Chapter 18: The Five Realms of Swordsmanship, Three Paths (Part 2)

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  Comprehending the intent of the sword, what a great gift it is. To know that one's cultivation has reached the realm of the sword soul, wanting to progress further is a thousand times more difficult. The places where they can help with their cultivation are obvious, yet now Xuan Qing is giving such an opportunity to himself.

  At this thought, Lu Qing knelt down on the ground and kowtowed, "If his disciples achieve anything in the future, they will never forget their master's great kindness!"

  A hand helped Lu Qing up, "My Chaoyang Peak is the least in the Zixia Sect, but except for the main peak Zixia, it still ranks first. This has a great relationship with your Lu family's thousand-year dependence. As the saying goes, one honor and shame, one prosperity and decline. Doing so is also for the consideration of my Chaoyang Peak." Xuan Qing's words were clear, and Lu Qing's original doubts gradually dissipated.

  Immediately, Xuan Qing's expression turned serious, "Close your eyes, I'll transmit something to you."

  Lu Qingxian was taken aback at first, but then obediently closed his eyes.

  With a lift of his right hand, Xuan Qing's index finger sparkled with a brilliant purple light, pointing at Lu Qing's brow. As the fingertip approached, ripples of purple waves appeared in the air around Xuan Qing's finger. When the fingertip pressed against Lu Qing's brow, he felt a sudden heat in his brain, and a warm current enveloped his entire head. Soon after, a mild stinging sensation arose in his mind, but it didn't last long, and Lu Qing gritted his teeth to endure it.

  A moment later, Lu Qing opened his eyes, focused for a moment, and suddenly felt that there was an extra article of Sword Origin in his mind, about a thousand words or so. It was exceptionally profound and mysterious, far surpassing the complexity of the previous Xuanri Heart Sutra cultivation. After roughly distinguishing it, he found that there were seven layers of techniques, which surpassed the human rank but did not reach the ninth level of the Earth Rank Sword Origin. However, for him at this time, it was also extremely precious.

  "This is an ancient sword manual I obtained in my early years, called the Sword Soul Scripture. Although its power is not great, the method of refining the soul within is extremely profound. In the path of the sword, there are three major focuses for cultivation before condensing the sword soul: first is the cultivation of the sword's origin, second is the realm of the sword's intent, and third is the spiritual awareness of the soul. Although the key to advancing in cultivation lies in the comprehension of the sword's origin and the realm of the sword's intent, if one's spiritual awareness is insufficient, it will lead to immense difficulties in advancement, just like trying to hold water without a large enough container, which will inevitably overflow. The method of refining the soul in this Sword Soul Scripture has an enormous benefit for the growth of one's spiritual power, and even if you have the opportunity to condense your sword soul in the future, it can increase the success rate by four to five levels."

  He stroked the sparse white whiskers on his chin and said, "From now on, you can use the Soul Refining Method in the Xuanyuan Heart Sutra to help with your cultivation. I believe it will be helpful for your future breakthroughs, however..."

  His voice paused, Xuan Qing's eyes suddenly became stern, "I suppose you understand the principle of 'a commoner is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime'. Although this set of Sword Origin Scripture is only a fragment, if it spreads out, it will inevitably cause disputes in my Purple Mist Sect and even attract the attention of other forces. To be on the safe side, I still hope you can make a Sword God Oath."

  Jian Shen's oath, although not the most cruel oath in Jian Shen Continent, is the most reassuring one, because the witness is the greatest existence of this continent, Jian Shen.

  No one knows what the Sword God looks like, but since the end of the ancient five million years, the continent has recorded the history of the Sword God for over five million years. The Sword God and his Sword God Temple have been running through the entire historical process, such a nearly eternal life became the god worshipped by all swordsmen later on. Indeed, Lu Qing knew that the swordsmen on the Sword God Continent were seeking breakthroughs in their sword skills while also pursuing longer lifespans. However, it seemed to be extremely difficult. According to the summary of tens of thousands of years of sword dao masters, reaching the Sword Soul Realm could extend one's lifespan by 200 years, the Sword Spirit Realm by 400 to 800 years, and the highest Sword Heart Realm could have a lifespan of over 10,000 years. Yet, despite this, no one knew what kind of realm the Sword God was in. Such a long life accompanied by the Sword God Temple gradually became the faith of all people on this continent.

  I swear to the Sword God, with the Sword God as witness. If I violate this oath, my sword path will never advance even an inch, and I will suffer the punishment of destruction of both body and soul in the Sword God Temple. For over 50,000 years, there has not been a single person who has escaped this fate, all have been verified one by one.

  However, Lu Qing was not foolish. Although he was the only heir of the Lu family, being born into a noble household made him no less knowledgeable about human relationships and worldly affairs than some crowned adults. Even if he didn't make this Sword God Oath with Xuan Qing, he wouldn't say anything; at most, he would just erase this inheritance from his mind. But considering Xuan Qing's kindness to the Lu family and the many helps they were currently receiving, Lu Qing still chose to take this Sword God Oath, not to mention what was right or wrong, but at least now he had a clear distinction between gratitude and resentment.

  Turned to face the direction of the central continent of the Far East, where the Sword God lived in the Sword God Mountains, the main hall of the Sword God Temple was located, and it was also the place where all swordsmen on the continent wanted to make a pilgrimage. Kneeling on one knee, "I swear by the Sword God!"

  Lu Qing's finger tip made a swift stroke, and his left index finger suddenly opened up a small wound. A bright red drop of blood floated in the air, suspended quietly in front of Lu Qing. Lu Qing's mind stirred, this was the power of the Sword God. His eyes couldn't help but show a hint of reverence.

  "With the Sword God as my witness, I, Lu Qing, will never reveal even a single word of the Sword Soul Scripture to any third person. If I were to betray this oath, I would rather suffer the punishment of having both body and soul destroyed, forever scattered across the heavens and earth!" As soon as he finished speaking, the floating blood droplet suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light, and in an instant split into two halves. One half shot into Lu Qing's brow with a whooshing sound, and Lu Qing only felt a chill on his forehead before losing all sensation, while the other half of the blood droplet shot towards the outside of the hall. Before it even reached the door, it seemed to collide with an invisible wave, causing the surrounding air to ripple slightly before suddenly disappearing without a trace.

  Such unpredictable means are probably only possessed by the Sword God! Lu Qing sighed in his heart, and more of it was a kind of expectation for the path of swordsmanship. In the vast journey of seeking, although there are great difficulties, there are also great wonders.

  "Alright, if there's nothing else, you can go. Also, the way of the sword is like a boat going upstream - if it doesn't move forward, it will retreat. No matter when, one cannot afford to slack off easily. I hope you remember this." Seeing Lu Qing make his vow, Xuan Qing waved his hand.

  He bowed again and left the main hall. In the great hall, Xuan Qing's eyes flickered, sometimes deep in thought, sometimes painful, or with a hint of guilt, changing unpredictably. A moment later, he took out a thin golden page from his bosom, on which were printed three large characters: "Jian Hun Jing" (Sword Soul Scripture). His right hand flashed purple, and the page suddenly ignited, burning into ashes in an instant. As his fingers relaxed, grayish-white powder scattered from between them.

  "This is the last one, right?" Muttering to himself, Xuán Qīng turned around and walked towards the back of the hall, gradually disappearing into the corridor, and in just an instant, his figure seemed to have aged by several years.

  Another day passed, and Lu Qing returned to the Purple Bamboo Institute with a tired body. After more than half a month, the disciples of Chaoyang Peak had become accustomed to this new little brother. Although his behavior was somewhat puzzling, every day he would carry a large black iron sword to practice his physique. The disciples who saw him were secretly speculating that for an ungrounded swordsman like him, the most important thing should be to focus on sitting meditation and accumulating internal energy.

  There were also a few kind-hearted disciples who reminded Lu Qing when they saw him, but he just smiled and ignored them. No one bothered with him again, including when he encountered Tai Yun and his group. Perhaps due to Zhao Qianye's previous warning, they didn't actively make things difficult for Lu Qing, and sometimes even showed him a warm smile. However, in Lu Qing's eyes, this was more terrifying than a scornful sneer. The fire wolf that belonged to Tai Yun had become even more majestic after nearly half a month, its greenish-yellow fur shining with oil, its copper bell-like eyes radiating a cold glow, clearly indicating significant progress in its strength.

  He was worried that he would not be able to withstand the double attack of humans and spiritual beasts in the future grand swordsmanship competition, because he knew that signing a contract with a spiritual beast from the Spiritual Beast Temple required contributing points to the sect, which could be used to exchange for swords, guidance from seniors, spiritual beasts, blessed land cultivation, and many other benefits. These points were obtained by completing tasks assigned by the Outer Affairs Hall of the sect's main peak, or by supervising mining operations in the sect's mountains, or by guarding surrounding cities, towns, and villages, as well as handling tax disputes and other matters.

  The Zixia Sect's domain spans over 200 miles, with a population of over 2 million people. Even if there are over 2,000 disciples in the sect, there are many tasks to be handled. However, for Lu Qing, what he lacks most is time. He doesn't even have enough time to cultivate, let alone accumulate points to exchange for spiritual beasts.

  However, Zixia Sect has also considered the situation of some cultivation maniacs over the years. These cultivation maniacs are mostly talented individuals from the sect who have enough influence to make the high-ranking elders change the rules for them. This is what Duan Qingyun told Lu Qing. It seems that since 200 years ago, Zixia Sect has established new rules for the Great Swordsmanship Competition. The rule states that swordsmen must rely on their skills and cultivation to win, as external power is not a true reflection of one's strength. Therefore, the new regulation stipulates that only single-person, single-sword combat is allowed in the competition arena, regardless of the reason.