A Flash of Inspiration

Summer gave way to autumn, winter passed, and spring arrived.

More than two years had passed since Li Gan's Sword Intent had broken through.

Life on the mountain was very peaceful.

Since he didn't need to take on Inner Sect missions, he hadn't left the Divine Sword Sect in over two years.

Every day, he followed the same routine of ringing the bell and cultivating.

The Divine Sword Sect, however, was anything but peaceful.

In recent years, the Moon Worship Cult's rebellion had swept through the prefectures of Dachang. Although the imperial court had done everything it could to suppress the uprising, the situation had only grown more dire.

The number of Inner Sect missions at the Divine Sword Sect had also risen sharply, and most were related to Suppression Missions.

As a result, the missions had become far more dangerous.

Quite a few Inner Disciples had been wounded or killed.

In response, the Divine Sword Sect had no choice but to increase the mission rewards.

That afternoon,

Chen Yong came up the mountain.

Half a year earlier, Chen Yong had completed three consecutive years at the top of the Combat Ranking List and successfully earned the qualification to become an Inner Disciple.

Though he was only the most ordinary kind of Official Disciple, to a Menial Disciple, it was no different from a carp leaping over the dragon's gate.

He now had access to cultivation resources that Menial Disciples could only dream of.

And he could study genuine Internal Cultivation Techniques.

"Brother Gan, there's a rumor going around the Inner Sect that the Mission Hall is preparing to assign missions. They're also temporarily increasing the number of mandatory Inner Sect missions from once a year to twice a year."

Chen Yong said.

Whenever he came up the mountain, he brought Li Gan news from the Inner Sect.

"Has the situation really become this serious?"

Li Gan looked surprised, then said, "Then you'd better cultivate hard. In another six months, you'll have to take part in an Inner Sect mission too."

"Don't worry, Brother Gan. I'll keep working hard. But I've run into a little trouble with my Internal Cultivation Technique."

Chen Yong nodded.

In truth, he was also looking forward to taking part in an Inner Sect mission. As long as he completed it, he could earn Contribution Points.

Without Contribution Points, the cultivation resources distributed by the Inner Sect alone could hardly meet his needs.

He came from a poor family, and his relatives couldn't provide him with cultivation resources. He had to rely on himself to obtain everything he needed.

"Go on. What's the problem?"

Li Gan knew Chen Yong had come up the mountain to ask about cultivation.

As an ordinary Official Disciple promoted from the ranks of the Menial Disciples, Chen Yong was at the very bottom of the Inner Sect. He wasn't even qualified to become a Named Disciple of an elder or Peak Master, let alone take one as his master.

So whenever Chen Yong wanted advice about cultivation, he usually had to spend Contribution Points.

Without powerful connections or exceptional aptitude, cultivating was just that difficult.

Chen Yong quickly explained the problem.

Li Gan answered his questions one by one.

After all, he spent every day on the mountain, and aside from cultivation, he had plenty of free time.

Not long after Chen Yong left, Master Zhou Buping came strolling up from below, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Master, has the situation outside gotten bad?"

Li Gan couldn't help asking.

He was mainly worried that the upheaval might affect the Divine Sword Sect.

Only if the Divine Sword Sect remained stable could he ring the bell and cultivate at Chenzhong Terrace with a clear conscience.

"Whether the situation is good or bad depends on your perspective. For ordinary people, the turmoil outside is naturally disastrous. But for a great martial sect like the Divine Sword Sect, its impact is limited."

Zhou Buping said with a smile.

The Divine Sword Sect was a great martial sect whose might shook three prefectures and twelve commanderies, with a deep foundation. Even at the end of a dynasty, when the realm fell into chaos, it could still protect itself.

Besides, things had nowhere near reached the point of a dynasty's end and a realm in chaos.

"So just focus on cultivating in peace and master the Immaculate Sword Body as soon as possible."

Zhou Buping added.

"Yes, Master."

Li Gan nodded.

Zhou Buping waved a hand, then headed toward his wooden hut.

Once his master had left, Li Gan summoned the System Interface to check his latest information.

Host: Li Gan.

Cultivation Base: Postnatal Realm (Ninth Level 99/100).

Sacrificial Tool: Chen Bell (Law 2314/10000).

Martial Arts: Sword Piercing Fist (Perfection), Heartless Sword Art (Perfection), Immaculate Sword Body (Great Accomplishment 99/100).

Martial Intent: Heartless Sword Intent (Illusion 19/100).

Secret Techniques: Myriad Transformation Sword Qi, Blood Burning Technique.

In fact, his Immaculate Sword Body had already reached Great Accomplishment 99 eight months ago.

He was just one step away, yet he still couldn't break through to Perfection.

Unfortunately, he had no experience to learn from, and Zhou Buping couldn't teach him anything either.

After all, the Divine Sword Sect didn't have the Flawless Vajra Method.

He could only rely on his own efforts to figure it out.

"Maybe my blood and qi still aren't strong enough."

Li Gan thought to himself.

In truth, the blood and qi in his body had grown astonishingly potent.

Even a Xiantian Martial Artist who had specialized in body tempering might not be as strong as he was.

"If I could go into the Sword Grinding Cave one more time and study the murals, maybe I'd figure out what's going on."

Li Gan returned to his room and sat cross-legged on the bed, recalling the murals he had seen in the Sword Grinding Cave.

Thanks to his astounding memory, he could still remember them clearly, even though several years had passed.

But remembering the murals and seeing them in person were two entirely different things.

"With perfected Postnatal Internal Qi, you nourish the body in return."

After recalling what he had seen, he pondered the Immaculate Sword Body's cultivation method.

"The essence of the body is made up of essence, energy, and spirit. Essence can be transformed into energy, and it can nourish the spirit. Internal Qi nourishes the body in return, which is like using energy to replenish essence. Then does that mean I also need to use spirit to replenish essence?"

Li Gan's thoughts ranged far and wide. Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. "Could it be that my Sword Intent advanced too quickly, and the Illusion-level Sword Intent is affecting the Immaculate Sword Body's breakthrough to Perfection?"

At the same time, his attention fell on the sword shadow in his mind.

This Sword Intent had also been condensed from a great deal of spiritual essence.

Whatever the case,

he felt it was worth trying.

For the past six months or so, he had analyzed every possible angle, and Sword Intent was the one thing he hadn't considered.

Still, he wasn't in a hurry.

It was still daytime.

It wasn't convenient to try just yet.

He waited until nightfall, after the watchman's gong rang. By then, Li Gan was already standing atop the Bell Tower, the Chen Bell beside him.

Moonlight flowed like water,

washing over Li Gan and shrouding him in a hazy glow.

The cool air swept past on the night breeze, refreshingly pleasant.

Li Gan closed his eyes and reached out to the sword shadow in his mind.

As the sound of a bell rang in his mind, the sword shadow trembled and shot downward, merging with the Internal Qi in his Dantian.

Right after that, he assumed a stance and began cultivating the Immaculate Sword Body.

Boom!

Li Gan felt his entire body shudder. As the Internal Qi flowing in reverse dissolved, the sword shadow representing his Heartless Sword Intent seemed to be affected in the same way. It began to break apart and dissolve.

An astonishing change took place.

As his body was nourished by the Internal Qi and Sword Intent, it seemed to break through some kind of limit all at once.

Hum!

Strands of strange power welled up inside him. As if taking the place of his blood and qi, they coursed through every inch of his muscles, organs, tissues, and even his cells.

A true metamorphosis.

It wasn't just the inside of his body. Even the hair and skin on the surface began to dry up and peel away, only for new skin and hair to grow back rapidly.

Only after a long while did the transformation finally end.

At that moment, Li Gan felt only one thing.

Freedom.

It was as if his body had broken free from some kind of restraint, allowing him to experience true ease and freedom.

He slowly opened his eyes. His gaze shone like the stars as he raised a hand and studied it closely.

His skin had grown much paler.

It was smooth and lustrous, as though it gleamed with a faint jade-like sheen.

Whoosh!

He darted over to a Bronze Mirror.

The young man reflected before him hadn't changed much in appearance.

But his aura seemed divine.

Li Gan finally understood what it meant to be truly transcendent and free of worldly taint.

"I never expected that, in the end, the Immaculate Sword Body would require me to fuse my own Sword Intent into it."

Li Gan sighed with emotion.

No wonder it was called a sword body.

How could it be a sword body without Sword Intent nourishing it?

It seemed he really had missed something when comprehending that mural in the Sword Grinding Cave.

If he hadn't had this sudden inspiration, who knew how much longer it would have taken him to perfect the Immaculate Sword Body.