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On that day, Spirit Stone called back the five disciples participating in the Nine Vermilion Peaks competition. He gave Chuxiong and the others a large number of various elixirs and instructed them to absorb their effects in seclusion. He kept Li Hong behind.
Li Hong pouted in silence.
Spirit Stone felt a bit awkward, scratching his head as he said, "I'm sorry, I actually... um, forgot to teach you the sword technique. I've informed the sect leader that for the next few days, you'll be trained solely by me." He then began to boast, "I have quite a bit of practical experience. Among the entire Nine Li Sect, aside from you and Ling Yi Zi, Master Uncle, I'm the strongest. With my personal guidance, your skills will greatly improve by the time of the grand competition."
"Come on, Master, you were so busy that you forgot your own disciples; I can't even imagine!" Li Hong teased.
In truth, he didn't blame Spirit Stone; he was indeed very busy. Moreover, although he had been distracted during their last encounter, Chu Huai had won by merely cutting off a small corner of his clothing. It was truly embarrassing. If they continued fighting, he was confident that victory would definitely be his.
"You lost that battle due to lack of experience and insufficient patience. You probably hoped for a quick victory, just like last time against the Emei Four Swords. However, Chu Huai is fundamentally different from them; first, as fellow disciples, they couldn't fight too fiercely against you. Second, Chu Huai is very cautious of you and has already decided to play it safe. Unlike the Emei Four Swords who underestimated you. Although you won against Zhu Xue beautifully, it was quite lucky. Think about it; isn't that the case?" Spirit Stone guided him patiently, analyzing the situation clearly, which made Li Hong secretly admire him. However, he still refused to admit it out loud.
Spirit Stone didn't say much more and waved him over: "Let's go! We need to find an open space; I want to train you properly!"
"Train..." Li Hong felt speechless.
********
The Nine Li Sect has two types of sword techniques: one is the classic secret arts passed down through generations, while the other consists of sword techniques developed and expanded by each lineage based on their own insights. Each has its unique skills. The Six Veins sometimes discuss techniques with each other, but generally speaking, maintaining their own lineage's characteristics under a unified approach is customary.
However, engaging in swordplay among disciples below the Nascent Soul Stage is common. Once one reaches the Nascent Soul Stage, all sword techniques become superficial.
For example, when Spirit Stone encountered Yun Jiuzi, no matter how powerful his sword techniques were, they seemed trivial in Yun Jiuzi's eyes; with just one move, he could determine the outcome—clearly not on the same level. When two Nascent Soul Stage experts fought, they would typically go straight for each other; it was a contest of perception, intelligence, strength, and magical artifacts—at this point, sword techniques were largely unnecessary.
Due to these reasons, there aren't many sword techniques in the Nine Li Sect; what they require from their disciples is understanding. In other words, after learning basic sword techniques, disciples should comprehend their underlying principles and apply them in practical combat as they progress in their cultivation without rote memorization to execute every move perfectly.
This suited Li Hong perfectly.
Before long, he had memorized the "Separation Fire Sword Technique" that Spirit Stone taught him. This technique is a low-level disciple's secret art within the Nine Li Sect; once the Flying Sword is unleashed, it must not reveal its flight trajectory while subtly embodying a fierce fire's form—ever-changing and difficult to defend against.
Spirit Stone also mentioned that if a thousand low-level disciples simultaneously performed it together, they would form the "Li Fire Sword Formation," which possesses considerable power capable of withstanding an expert at the Nascent Soul Stage. However, since its establishment until now, the "Li Fire Sword Formation" has never truly been executed; at most it has been demonstrated by a hundred low-level disciples forming a smaller "Li Fire Sword Formation."
Spirit Stone demonstrated to Li Hong the techniques of "Fierce Flames," "Water and Fire Incompatibility," and "Stars Igniting the Prairie," all of which were Jiu Li's offensive skills. It also passed on the defensive technique "Water Dripping Through Stone" from Nine Vermilion Peaks, which emphasized standing firm against any force, remaining unyielding amidst the winds from all directions. The essence of this technique was mastery and ease.
As the transmission concluded, darkness began to fall. Spirit Stone left Li Hong in the wilderness with a reminder to practice diligently before hurriedly flying away—Ling Xuzi had urgently summoned him for a discussion.
Li Hong had long realized that among the Sixth Pulse Master, only his master and Ling Xuzi were truly considerate. As Ling Xuzi's right-hand man, he was always the first to consult him whenever there was a matter at hand. In contrast, Nine Mystic Peak Ling Jizi seemed to have a discordant relationship with Ling Xuzi; Nine Beam Peak Elder Brother Ling Yi Zi was often in seclusion and rarely appeared to handle affairs; Nine Lotus Peak Ling Xiaozi was always joking around; Jiu Tan Peak Ling Daozi agreed with everything but lacked initiative; as for the only female Elder Brother Ling Xiangzi, she was known for her strong-willed independence.
Calculating it all, there wasn't anyone who truly connected with Ling Xuzi. No wonder Spirit Stone was always busy. He not only managed the affairs of their lineage but also took care of matters within the sect for Ling Xuzi. To be honest, since entering the sect, Li Hong had never seen Spirit Stone focus on his own cultivation. While the disciples made rapid progress, their master remained stagnant.
Li Hong silently warned himself to pay attention in the future and not get too involved in mundane matters, or he would end up like his master, Spirit Stone.
Having nearly reached Nine Separation Peak, Spirit Stone suddenly sneezed and muttered to himself, "Who is speaking ill of me behind my back..."
********
After a night of hard practice, Li Hong had mastered all his sword techniques and gradually comprehended many principles. Seeing that dawn had arrived, he decided to visit Silver Ball for a while as a form of rest.
It turned out that the residence of Big Silver Ball, Small Silver Ball, located in a remote and desolate gorge, was close to the far western edge. There were no Golden Core Stage elders residing nearby; if it weren't for that day when he accidentally stumbled upon it while drunk, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
Before long, he arrived at the dark cave entrance and called out loudly, "Come out, Silver Ball, I'm here to see you!"
After calling for some time without any response from Silver Ball, Li Hong thought for a moment and mustered his courage to venture into the maze-like tunnel while shouting along the way.
Finally, familiar rustling sounds echoed through the darkness. In the dim light, silver scales shimmered brightly, but Li Hong quickly realized something was off; it was too small—it wasn't Silver Ball, but rather another creature.
Silver Ball had always been somewhat fearful of Li Hong. Although it came out, it kept a cautious distance of two or three yards away and didn't dare approach.
Scratching his head in confusion, Li Hong wondered why it was this creature instead of Silver Ball. After all, it liked him very much. Regardless of whether Silver Ball could understand him or not, he gestured towards it and loudly asked about its whereabouts.
To his surprise, he noticed hostility in Silver Ball's eyes.
What exactly happened to Silver Ball? Li Hong shouted anxiously in the cave.
The echo caused debris to fall from the ceiling, and after a long while, Li Hong finally heard a rustling sound coming from another tunnel. The sound was slow, as if Silver Ball was moving very slowly. He became anxious, pushed aside Silver Ball, and quickly ran toward the source of the sound.
After crawling for a long time, he finally saw a staggering figure moving slowly ahead; it was Silver Ball. Something was off. Its scales were dull, and its eyes were lifeless. Upon seeing Li Hong, it seemed happy and slowly dragged its feet over to rub against him.
What on earth happened? Li Hong was worried and gestured wildly at it. Silver Ball seemed to understand and tilted its head, indicating for him to follow.
After walking for a long time, Li Hong realized he had returned to the Underground Wonder Cave.
The scene was devastating; only a few grains of the Supreme Celestial Stone remained. The dense Multicolored Light Dots in the cave had become extremely sparse, scattered like stars. However, after returning here, Silver Ball's spirit noticeably improved. It rolled around on the ground happily, and some Multicolored Light Dots slowly seeped into its body and disappeared.
Li Hong was stunned by this sight and slapped his forehead in realization.
This Underground Wonder Cave, filled with Supreme Celestial Stone, must have existed since the day Nine Li Cave Heaven appeared, but no one had noticed it until now. Somehow, Big Silver Ball and Small Silver Ball discovered it and dug the cave all the way here. Due to their frequent exposure to the dense Multicolored Light Dots, their constitution gradually changed; it was almost like unintentional cultivation. They not only began to develop spiritual awareness but also became extremely reliant on the Multicolored Light Dots. After he dug out the Supreme Celestial Stone, the concentration of Multicolored Light Dots in the cave drastically decreased. While Silver Ball might be fine due to its youth, Small Silver Ball could not withstand such changes and became so listless.
What exactly are these Multicolored Light Dots? Could they be a special kind of Spiritual Energy? Li Hong thought it was very likely. He took out several large pieces of Supreme Celestial Stone from his Cosmic Bag and placed them into a large pit in the ground, watching as Silver Ball joyfully rushed over with excited cries.
Li Hong felt embarrassed; it was originally Silver Ball that discovered this place first, yet he had dug it all out, nearly making it sick.
He decided to help Silver Ball.
He found a round piece of Supreme Celestial Stone about the size of a fist from his Cosmic Bag and drilled a hole in the center using Lingyi. The Cosmic Bag already contained some refining materials left by Heavenly Danzi, including several long strands of Gold Essence Iron that were extremely tough and sturdy. He strung the Supreme Celestial Stone with Gold Essence Iron strands to create a necklace.
He walked over to where Silver Ball was joyfully rolling around and securely fastened the Celestial Stone Necklace around its neck. It hung just below its long neck, with half of the Supreme Celestial Stone hidden beneath its scales. It was nearly impossible to notice at first glance.
After listening to Li Hong excitedly explain everything, Silver Ball gradually understood that this would be even more beneficial. With this item, whether outside or elsewhere in the tunnel, it would always have its beloved Multicolored Light Dots surrounding it. It howled joyfully and pounced onto Li Hong.
Li Hong was startled but soon realized that it was just overly excited and expressing its happiness in this way.
He let out a loud "ow" and pounced forward. The person and the beast rolled into a ball.
After resting for a while, Li Hong gestured to Silver Ball to take him outside. Silver Ball's eyes rolled around, and suddenly it turned around, picked up a large Supreme Celestial Stone that Li Hong had left behind, and wobbled over to Li Hong, insisting that he take it.
Li Hong reluctantly accepted it and saw Silver Ball fondly touching the Celestial Stone Necklace hanging around its neck, then pointing its paw at the large Supreme Celestial Stone in Li Hong's hand.
Li Hong's mouth formed a silent circle; Silver Ball wanted to make another Celestial Stone Necklace. However, this stone was too big, so he took out a fist-sized piece and used Gold Essence Iron threads to make a Celestial Stone Necklace.
Just as he was about to hang it around Silver Ball's neck, he noticed Silver Ball dodging away and whining outside. The cave entrance shimmered with silver light as Silver Ball cautiously stepped back inside.
It turned out that it wanted to give something to Silver Ball. Li Hong walked over and placed the newly made Celestial Stone Necklace around Silver Ball's neck. Silver Ball was extremely happy and began rolling around in the cave.
The hostility in Silver Ball's eyes gradually disappeared; this little guy was not foolish at all. Li Hong approached and patted its back, saying, "Don't be afraid of me. I'll bring you delicious food next time."
Emerging from the ground, Li Hong decided that whenever he entered seclusion in the future, he would come here and slowly figure out how to make this Underground Cave more comfortable. With Big Silver Ball and Small Silver Ball as companions, it wouldn't be lonely. Most importantly, this place was very secluded; without Big Silver Ball and Small Silver Ball leading the way, no one could navigate through the maze tunnels to find this Underground Cave.
Li Hong realized that he was growing fonder of these two little creatures.
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