A Flash of Inspiration

Summer passed, autumn arrived, winter went, and spring returned.

More than two years had passed since Li Gan's sword intent broke through.

Life on the mountain was very peaceful.

Since he did not need to perform inner disciple missions, he had not left Divine Sword Sect for over two years.

Every day was a routine of ringing the bell and practicing.

However, Divine Sword Sect was not peaceful.

In recent years, the Moon Worship Cult rebellion had swept through every province of Dachang. Although the imperial court tried its best to suppress the rebellion, it only grew more intense.

The number of inner disciple missions in Divine Sword Sect had also increased sharply, most of which were related to suppression missions.

This had also greatly increased the risks of the missions.

Many inner disciples had suffered casualties as a result.

Because of this, Divine Sword Sect had no choice but to increase the mission rewards.

In the afternoon.

Chen Yong came up the mountain.

As early as half a year ago, Chen Yong had completed three consecutive years as number one on the combat ranking list and successfully obtained the qualifications of an inner disciple.

Although he was only the most ordinary official disciple, for a menial disciple, it was no different from a carp leaping over the dragon gate.

He now had access to cultivation resources that menial disciples could only dream of.

And real internal cultivation techniques.

"Brother Gan, there is a rumor spreading like wildfire in the inner sect. They say the mission hall is preparing to distribute missions, and the mandatory inner sect missions are being temporarily increased from once a year to twice a year."

Chen Yong said.

Every time he came up the mountain, he would bring Li Gan some news from the inner sect.

"Is the situation that dire now?"

Li Gan's face showed surprise, then he said, "Then you must practice well. In another half a year, you will also have to participate in inner sect missions."

"Brother Gan, don't worry, I will practice hard. However, I encountered a little trouble when I was practicing my internal cultivation technique."

Chen Yong nodded and said.

In fact, he was still looking forward to participating in inner sect missions; as long as he completed them, he would be able to earn contribution points.

Without contribution points, relying solely on the cultivation resources distributed by the inner sect is hardly enough to meet one's cultivation needs.

He came from a humble background, and his family could not provide him with any resources; he had to obtain everything himself.

"Speak, what is your question?"

Li Gan knew that Chen Yong had come up the mountain for the sake of his cultivation.

As an ordinary official disciple who had risen from the ranks of menial disciples, he belonged to the very bottom of the inner sect. He didn't even have the qualifications to become a named disciple of an elder or a peak master, let alone find a formal master.

Therefore, if Chen Yong wanted to seek advice on cultivation, he usually had to spend contribution points.

Without a powerful background or high-level innate talent, cultivation was just that difficult.

Chen Yong hurriedly stated his questions.

Li Gan answered them one by one.

In any case, he stayed on the mountain every day, and apart from his own cultivation, he had plenty of free time.

Not long after Chen Yong left, his master, Zhou Buping, walked over from the foot of the mountain with his hands behind his back, looking leisurely.

"Master, is the situation outside very bad?"

Li Gan couldn't help but ask.

He was mainly worried that if the situation fell into chaos, it would affect the Divine Sword Sect.

Only if the Divine Sword Sect remained stable could he strike the bell at Chenzhong Terrace and cultivate with peace of mind.

"Whether the situation is good or bad is all relative. For ordinary people, the chaos outside is naturally dire, but for a major martial arts sect like our Divine Sword Sect, the impact is limited."

Zhou Buping said with a smile.

As a major martial arts sect that shook three provinces and twelve counties, the Divine Sword Sect had a profound foundation. Even if the dynasty were in its final days and the world were in turmoil, it would still be able to protect itself.

What's more, the current situation was far from the level of a dynasty's collapse and total chaos.

"So, just set your mind at ease and cultivate well, and achieve the immaculate sword body as soon as possible."

Zhou Buping added.

"Yes, Master."

Li Gan nodded.

Zhou Buping waved his hand and walked toward his own wooden hut.

After his master left, Li Gan summoned the system interface to check the latest information.

Host: Li Gan.

Cultivation: Postnatal Realm (9th Layer 99/100).

Sacrificial Vessel: Chen Bell (Dharma 2314/10000).

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

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

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

In truth, his Immaculate Sword Body had already reached the 99 progress mark of Great Success eight months ago.

He was just one point away, yet he had been unable to break through to perfection.

Unfortunately, he had no experience to draw from, and Zhou Buping could not teach him anything either.

After all, the Flawless Vajra Method did not exist anywhere within the Divine Sword Sect.

He could only rely on his own exploration.

Perhaps my blood qi intensity is still not enough.

Li Gan thought to himself.

In reality, the thickness of his physical blood qi had reached a terrifying level.

Even Xiantian martial artists who specialized in body tempering might not necessarily be as strong as him.

If I could enter the Sword Grinding Cave once more to observe the murals, perhaps I could figure out the reason.

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

Relying on his astonishing memory, even though several years had passed, he could still remember them clearly.

However, remembering the murals and seeing them on-site were two completely different things.

"Use perfected postnatal internal qi to nourish the physical body."

After some reflection, he pondered the content of the Immaculate Sword Body technique again.

"Essence, qi, and spirit. The physical body is essence, which can be transformed into qi and can nourish the spirit. Internal qi nourishing the physical body is equivalent to using qi to supplement essence. So, should I also use spirit to supplement essence?"

Li Gan's thoughts were unconstrained, and suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him. Could it be that my sword intent is improving too quickly, causing the illusion-level sword intent to interfere with the perfection of the Immaculate Sword Body?

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

This sword intent itself was also condensed from a vast amount of spiritual essence.

Regardless, he felt it was necessary to give it a try.

Over the past six months or so, he had analyzed every aspect, and the only thing he hadn't considered was sword intent.

However, he was in no rush.

It was still daytime.

It was not a convenient time to experiment.

He waited until nightfall, and after the watchman's gong sounded, Li Gan stood atop the bell tower, right next to the chen bell.

The moonlight was like water.

It spilled over Li Gan, casting a hazy glow.

The cool air, carried by the night breeze, felt incredibly comfortable.

Li Gan closed his eyes and connected with the sword shadow in his mind.

As the sound of a bell rang out in his mind, the sword shadow hummed and vibrated, descending directly to merge with the internal qi in his dantian.

Following that, he assumed a stance and began to cultivate the immaculate sword body.

Boom!

Li Gan felt his entire body shudder. As his retrograde internal qi dissolved, the sword shadow representing the heartless sword intent seemed to be affected in the same way, unexpectedly beginning to disintegrate and melt away.

An astonishing change occurred.

His physical body, nourished by the feedback from the internal qi and sword intent, seemed to break through a certain limit in an instant.

Hum!

A strange power sprouted within his body, as if replacing his blood and qi, permeating every inch of his muscles, organs, tissues, and even his cells.

A true rebirth.

It wasn't just inside his body; the hair and skin on his surface began to wither and fall off, only to be rapidly replaced by new skin and hair.

After a long while, this transformation finally concluded.

At this moment, Li Gan had only one feeling.

That was freedom.

It was as if his physical body had broken free from some kind of shackle, allowing him to experience true, boundless liberation.

He slowly opened his eyes, his pupils shining like stars, and raised his hand to examine it carefully.

His skin had become much fairer.

It was delicate and smooth, as if glowing with a faint, jade-like luster.

Whoosh!

He moved, arriving before a bronze mirror.

The young man's facial features had not changed significantly.

But his temperament was divine.

Li Gan finally understood what it meant to be truly otherworldly.

"I didn't expect that this immaculate sword body would ultimately require me to integrate my own sword intent into it."

Li Gan was filled with emotion.

No wonder it was called a sword body.

Without the feedback of sword intent, how could it be called a sword body?

When he was contemplating that mural in the sword grinding cave, he had indeed missed something.

If not for his sudden inspiration, he didn't know how much longer it would have taken him to perfect this immaculate sword body.