Chapter 19: Accelerated Seeds
With the “Closed for today” sign hung in front of his shop, Yun Xi was jogging while holding Mei’er in his bosom along with Hua Huo toward the river outside of the town.
“One… Two…”
“One… Two…”
“Yes, that’s it. Maintain the breathing rhythm, adjust your pace. Excellent!” Hua Huo looked at Yun Xi, who was running beside her, with a rare happy expression on her face.
At this moment, Yun Xi was practicing the breathing method which she had been diligently trying to instill into him.
“This is all thanks to you…” Yun Xi sincerely thanked his childhood sweetheart. Without this breathing method, it would have been impossible for him to win the deathmatch with the Green Hippo and do such a splendid performance.
Regarding her praise, Yun Xi was actually very ashamed.
The reason he could perfectly execute this breathing method was completely because he had absorbed the memories of sword arts from Hua Huo’s seed.
In other words, Hua Huo praise of his breathing method practice was in fact, a part of her body’s instinct, which had been practiced by Hua Huo herself.
“I knew that sooner or later, you would find your own suitable cultivation method one day.” The more Hua Huo looked at Yun Xi’s footsteps and rhythm, the happier the smile was on her lips.
She could feel that at this time Yun Xi and herself had a wonderful sense of connected feelings.
She stepped out with her left leg, Yun Xi also stepped out with his left leg.
She stepped out with her right foot, Yun Xi also stepped out with his right foot.
Obviously, it was not because they tied one of their legs together, but Yun Xi’s rhythm and breath were almost exactly the same with her. Even if they were using the same secret breathing method, it shouldn’t be the same…
Could it be that this was the legendary soul synchronization, a perfect heavenly match?
“Haha…” Looking at Hua Huo’s overjoyed expression, Yun Xi felt some kind of guilt.
However, at the same time, he also realized some strange signs.
Was this an illusion? Did running together with Hua Huo and synchronizing moves and breaths’ timing with her really made the seed absorption accelerate?
The answer to this question, after running together along the small river outside the town and practicing Hua Huo’s sword technique at her secret training place, became even more obvious.
In the clear water stream, a few small fishes were leisurely swimming as the tinkling sounds of water accompanied the sounds of the breeze blowing through the trees. The small birds chirping made the early morning at the riverside brim with life and vitality.
“Come, Yun Xi. Try the sword first.” Hua Huo threw the sword on her back to Yun Xi as she broke the nearby branch and palm-knifed the branch, cutting it several times to make a wooden sword stick that was the same length as her sword.
“OK.” After receiving Hua Huo’s seed, Yun Xi knew clearly about Hua Huo’s great ability on sword arts better than anyone else. Let alone using this wooden sword stick, even if she was empty-handed, she would still be powerful.
Between the 1st Rank and 3rd Rank, even though the disparity was actually really big, at least it was still within the limits of the mortal body. So theoretically, skipping a rank to challenge the upper rank was feasible.
However, this didn’t apply in Hua Huo’s case.
The Quicksilver Steps, the comprehension towards many kinds of supreme sword arts and the Heavenly Flying Sky Sword (Beginner Level) were all Hua Huo’s skill. These were the strongest skills a mortal warrior could have. Even Yun Xi thought that there couldn’t be anyone else who had it.
“I’m coming!” Feeling the seed in his body becoming more active, Yun Xi then moved first to rush forward and attack Hua Huo.
Using his toes’ strength and his soles to grip the ground, he rapidly moved. Resulting in the outbreak of fantastic speed in a flash, this was the most powerful instant movement technique in the Mortal Grade.
—Flying Sky Swallow Swordsmanship
This was one of various sword arts mastered by Hua Huo, one of the most nimble and flexible sword arts that had three flying swallows’ moves along with its speedy, but effective unique technique.
Yun Xi, at the time that he killed the hippo, he had fully utilized these three swords strikes at the last minute and these three Flying Sky Swallows moves were exactly what he was displaying now. It could be only be said that Hua Huo’s was the main version of the Flying Sky Swallow sword arts.
The contraction movement, coupled with the Flying Sky Swallow sword arts, were the battle skills Yun Xi had initially mastered from Hua Huo’s seed.
However, compared to Hua Huo who had practiced the Flying Sky Swallow Sword arts to the near-perfect level, his perception of one tenth of Hua Huo’s talent was only an abbreviated version.
As for Hua Huo’s most powerful and most terrifying skill, the G.o.dly Sword Skill—Heavenly Flying Sky Swallow (Beginner Level)—Yun Xi was not even able to comprehend its threshold until now. He didn’t even understand how the Mortal Ranked Hua Huo could grasp this unfathomable Hero Ranked sword technique.
“Flying Sky Swallow, great!” Seeing Yun Xi adeptly execute her sword skills, Hua Huo was pleasantly surprised.
Indeed, she obtained the Flying Sky Swallow sword art when she was still a 1st Rank swordmaiden and it was her most practiced sword arts when she was in the 2nd Rank.
Nimble, yet sharp. Practicing it into the Great Perfection stage made it as strong as an antelope’s horns and as invisibly fast as flying swallows.
Also, the Flying Sky Swallow sword art was the prerequisite for the G.o.dly Sword’s Skill—the Heavenly Flying Sword. Only after one reached the Great Perfection stage in this Three Flying Swallows technique, was one able to change the Flying Swallow’s motion trajectory at will, and then be able to practice the Heavenly Flying Sword.
When Yun Xi performed the Flying Sky Swallow sword art, he was already able to perform like she was at the 2nd Rank. He was only a step away from the 3rd Rank.
A sword light flashed, and Hua Huo’s wooden sword stick was sent out. Which impressively was also the same Flying Sky Swallow sword art.
She also suppressed her strength and speed to be equal to Yun Xi’s and directed Yun Xi’s practice.
The same swordsmanship, the same sensibility level. In the onlookers’ view, Yun Xi and Hua Huo were just like two mirrors that were reflecting each other’s postures.
Not only just the sword’s strikes but the strength, breath, rhythm and heartbeat were unbelievably alike.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
In the middle of nimble and flexible sword lights, Yun Xi and Hua Huo were practicing as if they were one mind and performed Flying Swallow sword art’s unique technique.
Flying Sky Swallow, First strike!
The sword’s motion was almost alike with the Flying Sky Swallow transition moves in midair. It was dexterous, nimble and flexible. Even if it was the true swallow, it would perhaps be cut and fall by this sword instantly.
Almost in the same posture and angle, the two swords met.
Then, from an entirely different angle, the second sword’s position suddenly reversed.
Flying Sky Swallow, Second strike!
Ordinary people would be almost unable to predict the angle of this sword’s strike with naked eyes since this sword’s move had almost reached the Great Perfection level in swordsmanship.
Then, the final one, with faster speed and hidden moves carried along with a deadly strike.
Flying Sky Swallow, Third strike!
This sword’s move was not a horizontally cutting strike, but a counter move using the sword’s edge. It was a concealed move that would strike horizontally twice after being hidden; a blitzkrieg backhand sword.
It struck without preparation and was virtually impossible to guard against, which was similar to a flying swallow’s shadow. Should you see the flying swallow appear in front of you, it implied that you were almost at death’s door.
*Swish!* The two swords abruptly stopped almost at the same time with the sword’s edge almost touching each other’s throat.
However, the one Hua Huo was facing was the real sword, while the one at Yun Xi’s throat was only a blunt wooden sword stick.
“Yun Xi…”
“Hua Huo…”
The two sword’s tip dropped together and then raised at the same time
Sword’s tip to sword’s tip.
Eyes to eyes.
In this moment, Yun Xi felt that his heart and Hua Huo’s were interlinked.
At this moment, Yun Xi finally realized something.
Hua Huo’s seed in his body was accelerating and started to grow.