Formless Sword Soul
The Jade Mist Sect's annual Inner Sect Grand Competition has arrived as scheduled.
Su Bai also received a formal invitation from the Inner Sect Grand Hall for this grand event.
However, their identities are now completely different.
He was no longer Disciple participating in the competition, but as the Deputy Academy Master of the Sword Academy, he was invited to the viewing platform and sat side by side with Fu Yunshen, the Hall Master of the Inner Sect Hall, the Academy Master various academies, and many Foundation Establishment Elder who came to watch the battle.
This invitation, which symbolized status and recognition, was politely declined by Su Bai without hesitation.
There are two reasons for his refusal: First, Su Bai dislikes socializing and has little interest in deliberately befriending high-ranking members of sects or cultivating interpersonal networks. He believes that his own strength is the most important thing.
Secondly, and more importantly, his cultivation of the core Sword Phantasm of the [Nine Heavens Sword Soul Art] has reached a critical juncture!
Half a month ago, after his tolerance and control over the Geng Metal Qi reached a new level, he was able to withstand longer and more intense Qi induction into his body.
Therefore, he decisively suspended his cultivation of the [Ice Crystal Jade Puppet] and devoted all his mind and time to this final sprint.
He drew upon the full Geng Metal Qi, refining his Spiritual Power through countless trials, striving for that final transformation!
At this moment, inside the Quiet Chamber.
Before Su Bai, the precious Geng Metal that was once the size of a fist and shimmering with silver light is now reduced to a tiny dot the size of a thumbnail, its color dull and its Spiritual Qi almost completely depleted.
Success or failure hinges on this!
If we cannot use this final essence to condense the Sword Phantasm Embryo in one go, all our previous efforts will be in vain. We will have to find Geng Metal or other metal treasures again to try again, and who knows how much time and fortuitous opportunity will be wasted.
Su Bai sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his aura deep and still.
Within his body, the liquid Spiritual Power had already undergone earth-shattering changes.
The originally Chaos Spiritual Spring, now, under the continuous tempering of the Geng Metal Qi, has been completely transformed into a deep and heavy dark gold color. When it slowly rotates, it no longer has the softness of liquid, but instead carries a metallic and sharp ringing sound.
With Divine Sense's inner vision, one can even see that as the Spiritual Power flows, tiny, yet incredibly sharp, pale golden Sword Qi buds spontaneously sprout from the Spiritual Spring, as if the entire mass of Spiritual Power has become the soil for nurturing Sword Qi.
In the midst of cultivation, time loses its meaning.
"Almost there... My Spiritual Power has reached its current limit, and a sharp edge permeates every inch... My Sword Phantasm Sword Phantasm... It's time for it to be born!"
At a certain moment, Su Bai's mind sank into the deepest part of his dantian, and at the core of the dark golden Spiritual Spring, he uttered a silent yet extremely firm call.
"Buzz--!"
As if responding to his call, the dark golden Spiritual Spring in the center of his dantian suddenly accelerated its rotation!
A faint golden phantom, extremely blurry and constantly twisting and changing between reality and illusion, slowly emerged and rose from the center of the Spiritual Spring!
At first, it was like a reflection in water, extremely unstable. But as Su Bai infused it with all his understanding and will of the Sword Dao, and even a wisp of pure Divine Soul Origin Imprint, the phantom began to solidify, and its outline became clear.
The Sword Phantasm is the physical manifestation of Sword Cultivator's lifelong Spiritual Power and Sword Dao Will. Its form varies greatly depending on the cultivator's Cultivation Method, temperament, experiences, and even understanding of the Great Dao. It can be said that the sword reflects the person.
Buzzing...!
The last fragment of Geng Metal in Su Bai's hand emitted a faint, mournful sound.
The last trace of pure, incomparably pure white-gold Geng Metal essence was forcibly extracted, transforming into a dazzling stream of light that entered Su Bai's dantian and directly entered the forming phantom!
Boom!
The moment the phantom absorbed the last essence, it suddenly burst forth with a dazzling yet not blinding dark golden light!
The radiance lasted for several breaths before quickly receding.
Within his dantian, dark golden Spiritual Power, like rivers flowing into the sea, began to circulate around a certain core at an unprecedented high speed!
At the core, a small sword, about an inch long, with a strange, semi-transparent texture and faint, ancient, and naturally formed patterns flowing across its blade, floats silently.
On the sword's blade, a wisp of pale golden aura, condensed to its extreme and exuding a chilling sharpness, slowly swirled and moved around like a living thing.
Sword Phantasm - Completed!
Once this soul was formed, the Spiritual Power within Su Bai's body seemed to instantly find its backbone and commander, and its circulation became incredibly efficient and rhythmic.
As the Spiritual Power circulated, it continuously washed Nourishing the translucent small sword (Sword Phantasm), while the unique Sword Resonance emanating from the Sword Phantasm, in turn, tempered and purified the surrounding Spiritual Power, making it increasingly condensed and sharp.
The two form a perfectly symbiotic internal cycle.
In this cycle, Su Bai's Sword Qi energy and Sword Phantasm strength will passively increase over time in an extremely slow but continuous manner.
This is one of the reasons why high-level Sword Cultivator often become more cunning and unfathomable with age.
Their essence is that they reinforce themselves over time.
Su Bai focused his Spiritual Sense and carefully examined the newly born Sword Phantasm.
The pale golden aura swirling around the sword was his Natal Sword Qi.
Although it is only a trace, it contains the essence of his current Sword Dao Cultivation. When added to any Sword Dao Divine Ability, it can make its power Qualitative Leap!
"However... the color of my Sword Phantasm is primarily transparent, its reality and illusion unpredictable..."
A hint of surprise flashed through Su Bai's mind.
As far as he knew, the form and color of Sword Phantasm often reflected the Sword Cultivator's true nature.
The swordsman's Sword Phantasm is crimson like blood; the Sword Phantasm is as heavy as earth; the Sword Phantasm is as light as the wind...
But his Sword Phantasm seemed both real and illusory, transparent yet with dark gold patterns, as if it could merge into the Void, and as if it could refract all things.
Perhaps... it has something to do with my origins?
A thought quietly surfaced. In this world, his soul essence as a transmigrator was inherently an anomaly.
It exists both in this world and seemingly shrouded in a veil of mystery.
This essence is even reflected in the Sword Phantasm.
The uncertainty of reality... may not necessarily be a bad thing.
It's just unknown what form the innate Lifeblood Divine Ability will take when this Sword Phantasm advances and its cultivation level increases.
In any case, the successful condensation of the Sword Phantasm marks that Su Bai has crossed the most crucial first hurdle in his cultivation of the [Nine Heavens Sword Soul Art].
"To be able to successfully condense Sword Phantasm at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage... such speed is truly outstanding among all the Sword Cultivator in the history of the Jade Mist Sect."
Su Bai knew in his heart that the Yellow Tier Talent of [Clear Heart Enlightenment Root] played a major role in this achievement, and the whole piece of Geng Metal given to him free of charge by Academy Master Xu Shangran was also a timely help.
For ordinary Sword Cultivator, finding a suitable golden treasure requires countless efforts and resources, and the process of condensing it is even more time-consuming. There are many who only achieve initial success after decades or even longer.
His success is the result of a combination of Talent, resources, opportunity, and willpower.
"It's time to test the power of this Sword Phantasm."
Su Bai stood up, feeling light all over. With a slight thought, his Spiritual Power seemed to resonate with the sound of swords.
He was about to push open the stone door of the cave and head to the Underground Training Ground.
Suddenly, a faint tremor emanated from the danger-predicting ability granted by the [Clear Heart Enlightenment Root] between his brows!
It wasn't a life-or-death crisis, but it carried a clear sense of malice and ambush, and its source... seemed to be not far from the cave!
Su Bai's eyes sharpened, but without the slightest hesitation, he didn't even open the door to check.
In the blink of an eye, the Azure Dragon Sword was already in his grasp!
The Spiritual Power of the Foundation Establishment Realm and the power of the newly formed Sword Phantasm were simultaneously poured in!
"Call out--!"
A cyan Sword Light, far more refined than ever before, suddenly erupted from inside the cave!
Su Bai merged with his sword, transforming into a blurry azure afterimage. He directly smashed through the simple Warning Restriction he had set up at the entrance of the cave. With a terrifying speed far beyond the comprehension of ordinary Foundation Establishment Early Stage Cultivator, he soared into the sky and instantly disappeared outside the intricate cave area of Qingyun Cliff, leaving only a slight sonic boom and the gradually dissipating sharp Sword Qi.
"This... this bastard! How can his Sword Flight speed be so fast?!"
"I didn't even see it! I just sensed the burst of Spiritual Power, and then the person was gone!"
"As expected of that Monster from the Sword Academy... Oh well, while he's away, let's hurry back to our respective caves and cultivate in peace for a few days. That plague god is finally gone..."
A moment later, three or four Foundation Establishment Cultivator dressed in robes of various colors emerged from the shadows of rocks or around corners near Su Bai's cave.
They looked at each other, their faces showing a hint of helplessness at their plans falling through.
It was those neighbors who had long been affected by Su Bai's Ice Magic and were so bothered by it that they finally couldn't take it anymore and decided to join forces to talk to him and maybe even teach him a lesson.
Unfortunately, after lying in ambush for a long time, they couldn't even catch a glimpse of Su Bai before he had already fled far away.
The Underground Training Ground is a vast, uninhabited area specifically for Foundation Establishment Cultivator to test their Divine Ability.
Su Bai pressed down on the Sword Light, and his figure gracefully landed on the ground.
Cultivation knows no time; his seclusion to condense his Sword Phantasm lasted for more than a month.
Outside, the lively Inner Sect Grand Competition had long since ended, the new year had arrived, and he had quietly turned twenty-four.
He stood still, not in a hurry to unleash a powerful move, but instead summoned the Azure Dragon Sword.
With the sword in hand, an unprecedented sense of control arises spontaneously.
With a slight thought, there's no need to consciously practice complex Sword Art.
"Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!"
Three Laws pale golden, condensed Sword Qi, each about a foot long, shot out from the sword tip, tracing mysterious trajectories in the air. They easily pierced three smooth-edged, bottomless holes in Black Iron Target Post (standard enough to withstand a full-force blow from the Foundation Establishment Early Stage) a hundred feet away!
The Sword Qi energy, still powerful, carved a deep sword mark dozens of feet long into the ground before slowly dissipating.
"Good!" Su Bai shone brightly. He no longer held back and began to unleash the Sword Dao Divine Ability he had mastered one by one.
Under the control of the [Dragon Roaming Sword Control Technique], the Azure Dragon Sword's trajectory becomes even more unpredictable and its speed increases by 30%. Wherever the Sword Light passes, the air is cut with a shrill whistle.
After the Compressed Sword Qi leaves the body, the flight distance easily exceeds the limit of 100 zhang, and within 100 zhang, the power hardly diminishes!
This means he can unleash deadly Sword Qi strikes from a distance far exceeding the safe casting range of Cultivator of the same level.
The [Dragon's Roar Sword Heaven] opening stance, which used to require a great deal of energy to build up, is now significantly faster to condense with the support of the Sword Phantasm. The illusory image of the dragon-shaped Sword Intent has also become much more solid and powerful.
What surprised him most was the [Great Luo Sword Net]. The Sword Qi could be divided more freely, and the woven sword net was denser and more resilient, with its sealing and cutting power increased by more than 50%!
After a thoroughly enjoyable test, Su Bai gained a clear understanding of his current Combat Power.
"With the blessing of the initial stage of the Sword Phantasm, my overall Sword Qi's killing power has increased by about 50%! And this is only the initial stage of the Sword Phantasm; it has not yet Nourishing to its optimal state."
He assessed, "The attack range has undergone a qualitative change. During the Qi Refining Stage, the power of Sword Qi energy begins to decline significantly after leaving the body fifty meters away, and one hundred meters is the limit."
"Now, within a hundred zhang (approximately 330 meters), the Sword Qi energy remains undiminished in power!"
"This means I can easily launch a fatal attack from outside the effective range of most Foundation Establishment Cultivator ' Law Technique."
The ferocity of Sword Cultivator and their formidable Combat Power among those of the same level are evident.
High-level Sword Cultivator like Su Bai, who condense Sword Phantasm and possess Natal Sword Qi in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, pose a far greater threat than ordinary cultivators of the same level.
"The Sword Phantasm has been formed, but in the short term, there are no suitable treasures for it to be further tempered and advanced."
Su Bai sheathed his sword, his mind clear.
"Next, the most urgent task is to focus all our efforts on overcoming the [Ice Crystal Jade Puppet], a Second-Rank High-Grade Defensive Spell."
With the blessing of the "Beyond Third-tier" Ice Attribute Spell Talent (learning speed +800%), Su Bai's speed in cultivating ice-type Divine Ability far surpasses that of his peers.
He estimated that if he devoted himself fully, he should be able to gain a basic grasp of the [Ice Crystal Jade Puppet] in about a month.
If word got out about this speed, it would be enough to leave countless Foundation Establishment Cultivator speechless.
It is common for ordinary Cultivator to spend several years mastering a Second-Tier High-Grade Law Technique.
"However... cultivating Ice Magic in one's own cave is too disruptive to the neighbors, and ultimately it's not a long-term solution."
Thinking of those neighbors who had ambushed him, Su Bai rubbed his nose, feeling a little guilty. "Oh well, owing someone a favor once is still owing them a favor twice. I'll go find Senior Sister Bing Li again and see if I can borrow the Ice Court's meditation Quiet Chamber..."
With his mind made up, Su Bai didn't linger. He summoned the Azure Dragon Sword, transforming into a swift azure rainbow, and left the empty Underground Training Ground.