Destiny in Cinders

Firearms?!

An Jing froze in disbelief, his eyes immediately darting around his surroundings. "Even with firearms, they all died. Are these ruins really that dangerous?! What sort of world is this? Sword soul... what should I call you? 'Sir' or 'Your Excellency?'"

"Ours is a relationship of mutual assistance, so calling me 'Sir' is unnecessary," said the sword soul. "I don't know either, but my shard is here. I recognize these ruins... They feel somewhat familiar. I suspect they're related to my time period."

After observing for a while, the sword soul couldn't be certain either. "I'm broken now. Most of my memories are lost to me. These skeletons were only at the Silk Aura Stage when they were alive, but the ones in the front were at least at the River Aura Stage. It appears they were killed with some sort of soul-stealing technique. It's dangerous here. The faster you break through to the Aura Realm, the sooner we can leave this place."

An Jing nodded. The sheer number of slain armed martialists was proof that the danger within these ruins might well be worse than that of Direlife Manor. Danger aside, he had to quickly return to the manor and pretend to be asleep. The silent understanding between him and the manor lord demanded that he maintain a facade of normalcy and give nothing away. He needed to score perfectly on this test.

The manor lord couldn't have dreamed that An Jing would advance to the Aura Realm. With the sword soul and Sword of Tranquility, An Jing was sure his new strength was undetectable to ordinary eyes, the manor lord's included. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

He considered the manor lord's own strength. As a Fortification Realm martialist, the manor lord possessed unique wonders and extraordinary skills far beyond ordinary people. Despite his old age and depleted vigor, he was still a formidable adversary, unless...

An Jing lowered his head, his eyes falling upon the firearms held by the skeletal remains. If a soul-stealing technique had killed them, then perhaps there wasn't any poison involved.

Upon receiving a definitive "no" from the sword soul, An Jing immediately began searching the skeletons, finding little of value beyond bullets and firearms. Though their superiors carried more sophisticated items such as communication terminals and medicine, they were all broken beyond use.

Given the state of decay, they had been dead for at least seven or eight years, which was enough time for even the most durable materials to become fragile and weathered. Putting aside the worn-out firearms and rotting clothing, even the uniquely shaped daggers at their waists were completely corroded.

However, their leaders carried a different kind of gun, setting it apart from the others. The weapon was the size of a standard rifle, resembling two metal rails with a white, jade-like crystal mounted in the middle. Most importantly, this strange weapon hadn't succumbed to time; it was only covered in dust, not rusted.

"It's an artifact." The sword soul eyed it with surprise. "A spirit artifact, a rare spirit treasure... While artifacts are lower-grade implements restricted to channeling dao techniques, they have unique functions. This one appears to be designed for offense. You'll have to be at least at the Aura Realm to use it, and its spirit core is depleted. But the one on the left still works."

Picking up the artifact, An Jing examined it and noticed the white jade in the middle was still glowing faintly. "Great, I'll keep it."

His search of the skeletons yielded a significant haul—an artifact and two working firearms. These powerful, large-barrel guns were presumably spares. He found them tucked away in their cases and ready for regular use.

An Jing gathered up some bullets that appeared usable and decided to test one. Its power was immense. The shot rang out like thunder and left the rocky ground dented nearly a palm deep.

Not only were these guns heavily charged, but the dao patterns on the muzzles boosted their power, making them far deadlier than the weapons of his former life.

"A flying sword?" The sword soul was surprised by the gun's power. "Is this a sword case? This is the first time I've seen such a fragile, single-use flying sword."

"This isn't a flying sword, it's a gun." An Jing attempted to explain, but the sword soul appeared puzzled.

"Made from metal, packing immense power and speed, it kills by piercing armor, and effortlessly neutralizes weaker opponents—is that not the definition of a flying sword?"

An Jing blinked and pondered briefly before clarity struck him. "You're right, it's a flying sword."

"The development of these flying swords has evolved to the point where even ordinary people without aura can use them." The sword soul sounded quite excited. "It appears that technomancy is rather advanced in this world."

Unsure how to respond, An Jing simply gathered up the ammunition, keeping some and hiding the rest. "I don't need that many. I can't conceal them all."

He now possessed two regular guns and an artifact gun, but currently lacked the strength to use the latter. However, two firearms were plenty. It wasn't like he had extra hands.

For some reason, An Jing found himself remarkably skilled with a gun, which made him wonder: what exactly did he do in his past life? How did he acquire such extensive knowledge of so many things, including marksmanship?

An Jing pushed the questions out of his mind. Despite his unexpected haul, he hadn't forgotten why he came to this world in the first place—to break through to the Aura Realm.

"To be honest, I'm unfamiliar with the martial path of Void Embrace. During my time, everyone practiced the orthodox method of qi cultivation of the immortal path." The sword soul cut straight to the point.

"But I believe that within the same world, so long as humanity remains fundamentally unchanged, the core principles will endure, unshaken by the passage of eons or the turning of countless epochs. Ultimately, it all comes down to grasping innate qi, building it from wisps till it fills every part of your body. The question is, which approach do you prefer? Yin or yang techniques?"

"Yin or yang techniques?" An Jing immediately recognized these as alternate names for the methods of motion and stillness.

"I'm more familiar with methods of motion... We came to this foreign world to hide my progress, didn't we? Or is there something special about methods of stillness?"

"Methods of motion let you advance during battle, while methods of stillness are safer." The sword soul was quick to grasp how yin and yang related to motion and stillness. "But ideally, one should have both motion and stillness, integrating yin and yang."

An Jing was intrigued. "How does it work?"

He was familiar with methods of stillness. The An clan's martial classics spoke of the Whitehorse Sect in Southsea Anchorage, where disciples had mastered cultivating qi through sleep. Were it not for the annotations, the martial classics would merely be a collection of folk tales. The annotations, however, revealed that the sect possessed a special contemplation technique to expand consciousness, thereby grasping the "unmoving yet steady" innate qi and subsequently aura.

All rivers led to the sea. Be it through motion or stillness, they were all orthodox techniques. This was simply an alternative road to the same destination. Their practice of "sleeping all day" was in fact just a unique form of meditation used to maintain a state of stillness. While the disciples of the Whitehorse Sect weren't as well versed in martial techniques, their aura was exceptionally powerful.