The Beginning of the Sword

The teaching methods of the Immortal’s Abode placed less emphasis on general cultivation.

Although the basic methods of cultivation were largely the same for most cultivators, the path of the sword was entirely different.

Being a cultivator did not automatically mean one was a Sword Cultivator.

In fact, within the entire Immortal’s Abode, only two people truly deserved the title of Sword Cultivator.

They were Bai Yiren and Ximen Xue.

Everyone else could only be considered cultivators who had some understanding of sword techniques, or cultivators who were particularly skilled in sword arts.

The path of a Sword Cultivator was divided into several stages.

The first stage was Sword Wind Like Gale.

The second stage was Shadows Trailing Light.

The third stage was Sword Force Solidified into Aura.

The fourth stage was Sword Aura Transformed into Qi.

The fifth stage was Sword Qi Manifestation.

The sixth stage was Sword Qi as Fine Silk.

The seventh stage was Sword Qi Rain.

Only after reaching the stage of Sword Qi Manifestation could one truly be considered a beginner Sword Cultivator.

It was important to understand that Sword Qi Manifestation did not simply refer to injecting spiritual power into a sword and releasing it.

True Sword Qi was a power completely different from ordinary spiritual energy.

To produce Sword Qi, one had to progress through a specific sequence.

The first step was Sword Wind.

When a sword was swung, it could produce a tearing force of wind capable of cutting objects apart.

Sword Wind was the embryonic form of Sword Qi.

After producing Sword Wind, the next step was to make that wind visible.

This stage was known as Sword Light.

Once Sword Light appeared, it could be further condensed into Sword Aura.

Sword Aura was similar to spiritual energy in nature.

The final step was to fuse Sword Aura with spiritual energy to produce a completely new form of power.

This power was the unique Sword Qi possessed only by Sword Cultivators.

However, even after grasping Sword Qi and reaching the stage of Sword Qi Manifestation, one would still only be considered a beginner Sword Cultivator.

To reach the intermediate level, one’s Sword Qi had to become as thin as a strand of hair.

This stage was known as Sword Qi as Fine Silk.

At that level, a Sword Cultivator could strike an enemy without being noticed.

Before the opponent could react, their head might already have fallen from their body.

The highest stage was Sword Qi Rain.

This was an extremely profound realm.

With a simple movement of the hand, countless strands of Sword Qi could spread through the air like rain, destroying everything in their path.

However, the ultimate realm for Sword Cultivators lay beyond these stages.

It was the comprehension of Sword Intent.

Sword Intent was an extremely mysterious concept.

Without exceptional talent, it was nearly impossible to comprehend.

In fact, understanding Sword Intent was far more difficult than breaking through cultivation realms.

Among a hundred Sword Cultivators who reached the stage of Sword Qi Rain, it was possible that not even one would successfully comprehend Sword Intent.

As its name suggested, Sword Intent represented the artistic conception of the sword path.

It was intangible and invisible.

A cultivator could only grasp it through personal insight, and it was often closely related to one’s life experiences.

Sword Intent was further divided into three levels.

Minor Accomplishment.

Major Accomplishment.

And Perfection.

At first, Sword Intent was invisible and could not be perceived by ordinary cultivators.

Only those who were drawn into a Sword Cultivator’s Sword Intent could sense it.

However, most cultivators who experienced a Sword Cultivator’s Sword Intent rarely survived the encounter.

When Sword Intent reached the level of Perfection, it could evolve into something known as a Sword Domain.

Although this still belonged to the realm of Sword Intent, the Sword Intent would become visible to others.

Once a Sword Cultivator unleashed their Sword Domain, they would become almost invincible within its range.

For example, if Bai Yiren were to comprehend Sword Intent and form a Sword Domain, her combat power would increase dramatically and allow her to fight opponents beyond her cultivation realm.

Sword Cultivators possessed their own unique system of advancement, although there was no strictly defined hierarchy.

Bai Yiren was currently at the stage of Sword Qi Rain.

This alone demonstrated her extraordinary talent.

Although comprehending Sword Intent remained extremely difficult, she was already almost unrivaled within the Nascent Soul realm.

If she were to fight with her full strength in a life-and-death battle, she could even contend with cultivators of the Violet Palace realm.

Bai Lan had learned some of this knowledge from Xue Yue’s memories.

However, because Xue Yue had not been a Sword Cultivator, his understanding of the sword path was limited.

Most of Bai Lan’s knowledge therefore came from Bai Yiren’s personal instruction.

As a Direct Disciple, Bai Yiren naturally provided Bai Lan with special guidance.

She personally taught Bai Lan how to comprehend and wield Sword Qi.

Instead of allowing Bai Lan to practice advanced sword techniques, Bai Yiren instructed her to continue practicing the Luoshen Sect’s foundational sword technique.

The Luoshen Sword Art.

Moreover, she required Bai Lan to practice it purely through sword technique alone.

She was forbidden from using any spiritual power to enhance her strikes.

Day after day, Bai Lan practiced tirelessly.

She repeatedly swung her sword again and again.

Although the practice was extremely monotonous, she trusted that Bai Yiren would not mislead her.

Every morning, Bai Lan woke before dawn and went to a secluded flower grove within the inner grounds of the Luoshen Sect.

There she practiced her sword thousands of times.

She repeated the same movements until her arms were too exhausted to lift the sword.

Through this daily repetition, Bai Lan gradually noticed that her sword strikes were becoming faster and more precise.

She could now easily cut drifting petals that floated unpredictably through the air.

At first she could only split a single petal.

Soon she was able to cut several petals at once.

At that moment, Bai Lan finally began to understand Bai Yiren’s true intention.

This seemingly boring sword practice was meant to make her sword strikes extremely fast.

Only then could Sword Wind be produced.

About three months after entering the inner sect, Bai Lan stood quietly once again in the same peach blossom forest.

A gentle breeze blew through the grove, scattering countless petals around her.

After standing silently for nearly half a minute, Bai Lan suddenly drew her Cold Soul Sword (Hanpo) and swung it rapidly in every direction.

Although it seemed like a single instant, she had executed nearly a dozen strikes.

All of them were completed in less than a second.

Only faint afterimages remained.

When her sword returned to its sheath, the floating petals around her suddenly burst apart, turning into a shower of pink fragments.

‘I understand now,’ Bai Lan said excitedly.

‘No wonder there is that famous saying in martial arts novels and movies from my previous life.’

‘In martial arts, speed is supreme.’

‘This must be the manifestation of Sword Wind.’

‘I can kill an enemy from a foot away using the wind created by my sword strikes without even touching them.’

‘It’s truly impossible to defend against.’

During this period, Bai Lan had become completely absorbed in sword practice.

However, she was not simply swinging her sword aimlessly.

With every draw and every strike, she thought about how to integrate this understanding into her sword techniques.

Meanwhile, Bai Lan was not the only one making rapid progress.

Xue Linglong of Tianyin Pavilion had also advanced greatly in the Dao of Music.

In only three months, she had completely mastered the basic principles of music.

She could now easily compose melodies and even create her own musical pieces.

However, understanding musical principles was only the first step on the path of the Dao of Music.

The Dao of Music primarily specialized in soul attacks.

These attacks targeted the opponent’s divine sense.

Musical attacks were generally divided into three categories.

Sonic wave attacks.

Illusion attacks.

And techniques that calmed the soul and purified the heart.

Sonic wave attacks produced direct physical damage.

Illusion attacks primarily targeted the opponent’s divine sense.

Meanwhile, soul-calming techniques could dispel evil influences and stabilize one’s mind.

Like Bai Lan with her sword, Xue Linglong quickly fell in love with music.

Now her guqin was almost always in her hands.

Wherever she went, she carried it with her.

In this regard she was very similar to Bai Lan.

Although Bai Lan could easily store the Cold Soul Sword (Hanpo) in a storage artifact, she now preferred to keep the sword in her hand.

Without a sword nearby, she felt strangely uncomfortable.

This habit had formed naturally through long periods of practice.

It created a sense of unity between herself and the sword.

Another two months passed.

It had now been six months since the inner sect assessment.

The Immortal’s Abode was holding another disciple practice session.

This was an opportunity for Bai Yiren to guide the disciples.

Two disciples would spar on the platform while Bai Yiren observed their performance and offered advice afterward.

Guidance from a Nascent Soul sword cultivator who had reached the stage of Sword Qi Rain was extremely valuable for ordinary disciples.

Today, nearly all the disciples of the Immortal’s Abode were present.

Bai Lan, Luo Yuyan, and Ximen Xue sat at the very front as they watched the sparring matches.

Several battles had already taken place.

To be honest, they were all fairly ordinary.

Only two disciples in the entire Immortal’s Abode had reached the stage of Sword Qi Manifestation.

Most of the others were still at the stages of Sword Wind, Sword Light, or Sword Aura.