Chapter 288 Sword Formation
When Ada saw that Fang Xingjian was reading the stone tablet seriously as if everything appeared to be clear and logical, she criticized him secretly in her heart while she trained the other students.
Like Rota, another female Knight, Ada had also been born into an aristocratic clan and had received the best education and cultivation resources. Furthermore, her talent was outstanding and she was willing to put in hard work for her cultivation. This was how she had been able to become the level 24 Conferred Knight she was now.
Despite this, Ada was already 38 years old this year.
She had gotten married at 28, but unfortunately, when she was 30, her husband had failed in his attempt to attain the Heavenly Barrier of 30% ether synchronization rate and had entered a comatose state.
This was the worst possible scenario. When a person became a vegetable, it meant they were not really dead. So, in order to maintain their reputation, the clans of both parties had not allowed her to get a divorce, and she was made to live a life as a widow.
Living a life of self-pity, Ada had turned all her energy onto her cultivation. However, her mood had still grown increasingly bad and her temper had become increasingly violent. She would blow her top at the smallest thing, and she became the old hag to whom everyone in the academy would turn a deaf ear.
‘Harsh and stern with a bad temper’ became the impression that everyone had of her.
This had lasted until two years ago, when she had met the Fifth Prince while she had been out in the wild, hunting ferocious beasts.
Additionally, this encounter had made her fall completely for the Fifth Prince’s demeanour, passion, talent, and abilities. In her eyes, there was no other man in the world who would be able to compare to the Fifth Prince.
Thinking of the Fifth Prince, a smile appeared on Ada’s face unknowingly, and the gaze she threw at Fang Xingjian grew icier than before.
‘Hmph, the Fifth Prince studied the Aquatic Sword Formation by linking the bare-fisted martial arts theories to sword theories. Then after he observed the Heavenly Waterfall Lake, he imparted the ‘Heavenly Waterfall Slash’ to me..
‘Even if you’re wearing the level 29 Heavenly Abyss Annihilation Armor, there’s no way you can fend off this move created by the Fifth Prince. I’ll use this move to defeat you and let you understand that no matter how strong you are, there’s always someone out there who is stronger than you.’
Fang Xingjian had his meal, then he started his cultivation. About one and a half hours later, he stretched out his five fingers, and it was as if he could sense a gush of water vapor surging toward him. In the blink of an eye, countless water droplets continued to gather incessantly on his palms, forming a longsword made from water.
Rota smiled and asked, “You’ve managed to pick up the Aquatic Sword Formation?”
Fang Xingjian shook his head and said, “This is only the Aquatic Sword Qis. I must be able to create twelve Aquatic Sword Qis before I can start to form the sword formation.”
Amidst the gazes of two students, Rota, Ada and the other lady, Fang Xingjian started to form streams and streams of Aquatic Sword Qis. Each time one stream was created, he would toss it into the air. Then in the blink of an eye, another twelve streams of Aquatic Sword Qis had appeared.
Once the twelve streams of sword Qis appeared, a mysterious connection was formed between them. Fang Xingjian seemed to have become the control station of a freight station, incessantly exchanging information and energy through the ether particles and the twelve streams of sword Qis.
A confident smile appeared at the corners of Fang Xingjian’s lips. WIth a light tap of his sword fingers, the twelve streams of sword Qis circled around his body, swaying about freely as if they were floating batteries [1].
Laughing out loud, he then randomly took up an Aquatic Sword Qi and started to perform a sword dance.
The water sword in his hand swung freely, while the remaining eleven streams of sword Qis moved about unhindered and slashed through the air, creating loud tearing sounds.
Fang Xingjian tapped his longsword across space and shot out eleven streams of sword Qis consecutively, lifting up several ten thousand jin of golden sand at the shore.
Even Rota and the others could sense that the Aquatic Sword Qis were being moved at high speed. Together with the powerful slashing prowess they held, even if they encountered rocks and sediments, they would slash through them. The sword Qis were extremely sharp and were like high speed water blades.
Wherever the Aquatic Sword Qis passed by, the area would be covered with a strong drying sensation. It was because the Aquatic Sword Qis absorb water vapor incessantly in order to replenish the energy depleted by the slashing.
The moment this Aquatic Sword Formation took shape, all twelve sword Qis, including the one in Fang Xingjian’s hand, constantly absorbed the world’s water vapor. They also complemented each other, maintaining a connection at all times and facilitating their energy depletion and replenishment.
Additionally, the formed Aquatic Sword Qis circled around Fang Xingjian as though they controlled by Fang Xingjian’s hands, hitting wherever Fang Xingjian pointed to.
As the sword Qis moved about freely, a loud whistle rang out in the air, and more and more water vapor continued to gather in Fang Xingjian’s direction. Many more sword Qis were formed in succession, and the large amount of water vapor gathered there made it seem as though a heavy rain was falling down onto the Heavenly Waterfall Lake.
As the large amount of water vapor gathered together, it turned into water droplets, which then eventually surged into Fang Xingjian’s palm, allowing him to create one Aquatic Sword Qi after another.
At level 1, the Aquatic Sword Formation could create 12 Aquatic Sword Qis. It would continue to progress, and at level 5, the user would be able to create 121 Aquatic Sword Qis. Then at level 10, the user would be able to create 277 Aquatic Sword Qis.
Currently, Fang Xingjian had already gathered 49 Aquatic Sword Qis. At level 4, the Aquatic Sword Formation could already allow him better control over the Aquatic Sword Qis.
The sword Qi in his hand swept forward, while the remaining 48 Aquatic Sword Qis were sent out in all directions like exploding fireworks, gradually filling up the area within a 100-meter radius around Fang Xingjian.
Fang Xingjian nodded and said, “I’ve finally made some progress.” He then turned to ‘look’ at Ada, saying, “I’d like to have your guidance in the Aquatic Sword Formation.”
Ada was standing in the middle of the Heavenly Waterfall Lake. Although the Heavenly Waterfall was plunging down, they seemed to be torn apart by formless sharp blade above her head. The waterfall split into two, unable touch her at all.
Hearing Fang Xingjian’s words, Ada smiled and said coldly, “You want me to give you guidance when your Aquatic Sword Formation is only at level 4? You should talk after you’ve entered the Heavenly Waterfall Lake.”
Fang Xingjian smiled faintly and walked over, step by step, in the direction of the Heavenly Waterfall Lake. The other 48 streams of Aquatic Sword Qis around him were like floating batteries circling around him. At a glance, they looked just like countless satellites.
The circulation of this sword formation could serve the purposes of both attack and defense, allowing the user to attack or defend from any direction.
As Fang Xingjian walked slowly into the Heavenly Waterfall Lake, gradually submerging his entire body into the water, the Aquatic Sword Qis also entered the lake. The Aquatic Sword Qis were originally formed from water vapor. So, now that they had entered the lake, they were like fish in water, with an increased agility of over ten times.
However, simultaneously, Fang Xingjian also sensed that the undercurrents and waves in the lake were like aquatic shock waves knocking against his body.
The power of the water was very strong. The undercurrents in the sea could knock a person unconscious and pull them into the depths of the water, or kill them directly from the impact.
The power of a tsunami could drown a city entirely, killing several ten of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people.
This Heavenly Waterfall Lake had been created by the second generation Headmaster, and the various undercurrents and waves in the lake would circulate based on the ingenuity of the Aquatic Sword Formation. The omnipresent impacts were like boundless sword waves, smacking Fang Xingjian.
Looking at how Fang Xingjian was thrown around by the currents, the corners of Ada’s lips curled up as she broke into a smile which was full of contempt.
However, while Fang Xingjian was being hit by the waves, he continued to sense the circulations of the Aquatic Sword Formation in the water. He had intentionally allowed himself to be hit since he had the level 29 Heavenly Abyss Annihilation Armor. His aim was to allow his body to directly appreciate the profoundness of the sword formation.
[1] A floating battery is a kind of armed watercraft, often improvised or experimental, which carries a heavy armament but has few other qualities as a warship. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_battery