For five days, Fang Wang never left his cave abode. Though he was thrilled to have joined the Taiyuan Sect, he had no intention of going out to befriend other disciples. He knew very well that his status in the Taiyuan Sect depended on his cultivation. As long as he retained his reputation as a genius, everyone around him would be good people. Once he delayed his cultivation, trouble would naturally come one after another.
At noon that day.
Fang Wang sensed something and opened his eyes. He picked up the token at his waist, and a voice came from within:
"Fang Wang, come to Pure Heart Hall to see me."
It was an aged male voice, but upon hearing the words Pure Heart Hall, Fang Wang's spirits lifted. He immediately rose to his feet. After a moment's thought, he hung the Storage Bag at his belt, picked up the Flying Sword Zhou Xue had given him, strode out of his cave abode, and flew away on his sword.
Pure Heart Hall was the peak lord's palace. In other words, the man from before was Yang Yuanzi, his future master.
He was filled with anticipation for what he would learn next.
Pure Heart Hall stood at the summit of the Third Vein's mountain peak. Senior Disciple Li Yu had pointed it out before.
Ascending all the way, Fang Wang quickly arrived before Pure Heart Hall. No disciples guarded the place. Tall trees surrounded the palace, like enormous swords planted upright in the earth.
Fang Wang stood before the gates, slowly pushed them open, and stepped inside.
Pure Heart Hall was not large. It looked like an ordinary Daoist temple. Fang Wang walked behind a figure, bent at the waist in salute, and said, "Disciple Fang Wang greets Master."
Yang Yuanzi sat meditating before a stone statue with his back to Fang Wang. The statue was unexpectedly that of a woman, her figure graceful and alluring. Yet no facial features had been carved upon her face, making her appear solemn and mysterious instead.
At his words, Yang Yuanzi rose and turned to look at him.
Only then did Fang Wang clearly see Yang Yuanzi's true appearance. His hair was streaked black and white, hanging loose and wild. He wore a black Daoist robe, and his eyes were numb and lifeless, like dried-up wells. The stubble around his mouth made him look slovenly. He was utterly different from the Yang Yuanzi Fang Wang had imagined.
Yang Yuanzi asked, "Why did you choose the Third Vein?"
Fang Wang had long prepared his answer. He replied, "For the most profound inheritance."
"The Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation? As expected. Which lineage are you from?"
"This disciple comes from the Fang Family of Nanqiu City."
"I've never heard of it. Forget it, I'm not interested either. Since you have entered my tutelage, you are now my disciple. You rank fifth. There are four senior brothers and senior sisters before you; you can get to know them gradually. You are already at the seventh layer of the Qi Nurturing Realm. Is there anything you wish to learn?"
Yang Yuanzi spoke calmly, as though he held no interest whatsoever in Fang Wang, this genius.
Only then did Fang Wang realize why Sect Master Guang Qiuxian had urged him to join the First Vein. It seemed the Third Vein's problem lay with Yang Yuanzi.
Fang Wang did not stand on ceremony. "Master, could you teach me how to use a Storage Bag?"
At that, Yang Yuanzi's pupils contracted slightly. He could not help asking, "You do not know how to use a Storage Bag? Your family never taught you?"
“My family does not understand Immortal Cultivation. Only one clanswoman received guidance from an Immortal Cultivator. I came to the Taiyuan Sect with her.”
"How long have you cultivated?"
"Less than a year."
"Less than a year, and you already possess the cultivation of the seventh layer of the Qi Nurturing Realm?"
Yang Yuanzi could not help reassessing Fang Wang. Narrowing his eyes, he said, "Not bad. To open a Storage Bag, you need to cultivate Spiritual Sense."
Seeing that Fang Wang still wished to ask more, Yang Yuanzi raised a hand and handed him a manual. "This is the Taiyuan Sect's general outline of cultivation. It records all manner of foundational methods. Take it back and study it."
Fang Wang hurriedly thanked his master, unaware that Yang Yuanzi was utterly speechless.
This book had been prepared by the Taiyuan Sect for Outer Disciples, to guide them onto the path of Immortal Cultivation. Since becoming a peak lord, he had hardly ever taken it out. He himself had obtained it when he first entered the Taiyuan Sect and had kept it as a memento.
Fang Wang tucked the manual into his robe, then asked, "Master, could you pass the Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation on to me? I wish to try it."
Yang Yuanzi snorted and said irritably, "In the Taiyuan Sect, you cannot learn whatever you wish to learn. No matter how high your talent and comprehension may be, you must make contributions. When you entered the sect, the Taiyuan Sect did not investigate your background. First, because we did not care. Second, because after entering, you must make contributions to prove yourself."
"As a Personal Disciple, you may go to the Dao Law Pavilion and select three superior manuals. But the Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation is the mountain-guarding inheritance of a vein. If you wish to learn it, you must first become the Senior Disciple."
Fang Wang hurriedly asked, "How can I become the Senior Disciple?"
Rather than becoming impatient, Yang Yuanzi showed some interest. "To become the Senior Disciple, you must first reach the Spirit Pill Realm and establish outstanding merit. Within fifty years, do not even think about it."
Hearing this, Fang Wang was immediately disappointed.
Yang Yuanzi changed the subject. "However, you are the first person in Taiyuan Sect history to become a Personal Disciple the moment you entered the sect. Though we have never made an exception like this to accept a disciple before, it is still something that can be recorded in the annals of the Taiyuan Sect."
He raised his right hand, and a scroll of azure jade appeared in his palm.
“This sword art is called the Startling Swan Divine Sword Art. It is my personal possession. The Nine Heavens Azure Thunder Sword Formation is an inheritance of the Taiyuan Sect, so I cannot give it to you on my own authority. But the Startling Swan Divine Sword Art is different. I obtained it while roaming the world of Immortal Cultivation. Once you cultivate Spiritual Sense, you may use it to read the contents within this jade scroll.”
A smile appeared on Yang Yuanzi's face, but it looked even uglier than crying and was rather frightening.
Fang Wang accepted the jade scroll. Suppressing his excitement, he asked, “Master, is this Sword Formula powerful?”
Yang Yuanzi lifted his chin and said proudly, “By relying on this Sword Formula, I seized the position of Third Vein peak lord. Do you think it is powerful or not? I only cultivated it to twenty-seven swords, yet I could sweep aside everyone within the same realm. If you can achieve minor mastery within ten years, that would already count as exceptional comprehension.”
"Thank you, Master. Your disciple will certainly not disappoint you!"
"First cultivate to the ninth layer of the Qi Nurturing Realm. As a Personal Disciple, you may cultivate freely. It will not be too late to practice the Startling Swan Divine Sword Art after you reach the Spirit Sculpting Realm."
"Alright."
Yang Yuanzi then explained the Taiyuan Sect's rules, mainly that disciples were forbidden from killing one another, harming innocent mortals, colluding with the Demonic Path, and the like.
After finishing his instructions, Yang Yuanzi had Fang Wang leave.
Fang Wang did not immediately go to the Dao Law Pavilion to select cultivation methods. He felt there was no rush. The Startling Swan Divine Sword Art alone would require time for him to cultivate. Though it seemed to pass in an instant, he had truly lived through all those additional years.
Locking a person in a room, providing only food and drink without any form of entertainment, would drive someone mad in just a month.
Even though Fang Wang sought strength, spending one or two hundred years in the Heavenly Palace was still agonizing.
Once he entered the Heavenly Palace, he could not leave unless he cultivated to the realm of Great Perfection.
Yet he had vaguely discovered another advantage of the Heavenly Palace: any cultivation method or ultimate art could certainly be cultivated to Great Perfection. That was truly domineering!
Furthermore, ever since opening the Heavenly Palace, Fang Wang had gained an eidetic memory.
After returning to his cave abode, Fang Wang first took out the general outline of cultivation and followed its records to cultivate Spiritual Sense. For someone at the seventh layer of the Qi Nurturing Realm, this was nothing difficult. He accomplished it in just one hour.
The general outline of cultivation also recorded the cultivation realms. From low to high, they were Qi Cultivation Realm, Spirit Sculpting Realm, Spirit Pill Realm, Mysterious Heart Realm, and Spirit Concentration Realm. There were further realms above Spirit Concentration Realm, and the book stated, "May disciples one day reach even higher realms."
The Spirit Sculpting Realm was a stage that determined a cultivator's fate. The grade of the Life-Bound Treasure Spirit one molded directly determined one's talent and comprehension. Of course, this was not absolute. On the road of cultivation, there were always heaven-defying figures who shook the ages and illuminated the present.
Fang Wang put down the general outline of cultivation and began cultivating.
He intended to first pile up his cultivation until the ninth layer of the Qi Nurturing Realm.
Now that he had reached fasting, he no longer needed food and could cultivate in peace. The moment he closed his eyes, he seemed to enter the state of cultivating within the Heavenly Palace.
A month and a half later, Fang Wang reached the eighth layer of the Qi Nurturing Realm. The gap between the seventh and eighth layers truly was as great as Zhou Xue had said. His previous victories had merely been because the Mysterious Sun Scripture was stronger than those cultivators' techniques.
He continued cultivating.
Nearly four months later, Fang Wang finally reached the ninth layer of the Qi Nurturing Realm in one breath.
He opened his eyes, a glint flashing through them. He condensed True Mysterious Sun Fire once more. Nine tiny suns floated behind his head, illuminating the cave abode. Feeling the surging spiritual power within his body, he suddenly experienced the same sensation he had felt upon reaching the Martial World Myth realm.
Mm, he felt invincible.
Of course, that feeling lasted only an instant. He knew that in the world of Immortal Cultivation, he was still at the bottom and had to keep working hard.
Fang Wang picked up the jade scroll Yang Yuanzi had given him and sent his Spiritual Sense into it. A vast amount of text flooded into his mind. After he sorted through it, his consciousness grew hazy. When he opened his eyes again, he was already inside the Heavenly Palace.
Standing in the Heavenly Palace's grand hall, he began cultivating the Startling Swan Divine Sword Art.
The Startling Swan Divine Sword Art contained thirty-six swords in total. He did not need to hold a sword in his hand. This Sword Formula condensed sword forms, like magical artifacts that moved according to his will.
Yang Yuanzi claimed that he had only cultivated to twenty-seven swords, making Fang Wang immensely eager for all thirty-six.
Yet the first sword alone took him five years to cultivate.
The Startling Swan Divine Sword Art was extremely difficult to cultivate!
It was not simply a matter of condensing spiritual power into a sword form. He also had to infuse it with Spiritual Sense, turning the sword form into an extension of his own vision. This tested his Spiritual Sense as well.
No matter how difficult it was, as long as he entered the Heavenly Palace, he would certainly master it. At worst, he only had to endure a little longer!
Fang Wang continued cultivating the second sword.
The second sword likewise took five years!
By the sixth sword, the cultivation time had shortened to two years. Fang Wang thought he was about to make it, but by the time he cultivated the eighteenth sword, each sword unexpectedly required more than ten years. It nearly drove him to collapse.
Who could exercise and study day after day for hundreds of years without any form of recreation in between?
Fang Wang had tried creating a computer from his previous life in the Heavenly Palace, but it was only an empty shell. As for creating a person, that was even more impossible.
And so it went.
When Fang Wang finally mastered all thirty-six swords, thirty-six sword forms floated around his body. All of them resembled the Qing Jun Sword, dazzlingly magnificent, but his face was full of numbness.
"Finally, it's over."
As those words fell, Fang Wang's consciousness returned to reality.
Cultivating the Startling Swan Divine Sword Art had actually taken another two hundred years!
He was numb!
Fang Wang immediately rose and walked out of his cave abode. He had to look at the scenery outside, or he would truly go mad.
The gates of the cave abode opened, and sunlight spilled across Fang Wang. Only at that moment did he feel truly alive.
He walked to the cliff's edge and admired the magnificent scenery of the Taiyuan Sect's mountain peaks. He would stand here and watch for half an hour before returning to continue cultivating.
Watching the disciples coming and going, Fang Wang finally felt a sense of reality.
"Fang Wang, long time no see. Have you molded your spirit?"
A woman's voice sounded. Fang Wang turned to look and saw Gu Li, the woman from the Luobei Gu Family.
Gu Li's cave abode was unexpectedly right beside his, which secretly puzzled him. This was the area for Personal Disciples' cave abodes!
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