This Is Also a Flying Sword

A gun?!

An Jing was stunned for a moment, finding it hard to believe, but he immediately scanned his surroundings with vigilance. "The people who had guns all died here. Is this ruin really that dangerous?!"

"Also, what kind of world is this? Sword Spirit... how should I address you? My Lord or Your Excellency?"

"We are in a mutually beneficial relationship; there is no need to call me My Lord," the Sword Spirit said. "I also do not know what world this is, but my fragments are here."

"However, I recognize this ruin... it feels somewhat familiar. It should have some connection to my era."

After observing for a while, the Sword Spirit could not be certain, and it admitted quite frankly, "But I am shattered, and I have forgotten many things."

"Most of these corpses had strength at the level of Internal Breath like Silk. The group of leaders among them likely had strength at the level of Internal Breath like River or higher before they died. The thing that killed them seems to be some kind of Soul-Seizing Technique."

"This place is indeed somewhat dangerous. You should break through to Internal Breath and return as soon as possible."

An Jing nodded slightly. If this place could kill so many gun-wielding practitioners at the Internal Breath level, the danger here likely exceeded that of Xuanming Manor.

Moreover, danger was one thing, but he also had to return to the manor as quickly as possible to pretend he was asleep.

This was the tacit understanding between him and Manor Master Yao; he had to pretend that nothing had happened and ensure he didn't reveal any flaws.

He had to get a perfect score on this test.

Manor Master Yao would never imagine that by the time An Jing returned, he would already be at the Internal Breath realm!

As for whether breaking through to Internal Breath would leave any traces... with the Sword Spirit and the Qingjing Sword Temple, An Jing believed that ordinary people would absolutely not be able to discern his true strength, at least not Manor Master Yao.

However... An Jing then thought about the strength of Manor Master Yao himself.

The man was at the Internal Strengthening realm and had already achieved 'Internal Manifestation of Wonders', possessing many extraordinary abilities and strange techniques that ordinary people could not have.

Even if the man was extremely old and his essence and blood were withered, he was still a formidable enemy.

Unless...

An Jing lowered his head and looked at the guns in the hands of those corpses.

Since they died from a Soul-Seizing Technique, they shouldn't be poisonous, right?

After asking the Sword Spirit and receiving a confirmation that there was no poison, An Jing began to rummage through the corpses without any hesitation.

There was nothing extra among the remains of these people, basically just bullets and firearms. The equipment on the leaders was more substantial, including some damaged communication terminals and pills, but they were all completely ruined.

The corpses had reached this state, meaning they had been dead for at least seven or eight years, and seven or eight years was enough to make many durable things fragile and prone to decay.

Setting aside the obviously rotted firearms and clothing, the small, strangely shaped daggers hanging from the waists of those corpses had also completely decayed and were covered in rust.

However, the gun in the hand of the leader's corpse was different from the others.

It was the size of an ordinary rifle and looked like two metal rails, with a white crystal very similar to 'jade' in the center—this strange gun had not rotted. Although it couldn't be called clean as new, it was only covered in dust.

"This is a Dharma Artifact."

The Sword Spirit glanced at it and said with some surprise, "Dharma Artifact, Spirit Artifact, Dharma Treasure, Spirit Treasure."

"Although a Dharma Artifact is only a low-grade implement and can only carry 'Daoist Technique', it already has marvelous uses. It should be a Dharma Artifact used to release some kind of offensive technique."

"This Dharma Artifact requires at least Internal Breath to use, and its Spirit Core is nearly exhausted; it cannot be used... hmm, there is another one on the left that still works."

An Jing looked at the functional Dharma Artifact pointed out by the Sword Spirit, picked it up to examine it, and found that the white jade in the center was still flowing with a faint light. "Then I'll just take it."

After searching the corpses, An Jing's haul was significant—not only did he get a Dharma Artifact gun, but he also obtained two functional gunpowder weapons.

These two gunpowder weapons were kept in cases, likely someone's backup weapons. They had a large caliber, considerable firepower, and were still in working order.

An Jing collected quite a few bullets that seemed intact, then tentatively fired a test shot—the power was extraordinarily high. After a thunderous gunshot, a palm-deep depression was blasted into the rocky ground.

These guns had a massive propellant charge, and the muzzle seemed to be reinforced with Dao Patterns; their destructive power seemed to be much higher than anything in the memories of his past life.

"Flying Sword?"

Seeing the power of the firearms, the Sword Spirit said in surprise, "Is this actually a Flying Sword case? But this is the first time I've seen such fragile, disposable Flying Swords."

"This isn't a Flying Sword; it's a firearm." An Jing originally wanted to explain, but the Sword Spirit was quite puzzled. "Forged from metal, high power, extremely fast, wounding enemies through piercing and armor penetration, capable of easily killing cultivators with inferior strength—look, isn't this just a Flying Sword?"

An Jing blinked, thought for a moment, and immediately felt enlightened. "That's right, this is a Flying Sword."

"This path of the Flying Sword has developed quite maturely; even ordinary people without Internal Breath or spiritual energy can use it."

The Sword Spirit, on the other hand, became quite interested in this aspect. "It seems the skills of Artifact Cultivators in this world are very advanced."

An Jing didn't reply; he didn't know what to say. In any case, he collected many bullets, carried some with him, and left the majority where they were. "I don't need too many; I can't hide them."

Two guns, one Dharma Artifact gun—he didn't have enough strength to use the Dharma Artifact gun for now.

Two handguns were enough; after all, he only had two hands.

Moreover, for some reason, An Jing discovered that he was quite skilled at using guns—what exactly did he do in his past life? How was he knowledgeable about everything from astronomy to geography, and now he even knew how to use guns?

Suppressing this doubt, An Jing, having gained an unexpected harvest, did not forget the original purpose of his arrival in this strange world.

Breaking through to Internal Breath.

"To be honest, I don't know much about the martial path of the Huaixu Realm. In my era, everyone followed the Orthodox Qi Refining Path."

Regarding An Jing's inquiry, the Sword Spirit got straight to the point. "But I think that in the same world, even after countless years and several epochs, as long as it is the same kind of people, the foundation will not change too much."

"Ultimately, it is all about grasping the Innate Qi, using this as a foundation, from mere wisps until it fills the entire body."

"The problem now is, which method do you want to use to advance? The Yang Method? Or the Yin Method?"

"The Yang Method, the Yin Method?"

Upon hearing this, An Jing immediately understood that these were just different terms for the 'Method of Motion' and 'Method of Stillness'.

He couldn't help but ask, "I'm more familiar with the Method of Motion... Didn't we travel to this other world specifically to advance while avoiding the eyes and ears of the Demonic Sect? Or is there something unique about the Method of Stillness?"

"The Method of Motion allows you to break through during combat, while the Method of Stillness is a bit safer."

The Sword Spirit was also quick to grasp the concepts of motion, stillness, yin, and yang. After pondering for a moment, it said, "But it is best to have both motion and stillness, to unite yin and yang."

An Jing became curious at this: "What kind of theory is that?"

An Jing actually knew about the Method of Stillness; it had been recorded in the An Clan Martial Scripture: In the South Sea, within the Xibo Kingdom, there was a peculiar sect called the Baiju Sect.

The members of this sect were adept at entering the Dao through dreams, and its disciples would sleep all day, circulating their internal energy while in their dreams.

If the Martial Scripture were merely that, it would be nothing more than a collection of folklore. The most important part of the Martial Scripture was its annotations, and according to them, the Baiju Sect possessed a special visualization technique that could extremely strengthen the spirit, subsequently capturing 'inactive but stable Innate Qi', and then mastering Internal Breath.

All roads lead to Shenjing; the ways of motion and stillness are both righteous paths, and this was simply another route.

The so-called sleeping all day was merely a form of meditation maintained to preserve a state of 'stillness'. The disciples of the Baiju Sect might not be skilled in martial techniques, but their Internal Breath was exceptionally powerful.