Free Web NovelChapter 29: Chapter 29: Interested in Going to Celestial Sword Peak?
「Early the next morning.」
Jiang Xu woke up early to grind his Skill Levels.
Even with a fallback plan, he couldn’t stop striving.
If he was strong enough, there would be no danger to speak of, and certainly no need to flee.
’If things were safe and stable enough, who would want to live a life of wandering, constantly worried and afraid?’
’I was forced into this!’
In a few more days, Jiang Xu would get new Limit-Breaking Points. By then, however, his Cangmu Skill would be close to maxing out its Skill Level.
Jiang Xu wanted to use his points on both the Concealing Breath Spell and the Cangmu Skill.
However, the Cangmu Skill was far more important than the Concealing Breath Spell. Since it also increased his Lifespan, he had to prioritize it.
Jiang Xu walked to his usual cultivation spot and immediately saw Zong Ziqi, engrossed in a thick book. Zong Ziqi would occasionally adopt a look of sudden enlightenment, as if he were in the middle of learning something profound.
He didn’t get too close. From a distance, he greeted Zong Ziqi to announce his presence, lest the other man think he was trying to pry into his secrets.
"Good morning, Fellow Daoist Zong."
Zong Ziqi looked up, smiled, and returned the greeting.
"What are you up to?"
Seeing that Zong Ziqi wasn’t being secretive, Jiang Xu walked closer and asked with curiosity.
"Oh, I went to the Scripture Pavilion yesterday, didn’t I? I picked out a Body Cultivation Technique. I didn’t expect that even though this Body Cultivation stuff isn’t as esoteric as regular Cultivation, there’s still just as much to learn. I’ve been reading for half the day and I’m still struggling to make sense of it."
Zong Ziqi put down the book and lamented,
"Besides, Body Cultivation Techniques are real Spirit Stone sinks. I wonder how far these few thousand Spirit Stones I have on me can even get me."
"A... a few thousand Spirit Stones?!"
Jiang Xu couldn’t help but blurt out.
To Jiang Xu, who didn’t have a single Spirit Stone to his name, it was as if he were staring at a Spirit Stone Mine.
’My god, he’s loaded!’
’Oh, right. I remember he and his master extorted a sum of Spirit Stones from the General Affairs Hall.’
’Could this be what he’s talking about?’
’Ugh, speaking of which, I technically have a share in those Spirit Stones...’
Seeing Jiang Xu’s huge reaction, Zong Ziqi chuckled.
"What, are you short on Spirit Stones? I can lend you some." fгeewebnovёl.com
GULP—
Jiang Xu swallowed hard. After a moment of hesitation, he forced himself to refuse.
"N-No... no, thank you. I’m... I’m not short on Spirit Stones!"
To be honest, Jiang Xu was desperate for Spirit Stones right now.
But he hated the feeling of being in debt. He always felt it soured his relationships with people.
Although many people say the debtor is the one who holds all the cards...
...Jiang Xu felt that owing money was like owing a favor, and debts of favor were the hardest to repay.
A flicker of surprise showed in Zong Ziqi’s eyes. He raised an eyebrow, then returned his gaze to the book in his hands and resumed his dedicated study.
Seeing this, Jiang Xu also began his daily cultivation.
...
As noon approached, Jiang Xu finished his Pile Skill practice, calming his surging qi and blood.
Zong Ziqi, who had been studying the Cultivation Technique nearby, suddenly stopped flipping through his book.
"The Mortal Martial Dao and the Body Cultivation Techniques of the Cultivation Realm seem worlds apart, but they actually have certain similarities."
Zong Ziqi mused,
"Mortal Horizontal Cultivation Methods use qi and blood to stimulate the Inner Breath. This Inner Breath is then circulated to temper the body. As the body grows stronger, it nurtures even more Inner Breath. This creates a virtuous cycle until the Inner Breath eventually transforms into True Qi. At that point, the human body transitions from the Postnatal to the Innate state.
The Body Cultivation Techniques of the Cultivation Realm, on the other hand, use the Spirit Root to absorb Spiritual Qi, which is then used to strengthen the body. Various Heavenly and Earthly Treasures are also used as supplements to accelerate this process.
Furthermore, different Body Cultivation Techniques have different focuses and Secret Techniques, allowing one to awaken different Physical Divine Powers."
"To put it bluntly, it’s all just training the physical body."
After listening to Zong Ziqi, Jiang Xu felt an overwhelming urge to make a sarcastic comment.
’It’s called a Body Cultivation Technique. If it doesn’t train the body, what else would it train?’
He was taking a break from the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill for now. It consumed too much Magical Power, so he had to temporarily stop practicing Magic as well.
Jiang Xu thought for a moment and realized he had a Skill he had barely practiced.
He opened his panel and saw that ever since he’d bought the Wind Thunder Sword, he’d only practiced it a few times in the first couple of days before setting it aside completely.
It was still at Beginner Level with only 30 points in its Skill Level.
’Now that I’ve started on the Martial Dao, my Swordsmanship can’t be lacking. After all, a sword is safer than my fists.’
Jiang Xu returned to his courtyard and took out a Fine Steel Sword.
Jiang Xu had traded a pound of Spirit Rice for this sword, and he’d even gotten the seller to throw in a Sword Scabbard for free.
Carrying the steel sword, Jiang Xu returned to the bamboo forest. He began to practice, recalling the moves from the sword manual one by one.
The Wind Thunder Sword comprised thirteen basic sword forms.
They included Drawing, Guiding, Lifting, Parrying, Striking, Thrusting, Tapping, Flicking, Whirling, Pressing, Hacking, Intercepting, and Sweeping.
Only after one had mastered these basic forms could they begin to learn the actual Sword Techniques.
The Drawing form was divided into the Upward Draw and Downward Draw. For both, the palm of the sword hand faced down, the back of the hand faced up, and the tip of the sword pointed forward. The user aimed for the top or bottom of the enemy’s wrist and executed a pulling cut to the right.
Jiang Xu meticulously began practicing, starting with the Drawing form.
Seeing Jiang Xu begin his sword practice, Zong Ziqi watched with great interest.
His casual observation soon gave way to a serious expression. Before long, he snapped the Body Cultivation Technique manual shut.
When Jiang Xu had finished practicing one set of the sword forms,
CLAP CLAP CLAP—!
Zong Ziqi began to applaud again, his face alight with excitement as he cheered.
"Excellent! Excellent! Fellow Daoist Jiang, you are a true prodigy of Swordsmanship!
At first, your Swordsmanship was still quite crude. But in such a short time, your progress has been so astonishingly fast! It leaves me utterly amazed, simply divine!
"Fellow Daoist Jiang, have you ever considered joining my Celestial Sword Peak? I could report this to my Master. Perhaps you might even have a chance to become his disciple."
"Huh?"
Jiang Xu was completely baffled.
’Mortal Swordsmanship is worthy of Celestial Sword Peak’s attention?’
’And I could become an Elder Disciple?’
’Isn’t that an exaggeration?’
"Fellow Daoist Zong, please don’t joke with me. I know my own limits. I haven’t even properly learned this mortal Swordsmanship, how could I go to Celestial Sword Peak?"
"Nonsense! Fellow Daoist Jiang, while your swordsmanship may be a bit lacking right now, with your talent, I’d say you’re more than qualified to join our Celestial Sword Peak!"
Then, Zong Ziqi produced a Treasure Sword from out of nowhere.
The sword was just over two feet long. Its blade, forged from Profound Iron, was extremely thin and radiated a faint, cold light. A Golden Dragon was carved into the hilt, giving it an air of immense dignity. The blade was incomparably sharp, its edge like autumn frost.
The moment Zong Ziqi gripped the sword, Jiang Xu felt the man’s entire aura change.
Previously, in Jiang Xu’s eyes, Zong Ziqi was just an ordinary mortal. He had no profound Cultivation to speak of, and he was only just beginning to familiarize himself with a Body Cultivation Technique. If it weren’t for his status, Jiang Xu wouldn’t have given him a second glance.
But now, though Zong Ziqi still appeared as a mortal to Jiang Xu’s eyes, his Spiritual Sense perceived him as something else entirely—a sword.
It was a sword of incomparably sharp, cold light, overflowing with a Sword Qi that seemed capable of slicing through anything.
The sword in his hand seemed to have merged with his body, becoming an extension of himself. He and the sword were one, indistinguishable from each other.
"This is... Sword Intent?"
