Perfect Xiantian

"Immaculate Sword Body really is peculiar."

Li Gan felt his body faintly resonating with Heaven and Earth Origin Qi as he breathed.

This was a sign that the Immaculate Sword Body was drawing in Heaven and Earth Origin Qi.

As long as he wished, he could break through the barrier between the Postnatal Realm and the Xiantian Realm right now and enter the Xiantian Realm.

Under normal circumstances, there were three ways for a martial artist at the Postnatal limit to enter the Xiantian Realm.

The first was to use Internal Qi refined to perfection to open the Tianling Acupoint at the crown of the head and form a Heaven-Human Channel. This allowed one to absorb Heaven and Earth Origin Qi into the body, where it fused with Postnatal Qi and eventually transformed into True Qi.

However, this method carried great risks.

The slightest mistake could injure the brain, and there was a chance of failure.

Unless one had sufficiently high natural talent, in which case the breakthrough would be relatively easy.

The second way was to comprehend Martial Intent before entering the Xiantian Realm, then use it as a medium to guide Internal Qi in opening the Tianling Acupoint. The risks were low, and failure was almost unheard of.

This required exceptional comprehension.

Otherwise, it was difficult to comprehend Martial Intent ahead of time.

The third way was to take an Xiantian Pill and force open the Tianling Acupoint. However, it had obvious drawbacks. It was said that one's Cultivation Base would become very difficult to improve, leaving one's future limited. This was also known as Half-step Xiantian.

Those who used the third method were usually martial artists at the Postnatal limit with unremarkable natural talent and comprehension.

For many Postnatal martial artists, achieving Xiantian—even as Half-step Xiantian—was more than enough.

Besides, Xiantian Pills were precious in their own right.

Without sufficient wealth and connections, one might not be able to buy one.

But now, after Li Gan had cultivated the Immaculate Sword Body, it seemed as though his body could naturally absorb Heaven and Earth Origin Qi.

It was absurd.

What was more, his entire body could absorb Heaven and Earth Origin Qi, making him who knew how many times more efficient than an ordinary Xiantian martial artist.

He had not even achieved Xiantian yet, but Li Gan already more or less understood why it was called Perfect Xiantian.

And this might only be one of its advantages.

"Then I'll break through."

Li Gan lifted his eyes to the sky.

A full moon hung high overhead, spilling silver light and shrouding the world in a haze.

He took a deep breath and began circulating the Heartless Sword Art for the first time.

Ever since he had reached Postnatal perfection, he had never cultivated the Heartless Sword Art again.

At most, he had practiced the Five Elements Sword Technique.

Even after all this time without practicing the Heartless Sword Art, he felt no resistance as he circulated the inner cultivation method.

No, it flowed even more smoothly than before.

There was only one word for it.

Effortless.

"Just as I thought. After cultivating the Immaculate Sword Body, circulating the Heartless Sword Art is even more effortless."

Li Gan was very pleased.

After he completed a cycle of the Heartless Sword Art, his rich Internal Qi circulated through a Greater Celestial Circuit within the Immaculate Sword Body. The countless streams of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi surrounding him seemed to break through some barrier all at once, surging into him through the acupoints all over his body.

A strange radiance gradually appeared around him.

It was a halo formed by the dense Heaven and Earth Origin Qi under the moonlight.

As the Heaven and Earth Origin Qi entered his body, the Immaculate Sword Body caused it to fuse with his Postnatal Internal Qi, forming an entirely new power.

True Qi.

Or, more precisely, Xiantian True Qi.

This Xiantian True Qi was like silver-white threads, rapidly spreading through the meridians all over his body.

Meanwhile, in a wooden hut several hundred meters from the Bell Tower,

Zhou Buping was trying to cultivate.

Although his injuries had mostly healed,

his damaged qi sea was not so easy to restore.

The same was even more true of his sword intent.

His Cultivation Base had fallen and his sword intent had weakened. That was already a fact.

"Ugh, still no good."

Zhou Buping opened his eyes and sighed.

The Xiantian True Qi in his qi sea was too difficult to mobilize.

Forcing it caused indescribable pain.

Using his Heartless Sword Intent was just as bad.

His Life-Bound Intent Sword had already shattered.

His sword intent was now only at the level of a Virtual Image—or perhaps even weaker, since he could not mobilize his sword intent at all.

Suddenly, his expression changed, and he looked toward the Bell Tower.

Although he could no longer mobilize his sword intent or Xiantian True Qi, as an experienced Xiantian Realm expert, he was extremely sensitive to Heaven and Earth Origin Qi.

At that moment, he could sense a powerful convergence of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi in the direction of the Bell Tower.

"What's this?"

He seemed to realize something and hurried out of the hut, forgetting even to put on his boots as he ran barefoot.

Soon, he reached a high spot about a hundred meters from the Bell Tower, where he could clearly see Chenzhong Terrace beneath the moonlight.

At that moment, moonlight faintly gathered over Chenzhong Terrace, forming a dim, strange sea of light that seemed to ripple and flow.

"This is a sign of a breakthrough to Xiantian."

Zhou Buping murmured, "Could it be that he's cultivated the Immaculate Sword Body?"

He had never asked Li Gan how far along he was with the Immaculate Sword Body, simply because he did not want to put pressure on him.

There was another possibility: Li Gan could no longer suppress his Cultivation Base and had no choice but to break through to Xiantian.

If it was the latter, it meant that he had failed to achieve Perfect Xiantian.

Feeling a little apprehensive, Zhou Buping did not approach. He simply watched from where he stood.

One could not be disturbed while breaking through to Xiantian.

When Divine Sword Sect disciples broke through to Xiantian, an elder would usually stand guard nearby.

After a long while, the strange vision of Xiantian gradually disappeared, and the intense fluctuations of Heaven and Earth Origin Qi finally settled.

Only then did Zhou Buping walk toward the Bell Tower.

"Master."

Li Gan's voice came from atop the Bell Tower.

A figure then drifted down and landed in front of Zhou Buping.

"Why did you suddenly break through to Xiantian?"

Zhou Buping asked urgently.

"Master, I suddenly cultivated the Immaculate Sword Body, so I tried to break through. I didn't expect it to happen just like that."

Li Gan hurriedly explained.

"What? You really cultivated the Immaculate Sword Body?"

Zhou Buping's voice trembled as he heard this.

How long had it been since Li Gan comprehended the Immaculate Sword Body in the Sword Grinding Cave?

Five years and one month, by his reckoning.

"That's right."

Li Gan nodded.

He, too, was filled with emotion.

It had taken him a full five years to cultivate the Immaculate Sword Body to perfection.

Before he knew it, he was already twenty-five.

And he had been in this world for more than nine years.

From a Menial Disciple without a shred of cultivation to someone who had cultivated step by step and finally achieved Perfect Xiantian.

It hadn't been easy!

"Good, good, good!"

Zhou Buping said "good" three times. "Li Gan, you must never let a third person know about Perfect Xiantian. Understand?"

"Master, why?"

Li Gan asked curiously.

Even without his master's warning, he would never reveal that he had achieved Perfect Xiantian.

He was simply curious about what his master was afraid of.

"I told you before that anyone who achieves Perfect Xiantian is destined to become a Martial Saint. This rumor isn't limited to our Divine Sword Sect; it's known in other countries of Dachang as well. If word gets out that you've achieved Perfect Xiantian, you'll become a target for everyone. No force will tolerate the existence of someone with Perfect Xiantian in our Divine Sword Sect."

Zhou Buping sighed.

In truth, there was more he had left unsaid. Even within the Divine Sword Sect, there might be people who thought the same way.