Profound Heaven Sword Method: Reset Edition

Li Fan put away the Abyssal Knowledge and the Profound Heaven Sword Method, thanking True Person Liang for his many pointers... and gossip.

As for Yuan Xuanbao, he had only glanced at the back of the Abyssal Knowledge scroll before spitting up blood and sustaining a serious injury. According to True Person Liang, his cultivation and aptitude were not yet sufficient, and the Sha Qi within him had not been completely expelled. The surge had triggered his old injury, so he remained at the Yi Zhuang to continue his cultivation.

Yuan Xuanbao nodded to Li Fan, signaling him not to worry, and the two parted ways for the time being.

Leaving the Yi Zhuang, Li Fan immediately mounted a flying crane and ascended. With the two scrolls he had just acquired tucked away, he pondered for a while.

The Abyssal Knowledge likely recorded the dreams True Person Liang had experienced during his own Moon Worship.

This, along with what Real Person Wanshu had discussed with him previously, should be related to the void, different worlds, and different Dao fields.

According to the Profound Heaven Sword Intent, although True Person Liang was a Nascent Soul cultivator, he was far more powerful than Wangshu, who was currently in the Spirit Transmutation stage. Perhaps it was due to his greater age and stable realm, or perhaps the Dao fields he observed were even more perilous than Yuanze.

Of course, the scroll likely contained illusions generated by spells, not an actual Moon Worship. It was like watching a video guide for a dungeon, allowing him to prepare in advance, and it was a generous gift.

It was probably True Person Liang's reward for Li Fan killing the Golden Core demon cultivator and avenging his disciple.

As for the Profound Heaven Sword Method, a body-refining sword technique...

"What is it, Sword Intent, did you figure something out..." Li Fan glanced sideways at the silver-white blade, now only an inch long, which was stuck to the catfish's head, about three inches long, like half a bamboo leaf. It was unclear how they communicated, but the Kun would occasionally lick the pages, turning the Profound Heaven Sword Method to read it.

Because the Profound Heaven Sword Intent wouldn't let Li Fan see it, claiming his comprehension was impossibly high and he could grasp any technique instantly, making it unreasonable and failing to embody the concept of "easy to understand." So, it insisted on finding someone with normal aptitude to review the technique and judge how it was compiled and why it was more suitable for teaching disciples than itself. Thus, it directly stuck itself to the Kun's head to read the book...

But no matter how simple a sword technique, the Kun wouldn't understand it, right?

'The Profound Heaven Sword Intent states that this sword technique is trash, but it has a little bit of interest. I'll study it further...'

What kind of evaluation was "trash with a little bit of interest"... Never mind, whatever.

Then, the two of them genuinely began to study it. The Kun was also led astray by the Sword Intent and hardly ate tofu anymore.

When they returned to Wangshu's small abode for dinner, Fuling, who usually doted on the Kun the most, didn't even notice. Her expression was unreadable, but she was clearly preoccupied.

"Sister Fuling, what's wrong? Is Fairy Wangshu alright?" Li Fan asked tentatively.

"Hm? Ah, oh, my lady is fine. She's in seclusion and won't wake for three to five months. Don't worry," Fuling replied, snapping back to attention. She scooped a piece of tofu for Li Fan and a chicken wing for the Kun.

The Kun was certainly not at a disadvantage...

Li Fan, "...Then Sister Fuling, are you troubled by something? Perhaps I can help?"

Fuling snapped back to attention and smiled, "Don't worry, it's just some business matters. With my lady, a great cultivator of the Spirit Transmutation stage, protecting me, I have plenty of talismans. Who would dare harm me? Qingyue, you should focus on recovering from your injuries.

Oh, here are the Five Elements Treasures I prepared for your Foundation Establishment earlier, along with some medicinal ingredients. You obtained a pile of jade pendants and jades from that evil path cultivator you killed, didn't you? The Abbot wants to keep those items to investigate, and they might contain clues, so they can't be returned to you. The Lou Guan sect's intention is to buy them from you with some money.

I've managed to recover some for you, totaling twenty thousand strings for your daily expenses. Qingyue, please don't blame me for agreeing on your behalf..."

"Sister Fuling, what are you saying? Those items might have further karma associated with them, and they weren't easy to obtain. It's perfect for me to hand them over to the sect to investigate the enemy's background." Li Fan certainly didn't mind. Killing a Golden Core monster was quite profitable, and so many random items had dropped at once—Abyssal Knowledge, Sword Method, and even Divine Essence money.

Twenty thousand strings. In this world, a hundred coins usually made a diao, and a thousand coins made a string, so twenty thousand strings was two hundred thousand coins. To be more precise about purchasing power, Fuling mentioned that one string could buy about twenty shi of rice, which translated to five wen per dou of rice.

Li Fan hadn't experienced the Human Dao enough to know the exact weight of a shi or a dou in jin, but one shi of rice was generally enough to feed a household for about a month. Overall, rice prices were very cheap, and supply and demand were stable.

This was also because the three major sects had not engaged in warfare for a long time, and the twelve kingdoms rarely experienced dynastic changes. Although there were occasional manifestations of Devil Form and harm to people by Sha corpses, there weren't that many cultivators, and they mostly resided in deep mountains and forests, in places known as blessed lands. Therefore, on average, the chance of an ordinary person encountering trouble was similar to encountering bandits or wild beasts. Although cultivators still engaged in the "you cut off my head, I'll sever your neck" kind of behavior, the Human Dao had entered a rare period of peace in history. The purchasing power of Divine Essence money was naturally very strong.

Of course, Li Fan wasn't transmigrated to be a rich man. He couldn't possibly eat twenty thousand strings of money, which could buy forty thousand shi of grain, even if he ate until he died. But if you wanted to buy cultivation materials, magic artifacts, or props, money would flow like water, and some things couldn't be bought even with a lot of money. There was no need to be overly calculating or entangled.

However, this also showed that Fuling was indeed a bit preoccupied lately, even forgetting that she still had many of Li Fan's belongings. After all, they had only known each other for a few days. She was unwilling to say more, and Li Fan couldn't pry into her private affairs. After dinner, he dragged the Kun by its tail back to the quiet room to cultivate.

The most important thing now was to restore his mood. Considering the current combat intensity where battles could erupt at any moment, Li Fan felt it was best to undergo Moon Worship again as soon as possible to stabilize his realm to Foundation Establishment Perfection. His current Dao energy was insufficient; a full output from the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword would deplete it instantly.

But Moon Worship still required some preparation. The jade pendant was sealed and unusable. Perhaps he could bring some food and drinks. Since anything could slightly restore his mood, why not carry some meatballs or peanuts with him...

Of course, besides food and drinks, appreciating flowers and plants, and occasionally having a burst of joy, there was a more stable way to restore his mood.

That was to sit in meditation and circulate his Qi, inhaling the sandalwood incense, circulating the Qi Sea through a full cycle, feeling his body relax and invigorate, and then...

'Li Fan's mood has increased by 1 point.'

En, cultivation is truly awesome, not fake awesome. Some awesomeness is temporary, fleeting, vulgar, leaving you sore and aching, turning to dust. But cultivation isn't. Cultivation is awesome, always awesome. Keep cultivating, keep being awesome, ah~~ Awesome~~~

'Li Fan's mood has increased by 1 point.'

But... System, how long has it been? One point after another. Seven days have passed, and I've eaten so many meals. I've been awesome day and night, or rather, cultivating, for at least dozens of points, right? What's my mood at now? And the lottery? Why hasn't the lottery recharged yet?

'Li Fan, Mood, 96/200, Current Recharge Progress 174/200.'

Huh??? The upper limit increased? And it increased by a hundred? Is it because of Foundation Establishment? So breaking through a realm increases the upper limit? System, why didn't you say anything!

'Squeak.'

Holy crap... You're amazing, System, you're amazing. I remember... Wait, this number doesn't seem right. I can't be bothered to calculate the recharge progress, but what's with this mood of only 96?

'Host broke through to Foundation Establishment, but the realm is unstable. Only by cultivating Foundation Establishment Realm techniques, consuming Foundation Establishment Realm pills, and killing Devil Embryo of Foundation Establishment stage or above when the Foundation Establishment realm is perfected can the mood be increased to over 100 points.'

Hiss... So ordinary white-named Qi Refining little lobsters don't give points anymore, right? I need to fight green-quality Foundation Establishment little lobsters, right? And later, I'll need to fight colorful diamond-grade little lobsters, right? What kind of garbage online game setting is this!

'Li Fan's mood has decreased by 1 point.'

Right! And even more critically, he has a "calm down" setting... If I really have to chop them one by one like this, how long will it take to replenish my mood? Qi Refining stage was fine, I could drink Five Immortals Soup and stuff like that, but where can I get so many Foundation Establishment Realm pills to pop now? So many Foundation Establishment Realm monsters to farm? And what about the Golden Core stage, Nascent Soul Realm, and Spirit Transmutation stage later!

'Li Fan's mood has decreased by 1 point.'

Sweat! Alright, alright, stop decreasing. It's decreasing by two points in a short while. Doesn't that mean I'll have to kill two more Foundation Establishment monsters to make up for it? Calm down, calm down...

Right! I can also cultivate! First, reach Foundation Establishment Perfection, then cultivate the <Secret Refining Outline of the Five Luo Sword Ghosts of Taiyin>, and then I can recover eight to ten points daily through cultivation. It should only take a few days to replenish my mood.

Yes! The key is to first cultivate to Foundation Establishment Perfection! Then, let's do Moon Worship!

If I don't get enough mood points from worshipping the moon!

Then I'll rely on cultivation to add points!

But I can't get mood points from cultivation until Foundation Establishment Perfection!

Then go worship the moon!

Holy crap!! The logic is a closed loop!

'Li Fan's mood decreased by 1 point.'

I can't take it anymore. Imagining a small theater of two men throwing chairs at each other, the sun is already out, I'm so tired...

Li Fan covered his forehead. What kind of sin did he commit to fall into such a monster loop? What should he do? Spend twenty thousand guan to buy some Foundation Establishment Realm pills? Or cultivate slowly step by step?

At this moment, Kun and Sword Intent flew over. They had been noisy all night. Under the guidance of Profound Heaven Sword Intent, Kun held a pen in its beak and scribbled all over the Profound Heaven Sword Method. In the end, it even drank the ink...

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states that this sword technique has been refined by this seat based on the host's comprehension, extracting the essence and removing the dross. It is now the proper Profound Heaven Sword Method. Let's go practice it.'

Li Fan flipped through the revised Profound Heaven Sword Method that Kun had brought over. Profound Heaven and Kun's Remake>, alright, he could actually understand it.

This was a sword manual, like Bamboo Mountain Sword Method and Body Domination Technique. It could be understood as a sword dance with fixed movements, similar in nature to calisthenics. It was meant to stretch the muscles, mobilize them for power, and coordinate with breathing. Besides exercise, it could also form a martial stance with a certain combat effectiveness.

But it wasn't a complete martial art. More accurately, it was designed to counter a specific sword technique.

Yes, it was specifically designed to counter the Divine Cult's ultimate divine skill, Blood Record Sword Scripture.

However, the entire text made no mention of Blood Record Sword Scripture. There were only eighteen specific sword forms in total, seemingly designed as countermeasures to Blood Record Sword Scripture.

And it wasn't just textual explanations. Each sword form was accompanied by a meridian diagram of a human figure. Some meridians were outlined in red ink, with key points explained. It was likely that at the time of its creation, there were no magic spells for transmitting sound or images. It could be said that it truly deserved the praise of True Person Liang for its extremely exquisite explanations.

So what did Profound Heaven and Kun remake? Well, they had smeared away most of the explanations with ink and drawn large crosses on many of the human figures, making it messy. Of course, it wasn't random scribbling. What was deleted were the parts deemed useless dross after Sword Intent's appraisal. The places with crosses were the flaws after a move was executed, and of course, these were flaws in the eyes of Profound Heaven Sword Intent...

After deleting a large portion, only five diagrams were barely preserved.

Speaking of which, did this guy really not realize that the 'dross' that was removed was the essence that needed to be explained to ordinary disciples...

Li Fan glanced sideways at them. If he, Li Fan, wasn't a heaven-sent genius, how could anyone learn this sword technique that looked like it was dug by dog paws!

"I've memorized the sword forms. Where do we go next?"

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states that the host is truly a monstrous talent, to be able to learn this? Good, then let's seize the time and go kill monkeys to temper the heart.'

Killing monkeys can temper the heart? Don't you have any wildlife protection laws here?

There really weren't any. Ink Bamboo Mountain had been troubled by the rampant Thunder Monkeys for a long time. These monkeys weren't simply stupid. They bullied the weak and feared the strong, and they knew to avoid certain powerful cultivators. Since there were no natural predators in Ink Bamboo Mountain, the Qi Refining disciples who used to hunt monkeys daily were now huddled together, drinking soup. These guys were even less restrained and had completely affected the ecological balance of Ink Bamboo Mountain. Moreover, they chattered all day long, disturbing the quiet cultivation in various caves and mansions.

But they had actually reached Foundation Establishment.

Yes, that's right. Most of those Thunder Monkeys could reach Foundation Establishment. After all, they were bought as 'Thunder Monkeys', not 'Thunder Apes'. In the spiritually rich dojo of Ink Bamboo Mountain, they could occasionally steal and eat medicinal herbs. After all these years, how could they not reach Foundation Establishment?

Speaking of which, the heavenly laws have really changed greatly these days, even monkeys can reach Foundation Establishment so easily...

"En! That's right! In that case... Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword!" Li Fan stood on a bamboo tip, flicked his sleeve, and shot out black and white sword qi. Two sword dragons directly cut the Thunder Monkeys that were gnawing on bamboo shoots into two pieces, startling the other monkeys into scattering.

'Li Fan's mood increased by 1 point.'

It's true. These monkeys lived in the bamboo forest, and Nascent Soul Cultivators would worship the moon from time to time. How could they not be tainted by Sha Qi? They could also be considered Foundation Establishment level Devil Embryo.

However, it was still a bit disgusting to see the bloody scene from afar...

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states that the host shouldn't be squeamish. What's so disgusting about this? You've eaten plenty of meat yourself. Also, don't use Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword. Let's practice with the new Profound Heaven Sword Method later. Before you make a move, draw a talisman.'

"This isn't squeamishness. Have you heard of 'a gentleman stays away from the kitchen'? It's purely a natural physiological reaction. If you prepare it for me and cook it deliciously, I won't be disgusted." Li Fan quipped while taking out yellow talismans and cinnabar from his jade pendant. He dipped his brush in the cinnabar and, following the guidance of Profound Heaven Sword Intent, began to copy and draw spells on the yellow talisman.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states that what gentleman stays away from the kitchen, this seat sees it as being pampered... Hiss, host, you learn remarkably fast. This seat wasn't as good as you back then. By the way, this seat just realized! You can actually use a brush! And you're literate! Understood! The host must be from a scholarly family, which is why you were corrupted by those pedantic scholars since childhood! Bamboo Mountain is so wild, daring to abduct even a well-read scion of a noble family...'

Li Fan also wanted to say that you misunderstood. At least where we come from, there are 1.4 billion people with compulsory education. We are well-read and knowledgeable since childhood. Those who transmigrate can at least pass the imperial examination or become a scholar. It's the same no matter who you abduct.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states that since you are a child prodigy who has been well-read since childhood, this seat wants to ask you first: those pedantic scholars always preach about not killing, not harming people. If someone comes to kill you, what would you do?'

Call the police...

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, call what?'

"That is... report to the authorities and call the constables for help."

Profound Heaven Sword Intent was choked and silent for a while.

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, alas, as expected, scholars are useless. You still don't know the sinister nature of people in this world.'

You don't know what all-weather public closed-circuit networking, facial recognition and identity data tracking, real-time information and coordinate positioning, DNA reverse tracing, and how sour it is to squat for two hours handcuffed to a radiator... Cough, cough, in short, the cost of crime in this place is too low, lawless. Naturally, they don't know what "man does, heaven sees"...

'Profound Heaven Sword Intent states, what are you babbling about, host?'

Li Fan sighed, "I mean, our constables are very capable, so everyone is usually kind and law-abiding, good citizens who work hard. We remind ourselves daily to think about how fresh the air is in this world, how beautiful life is, and to read funny novels to maintain a happy and optimistic mood, not carrying fatigue and stress into the next day...

Cough, cough, cough, cough, but I understand what you mean, Sword Intent. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Fine, tempering the heart it is. I'll try my best to get used to your simple interpersonal rules of mutual beheading upon meeting...

Of course, it would be even more perfect if the corpses in this world could dissipate into white light like in games, instead of splattering blood everywhere, making my conscience constantly question what I've done.

Cough, cough, enough nonsense. Speaking of which, I just remembered something. System, since killing monsters gives mood points, why didn't I get any points when I killed the Golden Core demonic cultivator and those two fierce corpses before?

'System judged Golden Core cultivator Chen Jinu as killed by Devilish Cultivator Li Xinglong.'

'System judged Devilish Cultivator Li Xinglong as killed by Flying Sword Flying Rainbow.'

'System judged Devilish Cultivator Tian Silang as not dead.'

'System determined that only targets personally killed by Li Fan can provide Mood Points.'

Oh...

Huh?

What did the system just say?

'System determined that only targets personally killed by Li Fan can provide Mood Points.'

"Not that sentence!" Li Fan angrily snapped his calligraphy brush. "Who were those three you just answered about?! A Golden Core cultivator? That Demon path user? Chen Jinu? Li Xinglong? Tian Silang? Devilish Cultivator? What have you been hiding?! Confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely! Tell me everything honestly!"

'...Squeak'