Chương 954: Chapter 952: Flying Weapons

The ninth day of the conference arrived with a clear sky and a crisp mountain breeze. The elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect took the main stage during the morning assembly and instead of technique demonstration, they delivered lectures on the foundational theories of Qi circulation. The discussion was focused around the intricate connection between a cultivator's soul and their chosen weapon. Li Yu found the lectures incredibly insightful as he sat near the back of the open air pavilion.

He was still not sitting with the Li Clan delegation. He found himself sitting and interacting almost exclusively with the Freeblade Alliance members recently. Li Yu spent the entirety of the ninth day in discussion with the mercenaries. They debated the practical applications of the morning lecture and they often disagreed with the rigid orthodox methods presented by the elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Li Yu found their perspective refreshing as well as more in tune with what his thoughts were, regarding who was actually right he didn't know for sure. He openly shared his own thoughts on combat. The mercenaries agreed with his pragmatic mindset and they welcomed him into their inner circle more and more as their personalities matched well.

The tenth day followed and the morning was filled with technical demonstrations from the minor empires and the afternoon featured more philosophical lectures on the nature of intent. Li Yu was really just with the Freeblade Alliance now. He ate his meals with them and he laughed at their crude jokes. The mercenaries began calling him an honorary member of their group. It was just an inside joke among friends and it carried no official weight or title but it made Li Yu feel at ease.

They treated him like a fellow warrior rather than anything else. The sun eventually dipped below the jagged mountain peaks and the floating orbs illuminated the sparring arenas. The evening matches began with a much more relaxed atmosphere. The grudges were mostly settled and the cultivators were genuinely trying to learn from each other. Li Yu watched the first few matches from the wooden tables while sharing a jug of strong wine with Ren.

A young man from the Violet Gale Clan stepped onto the primary stone platform shortly after the third match concluded. He wore pale green robes and he held a narrow rapier loosely by his side. He possessed a solid cultivation base at around the mid Paragon realm and his eyes scanned the crowd before locking directly onto the Freeblade Alliance section.

"Li Yu." The young man called out loudly but politely.

"I am Feng Hao. I would like to request a spar with you to test my wind arts against your techniques." The noisy courtyard fell silent in an instant. Everyone remembered the terrifying display of malice that Li Yu had unleashed last time he stepped into the arena. The Heavenly Sword Sect referee elder stationed near the stage immediately stepped forward with a deep frown and he prepared to intervene and stop the match before another limb was severed.

Feng Hao quickly raised his free hand and offered a somewhat nervous smile to the crowd.

"However, I must ask that you do not use that bone sword." Feng Hao clarified his challenge quickly.

"I am here to learn and to test my speed. I am not looking to lose my life or my arm tonight." A ripple of laughter echoed through the tense courtyard as everyone relaxed and joked with one another. Li Yu let out a soft chuckle as Boran and Ren laughed loudly beside him. The blunt honesty of the request broke the heavy tension perfectly. The referee elder let out a very audible sigh of relief as well and stepped back to the edge of the ring. He signaled that the match was approved under those specific conditions.

"I accept your terms." Li Yu said with a smile as he stood up from the wooden table. The person was not disrespecting him or his father, only requesting a simple spar. He walked calmly through the crowd and leaped lightly onto the black stone platform. He faced his opponent and offered a respectful nod. He had no intention of using Pale Extinction against someone he had no grude with.

This was the perfect opportunity to test his combat strategy that he had been developing since back in the training camp in a controlled environment and against a fast opponent.

"Begin." The referee elder announced clearly. Li Yu did not move his feet, instead he simply tapped his chest and summoned a weapon from his Koi Sanctuary. A pristine blade made of pale blue metal materialized in the empty air beside him. This was Whispering Frost. The ambient temperature on the stage plummeted immediately as a thin layer of white frost formed on the stone tiles. Li Yu let it float there as he pulled out Star Crusher.

He gripped the heavy staff with both hands and rested it casually against his shoulder. He remained completely stationary while he extended his rivers of Qi outward to connect with the floating sword. Feng Hao vanished from his spot in a blur of green light. He used his blistering wind techniques to cross the arena in a fraction of a second and he thrusted his rapier directly toward Li Yu's chest. Li Yu directed his Qi and Whispering Frost intercepted the attack.

The blade clashed against the rapier in midair and sent a shockwave of cold air across the stage. Feng Hao shivered violently but he maintained his momentum. He launched a rapid flurry of strikes from multiple angles in an attempt to bypass the floating sword. Whispering Frost danced through the air with incredible precision as Li Yu used his advanced sword control to block every single incoming attack.

He stood safely behind the defense while he held his staff ready just in case a strike managed to slip through the net. He wanted to test his limits with just the flying sword if possible. Feng Hao realized he could not break the defense with speed alone. He flared his sword intent to the maximum limit and his aura exploded outward. His rapier became a blur of sharp wind blades that finally managed to push Whispering Frost aside for a brief moment.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Li Yu remained perfectly calm and he tapped his chest a second time. A brilliant golden light erupted on the stage as Gilded Calamity shot out of the void and met the charging cultivator head on. The oppressive and tyrannical aura of the sword crashed into Feng Hao like a physical wall and forced him to retreat several heavy steps. The crowd gasped loudly as they recognized the immense quality of the second weapon.

Whispering Frost was an excellent sword but Gilded Calamity radiated a pressure that demanded submission. Li Yu now controlled two swords simultaneously with his Qi. He split his concentration and directed the weapons to attack in tandem. Whispering Frost swept in from the left side with freezing slashes while Gilded Calamity hammered down from the right with heavy and aggressive strikes. Feng Hao was instantly overwhelmed by the dual assault.

He deflected a heavy golden strike with his rapier but the impact rattled his bones and left him entirely open to the cold blade. He managed to twist his body and dodge the ice but Gilded Calamity clipped his shoulder and tore a clean line through his green robes but did not draw blood. The young man gritted his teeth and he prepared a desperate movement technique to try and close the distance.

He knew he had to strike Li Yu directly to end the battle now or he would be overwhelmed once Li Yu started attacking himself as well. Li Yu saw the shift in his opponent's stance and decided to end the match decisively. He tapped his chest a third time. Firmament's End materialized high above the arena. The ancient suppression of the legendary blade pushed down on the entire courtyard instantly. The air grew incredibly dense and the floating light orbs flickered slightly under the spiritual weight.

Firmament's End joined the chaotic dance and completely shattered Feng Hao's defensive forms with a single dominant sweep. The three swords moved relatively in sync, it was clear that Li Yu still needed a lot more practice. While Feng Hao couldn't exploit it, Li Yu's full concentration was on his three swords. He couldn't move well or join in without breaking that concentration. He hadn't mastered that level of splitting his concentration yet.

The blades surrounded the young man in a triangle formation and pointed their incredibly sharp tips directly at his throat. The freezing cold from the ice sword mixed with the tyrannical golden light and the sharp edge to completely lock Feng Hao in place. Li Yu had not taken a single step forward during the entire exchange, mainly because he couldn't. He still held Star Crusher defensively in his hands but the opponent had never even gotten close enough to force him to use it.

"I yield." Feng Hao panted heavily as he dropped his rapier to the floor in defeat. The courtyard erupted into loud cheers from the Freeblade Alliance tables. The mercenaries loved the overwhelming display of continuous pressure. However, the Li Clan pavilion was in a state of shock and frantic whispering. The elders of the clan stared at the swords floating around Li Yu with wide eyes. They recognized the weapons instantly. These were not random treasures pulled from a trial ground or bought at an auction.

They were ancient symbols of their lineage. Li Mei sat at the head of the heavy wooden table and her perfect aristocratic mask visibly broke for all to see. Her eyes widened slightly and her hands gripped the table edge so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She was taken back by the sudden reveal. She was the chosen heir of the clan and she possessed a highly refined cultivation base but she did not own a single one of the Ten Great Swords of the Li Clan.

It was not normal for the heir to own one, they simply weren't worthy yet. Yet this man who sat with mercenaries and refused to practice their sword arts possessed two of them. She could understand Gilded Calamity to some extent. It belonged to his father Canghai, so it made logical sense that it was passed down to his son as some sort of gift. But Firmament's End was a completely different matter. It was a weapon with a deep history and owned by the Heaven Severing Ancestor. How did he acquire such a blade?

'Even if the Heaven Severing Ancestor was the master of Canghai, there is no reason he would give it to Li Yu. He never gave it to Canghai even though he was such a shining star, why would he give it to someone that doesn't truly walk the path of the sword.' She thought as her mind furiously tried to figure it all out. The political implications of this display crashed into her mind like a physical blow.

If he possessed two of the greatest weapons in their entire history, it meant the higher authorities within the clan heavily favored him. They most likely knew he had them and didn't do anything to take them back. The surrounding clan members murmured frantically to each other as they reevaluated Li Yu's true standing within the family. Only Ancestor Cangyuan remained perfectly calm as he watched the scene unfold with a faint and knowing smile. He was just as shocked as they were when he saw them as well.

On the stage Li Yu commanded the three swords to return. The oppressive auras vanished and the courtyard returned to normal. He lowered Star Crusher and offered a respectful bow to his opponent.

"Thank you for the spar." Li Yu said sincerely as he stored his staff away.

"It really helped me develop my flying sword technique further." Feng Hao returned the bow gracefully and stepped off the stage. Li Yu walked back toward the Freeblade tables but his mind was racing with new ideas. The duel had validated his plan of using swords in this specific way as secondary support. He could overwhelm an opponent with multiple floating blades while keeping his physical body safe and ready to defend with his staff once he was able to split his mind even better.

It was an incredibly effective fighting style that utilized his monstrous soul strength and Qi reserves. However, he became deeply inspired during the fight as he analyzed the mechanics of his own Qi control. He thought back to The Silent Bastion and the heavy weight training from a few nights ago. He realized a fundamental flaw in his own logic when he was coming up with this plan. He was limiting himself unnecessarily by focusing only on swords.

'Why limit myself to just swords? There are other weapons that can be used.' Li Yu began to think. He controlled the weapons purely with his Qi from a distance. He did not need a hilt to hold onto with his physical hands. If he did not need to hold the weapon, then the traditional shape of a sword was not strictly required for every single situation. He just needed something sharp to cut with or an edge to slice when the time was right. But why did he even think that way?

The Silent Bastion proved that he did not even need an edge to be lethal. He just needed weight, power and speed.

'Why not use a spear? I do not need the long wooden handle because my Qi provided all the reach and leverage I would ever need. Just the sharp metal tip flying through the air could stab through heavy defenses flawlessly. Why not use a heavy hammer? Just the metal head of a war hammer controlled by his Qi could smash into his opponent with the force of a falling boulder.' Li Yu thought. Then more ideas that branched off of that came to mind.

He could use flying needles for precise piercing attacks or a heavy iron club to break bones. Anything would work as long as it suited the specific combat scenario. It didn't have to stab or cut all the time. He smiled as the massive realization settled into his mind. He did not have to just use a sword.. Instead of practicing with just swords, he would focus on mastering flying weapons of all kinds. He would build an arsenal of different shapes and tools that he could deploy instantly.

He sat down next to Ren and accepted a fresh cup of wine as the mercenaries cheered his victory. The tenth day came to a close and Li Yu felt excited at his realization. What he needed now was to collect powerful weapons, almost any type of weapon and to be able to control them all.