Sword Nurturing Gourd

Early in the morning, he went to the Merit Hall, collected his newcomer benefits, and returned to cultivate.

It felt a little like becoming a shut-in in the Cultivation World.

"May I ask if you are Senior Brother Wen? I have come to collect my introductory cultivation supplies."

He handed over his Identity Token and looked at this fellow disciple dressed like a scholar, as well as the book in his hands. On the way here, he had already asked around. The senior brother in charge of the Merit Hall was named Wen Zimo, at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Senior Brother Wen is truly diligent, reading Spring and Autumn so early in the morning.

Naturally, he did not dare say that aloud.

Seeing someone arrive, the scholar closed his book and set it on the table with an indifferent air, then took the Identity Token and inspected it.

"Introductory resources? Junior Brother Fang has already entered the first level of Qi Refining. According to sect rules, five Spirit Stones, one bottle of Qi Nurturing Pills, one Storage Bag, one Low-grade Flying Sword, and one Magic Robe. No problem, right?"

Wen Zimo laid the items out on the table one by one.

"The Storage Bag only needs a small amount of spiritual power to activate. Then use Spiritual Sense to lock onto an item and store it away. It cannot be used to store living things."

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Wen."

"I noticed you looking at my book just now. Want to read it? It's a famous bestselling storybook in the Cultivation World, The Secrets True Monarch Ziyan and the Saintess of the Demonic Sect Had to Tell (Illustrated Edition). Interested? Just one Spirit Stone."

"Thank you, Senior Brother, but I'm still a child. It isn't suitable, not suitable."

This senior brother really was improper. He had better leave quickly and return to his pleasant daily cultivation routine.

A year in the Cultivation World passed in the blink of an eye.

Fang Xiao stopped cultivating and sensed his current cultivation. He was already more than halfway through the fifth level of Qi Refining.

He had initially estimated that after one year, he could at most reach the peak of the third level of Qi Refining. Yet he had not expected himself to be so compatible with this cultivation method. Perhaps his special physique had also played a part.

As his realm rose, the circulation speed of his cultivation method also began to accelerate. The strengthening of his body and meridians by a top-tier cultivation method had also extended his daily cultivation time.

Though his body had not yet undergone marrow cleansing and tendon forging, its strength already rivaled that of Body Refining cultivators at the same realm.

"It has been a year. Before this month ends, I still need to complete one mandatory mission. Another ten days or so, and I should be fully recovered."

Three months ago, when he entered the fourth level of Qi Refining, his Sword Dao Realm had also reached the second level: Sword Qi Transforming into Energy. This was likewise thanks to his tireless practice of Sword Arts and his own exceptional talent.

Upon entering the first level of the Sword Dao Realm, Practicing Sword to Form Qi, one possessed strength comparable to the Qi Refining Realm. As one continued to study and delve deeper, the power of Sword Qi would gradually grow. Once one reached Sword Qi Transforming into Energy, one would possess the strength to stand toe-to-toe with Qi Refining Late Stage cultivators.

Now, this first introductory mission should not pose any danger to him.

Still, it was better to be careful in all things. He needed to prepare a trump card. There were still four months until the one-year mark, but that was enough.

After reaching the fourth level of Qi Refining, the Soaring Sword Art had developed an Art of Exhaling Qi into Sword. The lungs governed metal; it used spiritual power to condense Qi into a sword within the lungs. When unleashed, it came without warning, making it impossible to guard against in a close-range sneak attack.

The Taibai Sword Art also had a technique at the fourth level of Qi Refining. He felt it was more like the embryonic form of a divine ability, and the entry condition for cultivating it was to take a portion of one's own rib.

As expected of the Taibai Sword Art—ruthless toward enemies, even more ruthless toward oneself.

Every bone in the human body was important. If one had to say which bone could be lost with the least impact, it would be a rib, and only a small piece was needed.

This technique was called the Sword Embryo Gourd. One had to take a small piece of rib and use the spiritual power within the body to polish it. Before the rib lost its vitality, one had to engrave inscriptions across its entire surface. There was no need to understand them; one only needed to reproduce the diagrams and text within the Taibai Sword Art. Finally, after refining it with Essence Blood and activating it with the incantation, it could be taken into the Dantian for nurturing. Once fully formed, it would resemble a small gourd.

It was said that the Taibai Sword Sect possessed a Gourd Sword Art. A person cultivated one gourd, the gourd cultivated one sword, and when the sword emerged, none would keep their heads.

The Sword Nurturing Gourd could unleash sword light. Used alongside a magical artifact, it could raise the artifact's power by at least one tier.

In other words, combined with his Low-grade Flying Sword, it could unleash the power of a Mid-grade Flying Sword.

Calling it a technique made it seem like refining a magical artifact. Calling it a magical artifact involved blood sacrifice and storing it within the body, giving it the feel of refining a magic treasure. Calling it a magic treasure, the sword light it unleashed resembled the embryonic form of a divine ability.

He absolutely had to cultivate this bug-like technique. But he could not simply jump right in. Where would he get so many ribs? He needed to practice first.

He had Sister-in-law Li prepare suitable bones. Then, to his daily cultivation schedule, he added polishing bones and engraving inscriptions.

After roughly half a month, he looked at the nearly one thousand bone gourds and felt there should be no more problems.

He prepared all manner of healing medicine and adjusted himself to peak condition. Then his sword came down. A piercing pain shot through him, his face instantly turning deathly pale as beads of sweat the size of soybeans seeped from his forehead.

Looking at the rib in his palm, he gritted his teeth and steadied himself. After applying the healing medicine, he could not stop. If the rib lost its vitality, all his previous efforts would be wasted.

He washed the rib with medicinal fluid and immediately began polishing it. The pain did not lessen in the slightest. Engraving the inscriptions also required complete concentration, making it an immense trial of mental strength and will.

"If I cannot even endure this, how can I call myself a Sword Cultivator? I suffer today so that others may suffer in battle tomorrow."

Fang Xiao's spirit was tempered unceasingly in this tug-of-war, like a sword being sharpened. He persevered by relying on that unyielding will.

Not long after he took the Sword Nurturing Gourd into his body, the pain finally began to subside, and he felt as though his entire body had collapsed from exhaustion.

After this experience, his Spiritual Sense had also grown. Most importantly, he had condensed the embryonic form of his Sword Heart, allowing him to achieve a clear Sword Heart. During cultivation and breakthroughs, it could cut away distracting thoughts from his mind, effectively preventing disturbances from inner demons. In battle, it could also resist attacks aimed at the mind.

In short, though this refinement had been dangerous, everything had remained within his control, and the final gains were enormous.

Using Inner Vision to inspect his Dantian, he saw the Sword Nurturing Gourd suspended within it. The more he looked at it, the more he liked it. It had only just been refined and could not be activated casually; it still needed to be nurtured for a time.

Next came cultivation and recovery from his injuries, until the one-year deadline arrived.

With his current combat strength, he should be able to contend against someone at the seventh level of Qi Refining. If he had a better flying sword artifact, he might even stand a chance against the eighth level of Qi Refining.

Although after reaching the fourth level, his monthly Spirit Stones had increased to ten and his pills had become Qi Gathering Pills suitable for the middle stage, that did not change the fact that he was poor.

He had tried talisman-making in the interim, but unfortunately, he had absolutely no talent for it. Instead, he wasted some Spirit Stones, which pained him greatly.

For now, he could only rely on completing missions to accumulate Merit Points and exchange them for supplies.

With a mission imminent, he needed to visit a nearby Market and prepare some talismans and medicinal pills in case of emergency.

Seven days later, his injuries had completely healed, faster than he had expected. It was time to go to the Market.

Mingyuan Market was a market under the jurisdiction of the Mingxuan Outer Court. At first, it had been a place spontaneously established by Outer Court disciples to exchange cultivation insights and trade needed items.

Later, cultivators from other sects with connections also joined. Eventually, nearly all cultivation families, large and small, and Rogue Cultivators within the Tianshan Mountain Range where the Outer Court was located came here to trade.

Where there were people, there would naturally be conflict: forced buying and selling, robbing the robbers, Bandit Cultivators.

Then, the descendant of a Golden Core Stage cultivator died here for no apparent reason, provoking the cultivator into a towering rage. He swept through Bandit Cultivators in the Tianshan Mountain Range and the surrounding three nations of Jiang, Wei, and Chu. Quite a few Rogue Cultivators were even caught in the crossfire.

In the end, it amounted to nothing. After that, the Outer Court built Mingyuan Market here and dispatched an elder at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm to oversee it.

Though Bandit Cultivators still existed, the intensity of the crackdown had nearly deprived them of any room to survive.

As he recalled the introduction to Mingyuan Market, he walked toward the courtyard gate. At his current speed of sword flight, he could reach the Market in just over half an hour at fastest.

"That kid has holed up in the Outer Court for a year. He finally has the nerve to leave. Hurry and notify Senior Brother Zheng."

This man was Zheng Daoxing's Lackey. Fang Xiao had kicked him to the ground a year ago, and he had held that grudge ever since.

"We must make that brat pay."

With Fang Xiao's Spiritual Sense, he naturally knew someone was following behind him. Judging by the distance at which the man followed, his Spiritual Sense was far inferior to Fang Xiao's.

He would pretend not to notice for now. Once they were far from the Outer Court, he would see what the man intended.

"How was it? Did he notice?"

Zheng Daoxing and another man caught up and asked.

"He did not. His escape speed is several levels slower than ours."

"Good. Catch up to him directly. Don't let him get away."

"Later, we'll give that Fang brat a proper taste of suffering."

Fang Xiao had also noticed Zheng Daoxing's arrival. Seeing the group accelerate to catch up, he instead came to a stop, turned around, and waited for them to approach.