Chapter 3595: Xueyan’s Skills
Chapter 3595: Xueyan’s Skills
Xueyan watched everything.
Every movement.
Every decision.
And slowly understanding dawned in his mind.
"...So that’s why..."
He muttered under his breath.
He learned that this wasn’t just talent.
This was drive.
A burning, relentless drive that pushed Meng Bai forward despite the gap in strength.
It was familiar, because Xueyan had it too. But for the Spatial Dao. Even when his master locked him away for so many years, he never complained.
Because he wanted to grow.
And now, seeing Meng Bai... He understood.
"This is why he’s Ancestral Master’s disciple," Xueyan whispered.
By the time the second halt came, Xueyan could no longer stay on the sidelines.
They had stopped near a dense forest clearing, the air rich with immortal Qi. Shrubby rested nearby, half-asleep, while the others prepared once more.
This time though, Xueyan stepped forward.
"...May I join?"
Lin Mu glanced at him briefly.
Then nodded.
"Go ahead."
Xueyan’s tail swayed slightly.
"Yes!"
First, he sparred with Meng Bai.
The two circled each other and a few moments later they clashed.
Xueyan moved fast.
Not physically though, but spatially.
His palm struck forward.
"Space Severing Palm!"
SHING~
The space in front of his hand distorted sharply, forming a thin, slicing wave that cut through the air toward Meng Bai.
Meng Bai reacted quickly, his spear intercepting the attack while a water shield formed simultaneously.
The impact split the shield, but not completely.
Meng Bai redirected it.
"...Impressive," Xueyan said honestly.
Then, they escalated.
Formations.
Talismans.
Spatial distortions.
Water constructs in the form of various weapons.
The clash was fast-paced, technical, and filled with constant adaptation.
Eventually though Cattaleya stepped in.
"Enough warming up," she said with a grin.
"Both of you. Together."
Xueyan blinked.
"...Together?"
Meng Bai didn’t hesitate.
"Yes."
Xueyan grinned.
"...Alright."
The two took positions.
Cattaleya cracked her knuckles.
"Come."
And they did.
Meng Bai attacked first, spear thrusting forward with water spiraling around it. At the same time, Xueyan moved to the side, his palm striking again.
"Space Severing Palm!"
This time, Cattaleya blocked with ease.
Her arm came up, meeting the distorted space head-on.
BOOM
The air shook.
"...Good," she said.
Then she moved.
’Fast.’ Meng Bai thought.
’Too fast.’ Xueyan blinked.
Meng Bai barely managed to react, deflecting her strike while sliding back. Xueyan appeared beside her at that point... or rather...
He didn’t appear.
He compressed.
His body collapsed into a thin line...
A literal line.
A streak.
"—!"
Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"One Line Charge."
ZIP~
Xueyan shot forward.
A razor-thin line slicing through space itself, bypassing resistance, ignoring conventional defenses.
Cattaleya’s eyes sharpened.
"Oh?"
She didn’t dodge.
Instead, She punched.
A proper punch.
Duskthorn Style.
Her fist exploded forward, carrying immense force, enough to shatter mountains.
And yet... The line pierced through it cleanly.
KACHA
Her fist imprint shattered like glass.
"...Not bad!" she laughed.
Xueyan reappeared behind her... Then immediately collapsed.
THUD.
He hit the ground.
Breathing heavily.
"...That’s... all my Qi..."
Meng Bai rushed over.
"What was that!?"
Xueyan lay on his back, panting.
"...One Line Charge..."
He pointed weakly upward.
"Signature... of the Spatial Legacy of Wu..."
Lin Mu nodded slightly.
He knew about the technique and the fact that it was dangerous.
Extremely dangerous.
A single mistake, And the user wouldn’t just fail.
They would be torn apart.
Reduced to nothing more than a strip of flesh... or worse, lost to the Lesser Void.
But its power was undeniable.
Cattaleya walked over.
"Interesting skill."
She looked down at him.
"But too costly."
Xueyan laughed weakly.
"...I know."
Meng Bai looked at him with newfound respect.
"That was incredible."
Xueyan smiled.
"...Still far from Master and Ancestral Master."
He glanced at Lin Mu.
"...But I’ll get there."
Lin Mu said nothing.
But his gaze lingered for a moment.
Then, he nodded.
And for Xueyan, that was enough as praise.
Lin Mu watched Xueyan slowly recover his breath, his gaze steady and thoughtful rather than merely impressed. There was a quiet satisfaction in his eyes, the kind that came not from witnessing raw strength, but from seeing potential expressed correctly.
What Xueyan had just demonstrated was not brute force, nor reckless usage of power, but a refined application of a highly dangerous and complex spatial technique. That alone was worthy of acknowledgment.
The One Line Charge was not a skill that could be casually executed.
Even among spatial cultivators, it was considered a technique that separated the competent from the truly talented. It required not only precise control over spatial distortion, but also an acute awareness of one’s own existence within space.
A slight miscalculation could result in the body being partially left behind, or worse, scattered across fragmented layers of space. For Xueyan to perform it successfully, even once, spoke volumes about his aptitude.
Yet Lin Mu did not simply stop at admiration.
’It’s a bit different than what I’ve read...’ He thought.
There was something that did not align.
He had observed carefully, not only the execution of the skill, but also the aftereffects. Xueyan’s Qi had been drained far more than it should have been.
From Lin Mu’s understanding, based on both his own comprehension and what he had learned from Xukong, the One Line Charge, while demanding, did not consume such an overwhelming amount of energy for a cultivator of Xueyan’s level.
It was taxing, yes, but not debilitating to this extent. Especially for such a short distance.
Lin Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he considered the discrepancy. He had already sensed Xueyan’s internal reserves earlier and knew they were not insufficient. That meant only one thing.
There was an external amplification involved.
Or rather, an additional power added into the technique.
He stepped forward slightly and spoke in a calm tone. "You used something else to enhance it."
Xueyan, who had just sat up and was still catching his breath, froze for a brief moment. His ears twitched, and then his eyes widened in surprise.
"...You noticed that?" he asked, clearly astonished.
Lin Mu gave a small nod. "The consumption is higher than it should be. Your reserves do not justify that level of exhaustion from a single use."