Heartless Sword Art

"Disciple, the fact that you could cultivate Sword Piercing Fist to perfection shows that your comprehension in the way of the sword is exceptionally high. I have a technique here called the Heartless Sword Art. It integrates internal cultivation techniques with martial sword techniques and is perfectly suited to be your follow-up cultivation method after entering the ranks. Compared to the main cultivation techniques of the Seven Peaks, this Heartless Sword Art is not inferior in the slightest. Its defining characteristic is that it prioritizes comprehension over innate talent. Those with even slightly lacking comprehension will find it difficult to even get started."

Zhou Buping entered the wooden hut, took out a thin manual, and tossed it to Li Gan.

The cover of the manual was yellowed, and one could tell at a glance that it had been around for quite some years.

He gently opened the cover.

The essence of the Heartless Sword Art lies in entrusting one's emotions to the sword.

The subsequent content was obscure and difficult to understand, appearing profound and mysterious. Filled with various technical terms, Li Gan found himself completely bewildered.

Seeing the confused expression on Li Gan's face, Zhou Buping immediately said, "Take it back first and ponder it carefully. If there is anything you don't understand, come back here and ask me."

"Yes, Master."

Li Gan nodded hurriedly.

Afterward, he left the valley and returned to the Bell Tower.

No one would have expected that in just one trip back and forth, he had already become an official disciple of the Divine Sword Sect and even taken on a master.

After returning to the Bell Tower and finishing his daily bell-ringing, Li Gan did not practice the Sword Piercing Fist. Instead, he began to study the Heartless Sword Art.

Now that he had an internal cultivation technique, there was no need to practice the Sword Piercing Fist anymore.

Even if the Sword Piercing Fist were cultivated to perfection, it could not change the fact that it was merely a basic fist technique.

After reading for a long time, Li Gan was filled with emotion. Forget about cultivating this Heartless Sword Art; even just understanding it was incredibly difficult.

In the end, he had no choice but to practice the Sword Piercing Fist a few times to soothe his mood.

By evening, after ringing the bell for the final time, Li Gan headed down the mountain straight toward the valley.

"You're here."

Zhou Buping was still reclining in front of the wooden door.

As he spoke, he tossed a brand-new wooden tablet to Li Gan.

"This is the official disciple identity tablet I had prepared for you. It also functions as a contribution tablet. If you have any contribution points on your old one, go to the Internal Affairs Hall of the inner sect to have them transferred."

Zhou Buping said.

Li Gan held the wooden tablet. It wasn't exactly the same as the one the stall owner had in the Black Market, but there wasn't much of a difference either.

"How much of that Heartless Sword Art did you understand?"

Zhou Buping asked again.

"Master, I can only understand about one or two tenths of it."

Li Gan said with a look of shame on his face.

"That is normal. You come from a background as a Menial Disciple and have never practiced an Internal Cultivation Technique before, so you are unfamiliar with many of the terms and specific jargon used in them."

Zhou Buping was not surprised.

Following this, he began to explain the professional knowledge of Internal Cultivation Techniques to Li Gan.

This was the benefit of having a master.

He could teach him hand-in-hand.

If Li Gan were left to figure it out on his own, not to mention the time and effort it would take, there was also a possibility of something going wrong during his cultivation.

The practice of Internal Qi is not like simple martial arts training; the slightest error could lead to a loss of control over one's Internal Qi, resulting in Qi deviation.

Under Zhou Buping's guidance, Li Gan gained a profound understanding of the Heartless Sword Art.

When he left, Zhou Buping tossed him a cloth bag.

Inside were the monthly provisions for a Personal Disciple: a bottle of Blood Vitality Pills, a bottle of Spirit Nourishing Pills, and a pound of Exotic Beast Jerky.

In addition to this, Zhou Buping also gave Li Gan a Treasure Sword.

"Whether it is the Blood Vitality Pills or the Spirit Nourishing Pills, it is best to take one every two days, alternating between them. Only when you are at the verge of a breakthrough may you take more," Zhou Buping said.

The treatment for an Official Disciple is vastly different from that of a Personal Disciple who has a master.

What they are issued are Blood Vitality Pellets, the effects of which cannot be compared to Blood Vitality Pills.

Not to mention medicinal pills like the Spirit Nourishing Pill, which restores mental energy; Official Disciples do not have access to those.

As for the Exotic Beast Jerky, Official Disciples only receive two taels per month.

The two bottles of medicinal pills and the pound of Exotic Beast Jerky were certainly mostly subsidized by his master.

This was something Official Disciples did not have.

"Thank you, Master."

Li Gan said hurriedly.

After returning to the Bell Tower, Li Gan began to prepare for his initiation into the Heartless Sword Art.

He pondered the contents of the Internal Cultivation Technique repeatedly until he had no remaining doubts. Only then did he sit cross-legged and begin to mobilize his Internal Qi according to the instructions of the technique.

When practicing Sword Piercing Fist, Internal Qi runs passively.

However, an Internal Cultivation Technique involves the active circulation of Internal Qi.

At the beginning, Li Gan could not focus his mind, which made it difficult to precisely control his Internal Qi, leading to frequent instances where the energy would spiral out of control.

He then mobilized the sacrificial vessel, the Chen Bell, and the tolling of the bell rang out incessantly.

In an instant, he felt his spirit invigorated. The Internal Qi, which had previously been difficult to control, seemed to become gentle and obedient, flowing along the specific meridian pathways under his manipulation.

After completing one Grand Heavenly Cycle, the Internal Qi returned to his Dantian Qi Sea.

Hoo!

He let out a long breath, a look of pleasant surprise appearing on his face.

An Internal Cultivation Technique really is different.

This could be seen just from the increase in Internal Qi.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, and he summoned the System Interface to check the latest information.

Host: Li Gan.

Cultivation Base: Postnatal Realm (First Layer 58/100).

Sacrificial Vessel: Chen Bell (Treasure 802/1000).

Martial Arts: Sword Piercing Fist (Perfected), Heartless Sword Art (Entry).

"A single Grand Heavenly Cycle actually increased my progress by one point?"

Li Gan's face showed astonishment.

When he practiced Sword Piercing Fist before, it took two days just to gain one point of progress.

However, practicing the Heartless Sword Art once consumed a massive amount of blood energy and mental stamina. After running just one Grand Heavenly Cycle, he felt a sense of blood deficiency and mental exhaustion.

No wonder internal cultivation requires the assistance of Medicinal Pills.

Since he had already reached the entry level, he did not continue practicing.

The next morning.

Li Gan struck the Chen Bell.

After the bell tolled, he felt incredibly comfortable all over, and the Internal Qi within his body became exceptionally active.

He immediately sat cross-legged and began to practice the Heartless Sword Art.

After completing one Grand Heavenly Cycle, Li Gan felt completely refreshed and invigorated, without a hint of fatigue.

"The first bell toll of the day has the best effect. The invisible energy contained within the chime can greatly replenish one's blood vitality and spirit."

Li Gan opened his eyes and revealed a smile.

Therefore, the effect of his daily cultivation was best immediately following the first bell toll.

The effects of the subsequent bell tolls were significantly weaker.

As for not waiting for the bell and instead directly driving the Chen Bell to create the sound in his mind, that was the least effective method.

Furthermore, the further one was from the Chen Bell, the worse the effect of the mentally conjured bell chime would be.

Li Gan did not continue his cultivation.

Because the effect of the first bell toll had already faded.

He would wait until the Chen Hour when the bell was struck again to cultivate; the results would be much better.

Just like that, over the course of a day, Li Gan practiced a full five times, completing five Grand Heavenly Cycles, which increased his progress in the Postnatal Realm First Layer by five points.

Previously, when practicing the Sword Piercing Fist, it took him two days to gain a single point of progress.

But now, practicing the Heartless Sword Art, he could gain five points in a single day—the efficiency had increased tenfold.

Although this was partly due to the Blood Vitality Pill he had consumed, it was clear that the power of an Internal Cultivation Technique was far beyond what basic martial arts like the Sword Piercing Fist could compare to.

As for the Spirit Nourishing Pill, Li Gan found he did not need to use it for the time being.

The chime of the Chen Bell was enough to eliminate the mental fatigue caused by his cultivation.

It was a pity that his blood vitality couldn't keep up; he was confident he could have practiced the Heartless Sword Art a few more times.

He sighed inwardly, thinking that if not for that Yi Zhong coming to his door to threaten him, he never would have intended to become an Official Disciple. How else would he have encountered such a stroke of good fortune?