Fuxie Sword Spirit

"That was..."

When he opened his eyes, it was already morning. The others were still asleep. An Jing instinctively tried to grasp something, and the broken sword responded to his will, materializing in his hand. He clutched it tightly.

By the time he came to his senses, he was drenched in cold sweat.

The broken sword gave a soft hum. An Jing lowered his gaze and murmured, "Demon-Slayer... Fuxie... Is that your name?"

"I don't remember."

The Sword Spirit spoke in a calm voice. "I'm broken, and I remember very little. My memories aren't just fragmented; many of them even contradict one another."

"...Why did you choose me?"

"The other children weren't as curious or as quick to act. They were all afraid, and they would all forget."

The Sword Spirit chuckled softly. "But you didn't. So I warned you, to keep you from dying too soon."

"And what happened afterward proved you were special. Once you learned the truth, your first thought was to kill every one of those vile bandits."

"That is what 'Fuxie' means."

"That's why I chose you."

"Sister Fuxie, or Brother Fuxie?"

An Jing sighed. "What should I call you? And what other cultivation methods do you know? Teach me as soon as you can. I'm in a manor controlled by the Demonic Cult, and its Manor Master has reached the Internal Strengthening Realm. 'Qingjing Sword Temple' and a few basic martial arts probably won't be enough."

"That's true. But don't call me brother or sister. I'm a sword, so I have no gender. Just call me Sword Spirit, or Fuxie."

"As for cultivation methods, I do want to teach you... I was once an Immortal Sword, and all I know are profound methods of the Immortal Dao. Most of them have been lost, but teaching you would be no problem."

"However, after the great calamity, the Huaixu Realm abandoned the cultivation path of 'Spirit Root Qi Refining' and replaced it with the Fate Grid Martial Cultivator path used today. There must be far-reaching reasons behind that. I don't dare guide you recklessly or presume to be your teacher."

"Spirit Root Qi Refining?"

An Jing furrowed his brow slightly. Fortunately, he was something of a scholar himself, and dimly recalled some relevant information in the Da Chen Book of Rites. "Drawing talismans and receiving registers, commanding Ghost Gods?"

"That was only one part of the Immortal Dao of Qi Refining in the past."

The Fuxie Sword Spirit denied it. "Likewise, in my time, Martial Cultivators were merely one branch of body temperers. In time, they would all return to the Orthodox Qi Refining Path."

"But the Huaixu Realm has clearly developed an entirely new Martial Dao tradition, profound and expansive, seemingly no less impressive than the Immortal Dao. That's another reason I don't want to guide you rashly."

"My memories contain no specialized methods for Martial Cultivators. But if you're willing to take a risk, I do have an idea."

At this, Fuxie softly recalled, "I know a Sword Cultivator technique called the 'Tai-bai Haoling Divine Prohibition.'"

After waiting through an immensely long stretch of time, Fuxie had finally found an An Jing who met the requirements. The Sword Spirit had long since thought all of this through, and now explained it in detail. "This method condenses Baleful Intent from qi, transforms Baleful Intent into Prohibitions, then refines those Prohibitions into the body. It's one of the finest body-tempering arts for Sword Cultivators. But it's extremely difficult to learn. You need pure Baleful Intent to link your essence and energy, forging a 'Tai-bai Prohibition Seed' inside your body, then nourishing it with the essence of the Five Metals until it grows."

"Once you've cultivated it to completion, you can master the great Supernatural Ability known as the 'Tai-bai Disaster-Cutting Evil-Breaking Indestructible Body.'"

"This method relies on no external forces and draws in no Spirit Fiends. It's purely internal cultivation. Though profound and difficult, its effects remain constant no matter how the world's environment changes."

"Pure Baleful Intent is hard to come by, but you can use my Sword Fiend as a guide. With enough resources, you can make rapid progress."

"With this method, you can become a cultivator and withstand ordinary swords, bows, arrows, and even Martial Arts. It should be the best fit for this world."

Fuxie thought for a moment, then added, "However, the early stages require large amounts of refined Mysterious Iron, Purple Tin, and other Five Metals. It consumes an extreme amount of resources, which is why it's also known as the 'Tai-bai Gold-Swallowing Divine Prohibition.'"

"The only problem is that Xuanming Manor doesn't seem to have any [Refined Five Metals]."

"Yeah."

Though he'd been rather excited while listening, An Jing immediately sobered up at that. "A cultivation method is great, but it's useless if I can't even get started."

"There'll be some somewhere." Now it was the Sword Spirit's turn to reassure him. "Keep an eye out for now. Xuanming Manor may have an armory. There could be Refined Five Metals in there."

"True. Thanks."

An Jing composed himself too. By then, the other boys in the dormitory had woken up, and he knew it was time to get ready to lead their morning exercises.

As always, nothing had changed. Only Cang Linzu seemed to notice something was off. He came over and quietly asked, "Boss, the corners of your eyes are a little red. Did you sleep badly?"

"I just dreamed about the people who left." An Jing smiled and patted him on the shoulder. When the other boy exclaimed, "Boss, you dream about them too?!" An Jing dragged him to the training ground and put him through such a brutal workout that he was left panting, unable to get a word out.

That afternoon, while leading training, An Jing encountered Manor Master Yao, who had 'happened' to come by on an inspection.

The two exchanged glances.

The old man wore an encouraging smile, and An Jing returned his gaze calmly.

One side took it as a sign of obedience, or perhaps proof of his cold, indifferent nature.

The other was waiting, enduring.

Like a fierce tiger crouching on a barren hill, hiding its claws and biding its time.

Time passed.

With the numbers settled at twelve groups of nine, making 108 people in all, training at Xuanming Manor gradually became routine. An Jing pretended to go about his life and exercises as usual for over a month, without revealing the slightest hint of anything amiss.

During this time, An Jing gradually gained control of his Internal Breath. He meditated using Qingjing Sword Temple, making the most of Xuanming Manor's resources to strengthen his Internal Breath and vital energy.

Thanks to his deep foundation, An Jing had reached Internal Breath Like a River as soon as he broke through, skipping the weakest and slowest-developing stage, 'Internal Breath Like Silk.' As a result, his ability to absorb nourishment was terrifying. Even with the extra food he received each day as Senior Brother, he was always the first to finish eating, then claimed he still wasn't full.

Normally, Xuanming Manor didn't provide extra resources. But with Manor Master Yao's tacit approval, An Jing could eat three times as much as an ordinary disciple almost every day. His terrifying appetite and digestion filled all the Xuanming Manor disciples with awe, especially since his figure never changed at all.

Every bit of that food became nourishment for An Jing's growth.

The Three Nourishments of Internal Breath were Like Silk, Like a River, and Like a Tide. The gap between those three realms was immense.

[Internal Breath Like Silk] was like a drop of water under the summer sun. Even if it could moisten your lips, it would soon dry up.

It was like when An Jing's mother fought the bandits. After killing seven, she was already somewhat exhausted, and the bandit leader seized the chance to wound her.

Only when the nurtured Internal Breath exceeded a certain threshold and became a river surging through the body did one reach the realm of [Internal Breath Like a River]. Like a puddle that could survive for a long time even beneath the blazing sun, it allowed one to use Internal Breath for an extended period and become a true martial artist.

An Jing's Internal Breath had originally been only a little stronger than Internal Breath Like Silk, flowing like a trickling brook. He could use it for a while, but only for a minute or two.

But with the Demonic Cult's resources, his Internal Breath gradually grew stronger, and he could circulate it for nearly three minutes.