Chapter 151: Sword Heart
Chapter 151: Sword Heart
"The Trinity Sword Canon, the Grand Five Elements Sword Art Exegesis, the Cloud and Rain Sword..."
"The art of summoning wind and rain, the art of rejuvenation..."
"The Secret Art of Burning Blood..."
...
Fang Xing's eyes scanned the room, and he couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
No wonder it's the treasure pavilion of a Nascent Soul sect, the collection is indeed extensive.
But it was clear that the true treasures would be found only in the higher levels, and he could only access up to the third floor.
With a hint of reluctance, Fang Xing proceeded to the second floor, where he immediately laid eyes on numerous books pertaining to the hundred arts of cultivation.
Second-rank pill refining, talisman making, array formation, artifact forging, beast taming, spirit tea brewing, winemaking...
Various legacies were almost comprehensively covered!
"It is said that in some Golden Core sects, aside from other cultivation arts, the legacies of array formations and pill refining are tightly controlled, even inaccessible to inner disciples..."
"The Celestial Sword Sect is indeed generous... So aside from the sword, there's nothing else of value here?"
"Delegating these intricate tasks to the outer sect disciples is a way to encourage them to strive for excellence in the hundred arts of cultivation."
Although Fang Xing was intrigued by several legacies, he made his way up to the third floor.
There were even fewer books on this floor, but each one was a gem, pertaining to the third rank!
"The Eight Gates Sword Array?!"
He picked up a jade slip and found it to be a guide to sword arrays. Even though he could only glimpse the beginning, the tone was extraordinary.
If one could gather eight spiritual-grade flying swords of the Five Elements and Three Wonders attributes, even a Foundation Establishment swordsman could challenge the Golden Core realm when deploying this sword array!
"Not suitable for me..."
He shook his head and browsed through a few other cultivation techniques.
Among them was the 'Heavenly Golden Manual', which could take one all the way to the late Golden Core stage and was suitable for cultivators with metal-attribute spirit roots. It was evidently far superior to the Golden Transformation Technique.
There might even be subsequent volumes on higher floors.
"It's a pity it's not a pure swordsmanship technique!"
The Heavenly Golden Manual also aimed for the refinement of an immortal golden core, not a sword core.
Perhaps, in the current cultivation world, this type of qi refining method was the mainstream.
Fang Xing flipped through a few more books and finally found a swordsmanship manual.
"Hmm? The 'Seven Killing Sword Canon'... It can be cultivated to the level of condensing one's own sword core... A bit too heavy on the killing intent."
Holding a book made of white bones, he furrowed his brows slightly, "Kill life, kill heaven, kill earth, kill demons, kill gods, kill oneself... In the heavens and earth, nothing is beyond killing... Are demonic cultivation techniques even this ruthless?"
Even just reading the introduction, Fang Xing felt that swordsmanship was too extreme.
He then looked at another book, the 'Seven Mysterious Primordial Sword Chapters', which was a path of the mind sword. If one was not careful, it was easy to go insane...
"So this is the style of swordsmanship?"
Fang Xing's lips twitched slightly. When he left the treasure pavilion, he only carried two jade slips.
The white-haired swordsman glanced at him and smiled, "The Golden Elemental Sword Canon and the second-rank pill refining legacy? Are you planning to switch to the path of swordsmanship?"
This "Golden Elemental Sword Canon" was the one Fang Xing had carefully selected from the third floor. It was a cultivation technique that was not extremely radical.
The key was the golden sword art, which suited his heaven-grade metal spirit root.
The second-rank pill refining legacy was for gaining a broader understanding.
"I've admired swordsmanship since I was young, and now that I have the opportunity, I naturally want to give it a try... As for pill refining, I'm already a quasi second-rank pill refiner."
Fang Xing explained.
"Hmm, you need to first take an oath to guard your heart demon and not reveal the sect's techniques and legacies..."
The white-haired swordsman watched as Fang Xing swore an oath and then took out two jade slips, copying the contents of these two secret manuals and handing them to Fang Xing, "I've made copies of them, and the originals will be returned to their places."
"Yes!"
Fang Xing took the jade slip that contained the 'Golden Elemental Sword Canon' and eagerly began to browse through it.
The path of the sword was profound and extensive.
And it was extremely resource-intensive. At the very beginning, one needed to gather the essence of the five metals, meteorites from beyond the sky, and other materials to forge a 'sword embryo'!
After reaching the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core stages, one could only imagine how many rare resources would be required to upgrade one's sword.
In this way, the fusion of man and sword would unleash tremendous power.
After reading the qi refining section, he suddenly gained great insight. With a snap of his fingers, the Wind and Snow Sword flew out, and amidst the howling sword qi, there was a faint sound of thunder!
"Refining sword qi, thunder in the sword qi?"
The white-haired swordsman nodded and then shook his head, "You, as an outer sect disciple, seem to have some talent, but... Is this piece of scrap metal worthy of being called a flying sword? If you want to switch to swordsmanship, you should refine a good sword embryo as soon as possible. That will cost a fortune..."
"Thank you for the reminder."
Fang Xing sincerely thanked him and bid farewell.
His ability to comprehend 'Sword Qi Thunder' was due to his long period of exploration and his profound cultivation base.
With his Foundation Establishment cultivation, it was only natural that he would break through with guidance.
However, refining a sword to the level of a Sword Pommel and cultivating Sword Qi was extremely difficult.
With a basic foundation in Sword Qi, one could cultivate techniques like 'Sword Silk' and 'Sword Light Differentiation', which would be sufficient to roam the world with a sword at the Foundation Establishment stage!
"This Golden Elemental Sword Canon is indeed much better than the Golden Transformation Technique... But to transform my cultivation technique, I need a sword embryo."
This was also emphasized in the sword canon.
While the Wind and Snow Sword was ranked as a second-rate spiritual artifact, it was more suitable for cultivators who focused on the law.
If he were to use this sword as his primary flying sword, Fang Xing would feel embarrassed and as if he were doing himself a disservice.
"The refinement of a Nascent Soul Flying Sword mainly depends on finding the right match... It's about forging a sword embryo that suits you best and not necessarily chasing after high-grade materials... After all, once you reach the Foundation Establishment and Nascent Soul stages, sword cultivators can absorb the essence of high-grade materials and refine their flying swords anew."
"According to the Sword Canon, the most suitable materials for my Nascent Spirit Spirit Sword are 'Thousand Heart Dark Iron', 'Geng Jin', and 'Golden Essence'..."
Fang Xing merely glanced at it and moved on.
After all, various sword cultivation materials in Qi Country, especially within the Celestial Sword Sect, were exorbitantly priced.
No wonder, as this was a sword cultivation sect, and everything revolved around the sword!
"But aside from that, there is also a method of sensing to find the most suitable nascent spirit material for oneself..."
"I don't even need to gather all of it in this cultivation world..."
In the main universe, material science had reached astonishing heights, and numerous alloy materials could be used to forge weapons for Martial Saints and even Martial Gods.
There were also some rare metal materials in the Blue Star University's treasury, which were considered cosmic curiosities! They were intended for exchange and experimentation by students of the mecha department.
But Fang Xing could exchange them as well!
"With my current cultivation, I can forge a nascent spirit treasure prototype... or a nascent spirit sword embryo..."
"Infused with the essence of the two grand universes, this flying sword will surely become extraordinary in the future... Of course, I still need to test the materials from the main universe."
Fang Xing thought silently.
What truly made him hesitate was that although the Golden Elemental Sword Canon was a sword cultivation technique, it might not be the best one.
The nascent spirit flying sword forged according to this sword canon would represent a path chosen, and it would be difficult to change it afterward.
While those peerless geniuses could often create their own cultivation techniques, he was not one of them.
As he was deep in thought, his footsteps suddenly paused.
Not far away stood a peculiar tall mountain, like a sharp sword piercing the heavens!
Some Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment disciples were on the mountain path, seemingly attempting to climb it while also tempering themselves.
"Sword Heart Peak?!"
When Fang Xing arrived at the foot of the mountain, he saw a few mortal boys and girls with disabilities. Their clothes were stained with blood, some knelt by the roadside, and others stubbornly held their heads high, determined to continue climbing.
"I've told you before, the Celestial Sword Sect only considers sword talent when accepting disciples... As mortals with no cultivation at all, as long as you can climb ten steps, you will be accepted as outer disciples... Twenty steps, and you will be direct disciples."
A disciple of the Celestial Sword Sect, expressionless, said from the side: "The disciple recruitment trial has long passed. Even if you kneel and die here, I won't bat an eye..."
"I don't believe it. I will definitely take ten steps!"
A boy with trembling legs mumbled to himself, "I have a spirit root, so why can't I join a sect?"
He rushed up the steps and leaped three steps at once.
Stomp!
As he reached the fifth step, his leg stiffened, and a flash of blood light seemed to appear on his calf.
The boy gritted his teeth and climbed two more steps.
When he landed on the eighth step, he let out a painful cry and was flung backward, falling heavily to the ground, his body badly injured!
"Why bother? With your spirit root aptitude, you are already one in a million among mortals... You can join any other sect at the Nascent Soul stage, and they will surely accept you. But look at what you've done to yourself now... You've gravely injured yourself and damaged your foundation. Even a Nascent Soul True Lord's body, if severely wounded, will affect their cultivation. You've injured yourself so badly before even reaching the Qi Condensation stage; your damaged Qi foundation will likely hinder your path to the Foundation Establishment in the future."
The disciple glanced at the unconscious boy and coldly smiled, "He thought he could follow our sect's disciples and temper his sword with this peak. How foolish! Our sect doesn't care about spirit roots or aptitude. If you can't climb Sword Heart Peak, then you have no fate with our sect!"
Upon hearing this, most of the boys and girls fell into despair and left in twos and threes.
Only one remained kneeling by the roadside, and another lay on the ground, heavily injured and unconscious.
Fang Xing silently watched this scene, feeling the difficulty mortals faced in their pursuit of immortality.
At least he didn't have to go through such hardships.
He took a step forward and ascended Sword Heart Peak.
"Hmm?"
As soon as he stepped onto the staircase, Fang Xing felt something different.
"This feeling... It's somewhat similar to the comprehension of the Ten Thousand Spirit Records, but also distinct. It seems to be testing the disciple's aptitude and will..."
"The better the aptitude, the lighter the pressure... Additionally, if one's will is extraordinary and resonates with the Sword Dao, they can go even further..."
With his early Foundation Establishment cultivation, the first hundred steps were as easy as walking on flat ground.
Only occasionally did he gain some sharp insights into the Sword Dao, which floated in his mind.
Soon, he reached one hundred and eighty steps!
The Celestial Sword Sect had a rule: Outer sect disciples at the Foundation Establishment stage who climbed two hundred steps on Sword Heart Peak would enter the inner sect, and those who climbed four hundred steps would become direct disciples!
This was a path to enter the inner sect that was no less challenging than the dueling platform, just less bloody.
At this moment, Fang Xing continued to ascend, passing one Celestial Sword Sect disciple after another, until he reached the one hundred ninety-ninth step.
Standing there, he vaguely felt a mysterious sword intent emanating from the peak, resonating with him!
"This is..."
(End of Chapter)
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