Chapter 115 — One Stroke Was Enough

CHAPTER 115

One Stroke Was Enough

“Young Master Shi, that sheath will make your sword look ordinary,” Weng Qi said.

“It is a sheath,” Shi Feng replied.

The weapon seller held up a red one covered in brass studs. Its mouth was too wide, and the stitching bulged near the bottom. Ordinary blades hung behind him above a row of polished cases.

“This one shows your status!” Weng Qi insisted.

“Does it hold the sword better?” Shi Feng asked.

“People will recognize you from across the street,” Weng Qi said.

“They can walk closer,” Shi Feng replied.

Weng Qi put it down. His early Foundation Establishment cultivation did nothing to improve his expression. He recognized the kingdom's third qualifier immediately and hoped the young man would spend like someone important.

Instead, Shi Feng examined the plain goods.

His refined artifact sword needed something that wouldn't catch the edge when he drew it. The current sheath loosened after repeated practice. Buying another was easier than adjusting it every morning.

He selected a black one and tested the fit. The blade slid free smoothly.

“That one has no history,” Weng Qi warned.

“Good,” Shi Feng replied. “I won't have to listen to it.”

Weng Qi named a price. Shi Feng bargained briefly, paid, and left the red sheath behind.

Outside, a shop runner waited with two ingredient baskets. Shi Feng checked the White Marrow Grass, paid the carrying fee, and put the baskets away once he reached a quiet corner.

Those herbs were for commissions. His afternoon belonged to himself.

The deeper slopes of Hengyun were quieter than the hunting paths near the road. Shi Feng passed abandoned snares, climbed a ridge, and followed a narrow ravine toward the shaded ground below.

Blue Vein Leaves grew there. He'd seen the plants during earlier practice, but the leaves weren't ready to pick then. Their pale veins needed to darken before they held the medicinal force he wanted.

Now several were ripe.

Shi Feng crouched beside the first patch and examined the stems. He needed the leaves for his own medicine, not another customer's order. Buying everything saved time, but sometimes gathering a useful ingredient himself was worth an afternoon outside.

He cut only the ripe leaves and left the younger growth alone. The thin layer beneath each leaf held much of its useful medicine. Pulling them off roughly would tear it, so he used the small knife from his gathering kit. The first few settled inside a clean cloth without losing their sap.

A low scrape sounded beyond the rocks.

Shi Feng stood before the loose stones began falling. Something heavy moved through the ravine, rubbing against both sides as it approached.

A thick bronze-scaled python lifted its head from the shade. Its body filled the narrow passage. Yellow eyes fixed on him, and a forked tongue flickered above two long fangs.

The pressure it released matched a peak late Foundation Establishment cultivator on the verge of the next threshold, heavier and more ferocious than Peng Zhao's saber aura. Shi Feng glanced at the gathered leaves, then at the beast.

“So you live here,” Shi Feng said.

The python didn't appreciate the greeting.

Its tail struck first. The heavy body twisted, driving a slab of bronze scales across the ground toward Shi Feng's waist.

He stepped inside the sweep instead of retreating down the ravine. The tail smashed through the rock where he stood. Broken stone struck his sleeve and fell without hurting him.

The python's head dropped immediately.

Its jaws opened wide enough to swallow him whole. A dark stream of foul breath rushed before the fangs, scattering the loose leaves across the ground.

Shi Feng drew the sword.

No frantic dodge, no desperate attempt to find a weak spot while the beast chased him. He could see the attack clearly, and his body could move faster than it.

The refined artifact answered his Foundation Establishment qi. Force passed along the blade without making the steel bend.

Turning Wave.

Shi Feng's wrist turned. The sword crossed the python's lowered neck in a short, clean arc.

Bronze scales split.

The great head struck the ground. Its open jaws snapped shut against stone, and the body thrashed once before collapsing along the ravine. Shi Feng stepped clear of the falling weight and lowered his sword.

One stroke.

He checked the blade and found no damage. His robe was dusty, but there wasn't a wound beneath it. He hadn't needed to reveal every bit of his strength or exhaust his qi.

The difference from his battle with Cao Wenshu was enormous. Back then, a mid Foundation Establishment opponent forced his Bone Refinement body into a dangerous fight and broke his ordinary sword.

Now the First Extreme was complete. His foundation was established. The weapon finally supported the force he could use.

A peak Foundation Establishment beast with iron-hard scales no longer made victory uncertain. Shi Feng felt satisfied. This was why he'd refused to leave the golden refinement unfinished just to enter Foundation Establishment sooner.

He thought, Strong enough isn't a reason to stop preparing. It's the result of preparing properly.

The python's last movement faded. Shi Feng waited, then checked that it was dead before approaching. He didn't put his hand beside a living mouth merely because he'd won the first exchange.

Its hide might fetch a good price, but skinning such a large body would take time. He had money coming from commissions. Today, he preferred the cultivation resource.

He touched the dead beast and let the All-Devouring Physique act.

The flow entered steadily. Shi Feng sat beside the body and guided the gathered strength inward instead of letting it rush without direction.

This was his own nonhuman kill. His physique could use it. The human attackers he'd killed offered nothing like this, and he never expected them to.

The python's strength wasn't a finished realm he could wear. It was a resource his body still needed to absorb and refine.

Warmth spread through his meridians. He drew it through his established foundation, letting each circuit settle before beginning another. The enormous capacity beneath his early Foundation Establishment realm accepted the gain without being filled.

He remained at the same stage.

There was no sudden leap to mid Foundation Establishment and no excuse to stop taking cultivation seriously. However, the progress was substantial enough to please him.

After a while, the flow weakened. He finished the assimilation slowly and opened his eyes. Sunlight had shifted across the ravine wall.

Shi Feng stood, stretched his fingers, and tested a short circulation. The new strength moved cleanly with the rest.

“Useful afternoon,” Shi Feng said.

He returned to the herb patch before leaving. Several ripe leaves remained outside the damaged ground. He gathered those carefully, brushed the dirt from their veins, and packed them apart from the commissioned White Marrow Grass.

He folded the clean cloth around the leaves and tied it loosely. Crushing them now would spoil the whole trip. With the herbs packed safely, he climbed back toward the capital road before sunset.

He passed Weng Qi's stall on the way home. The seller noticed the dust on his robe and looked eagerly at the black sheath.

“Still pleased?” Weng Qi asked.

“It held,” Shi Feng replied.

“The red one would've looked better,” Weng Qi said.

“The python didn't complain,” Shi Feng replied.

Weng Qi opened his mouth, then decided not to ask. Instead, he offered sword cloth at a slightly lower price.

Shi Feng bought one. A useful seller could remain greedy without needing to become an enemy. At home, Ling Qingzhu looked up from the courtyard table.

“You're dusty,” Ling Qingzhu said.

“I noticed,” Shi Feng replied.

“Then don't lean on my chair,” Ling Qingzhu said.

He stopped his hand just above the backrest. She smiled triumphantly and pushed the washbasin toward him.

Shi Feng laughed, set his gathered leaves in the kitchen, and washed before touching anything else—though as he set the black sheath beside his bedding, he remembered the Eastern Palace carriage he had passed outside the magistrate's side gate at dusk, and the Yunze travel dust clinging to its rear step.