Holding the Sword to Carry Away Senior Sister (Transmigration) - Chapter 6

After being framed and used as bait, Liu Chuanyuan and his companion had long since vanished into the vast forest.

The Bloodthirsty Ice Wolf behind her remained relentless. Since Fu Yan was only in the Foundation Building stage, her speed was limited. She couldn’t shake it off; in fact, the distance between man and beast was rapidly shrinking.

“At this rate, I’ll be in that wolf’s stomach in less than fifteen minutes,” Fu Yan muttered, cursing her luck. She knew that simply running was useless; it wouldn’t change the outcome.

As if echoing her thoughts, she soon discovered that the path ahead had vanished. In its place stood a steep, grey-brown cliff face that blocked her way entirely. The surrounding area was exceptionally open, offering not a single decent place to hide.

“Awoo!”

The enraged howl of the Bloodthirsty Ice Wolf echoed from behind once more.

Looking at the cliff, Fu Yan felt her vision go dark. She couldn’t even run anymore, and fighting the beast was clearly unrealistic.

Just then, her eyes caught a narrow crevice about three or four meters up the cliffside. She wasn’t sure if she could squeeze into it, but she was out of options.

Having made her decision, she didn’t hesitate. She grabbed onto the jagged outcrops of the cliff and climbed toward the crack with every ounce of strength she possessed.

Simultaneously, the furious wolf skidded to a halt at the base of the cliff.

Finally reaching the crevice, Fu Yan didn’t pause for a second. She heaved herself upward and flattened her body against the narrow opening.

“Grrr—”

Below, the wolf sensed her intent. It crouched low, tensing its limbs as if preparing to leap up and tear her to shreds in mid-air.

Fu Yan looked down at the bloody maw waiting below and swallowed hard. She had no doubt she could become its next meal in a heartbeat.

With the situation critical, she turned her body sideways and desperately tried to wedge herself into the crack. Fortunately, this body was only sixteen and not yet fully developed. Being thin and small, she actually managed to shove half of her body inside.

“Roar!!”

The wolf grew even more enraged. It gathered its strength and lunged upward, its jaws snapping toward her.

In that split second, Fu Yan finally succeeded in squeezing her entire body into the crevice. Barely a heartbeat later, the wolf’s teeth slammed into the spot where she had been.

CRUNCH!

Its bite landed solidly against the stone wall. The impact was so violent that cracks appeared around the opening of the crevice, sending a cascade of stones and dust tumbling down.

The sheer power of a Level 2 beast was terrifying.

Wedged inside the crack, Fu Yan’s heart hammered against her ribs. The fallen wolf didn’t seem inclined to give up; it leaped again and again, slamming its body against the cliffside in an attempt to widen the gap or shake her out.

Fu Yan was in a miserable state. Although the crevice was deep, she couldn’t push back any further, and she certainly couldn’t go out. She was stuck.

Neither forward nor backward.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Did I just survive one death trap only to get stuck and die here?” Fu Yan felt like crying. This fantasy cultivation world was truly perilous; she hadn’t even been here for five days and had already faced two life-and-death crises.

Once again, she realized how vital power was if she wanted to live safely in this world.

Outside, the wolf continued its relentless assault, making the entire cliff tremble.

After an unknown amount of time, silence finally fell outside. The wolf seemed to have left. Outside the crack, the weather looked calm and beautiful.

Despite this, Fu Yan didn’t dare venture out.

Level 2 beasts were cunning. She only had one life; she couldn’t afford to gamble. It was better to be safe than sorry.

As time trickled by, Fu Yan felt exhausted and hungry. Although she had food in her storage bag, she couldn’t move her arms enough to take it out in her current position.

I can’t go on like this, she thought, bracing herself. If I stay here, I’ll eventually waste away. There’s always a way out; I refuse to believe I’ll die so easily.

She began to wiggle outward inch by inch. Just as she extended a leg, a premonition hit her. She yanked it back instantly.

A second later, a grey-brown shadow slammed into the cliff again.

Fu Yan: “…”

Her temple throbbed uncontrollably. That wolf was too patient; it was actually lurking at the bottom, waiting for her to come out. It was a total psychopath.

Trying to steady her nerves, she suddenly realized that her body felt looser in the crevice than before. Because the wolf had been slamming into the opening, the crack had actually widened significantly without her noticing.

She turned her gaze toward the depths of the crevice. It was pitch black, a void where she couldn’t see her own hand.

“If I can’t go out, I’ll go in. Even if I have to dig with my bare hands, I’ll find a way through,” she told herself, trying to bolster her spirits.

She began to crawl deeper into the darkness.

The crevice was exceptionally deep. It grew narrower at points, but having no other choice, she held her breath and squeezed through. After what felt like ages, the passage finally widened. Slowly, she went from shimmying sideways to walking forward normally.

It was too dark to see anything, so she reached into her storage bag and pulled out a fire-starter. Instantly, a reddish glow filled the tunnel.

“What is this place?” Fu Yan ate her dry rations while inspecting her surroundings by the flickering light.

Initially, she had thought the crack was just a natural fissure, but now she wasn’t so sure. After walking for a long time, the view opened up completely. She had reached the end; it was a stone chamber.

She set down the fire-starter and lit two more, making the area much brighter.

The chamber was enclosed by black stone walls. it was about the size of a standard bedroom and completely empty. It looked as though no one had ever set foot there.

Fu Yan felt a wave of disappointment. There was no secret exit. If she had to dig through these thick stone walls, she’d be here for a lifetime.

Feeling drained, she slumped onto a rock and sighed as she ate the rest of her food. Just as she was about to pick up her light and head back to face the wolf in a final struggle, her eyes caught something on the illuminated wall.

There seemed to be markings carved there.

“What’s this?”

Curiosity piqued, she held the light closer to the wall. Under the soft glow, she realized the marks weren’t writing, but gashes left by sword intent. It looked as though someone had practiced their skills here.

Realizing her own naivety, Fu Yan shook her head and chuckled. “Right, the idea that a protagonist can just stumble upon a god-tier technique in a cave is just a story. And I’m not the protagonist anyway.”

In Seeking the Way of Immortality, the male lead was someone else. She was just an extra.

Just as she was doubting herself, she spotted a sword stuck into the wall. It had clearly endured many years; it was so rusted it was barely recognizable.

“Well, a sword is better than nothing. Better than fighting that wolf with my bare hands.” She stepped forward and reached out to pull it.

Thinking it would be stuck fast, she braced her feet and pulled with all her might.

To her shock, the sword came out with almost no resistance. The momentum sent her tumbling backward onto her rear.

“Ouch—”

She hissed in pain. Once she steadied herself, she looked at the weapon. The reason it had been so easy to pull was because…

It was a broken sword!!

Fu Yan was so frustrated she wanted to use the blunt edge to end it right then and there.

Broken or not, she stood up and blew the dust off the hilt. Two characters were engraved there: Ling Long.

“The Ling Long Sword?” she whispered.

As the words left her lips, the broken sword trembled. A speck of light emerged from the blade and shot straight into her forehead. Before she could react, the information began to swirl in her mind.

A screen of light appeared before her eyes, and jumping characters began to manifest. She stared at the words and read them aloud:

“Frost Tempering Sutra…”

As she processed the light in her mind, she realized that the Frost Tempering Sutra was a body-refining technique of unknown grade.

In this world, body refining was the foundation for every cultivator. A good technique could make one’s progress twice as fast. It was like building a house; without a solid foundation, no matter how grand the structure, it would be useless.

The original owner was an ordinary person with no backing and mediocre talent. She had no body-refining technique at all. That was why she had been so desperate to break through to the Opening Light stage; only as an inner disciple of the Shui Ling Sect would she have the chance to choose a basic body-refining manual.

Now, she had obtained one from a broken sword. No wonder she was stunned.

“I wonder what grade this is,” she murmured.

Body-refining techniques were divided into five grades, with Grade 1 being the most precious and Grade 5 being the most common. Even a Grade 5 manual wasn’t as common as dirt; in the Shui Ling Sect, there were fewer than five Grade 5 manuals, and only inner disciples could access them.

Grade 1 and 2 techniques hadn’t appeared in the Northern Region for centuries. The Shui Ling Sect only had one Grade 3 manual, reserved for successive Sect Leaders. Grade 4 manuals were restricted to elders and top-tier geniuses.

Fu Yan remembered that the male lead practiced a Grade 1 technique. His “cheat” was truly massive.

She inspected the Frost Tempering Sutra in her mind, but she couldn’t determine its grade.

“Whatever. Even if it’s just Grade 5, it’s the same as what I’d get as an inner disciple. The priority is increasing my strength.”

She sat cross-legged in the stone cave and began to practice.

The Frost Tempering Sutra was divided into three layers. Mastering it would result in the so-called “Frost Body.” While she didn’t know exactly what that was, it sounded impressive. It wouldn’t be easy to master all three layers, but she wasn’t worried; cultivation was a marathon, not a sprint.

Inside the cave, the fire-starters slowly dimmed, but Fu Yan didn’t notice. She was entirely focused on the technique.

She lost track of time. When she finally opened her eyes, the cave was in total darkness. She didn’t mind, though, because she could feel the currents of energy within her rolling violently.

Something was about to burst forth.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth around her began to flow rapidly, like a restless kitten circling her.

Fu Yan suddenly smiled.

“I’m finally breaking through!!”