Talented Martial Hero

Keller led Darren to a rather remote and secluded wooden cottage that was situated at the corner of Sword Mountain base and settled him down. Darren looked around the cottage. Although the space inside was limited, all of the essentials and other miscellanies were present and would be able to provide its dweller with a cozy and comfortable stay.

Pleased with the good environment, Darren smiled politely at Keller. But just as Darren started to thank him, Keller went ahead and stopped him. "Don't thank me, Darren. I still suggest that you leave this place, for your safety. After what has happened today, I am very positive that they will come for trouble sooner rather than later,” he proposed solicitously.

Keller was a short and stumpy young man. Although he was only in his twenties, the hardships and miserable experiences in the life had left imprints on his face. His face would always be scrunched up in worry, much like the one he was currently wearing on his face. Mismatching his age, his appearance looked more like that of a man in his forties.

Darren didn't respond but instead gave him a confused glare. Keller instantly feared that Darren had misunderstood his meanings. Keller shook his head and waved his hands in the air. "Darren, please don't get me wrong. I say this not to try to chase you away, but to help you. I had every intention to have you stay here, but I'm afraid that won't be possible anymore. Given the recent turn of events, I thought I should let you know that it would not be safe for you to be here,” he anxiously explained. Seeing how Keller was so concerned for his safety, a small smile formed on Darren's lips. "I know you are concerned about me. But I don't want to leave just because of what happened today. I don't think running away would solve anything. Plus, I'm not exaggerating when I say that those bullies wouldn't dare come for trouble so recklessly," he said as he tried to console Keller.

Darren seemed to have already made up his mind and Keller felt that he wouldn't be able to change it anymore. There was no way around but to accept his decision. "All right then, I hope things will turn out for the best," he said, smiling awkwardly but sincerely at Darren. Keller gave the room one last cleaning. After the room had been organized and all the things positioned in their proper places, he bade farewell to Darren and took his leave.

As soon as Darren was left alone in the room, he did not take a respite.

His mind had been occupied by the current state of his cultivation. "I can't just believe what they have said to me that easily. Why don't I just have a try and see how hard it is to cultivate the sword skill and the blade skill at the same time?" he pondered to himself. After he had taken those two seeds, Darren did not feel any side effects from it. He thought that this clear, lucid feeling devoid of any kind of dizziness must mean that his body had absorbed the seeds flawlessly.

He felt intrigued to practice his sword skill and see how far it had gotten.

"Let me take a shot at trying the second move of the Profound Nine Sword Skills first,” he said to himself earnestly, raring to find out the effect on himself.

Concentrating his attention on the details of the second move of the skills, he had the whole procedure run down in his mind before putting the skill into action.

Upon activating the sword skill, albeit gingerly, his vital energy was released and started to flow along his energy meridians like surging water. Everything had gone smoothly and just as he had expected, until he felt a sudden change in his vital energy an hour later.

To his astonishment, the vital energy that had been swirling around in his energy meridians gradually transformed into streams of purple mist.

"Can this be the sword intent they have been talking about?" Darren shouted out in wonder. As more of the vital energy turned into the purple mist, the mist began to emanate streaks of icy blue sword light and provided him with vigor and fresh energy. It was the most vivid and at the same time, the most indescribable kind of freshness that he had ever felt.

However, while Darren was drowning with fascination over the feeling the sword intent had granted him, an ominous, almost menacing feeling struck his heart.

"Damn it!" he exclaimed with terror. A strange gust of green vital energy mist emerged out of nowhere and began tussling with the purple mist. As the clash between the two mists became more and more intense, he started to feel intense pain in his energy meridians. And even more troubling, he felt a weak and fragile part in his energy meridians begin to crack which caused even more pain. "What the hell? How do I handle this situation?" he cried out in panic.

Recognizing that it was his blade intent that generated the green mist, he immediately ceased his sword cultivation and started to activate his blade skill over again.

The result was the same as his sword cultivation. About half an hour after he had started practicing his blade, the vital energy started generating green mist and clashed with the purple mist. Only this time, the damage it resulted in was even more painful than the first one.

Unable to endure the pain any longer, he stopped practicing the blade as well. "This is terrible! Does this mean that I can practice neither sword skill nor blade skill from now on? How will this affect me if I use my fist power?”

The thought prompted him to test out a simple boxing formula from a martial arts book that he learned in the past. Growing frantic, Darren half expected the clashing of the two internal forces would not also take place even when he was not using swords or blades. Much to his dismay, testing out a different skill determined that the confrontation of the clashing forces had in fact nothing to do with whether or not he was using his swords or blades. The real cause of the clash was his own vital energy. Every time he practiced, his vital energy would automatically convert into those two kinds of internal forces without any provocations, as if on impulse, causing his energy meridians to get harmed in the process.

He was very much disappointed and utterly devastated by his finding. "Have I really gotten wrecked?" he wondered ruefully. The failure clouded his mind. He could not dare to imagine how things would turn out if he continued to become weak again — he wouldn't be able to defeat anyone in a fight.

As Darren contemplated over the extremely disadvantageous situation he now faced, trying and failing to come up with a solution, he heard a yammering.

"Isn't this the Black Degree talent disciple that has recently just joined our sect? Why am I getting the feeling that he is just an ordinary type? Have you caught anything outstanding out of his display just now?" a shrill peculiar voice called out behind him, just outside his door. The remarks were followed by an obnoxious chortle that came from a second person.

Darren turned around to see who it was. There were two young men who were standing at the door, observing him. Seeing that they were both wearing the same clothes as Keller's, Darren assumed that they were attendant disciples of the School of Sword Skill

"Don't say that, Shawn! He has the title of the super martial genius, after all. He may have deviated from my expectations, but I think he is still powerful enough to take you down," the other guy said in a same feminine voice. As the words escaped, both of them burst into a fit of loud convulsive laughter.