Chapter 148: After Searching Thousands of Times, He Was in Qingxuan Sect's Seclusion
At this moment, Shen Mo seemed to have an epiphany.
The Thunder Sword in his hand moved even faster.
In the blink of an eye, it became as swift as thunder.
His speed reached the point where the naked eye could no longer follow.
Zila!
Shen Mo suddenly slashed down.
Lightning burst forth, cutting through the middle of a jade green bamboo.
As the strong wind blew, a cracking sound came from within the bamboo.
In the next instant, it snapped in two!
The cut was incomparably smooth, without the slightest burr.
This was the strongest technique of the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique.
Instantaneous Thunder Shadow!
It looked like a single sword strike, but in reality, there were nine strikes.
Nine swords struck the same point at the same time.
No matter how sturdy the object, it would be split in two!
Moreover, by integrating the essence of fast and slow swordplay, this move would become even more elusive and unpredictable!
"The third level of the Thunder Shadow Sword Technique... completed!"
Shen Mo smiled with satisfaction.
With a casual wave of his hand, spiritual energy surged, isolating the heavy rain from him, and in an instant, his robes were dried.
…
A few days later.
Shen Mo stood halfway up the mountain, looking at Luo Shuanghan and the others.
Beside Shen Mo stood Murong Yue.
Murong Yue frowned, "The six-month deadline has arrived. It seems they've come to deliver the rewards. Do you think they'll pull any tricks?"
Shen Mo shook his head. "Ji Shilong won't play tricks on this. After all, he's the governor."
Murong Yue nodded.
Shen Mo gazed at Luo Shuanghan's life panel from a distance.
[Recent Opportunity 1: Following Ji Shilong's order, searching for the whereabouts of the rogue cultivator code-named 'Demon Armor,' but still unable to find them. Two months later, while passing through the Feiyu City Auction House, Luo Shuanghan will attempt to purchase necessary items and, at an extremely low price, acquire two pieces of paired water amber. Upon splitting them open, he will obtain Thunder Essence.]
[Recent Opportunity 2: Continuing the search for the whereabouts of 'Demon Armor.' Four months later, while passing through the Thorn Forest, Luo Shuanghan will accidentally discover a place where sword energy soars into the sky. He will immediately go to search for treasure. During the treasure hunt, he will encounter a masked Xiao Fan. The two will fight, and Luo Shuanghan will gain the upper hand. However, Xiao Fan will use a demon beast to seriously injure Luo Shuanghan and ultimately steal the Forest Sword Art.]
After reading, a hint of joy appeared on Shen Mo's face.
Thunder Essence is a valuable item.
When cultivating thunder-attribute techniques or martial arts, Thunder Essence can speed up one's comprehension.
In the depths of the Thunder Crystal Mines, if a Thunder Crystal can withstand high temperatures and extreme pressure, it may transform into Thunder Essence, which contains vast amounts of thunder spiritual energy.
However, since obtaining two pieces of Thunder Essence in the past, he hadn't encountered any more.
If he could acquire those two pieces of Thunder Essence at the Feiyu City Auction and use them to comprehend the Eight Directions Thunder Movement, he was confident he could reach the eighth and highest level of the technique within one or two months.
As for that Forest Sword Art, it should be a part of the true Forest Sword Art.
Shen Mo already possessed three fragments of the Forest Sword Art.
When combined, these three pieces were far more powerful than any earthly spiritual weapon.
Moreover, he noticed that when these three fragments came together, they almost fully formed the character "Forest," missing only a small part in the lower right corner.
Now, the Forest Sword Art fragment in Luo Shuanghan's opportunity might very well be the fourth piece!
"I wonder, what will happen once I gather all four pieces of the Forest Sword Art?"
Shen Mo suddenly smiled again. "Come to think of it, these four fragments of the Forest Sword Art originally belonged to Xiao Fan. Who would have thought I'd intercept all of them halfway?"
He chuckled softly.
The first fragment of the Forest Sword Art came from a bandit stronghold.
That stronghold was supposed to be wiped out by Xiao Fan.
The second fragment came from a rogue cultivator who Xiao Fan encountered during a secret meeting with Ouyang Qian.
The third fragment came from the Alchemy King's mansion, which Xiao Fan should have obtained.
And now, the fourth fragment was initially acquired by Luo Shuanghan but was eventually stolen by Xiao Fan with the help of a demon beast.
"Fate truly has its ways," Shen Mo laughed lightly.
...
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed.
The various sects and factions of Xuanjiang Prefecture, including the local government, were all searching for the rogue cultivator who had once struck down Lü Xinyue with a single punch in Baishi City.
At first, the cultivators had called him by various names.
Eventually, they all settled on calling him "Demon Armor."
To find Demon Armor, the five major sects of Xuanjiang deployed their intelligence networks.
Top-tier sects were particularly eager, putting in substantial effort.
If they could recruit such a figure into their ranks, it would greatly enhance their sect's high-level combat strength.
At the very least, they would have more confidence when facing other top-tier sects.
However, their search was all in vain.
The real "Demon Armor" had been in secluded cultivation at Qingxuan Sect for the past two months.
How could they possibly find him?
In the courtyard of the Bamboo Tree.
Shen Mo slowly stood up.
His entire body emitted a series of cracking sounds as his bones shifted.
For two months straight, he had taken a Great Supplementing Pill every few days.
During this time, he didn't move at all, solely focused on his cultivation.
"No wonder they say that in the mountains, time means nothing, and in cultivation, the years pass unnoticed."
"Two months, and yet my realm hasn't progressed much."
"I always feel like I'm just one step away, but I can't seem to cross that threshold."
Shen Mo smiled helplessly.
And that was with the aid of the Great Supplementing Pills.
He couldn't imagine how much time those cultivators without such pills would need to advance.
"It's time to head to Flying Fish City."
Without alerting anyone, Shen Mo quietly left the Qingxuan Sect.
Halfway through, he took out a water-patterned mask, put it on, and headed straight for Flying Fish City.
…
Flying Fish City.
This city was built beside the Golden River.
The Golden River was a branch of the Xuanjiang River.
Most of the common folk in the city made a living by fishing.
They caught ordinary fish and shrimp.
As for the cultivators, they could catch fish and shrimp of the Yellow or even Mysterious grades.
Many of the river's fresh products were shipped from here to various places in Xuanjiang Prefecture.
Thus, Flying Fish City was especially prosperous.
In the past, Flying Fish City had been under the control of the Chongqi Sect.
But now, it was a city under the name of Qingxuan Sect.
Due to the wealth of this place, the elders of Qingxuan Sect held a council and decided to send a resident elder to this city.
In addition, many deacons and disciples had also come to assist in managing the city.
As for the city lord, a loyal supporter of Qingxuan Sect had been carefully selected for the role.
Now, Flying Fish City was like an impenetrable fortress, with no other sect able to gain a foothold here.
By the time Shen Mo arrived in Flying Fish City, it was already evening.
After determining his direction, Shen Mo headed straight for the Grand Auction House of Flying Fish City.
Naturally, the Grand Auction House was a Qingxuan Sect property.
This auction house had been built by the Chongqi Sect back in the day and was grand and magnificent.
A single glance at it would instinctively make one hold their breath.
Surrounding the Grand Auction House were the properties of various sects.
Since it was an auction, it wasn't limited to just Qingxuan Sect's items.
These sects had set up their own outposts in Flying Fish City to trade with Qingxuan Sect.
As it was evening, many cultivators were already flocking from various parts of Flying Fish City, eager to enter the Grand Auction House.
At the entrance of the auction house, two cultivators in the Qi Condensation Realm were maintaining order. Both were disciples of Qingxuan Sect.
"The rules are the same as always: if you want to enter the Grand Auction House, you need to present a ticket."
"If you don't have a ticket, you'll need to show spirit stones to prove your financial capability."
"A hundred mid-grade spirit stones will grant you entry to the Intermediate Auction Hall."
"A hundred high-grade spirit stones will grant you entry to the Advanced Auction Hall."
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