Chapter 429

Chapter 429: One More Time
“The Path of Reincarnation?” someone asked in surprise.

“Yes, the Path of Reincarnation,” Yu Zhao answered calmly.

After her words fell, the whole room fell silent.

Feng Jiusi and the other three had never expected Yu Zhao to cultivate the Path of Reincarnation, one of the three thousand Great Dao and an extremely difficult one to practice.

Huo Shao Yan frowned in thought. Among all the people he knew, not a single one cultivated the Path of Reincarnation, so he had no choice but look toward the other three.

Feng Jiusi and the other two also looked troubled.

Watching the four of them rack their brains, Yu Zhao lifted her teacup and took a sip, using the movement to hide the smile at the corner of her lips.

In fact, once her cultivation level reached Nascent Soul great perfection, her understanding of the Ruthless Dao was already enough to support her in charging into Divine Transformation.

But now was not the best time to break through.

The day she became a Divine Transformation cultivator might very well be the day she died.

And it was rare to have a chance to enjoy such hard-to-find resources. Naturally she had to seize this chance to accumulate more capital for the future.

So she hid the existence of the Ruthless Dao and only said she was cultivating the Path of Reincarnation.

Her answer had undoubtedly thrown a difficult problem at the others.

If Yu Zhao were cultivating a more common Dao such as the Sword Dao, Blade Dao, or Dao of Alchemy, they could have immediately found suitable cultivators to give her special guidance in Dao comprehension.

But Yu Zhao just had to be cultivating the extremely rare Path of Reincarnation. Even if they turned the entire Wind Realm upside down, it would be hard to find a few cultivators who walked the Path of Reincarnation and had achieved even minor success.

Still, Feng Jiusi and the others were Young Heirs carefully trained by several major family clans. Very soon they came up with a few roundabout methods that might help Yu Zhao reach Dao comprehension faster.

On the first day, they went to the home of a woman about to give birth and stood outside the door, listening to the first cry of a newborn.

On the second day, they went as guests to attend a child’s one-year birthday celebration.

On the third day, they went above a sect and watched its entry selection.

On the fourth day, they drank wedding wine at a joyous banquet.

…

On some later day that no one could quite remember, they went to the home of a very old man and watched as he breathed his last.

When they walked out from the old man’s house, Feng Jiusi asked Yu Zhao: “Have you gained any insight?”

Yu Zhao pressed down her restless soul and shook her head.

Feng Jiusi and the others were a little disappointed, but they also felt it was only natural.

After all, if the Path of Reincarnation were so easy to comprehend, there would not be so few people cultivating it.

“Then let’s change the method,” Feng Jiusi said.

In a quiet room of the Feng Clan, the five of them sat cross-legged on meditation cushions, their expressions solemn.

Feng Jiusi said: “My spiritual root is a Wind spiritual root, so my sense of wind is very sharp. Because of that, the Sword Dao I cultivate is famous for its speed. Now I’ll let you experience my Sword Dao.”

Back when Feng Jiusi had been about to impact Divine Transformation, his father had taken him to feel the Dao intent of many seniors who cultivated the Sword Dao. That had helped him break through to Divine Transformation in one go.

He felt that even though the Dao he cultivated was not the Cycle of Reincarnation, it would still more or less help Yu Zhao.

After all, there are three thousand Great Dao, different paths that all lead to the same end.

Yu Zhao nodded seriously, the fingers hidden under her sleeves curling slightly.

“Empty your mind and get ready to enter the Dao,” Feng Jiusi instructed.

As soon as his voice sounded by her ear, Yu Zhao’s consciousness shifted. In the next instant, she found herself standing in a dense bamboo forest.

A strong wind blew through the bamboo grove, and the leaves rustled softly.

At some unknown point, a chilling killing intent had filled the whole bamboo forest.

A bone-deep cold flowed through her entire body.

Yu Zhao felt as if her body was out of her control, frozen in place, while her consciousness screamed about the danger.

Suddenly, a blinding white light tore through the air.

Before she could even see what had happened, Yu Zhao’s consciousness had already returned to the quiet room.

She instinctively wanted to reach out and touch her neck.

Only then did she feel the cold of a blade slicing across her throat.

Feng Jiusi sat opposite her, smiling slightly as he looked at her: “How do you feel?”

Yu Zhao hesitated for a moment, then decisively shook her head and said softly: “Too fast.”

Feng Jiusi had clearly not expected that answer.

“You mean…” he started.

“Do it again,” Yu Zhao said firmly.

She fixed her bright eyes on Feng Jiusi. At that moment, there was only him in her gaze; no one else could distract her.

Feng Jiusi could see his whole reflection in Yu Zhao’s clear eyes. For the first time, he felt a sense of satisfaction and joy at being truly seen by her, and he readily agreed to her request.

“This time I’ll slow down,” he said. “Feel it carefully.”

“Okay,” Yu Zhao answered.

Her consciousness was pulled into the bamboo forest again.

Whoosh. The wind grew stronger and stronger.

Dead leaves on the ground were lifted by the wind, swirling through the air.

Yu Zhao’s divine sense spread out, covering everything.

Her eyes shone with a gaze as sharp as a hawk’s.

Zing. The sound was like something slicing through the silent air, sharp and icy.

Yu Zhao’s pupils trembled.

She saw it clearly.

The sword light was coming from the right.

Then her consciousness was kicked out of the sea of bamboo again.

Yu Zhao’s body was still soaked in the fear of death, but her soul was already trembling violently with excitement, and endless desire showed in her eyes.

Feng Jiusi tested her: “One more time?”

“Mm!” Yu Zhao nodded excitedly.

Huo Shao Yan and the other two stared at her in disbelief.

They had never seen anyone volunteer to “go die” like this.

But their goal was to help Yu Zhao break through. Since she insisted, they naturally would not object.

So, from time to time, the quiet room rang with the exchange between Yu Zhao and Feng Jiusi.

“Still want more?”

“Yes.”

“Again?”

“One more time.”

“…”

As Tu Xiao and the others watched, their expressions changed from surprise to impatience, and finally to numbness. Only then did Yu Zhao finally stop asking for another round.

Feng Jiusi let out a sigh of relief. Constantly releasing Sword Intent was also a considerable drain on him.

“My turn, my turn,” Huo Shao Yan said quickly, unable to wait any longer. “My family has studied the blade for generations, so what I cultivate is the Flame Blade! Watch my blade!”

A scorching, blackened volcano appeared before Yu Zhao.

Bright red magma flowed slowly from the crater, and wisps of hot air rose from the cracks in the rocks.

The blazing heat baked Yu Zhao’s skin, and every breath she took was filled with burning pain.

Suddenly, a figure flashed out from the thick smoke. He wore red clothes and a golden crown on his head, and in his hand he gripped a huge fiery blade.

The scarlet blade looked as if it had been forged from the depths of the flames, its edge shining with a chilling red light.

In her wavering vision, Huo Shao Yan’s lips curled into a wicked grin. He lifted the Flame Blade and chopped forward.

A fiery red arc, carrying a wave of blistering air, tore through the sky as if it were going to burn everything around it to ash.

The heat wave rushed toward her. Yu Zhao’s last memory was a field of bright red filling her sight.

Back in the quiet room, Huo Shao Yan grinned proudly and said: “Well? My Flame Blade isn’t worse than Feng Jiusi’s Willow Leaf Sword, right?”

He did not notice Yu Zhao’s pale face or the fine sweat on her forehead. Instead, he went on proudly praising the magical artifact he had spent a fortune forging.

Yu Zhao caught her breath and was just about to answer when a large, well-defined hand lifted a teacup and held it out in front of her.

“Moisten your throat first,” Shui Qiu Bai said.

She looked over naturally.

Shui Qiu Bai nodded to her, his calm and serious face hiding a trace of concern and worry.

Yu Zhao smiled.