"From today onwards, I will officially teach you the Sword Dao."
In the courtyard in front of the Mahavira Hall, Sword Demon stood with his hands behind his back, speaking calmly.
"My Sword Dao can be summed up in one word: Battle!
I once traveled the Nine Heavens with just one sword, defeating all the swordmasters in the world.
I know many sword techniques, but I will only teach you one."
He slowly raised his right hand, conjuring a blood-red long sword in his palm.
Fang Ling looked at the Blood Sword, feeling as if he was surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood, utterly terrified.
His body instinctively retreated, almost stumbling.
"The sword technique is called Blood Sword, refining the sword with blood!" Sword Demon said indifferently.
"This sword technique is simple to practice; all you need to do is kill.
Use the blood of your enemies to refine your Life-Bound Blood Sword.
The stronger the person you sacrifice, the greater the improvement to your sword. That's why me only killed experts back then.
The sword I show you now is only a fraction of my power.
If you were to face my Life-Bound Blood Sword directly now, you would be torn apart by the killing intent it exudes! Starting is always the hardest part. The process of refining the Blood Sword is simple, but getting started is not easy.
Many people can't get past the stage of condensing the Life-Bound Blood Sword.
It's not about having high aptitude or a strong physique; it's about having pure killing intent! Condense your killing intent, merge it with your own blood and energy, and the Blood Sword will be formed.
Haven't you always wanted to leave Frozen Mountain Temple? Once you condense your Life-Bound Blood Sword, I will allow you to go down the mountain!"
"Really?" Fang Ling asked, overjoyed.
He had been stuck in this small temple for years and had long wanted to explore the world.
"Of course." Sword Demon nodded.
Then he raised his hand, pointing at Fang Ling to transmit the sword technique to him.
Fang Ling, full of motivation, devoted himself entirely to the sword technique as soon as he received it in the morning.
***
Evening, the back mountain.
Sword Demon and Zhao Manzi stood on a cliff, gazing at the distant sunset.
Fang Ling wasn't the only one yearning for freedom; they had endured this torment for three hundred thousand years.
The sun was setting, soon to disappear behind the mountains.
The two turned to head back to their rooms to cultivate.
Just then, Fang Ling came running joyfully.
"Sword Master, I have condensed my Life-Bound Blood Sword!" he shouted.
Sword Demon frowned at the news.
Zhao Manzi, standing nearby, also looked at him and asked, "When did you teach him?"
"At noon today…" Sword Demon muttered.
He looked at Fang Ling and said, "Since you've succeeded, show it to me."
"Alright!" Fang Ling nodded, then raised his right hand in a practiced manner.
The once innocent-looking child suddenly exuded a fierce and violent killing intent, and an evil, dark red Blood Sword appeared in his hand.
Though the killing intent wasn't strong, it was extremely violent, as if it wanted to destroy everything.
The Old Monk and the other three, who were cultivating elsewhere in the temple, sensed this evil aura and immediately rushed to the back mountain.
"Master, this is my Life-Bound Blood Sword! Did I succeed?" Fang Ling asked.
"Not bad." Sword Demon nodded slightly.
"Can I go down the mountain now?" Fang Ling asked excitedly.
Sword Demon smiled, "You can, I agree to let you go down the mountain.
But… that's just my agreement. Whether your other masters agree, I don't know."
Fang Ling, though young, was quick-witted and realized he had been tricked.
"Sword Master, you're cheating! I don't care, I want to go down the mountain.
Sword Master, didn't you say you're the strongest among all my masters?
If the other masters don't agree, you can beat them up until they do."
He spoke rapidly, like a little cannonball.
"Sword Demon, you're being a bit arrogant," Flower Thief chuckled.
"I admit your sword is strong, but it can't defeat me!"
"First of all, I never said that. Don't let this brat fool you," Sword Demon said calmly.
"Secondly, if you dare not use the Divine Movement Technique and fight me head-on, I'd like to see how many of my strikes you can withstand."
Flower Thief replied, "If I can't use the Divine Movement Technique, what's the point of fighting?"
Zhao Manzi also glanced over, slightly displeased, "Sword Demon, our fight back then didn't have a clear winner, did it?
How dare you say you're the strongest among the five of us. Why don't we try again now? Let's see if your sword can break through my body."
"Enough, don't be so childish," the Old Monk said. "Little Fang Ling, when you grow a bit older, we'll let you go down the mountain. For now, don't think about it. Go back and cultivate diligently. The sooner you master our skills, the sooner you can go down the mountain."
"Okay…" Fang Ling, who always listened to the Old Monk, reluctantly went back to his room.
After he left, the four of them simultaneously looked at Sword Demon.
Sword Demon sighed and said, "Really, I only taught him the Blood Sword today."
Because practicing the Blood Sword required constantly evoking killing intent, it could easily affect one's mind.
So they had previously agreed not to let Fang Ling practice it yet.
They feared that the Demon Heart's influence during cultivation would turn Fang Ling into a monster who only knew how to kill.
"Although the consciousness of the Heart of the Demon Ancestor has been erased, it is still a demonic heart.
Under its influence, his personality inevitably… That's why he could condense such an extremely evil Blood Sword!" Sword Demon speculated.
"Maybe," the Old Monk nodded, "Fortunately, I have been teaching him regularly. That's why he can suppress his inner madness and hasn't turned into a demon."
"You old monk, always giving yourself credit. We taught him better than you!" Flower Thief snorted.
***
At night, Fang Ling tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
He sat up and pounded his chest a few times.
"So itchy! It's killing me!"
Two bones near his chest suddenly itched, making it impossible to sleep.
These were the bones that had regrown after being taken away when he was a child.
He could feel strange runes moving on the bones, but he couldn't understand them at all.
Suddenly, he looked up, sensing someone approaching!
The visitor entered the room silently, and in the moonlight, Fang Ling saw who it was.
"Master Manzi!" he was first puzzled, then delighted.
"You're just in time, I feel…"
Before he could finish, he sensed something was wrong.
Usually, Master Manzi gave off an honest and simple vibe.
But now, he looked like a monster, his eyes terrifying.
His mouth was open, revealing sharp, inhuman teeth.
"Little Fang Ling… you smell so good!
Let Master have a bite, okay?
I really can't hold back anymore!"
Drool dripped from Zhao Manzi's mouth, falling to the ground.
Fang Ling was terrified and screamed as he tried to escape.
Zhao Manzi immediately chased after him, pinning him to the ground.
"Just one bite, Master will only take one bite!" Zhao Manzi said crazily, sticking out his tongue.
"But if I accidentally eat you all in one bite, don't blame Master!"
"Help!" Fang Ling, pinned down, had no strength to resist and could only scream.
Zhao Manzi lifted Fang Ling, about to put him in his mouth.
At this critical moment, the Old Monk and the others arrived.
"This guy is having an episode again…"
Flower Thief glanced helplessly at the ferocious Zhao Manzi and quickly rescued Fang Ling from his grasp.
"Quick! Let's suppress him together!" the Old Monk said urgently, a Buddha's light shining behind him.
It took a lot of effort for the group to finally subdue Zhao Manzi.
Fang Ling, hiding to the side, was scared out of his wits.
He had always thought the other masters were joking when they said Master Manzi liked to eat people, but it turned out to be true!
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan
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