Village Chief Long's beard bristled with anger, but he was like a mute eating bitter herbs, with no way to express his suffering.
If he had known the Qiling Pearl would turn out like this, he would never have surrendered the Four Spirit Power. However, with Xun Ying right behind him, he couldn't possibly ask for the reward back.
Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that this hunter before him was somehow guilty, and just looking at Wen Wen's face made him furious.
Now, to restore the Qiling Pearl to its original state would require at least several hundred years of nurturing, meaning their previous efforts of hundreds of years were almost entirely in vain.
Seeing their dejected expressions, Wen Wen rubbed his nose, feeling a touch of embarrassment.
On his way here, he had absorbed the Qiling Pearl's power to his heart's content, stopping only when further absorption would have made the Qiling Pearl unable to maintain its form.
In terms of total energy, the containment facility had absorbed at least half of the Qiling Pearl's energy.
With the Qiling Pearl reduced to its current state, Village Chief Long and the others, who had been preparing for a celebration, lost all interest. The hunters once again formed a large group and majestically departed from the Qiling Mountain Range.
Upon exiting, the hunters dispersed to attend to their own matters.
The rewards for this incident would be calculated by a dedicated person and sent to their accounts. As Wen Wen had secured the greatest merit, his reward was sure to be substantial.
Watching the smoke rising from a small village in the distance, Wen Wen stretched languidly, feeling a distinct sense of returning to civilization.
"You did well with this matter."
Xun Ying's voice suddenly sounded from behind Wen Wen, causing his hair to stand on end. Only after identifying Xun Ying's voice did he calm down.
As his strength increased, it had become rare for someone to appear behind him and startle him.
"You flatter me. It's all due to your excellent leadership," Wen Wen said, bowing slightly.
"You're all talk. I don't know what you did to the Qiling Pearl, but Old Zheng told me you are special, so I won't meddle in this. Besides, it's better if that thing's energy is weaker."
Wen Wen's expression stiffened. He knew he hadn't managed to hide it from Xun Ying.
But this was only natural; Xun Ying must have known the Qiling Pearl's condition when the sword domain was formed.
Xun Ying looked at Wen Wen for a few moments and said, "Since you've retrieved the Qiling Pearl, you deserve a reward. Village Chief Long's compensation is unrelated to the association."
He pointed to a rock ahead and said, "I recall you use a sword. Show me your swordsmanship."
Wen Wen was taken aback for a moment, then nodded joyfully. Seeing Xun Ying's demeanor, it seemed he was going to offer guidance, and Wen Wen couldn't miss such an opportunity.
After all, Xun Ying was the undisputed number one swordsman in the world!
Wen Wen drew his Ice Longsword, took a deep breath, and swung it at the rock Xun Ying indicated. The rock was instantly cut in half, and then the two halves were frozen separately by ice.
Following that, Wen Wen's figure vanished from his spot and reappeared behind the rock, sheathing his sword.
Dense sword marks suddenly appeared on the two broken halves of the rock, turning them into a pile of fragments.
"I request Senior Xun's guidance!"
After watching Wen Wen's demonstration, Xun Ying showed no particular expression and directly told him, "Judging by the style of your swordsmanship, it's very similar to the Xun style, or perhaps you simply learned it. Few people reach your level of attainment."
Wen Wen nodded proudly; this was a form of recognition for his swordsmanship.
"However, you are merely using the sword techniques. For you, swordsmanship is just another form of your superpower. If you continue with this mindset, your path of the sword will end here."
"If you wish to break through, you must first find your own sword."
Wen Wen raised his Ice Longsword and said, "This is my sword."
Xun Ying shook his head and said, "The quality of this sword is good, but it is someone else's sword. To elevate your swordsmanship further, go and find your own sword. Once you find it, you can try to learn this move."
With that, Xun Ying drew an ancient, unadorned longsword, gripped its hilt with both hands, and gently swung it in Wen Wen's direction.
This sword strike appeared ordinary, lacking any astonishing phenomena or energy fluctuations. It seemed to have no advantage other than its aesthetic appeal.
But Wen Wen was completely stunned, for a sword qi imprint suddenly appeared in his mind. This imprint was repeating every detail of the sword strike.
Xun Ying walked up to Wen Wen, patted his shoulder, and then vanished.
Wen Wen stood in place for over ten minutes before rubbing his slightly stiff head. He understood that Xun Ying had imprinted that sword strike into his mind.
When Wen Wen met the required conditions, he could learn that sword strike, and with Xun Ying personally imparting the move, its power would undoubtedly be extraordinary.
Afterward, Wen Wen looked to his side, touched the back of his head, and felt a chill on his scalp.
To the side of Wen Wen, the ground was split by a deep sword scar dozens of meters long. The scar was about ten centimeters wide and bottomless!
If Xun Ying's sword strike had been even slightly off, Wen Wen would have been dead, with no chance to return to the containment facility!
He shivered, raising goosebumps all over his body. He walked to the road, summoned his three cubs and his sports car, got in, and let the three cubs drive as they pleased, while he continuously pondered.
His own sword... what was his own sword?
The Ice Longsword was indeed a sword Wen Wen had taken from someone else, but how had Xun Ying seen through it? Was a swordsman's sword more than just a simple weapon?
In the Xun style of swordsmanship, there were many esoteric descriptions of sword techniques. Wen Wen had always skipped those, directly focusing on the 'practical' aspects.
After being guided by Xun Ying today, Wen Wen realized that perhaps the parts he had skipped were the true 'practical' parts, and the sword moves were merely minor details...
...
Outside Qi Ling Mountain, a distorted shimmer appeared. A dark hand reached down, plucked clothes from a clothesline, and then vanished.
Moments later, Iyeta, wearing ill-fitting clothes, stood atop a tree, looking towards the Qiling Mountain Range with an uncertain expression.
When she had been enveloped by Xun Ying's longsword, she had truly believed she was dead. Then, she had lost consciousness.
When she regained consciousness, she found herself lying naked in the grass outside the mountain range, unharmed.
However, she couldn't understand how she had escaped an attack from a Disaster-level powerhouse.
Unless...
The divine descent had actually been successful at that time, but the deity had not appeared before her!
When the attack came, it was the descended deity who had saved her!
She looked at her palm, where a crescent-shaped hairpin imprint had appeared. The hairpin itself was long gone from her hand.
"My deduction should be correct, but..."
Recalling her suddenly missing clothes, Iyeta's face flushed slightly.
"That must have been a lewd deity!"