Sitting cross-legged on the mat atop the heated brick bed, he formed hand seals according to the technique's instructions.
Within his mind, his qi traveled throughout his body.
His breathing was deep and steady, each inhalation and exhalation following a precise rhythm.
Before he knew it, Su Fan's mind and breath had become one, and all distracting thoughts had vanished.
The sensation of all things cycling endlessly was wondrous beyond words.
Gradually, every pore across his body opened, and spiritual energy was continuously drawn inside.
It was like walking into an air-conditioned room on a sweltering summer day, only to be struck by a rush of dense, icy air.
All the pores on his body contracted. As he shivered, an indescribable exhilaration surged through him.
No wonder his predecessor had cultivated for twenty years without giving up.
Cultivating an immortal's technique was damn satisfying.
After circulating his power through nine cycles, Su Fan slowly opened his eyes and awoke from that wondrous state.
He opened the panel and silently let out a sigh.
[Name] Su Fan [Longevity] 36/92 years [Realm] Qi Refining Second Layer: 99/100 [Techniques] 1. Primordial Chaos Technique (First Order): 22/100. 2. Body Tempering Art (Second Order): 45/200 3. Demonic Saint Body Art (First Order): 100/100 [Arts] 1. Qi Gazing Art (Minor Accomplishment): 43/200 2. Light Body Art (Minor Accomplishment): 61/200 3. Spirit Concealment Art (Minor Accomplishment): 36/200 [Skills] None [Divine Abilities] None
His technique and realm remained utterly unmoved.
Su Fan lamented inwardly. Who knew when he would finally break through this damned bottleneck?
He took out the book Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes and began studying it carefully.
The book was quite thick, made from pieces of cut beast hide.
Though battered and worn, it possessed an ancient simplicity polished by the passage of time, making one instinctively sense the vast desolation of the years.
The general outline alone ran to nearly ten thousand words, while each slash had more than a dozen pages of detailed explanation.
They were all insights left behind by generations of Body Cultivators.
Whirlwind Slash, Headwind Slash, Sacrificial Slash, Limitless Slash, Tidal Slash, Ghost Wheel Slash, Rage Slash, Ruthless Slash, Void Slash.
The nine sword techniques were fierce and swift, advancing without retreat.
Their offensive momentum was endless. The nine consecutive slashes tore through everything; cultivated to the utmost, nothing could withstand their cut, and nothing could remain unbroken.
After reading for a while, Su Fan furrowed his brows.
He could still understand the opening sections of the sword manual's detailed explanations.
But the farther he read, the more profound and obscure they became. The difficult passages often packed a thousand meanings into a single character, and understanding them was like reading the Heaven's Book.
They were just a few sword techniques. Was there really any need for this? Couldn't it just teach him how to hack people apart?
Fortunately, the introductory portion of each slash's explanation in the manual was already enough for him to practice.
He had originally thought this sword art was just a matter of gripping a sword and hacking, hacking, and hacking...
But that wasn't the case.
Although the sword moves were simple, each slash had a different method of circulating spiritual power and a unique technique for exerting force.
Moreover, every slash had to be executed with all one's strength, until one practiced to the point of utter exhaustion.
The battle style of the Ancient Body Cultivators was simple and brutal.
They wasted no words. They charged forward and unleashed a savage flurry of hacking.
Every time the sword was drawn, it had to kill.
Either you died, or I lived.
They never intended to leave themselves a path of retreat.
Su Fan's teeth ached just looking at it. This sword art was ridiculously brainless.
He would use it for now. It was only a transitional technique, anyway.
Once he broke through to the Mid Qi Refining Stage, he would start using magic artifacts. Who would still hack people with a magic sword then?
Enough talk. Time to practice.
Su Fan had never practiced martial arts, so he could only familiarize himself with the sword moves first.
Fortunately, the sword moves truly weren't difficult. There were only nine forms.
They were all slash, slash, slash, without even a single defensive move.
At the beginning, his body was somewhat stiff, and his movements were clumsy as well.
But as he continued to slash, slash, and slash, his execution of the moves grew smoother and smoother.
Perhaps because his Body Cultivation had reached minor accomplishment, his stamina was now astonishingly strong.
He practiced all afternoon, yet Su Fan didn't feel tired in the slightest.
Practicing swordplay felt fantastic. He hacked away with wild abandon.
The nine sword techniques were never difficult to begin with, and by afternoon's end, he was performing them as smoothly as flowing clouds and running water.
"Could I be a once-in-a-century swordsmanship prodigy..."
Su Fan grew somewhat smug. He was practically bursting with pride.
Although no Sword Art +1 notification appeared in his vision, he was still incredibly excited.
In a state of feverish excitement, he ate two large bowls of rice for dinner.
After eating, he began formally cultivating according to the sword manual.
"Today's goal: become initiated in Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes..."
Taking up his sword, Su Fan eagerly went into the courtyard and practiced the nine sword techniques one move at a time.
With every slash, he circulated his spiritual power according to the requirements of the sword manual's detailed explanations, and poured in all his strength.
As a result, after two consecutive slashes, Su Fan was already drained from head to toe.
Both hands could barely hold the sword, and he couldn't even stand steadily.
During this period of recuperation, he hadn't cultivated at all, but he was still fairly familiar with this body.
He had practiced swordplay all afternoon without any trouble.
Now, after only two consecutive slashes, he was exhausted to this pathetic state.
This sword art had some real substance.
As expected of an ancient inheritance, it could be used for battle while also tempering the body.
It truly wasn't simple. Those several dozen magic coins had been well spent.
Su Fan sat cross-legged on the ground. This sword art consumed an immense amount of stamina, but it didn't use that much spiritual power.
While recovering his stamina, he practiced his arts for a while. Once his strength had mostly recovered, he continued practicing the sword.
Finally, at midnight, a message popped up in his vision.
[Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes +1]
He opened the panel. His sword art had finally reached the entry level.
Over the next two days, Su Fan practiced swordplay day and night.
Whenever his stamina ran out, he sat down cross-legged and repeatedly practiced several auxiliary arts. His life was incomparably fulfilling.
A notification would occasionally pop up before his eyes, becoming his greatest motivation for cultivation.
Su Fan seemed to have returned to his previous life, back to those leisurely days spent shut inside his home grinding game progress.
"Whew... whew..."
Once again collapsing onto the ground, he panted heavily.
After two days of unceasing effort, Su Fan could now unleash five consecutive slashes in one go.
He opened the panel and discovered that the data in every aspect had been updated.
[Name] Su Fan [Longevity] 36/92 years [Realm] Qi Refining Second Layer: 99/100 [Techniques] 1. Primordial Chaos Technique (First Order): 22/100. 2. Body Tempering Art (Second Order): 45/200 3. Demonic Saint Body Art (First Order): 100/100 [Arts] 1. Qi Gazing Art (Minor Accomplishment): 118/200 2. Light Body Art (Minor Accomplishment): 145/200 3. Spirit Concealment Art (Minor Accomplishment): 97/200 4. Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes (Entry Level): 75/100 [Skills] None [Divine Abilities] None
The data for the sword art's entry stage was nearly halfway complete, and the three arts had also improved.
"The future is looking bright..."
Su Fan sat down cross-legged, just about to continue practicing several arts.
His back suddenly began to itch. It had probably scabbed over.
At last, he could remove all these bandages.
He had looked like a mummy every day, making everything inconvenient.
He scratched through the bandages a few times. That only made things worse, and soon the rest of his body began itching as well.
His entire body itched unbearably, so much that he no longer had the mind to practice swordplay.
Until the early hours of the morning, Su Fan was still scratching, scratching, and scratching.
The more he scratched, the itchier it became. It was driving him mad, and he couldn't sleep at all.
"Smack..."
Just as he was scratching away in bliss, a faint sound suddenly came from outside.
In the stillness of the night, it was exceptionally clear.
Su Fan jolted and stopped moving his hand.
At this hour, who would be loitering outside his home? The answer was self-evident.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly got out of bed.
He snatched up the magic sword stuck beside him and carefully walked to the north room.
Holding his breath, he gently pressed his face against the main door.
After listening carefully for a while, Su Fan's face turned pale.
He had already been extremely careful, yet he hadn't expected to attract someone's attention anyway.
There was definitely someone outside the courtyard—and more than one person at that.
Su Fan's throat felt dry, his palms were slick with sweat, and instinctively, a sliver of an urge to flee arose within him.
He was just a weakling, while the other side had several people.
He couldn't beat them. He should run.
He abruptly shook his head. They had already come right to his door—where could he run?
Unless he left the market district and never returned.
Winter was about to arrive. For a thousand li around Shaoyang Mountain, there were only continuous mountains and dense forests, with scarcely a trace of human habitation.
As a minor rogue cultivator at the Qi Refining Second Layer, he would be eaten by a demon beast before he even made it out of the mountains.
Not to mention the evil cultivators who often prowled those mountains. They were even more terrifying.
If they captured him, they would extract his soul and then refine his body into a zombie.
He wouldn't even have the chance to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
"Smack..."
This time, the sound had come from inside the courtyard. They had jumped in.
Su Fan hardened his resolve and gritted his teeth.
Damn it, then let's fight!
He pulled several talismans from his robes and arranged them by type.
Gripping the magic sword tightly in both hands, he leaned against the wall beside the room's door.
At that moment, Su Fan stood on the brink of danger, his heart pounding so hard it felt ready to leap from his chest.
The blood throughout his body had completely boiled over.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but his chest suddenly became scorching hot.
A searing heat was spilling outward and spreading toward every part of his body.
The sensation was strange, as if something had melted open.
But Su Fan was in a state of extreme tension, and he soon ignored the abnormal feeling.
At that moment, a knife slid through the crack in the door.
With a light flick, it lifted the door bolt open.
The instant the door opened, Su Fan kicked it.
He had only meant to kick the door open, but even he did not know how he had suddenly gained such immense strength.
The wooden door, more than three inches thick, was actually kicked flying by him.
"Bang..."
Someone happened to be standing in front of the door and was struck squarely in the face by the heavy door. He passed out on the spot.
The sudden turn of events left the two people standing behind him somewhat panicked.
They dodged the wooden door and hurriedly pulled out talismans, but before they could even activate them—
they saw a figure rush out, followed closely by streak after streak of sword light.
"Whirlwind Slash..."
"Rage Slash..."
"Ruthless Slash..."
"Sacrificial Slash..."
"Limitless Slash..."
Su Fan's five-slash combo came in the blink of an eye, his Sword Momentum fierce and forceful.
It was like lightning, vanishing in an instant.
The two men opposite him saw only several ghostly glimmers flash through the darkness. After that, they knew nothing.
Su Fan's body swayed, as though every last ounce of strength had been drained from him.
[**Nine Extremes Consecutive Slashes +3**]
"Whew... whew..."
Leaning on his sword, Su Fan panted heavily.
Although he had nearly exhausted his strength, he was so exhilarated that every pore on his body trembled.
Only a life-or-death battle could draw out his greatest potential.
Those few sword strikes had been his finest performance since he began practicing the sword.
Before he had even had time to get excited, he saw the mangled corpses and severed limbs in the courtyard, along with the bloody stench rushing into his face.
He could no longer hold it in. He turned his head and vomited violently.
"Killing people isn't fun at all..."
Before you continue