prynovel Chapter 9 Choice
Chapter 9 Choice
After half a day of cultivation, Wang Yuan's cultivation level improved significantly.
Name: Wang Yuan
Vitality: 5.9
Mental Power: 7.2
Comprehension: 4 (Swordsmanship +2)
Equipment: Starfire Sword (Mastery 17%)
Wang Yuan checked the equipment data and found that the Starfire Sword's control level had reached 17%, and it should be able to exceed 20% today.
Vitality grows rapidly, far exceeding the growth of mental strength.
The increase in vitality manifests in the outside world mainly as an increase in strength. Wang Yuan secretly tried it during his patrol last night, and he was able to move the stone mill in the village by exerting force with both hands.
That millstone weighed over 500 jin (approximately 250 kg) and required four adult men to move it.
His current strength is equivalent to that of five adult men.
Besides the increased willpower that allowed him to withstand hunger without panicking, Wang Yuan gradually discovered another benefit of his increased mental strength—his perception had improved!
For example, he can capture details that others cannot capture and perceive things that others cannot perceive.
His perception includes, but is not limited to, subtle sounds, dust particles in the air, and more mysterious malice and murderous intent in others, as well as a sense of unknown danger.
Before Hei Xiazi entered the courtyard, Wang Yuan suddenly woke up from his deep sleep, thanks to the latter.
Even now, just as Wang Tiejun and the others returned, Wang Yuan heard the commotion from several hundred meters away.
When Wang Yuan arrived at the gatehouse, a crowd had already gathered there.
The crowd looked grief-stricken, and cries could be heard from within.
Wang Yuan spotted Wang Tiejun and breathed a sigh of relief. He then realized that of the ten men who had gone out, only five had returned, and even their leader, Wang Hu, had not come back.
Four corpses lay on the ground, covered with animal skin cloaks, their exposed skin a purplish-black color, which looked extremely eerie.
Wang Yuan smelled a putrid and sinister aura, not the usual rotting corpse, but something unclean that had tainted it.
Muramasa arrived, leaning on his cane. He glanced at the body, his expression changed drastically, and he ordered the body to be carried away. Then he called Wang Tiejun and the others to go to the temporary camp.
"Xiao Yuan, did you go to the gatehouse?"
"Hmm, Mother, are you going out?"
Wang Yuan looked at the cloth bag in his mother's hand. Without even looking, he could smell the rice and cured meat inside the bag.
"Weren't your Uncle Hongtao and the other three killed? Let me take some things and go check on them."
Sun Erniang's eyes were slightly red as she said, "When your father passed away, they helped our family a lot. Otherwise, how could I, a woman, have raised you and your siblings? This time, they went with the bandits to find Black Bear, protecting the whole village from disaster. We must remember this kindness. When they have their funeral, remember to kowtow to them!"
"Mother, I've got it!"
Wang Yuan watched his mother leave, feeling a heavy weight in his heart.
Sadness is useless; only becoming stronger will help!
Wang Yuan continued practicing his swordsmanship. Not long after, Uncle Tie Jun's shouts rang out from outside the courtyard.
"Uncle Tie Jun, come in quickly!"
Wang Yuan opened the courtyard gate, invited Wang Tiejun inside, and asked, "What's the situation now? Did you kill that black bear?"
"have no idea!"
Wang Tiejun shook his head and said, "That Black Bear showed himself and not only killed Hong Tao and his three companions, but also the second-in-command of White Horse Mountain and more than ten bandits."
"You saw their bodies too, didn't you? The bandit leader said they died after being drained of their life force by a vengeful ghost. He also said that the black bear has become quite a threat. In exchange for staying behind to help the bandits kill the black bear, Commander Wang let us return to the village first."
"That black bear can command vengeful spirits?"
"Hmm, I heard it's because he killed the fourth leader of White Horse Mountain and got his treasure."
"Is it another Earthly Fiend Spiritual Treasure?"
Wang Yuan's heart sank. He knew very well the power of the Earthly Fiend Spiritual Weapon. The Black Bear had already become a demon, making it difficult to deal with. Now, with the Earthly Fiend Spiritual Weapon by its side, its strength had increased even further, making it even more difficult to kill.
"Now we can only wait for the results. Be careful on your night patrol. I'm going home now."
"Yes, Uncle, you should go home and get some rest."
Seeing Wang Tiejun's exhausted appearance, Wang Yuan escorted him out of the hospital.
After lunch, Wang Yuan rested for a while, and then continued practicing his sword after waking up.
As darkness fell, Wang Yuan's cultivation level improved once again.
Name: Wang Yuan
Vitality: 6.6
Mental Power: 7.4
Comprehension: 4 (Swordsmanship +2)
Equipment: Starfire Sword (Mastery 24%)
Inside the room, Wang Yuan made a fist with his right hand, and the Starfire Sword appeared in his hand. A feeling of blood connection welled up in his heart.
Wang Yuan felt that the Starfire Sword was alive, and he could naturally sense its joyful emotions.
The control level reached 24%, close to 30%.
Wang Yuan has mastered the first move of the Starfire Sword Technique, "A Single Cold Star."
Wang Yuan assumed a fighting stance, channeling his spiritual energy into the Starfire Sword, thus activating the power contained within it.
Wang Yuan looked at the wooden table two meters away. Several thin, crimson lines extended from the table, intertwined by a mysterious rule. A sudden realization dawned on Wang Yuan: with a single thrust of his sword, the sword energy could cut into the table along the crimson lines, tearing the table apart instantly.
That's not the most mysterious thing. The most mysterious thing is that Wang Yuan knew he was sure he could hit the target.
It seems he could do it simply by raising his hand, if he wanted to.
"Guaranteed to win!"
These four words flashed through Wang Yuan's mind: the essence of the first move of the Starfire Sword Technique, "A Touch of Cold Star," is speed and precision, making it impossible for anyone to dodge.
The Star Flame Sword, however, transformed the essence of this move into a set of rules.
Wang Yuan knew that as long as he could activate the power of this rule, it would be as if he were divinely aided, and his sword strike would surely hit the target with immense power.
"So this is the true wonder of spiritual weapons. They elevate swordsmanship to a higher level, reaching the threshold of the Dao!"
Wang Yuan sheathed the Starfire Sword, not daring to attempt it rashly.
Although the spiritual energy accumulated within him already filled his internal organs, the amount was still too small to be wasted. Activating the power of the rules consumed even more energy; previously, when he couldn't sense the lines of rules, he could still drain the spiritual energy from his lungs. Now, however, he needed to activate even more power of the rules, resulting in even greater consumption.
"My swordsmanship has improved too much, and my strength is far from keeping up. I'm afraid I'll only be able to unleash the full power of the Starfire Sword once I've completed the Foundation Establishment stage."
Wang Yuan's strength has improved rapidly, but he is still far from reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
However, with the first move of the Starfire Sword Technique, "One Point of Cold Star," fully mastered and combined with the power within the Starfire Sword, Wang Yuan's strength greatly increased, giving him more confidence when facing Hei Xiazi.
After a uneventful night of patrolling, Wang Yuan noticed a visibly relieved expression on everyone's face when they returned to the temporary camp for breakfast in the morning.
If we can get through tonight, the expert sent by the imperial court to capture the demon should arrive tomorrow.
Wang Hu still hadn't returned, casting a shadow over everyone's hearts.
After having breakfast, Wang Yuan went home and continued practicing his swordsmanship.
This time, we practiced the second move of the Starfire Sword Technique, "A Line of Starfire".
A single cold star is a thorn, a single spark is a slash!
The attacks are more ferocious, and the moves are more powerful!
It was almost noon when Wang Hu returned!
The first thing Wang Hu did after returning to the village was to gather everyone in the village for a simple meeting, where he announced two things.
Hei Xiazi didn't die; he escaped from the three men's attack.
Black Bear is injured and will likely launch a surprise attack on Wangjia Village tonight, devouring people to heal his wounds.
In order to stop the Black Bear, everyone must come up with a plan, otherwise Wangjia Village will surely suffer a calamity tonight and may not be able to wait for the imperial court's reinforcements.
Wang Hu offered a solution!
Wang Hu's gaze swept over the crowd, and he loudly announced the solution: "The Starfire Sword. In the past few days, a batch of Earthly Fiend Spiritual Weapons have been left behind near Black Wind Ridge. If any of you find one, please bring it out. With this spiritual weapon, I might be able to fight Black Bear when he enters the village."