was overthinking it! But for this No Life Sword, a King Rank weapon, to cause such a phenomenon is truly remarkable!"

Similar conversations were happening both inside and outside the Profound Heaven Sect. Everyone speculated that the phenomenon was connected to the No Life Sword, especially since it involved a sword, and Woo Zhengyang's recent events also revolved around a sword.

Meanwhile, inside Heavenly Death Peak, Woo Zhengyang was oblivious to the outside world's speculations. In his dantian, a small sword was slowly taking shape. Unlike the sword-shaped Genuine Qi, which was gaseous and intangible, this small sword was real. The recent sword hum was the sound of it beginning to form.

Woo Zhengyang's current task was to follow the techniques in the Sword Sacrificing Spell, imprinting marks on the small sword to ensure it fully integrates and maintains its current form.