Chapter 799: Chapter 798 Sword Spirit’s Challenge
Hou Niao finally birthed a Sword Spirit on his Flying Sword, which was somewhat different from his previous ones.
It was hard to clarify the nature of this Sword Spirit, as it felt strange, seemingly both an embodiment of his spirit and an independent entity?
They could seamlessly connect and switch at will; when using the Flying Sword, the sword carried the spirit, and when using the Body Sword, he himself was the spirit, thoroughly resolving his past obstacles.
He sighed inwardly, having groped for nearly a century before finding the right method—it was not easy at all.
This showed that if the essence of the Sword Dao were a hundred, how much did he truly comprehend?
To have created such a Sword Dao, the predecessors were indeed awe-inspiring, making one feel filthy in comparison. Even though he had already made a name for himself in the Jinxiu Continent and attracted many followers with his unique system, it was nothing in front of such Sword Dao.
Who could have created such an unfathomable Sword Dao?
In the ancient parchment scrolls, only two names were vaguely mentioned, one being the ‘General’ from ‘will-general vehicle serve in’, and the other a Taoist from ‘Dao encounters Lou Taoist’. Were these two the creators? Or was it merely a generic reference to a scenario?
Were these figures and events from the former Jinxiu Continent or an unknowable place in Outer Space? Were they from recent times or the distant past? Were these people still around, turned into Immortals or had they already passed away?
Too many mysteries were drowned in the river of history, never to surface again. Even their legacies had become vague and fragmented. After a century of hard work, how much had he managed to piece together?
But there was one thing he could probably confirm—this legacy likely wasn’t native to the Jinxiu Continent. After all, the spiritual awakening on the Jinxiu Continent had been only two thousand years, which wasn’t considered long in the Cultivation World; if such a legacy existed within the Sword Sect, wouldn’t they have united the entire continent rather than confining themselves to Shan Country?
But what if other Daoist lineages and Sword Sects were also incomplete?
Now, aside from needing time to compress his three-foot Flying Sword back to a foot, his condition had returned to its peak and even surpassed his former self in other aspects.
The only concern was that he felt the Golden Core Realm’s calling, though it was still vague and hazy, yet unmistakably clear.
He too had joined the ranks of those in the Constellation True Inheritors waiting for the Golden Core, and he faintly understood that at their level of strength, the impulse to ascend to the Upper Realm was inevitable. This was dictated by the rules of the Heavenly Dao, unavoidable for everyone, just a matter of sooner or later.
By now, he also had to guard against others ‘doing him favors,’ as it was simply karma.
Pulling his thoughts back from reflections, he decided to revel in the present moment.
A large Flying Sword shot out from the Purple Mansion, and he disappeared from his spot, leaving only a sword light flipping through the sky, as agile and swift as a dragon, achieving whatever was desired.
In the midst of the Flying Sword’s spinning assault, it spontaneously carried Sword Momentum; with the insights gleaned from the ancient parchment scrolls, he had improved greatly in Sword Momentum. Unrivaled, invincible, both were effortlessly displayed on the Flying Sword. In just a moment where the Flying Sword passed, clouds dispersed, birds fled, grass flattened, wind followed, light depended…
This sword dance lasted for half an hour before his enthusiasm waned. When he transitioned out of the Body Sword Skill and his body reappeared, he found nearly a hundred Grassland Swordsmen below, dazzled and mesmerized by the display. The moment he appeared, they all bowed in reverence,
“Yang Yang, the Sword Immortal, possesses boundless mana…”
Hou Niao hurriedly waved his hand. He could not stand this style unique to the Grassland, which carried a bit of blind worship characteristic of Witchcraft. If such praises continued, he feared he might forget his own surname.
As he approached the crowd, he said with concern, “The inheritance of the Golden Bloodline is truly miraculous. It allowed me to birth a Sword Spirit with much less effort. It is indeed an ancient True Inheritor, extraordinary. Well, has any of you birthed a Sword Spirit?”
The scene fell silent, amid the resentful and helpless gazes of everyone, Shi Le stood up and awkwardly said:
“Our Senior Brother has exceptional talents which we cannot hope to match; much to our teacher brother’s knowledge, among these ninety-seven elite swordsmen of the Grassland, not one has birthed a Sword Spirit…”
Hou Niao was stunned. This was somewhat awkward. So he was the only one who succeeded? His sword dance, in such an atmosphere, seemed like showing off, self-satisfied, yet he forgot to consider the feelings of others.
Shi Le was ashamed; he too felt embarrassed, “Maybe, maybe it’s because our aptitude is blunt? Or the ancient scrolls have too high demands for cultivators? In any case, having cultivated diligently in recent years, following the laws strictly, we still felt nothing.”
Hou Niao fell into deep thought; he understood these Grassland swordsmen well. That not a single person out of nearly a hundred achieved it, and with absolutely no feeling, there must definitely be a problem somewhere.
He knew his own limitations. Solely in terms of comprehension and potential, although he could be considered top-notch, he was far from being able to look down on his peers. In the Quanzhen Sect, Duan Wuqian was stronger than him; his true strength lay in self-repair, never being satisfied, daring to take risks, and being good at planning… but not in intellectual grasp.
About the traits of the Grassland swordsmen, he had always considered and speculated, “Could it be because of your body skill?”
Shi Le scratched his head, “But teacher brother, don’t you also practice body skills? Who in the Jinxiu Continent Cultivation World does not practice body cultivation? Even the Daoist and Magic Cultivators each have their powerful body techniques, that shouldn’t hinder, right?”
Hou Niao shook his head, “That’s different, our body skill is Passive Body Skill, but the body skill I’ve seen you guys practice seems to be integrated into swordsmanship? It’s a big difference.”
In the Cultivation World, Body Skill could even be termed the largest branch because everyone practices body skill, no matter their main cultivation; a robust body is the fundamental guarantee for combat cultivation, with the only differences being in the effort invested.
There are countless branches of Body Skill, but when distinguishing based on application, it can be simply divided into two types, one being Passive Body Skill, and the other being Active Body Skill.
Passive Body Skills refer to those that are not the primary direction; cultivators practice defensive and offensive skills in other fields, only triggering the Body Skill when attacked directly. That’s typical of Daoist, Magic Cultivators, members of the Demon Sect, Buddhist Sect, and other major factions, including Sword Cultivators.
Active Body Skill refers to Body Cultivation and Ancient Martial Sect, where all their abilities lie in Body Skill, using this to cultivate and fight, consistently engaging Body Skill; the Grassland’s Golden Bloodline follows this route, forced by their restrictions in wielding a sword.
Shi Le was troubled, “If we abandon our Body Skill, picking it up again would be difficult. If successful in birthing a Sword Spirit, it’s good, but if not, without the enhancement of Body Skill, won’t we be losing half our combat strength?”
This was the real situation, because Body Skill was also a comprehensive matter, involving flesh, bones, blood, spirit, and mana; once separated, the short-term impact on a cultivator was substantial.
But there were some who did not believe in evil spirits. Shi Bu stood up, “I am willing to give it a try on behalf of everyone.”