Chapter 318: Understanding
Translator: 549690339
He tried to activate his spiritual power, only to discover it was completely useless in this illusory world. His only option was to attempt utilizing his mental focus and sword intention.
While forming a protective shell with his sword intention should have been a simple task, he was finding it extraordinarily challenging here.
The moment Jiang Xiaobai released his sword intention, he felt as if it were rapidly freezing.
The consequence of freezing was shattering!
If his sword intention failed to protect him, he would be done for!
Jiang Xiaobai truly believed this would be his fate if his sword intention failed, he didn’t want to die, hence he was pushing himself to the edge, desperately concentrating on solidifying his sword intention.
Fortunately, the epiphanies he had experienced previously had already boosted the potency of his sword intention somewhat, yet all this was only buying him a little more time.
Although he could quickly recover his sword intention once it was exhausted, cultivating it was not without cost—it required energy!
Once his energy was exhausted, he could only wait for death.
“I can’t continue . I must find a solution. Even though my initial idea was correct, this secret realm definitely has more than just this one test!”
“Damn it, that big shot really set us up!”
While unleashing a chain of angry roars in his mind and striving to focus on his sword intention, Jiang Xiaobai also wracked his brain for a solution.
However, it was almost impossible for him to come up with a solution in such a critical juncture where life and death could be decided in an instant. He was expending nearly all his energy on concentrating his sword intention.
But, Jiang Xiaobai soon felt his sword intention becoming a bit denser.
Even though it was a slight improvement, it was very noticeable under such an extreme life and death situation.
“So, this is a training ground for my sword intention?”
Jiang Xiaobai muttered to himself.
If this was truly the case, he would be completely devastated.
How could he be subjected to such hardship!?
He could have calmly cultivated his sword intention in the safety of a cave. But, he himself had destroyed the cave, exposing himself directly to this horrifying icy world.
As time passed, Jiang Xiaobai was on the brink of exhausting his energy but the positive side was that his sword intention was getting more and more potent and refined.
By now, Jiang Xiaobai could sit cross-legged in the snowy field, allowing the heavy snow to cover him.
Even though he was almost out of energy, Jiang Xiaobai continued to grit his teeth and endure.
He needed to become stronger, he didn’t want to die.
He had to leave this place, meet Ao Yan properly, live a happy life with her, and bring revenge to the Gu family!
“Yan’er is waiting for me, Gu has not been destroyed yet, I can’t die…”
With such self-hypnosis, Jiang Xiaobai’s willpower grew even stronger…
In the outside world, inside the grand hall.
AnRan suddenly jolted awake.
His illusion was not some messy scene. When Gu Ning found herself no longer interested in Jiang Xiaobai, she started training AnRan.
She discovered that AnRan was an unusual hardy individual. His physique was extraordinary and he had practiced some related techniques. This was why he was able to roam around with Jiang Xiaobai and still wasn’t dead.
Once she became interested, Gu Ning imparted a special technique she had obtained years ago to AnRan.
It turned out that AnRan learned quite a lot from it in just a year in the illusionary realm, significantly improving his abilities.
This was the special effect of the consciousness illusion—it could allow a person to improve rapidly in a short amount of time!
Looking at the somewhat stunned AnRan in front of her, Gu Ning chuckled.
“You have received your destiny. It has reached a critical point. Even if you practice in this illusion for another ten or twenty years, there won’t be much improvement.”
“This technique requires you to comprehend it yourself through combat. Do you understand?”
AnRan looked confused, but he knew that everything he had just experienced was thanks to the elder in front of him!
Immediately he knelt down and bowed respectfully.
Gu Ning raised her hand and held him up, “Don’t disgrace this Golden Firmament Art.”
“Yes, thank you, elder!”
“Ha, so many people call me an elder, only you two call me a boss, you won’t gain anything good by following that lad.”
Gu Ning laughed, her laughter was as bright and lively as a young girl in the fields. For a moment, AnRan was stunned.
However, he soon gathered his wits, looked around, and did not see Jiang Xiaobai.
“Boss, where’s my big bro?”
On hearing this, Gu Ning remembered Jiang Xiaobai, she hurriedly activated the screen and pulled in AnRan’s consciousness to watch. However, both of them were gobsmacked when they saw the scene inside.
The cave was gone, the bonfire was gone, in the dark snowy sky, there was nothing but white. It seemed…there was only a snowman?
“What is going on here?”
Gu Ning was puzzled, she had not expected such a drastic change to happen after a short while of not paying attention to Jiang Xiaobai.
After a close inspection, only less than a year had passed.
Just as Gu Ning was wondering what had happened, the snowman in the snowy field suddenly stood up.
Jiang Xiaobai, who was buried in the snow, got up. He looked extremely ragged, parts of his body were frostbitten. Only his eyes shone with a resolute light.
In the snowy sky, amid the bitter cold, his gaze seemed to be capable of melting the endless snowflakes.
A sword intention that shocked the heavens rose up, in an instant, the snowflakes that had been falling from the sky froze mid-air. Then, the snowflakes began to flow back, everything was rewinding!
The scene shattered like a broken mirror, then a seven-foot figure walking out from the screen.
The man stood upright, his uncompromising sword aura was evident.
Upon seeing Jiang Xiaobai at that moment, Gu Ning’s eyes flickered with surprise.
According to her rules, one was considered successful if they could complete this trial in the secret realm within two years.
But, Jiang Xiaobai used only one year!
Not only that, he had even used two methods she could not comprehend to pass this test.
She could never have imagined that someone would dare to leave the safety of a cave to cultivate their sword intention, and willingly endure in that brutal environment.
Is this what they call being desperate and turning the tide?
“I understand, I have sword intention, but it’s too weak and impure.”
“In the sword intention, there should only be the pure, unblemished sword, and the pure intention!”
“Only then can it be called sword intention!”
At that moment, Jiang Xiaobai gave AnRan the impression of having transformed on the spot. He wanted to applaud involuntarily.
“Boss, do you think my performance was up to par?” Jiang Xiaobai looked at Gu Ning and smiled.
Gu Ning nodded slightly.
“It was not bad, it is barely passable.”
“Since you have passed the test, it’s time for the initiation ceremony.”