I applied the same move set then dashed forward with blinding speed, only to have X firmly grab Creeping Demise and then almost instinctively reacting as he rapidly raised his other free arm and protectively placed a palm in front of the tip of Creeping demise where a powerful Qi explosion blew up in front of his open Palm.
'Hmm, you're too damn fast." I cursed, but it was good, as X was a Soul Formation level puppet, if he didn't actually fend this attack off I'll think he was faulty not that I'm too strong, I don't have enough power to overcome the difference in cultivation level but this is a slight improvement.
Still, what really surprised me was a thin long scar on X's left hand, it was so small one would ignore it, but I was actually surprised, at how sharp Creeping Demise, and how it was actually capable of damaging the puppet.
This was good because there was no better sparring partner than X, he wouldn't outright kill me, and I can go all out without threatening to damage him. which will help hone my skill.
And so, I began sparring with X, for long, long hours, trying different attempts at attacking Him, even spitting out Poison Qi as a cloud to cloud his vision, but he was always several steps ahead, easily blocking my thrust.
I kept on sparring with X, until I was covered in sweat, and more, and I still fought on, without any visible signs of progress, though I knew I was slowly more capable of tuning my attacks, even at minuscule and slow progress, I was able to understand and micromanage my moves. A twist of the hip at the right time, curling the toes to launch myself at the correct order, twisting my body forward to lessen wind obstruction, using the blade's swing to carve through the air, and even adding a twist of the sword at the end, which did wonders to actually focus the Qi explosion that comes out after the initial thrust so instead of the Qi exploding like a grenade in all direction, the sword twist focused the Qi to blow up in a cone forward. Which did wonders to the added damage.
I kept on 'improving' the lunge, and tried more variation, with the majority failing, and the rest outright throwing me out of balance, but I kept trying until I perfected the move, and then kept on practicing it, again and again, until I felt that X would find himself exhausted before I did.
Days? Months, hell, I could have probably spent a year inside the Pagoda without feeling the need to sleep, eat or even defecate. The Qi here is so strong that once it was infused with my own Qi gave me enough sustenance to sustain this continuous application of skill without regard to safety, health, or exhaustion.
Yet there was one thing that kept bugging me, I couldn't go past the Eight Stage of Foundation Establishment no matter how much Qi I consumed from this place. I just felt bloated and my body refused to breakthrough. I first thought that I just needed time but now I'm definitely sure that the missing Law from this fake Qi is essential to progression, and without consuming Spiritual Poison from outside I won't progress.
The Law within my own spells has already helped me progress to where I am, but it was still a Formation Establishment Law, weak, and not enough to help propel me forward, otherwise I could stay here until I become an Ascendant due to how abundant the fake Qi here was.
I needed a real-life experiment.
And so, I decided that once I'm satiated with my practice against X, I'll head out.
After what I had assumed a couple of weeks passed in long practice sessions, I felt that I couldn't learn anymore, though X proved a sparring partner, he didn't strike me as a good mentor, he was not able to give advice, and I needed to improve and self-teach myself everything. Though it's not the worst thing in the world, experience is gained better when facing people of the same caliber, and also if sparring with someone stronger it would be best if I could receive a few hints or advice. I'm not so arrogant to think I can figure everything on my own, and a mentor would prove pretty handy in these situations.
I could have gone through the second manual of the Sanguine Blade and learned a few more Skills, but the moment I read through the first few pages, I knew it would be impossible for me. The first tome was about the Sanguine Thrust, and while the second tome spoke about various other skills, the main thing needed to apply all of them was the possession of a Nascent Soul, Divine Sense, and rudimentary achievement in Domain Creation, namely speaking, I could only learn the skills if I was a Soul Formation cultivator or a really, really talented Nascent Cultivator.
I collected X and the manual and decided to tackle the stairs again, but the moment I went past the step I was blocked at the last time, I found myself standing in the pagoda again.
A pill bottle hovered in front of me and I picked it up, opening it, a sweet powerful scent assaulted my nose, and my whole body shuddered, wanting to consume the pill.
"Congratulations on achieving minor success in my personal Soul Tempering Crucible. Though I don't dare it has the same tempering capabilities of the Soul Clan, It is my proudest achievement before going beyond ascension."
There was no stair leading upwards and as if answering my question, the Laughing Slaughterer's voice sounded once again.
"You do not have the necessary ability to go beyond this floor, come back when you're stronger. Then a small compass appeared out of nowhere in front of me next to the pill bottle.
The compass was made of simple wood and brass and didn't have anything special about it, but the energy it emanated was powerful, I was tempted to open it and see how it worked but I didn't feel it in me to stay here anymore. I could better off try this when I'm back in the sanctity of my house.
Also, I don't know when those Soul Formation Puppets might be released from the barrier I placed against them, and I don't want them to come at me when I'm in the middle of studying this compass.
A door opened and it led outward, it is my time to leave. And just as I left the tower, I felt a powerful surge of energy coming my way.
I squinted my eyes as I saw Xi Son coming with blinding speed at the top of his sword.
"Heavens! You still live?!" Xi Son's words were as much of a surprise to me as was his current condition.
He looked like he aged a thousand years, his face has aged, nowhere was his youthful appearance in sight, and his hair grew white, but there was still strength in his body.
"What happened to you?" I asked.
"The exact opposite of you, you look younger," Xi Son said.
And that was true, it was all thanks to the Fake Qi that rejuvenated me a bit. Though I wasn't as young as a youth or a middle-aged man, now I looked like a healthy sixty-year-old grandpa.
"Fortuitous encounter," I replied.
"Right, I feel that your cultivation also increased, congratulations brother Shen Bao. But there is a huge problem." Xi Son said, his eyes looking all over the place.
"I made a huge blunder when trying to escape this place, and ended up facing a horde of Life Syphoning Beetles. A monster Beast of the Sixth Tier, not even I could beat them, I barely managed to escape from their chase but on the account of losing a lot of my longevity. The worst thing is, they're guarding the only exit to this place."
Now, that wasn't something I needed to hear right now, a horde of Monster Beasts of the Sixth tier, that's the same level as that Yeti, and I only managed to kill it because it was groggy and just woke up from sleep and he consumed my poison Qi unguarded. While it was just one beast, these beetles are a horde and I find it nigh impossible to do better than a Nascent Soul cultivator.
"Well, that's problematic…" I replied, "But I think I have an idea on how to go past them," I said then looked at the almost jubilant Xi Son, "Show me the way to the horde," I said and he turned and flew as I followed after him.
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