Shadow Demon Tribulation

The moon hung in the center of the sky.

Yu Xiu finally stopped the sword in his hand.

All sixteen basic sword techniques were now perfected.

[Comprehension: 25]

[Lifespan: 16/100]

[Realm: Flawless Realm Late Stage (489/500)]

[Sword Sense: 16]

[Basic Sword Techniques: Sixteen volumes perfected (Sword Sense 16)]

With all sixteen basic sword techniques perfected, my realm has increased by 8 points.

No wonder he had felt his essence and blood energy growing more vigorous; it was indeed because he had filled the gaps in his foundation, leading to this progress.

I had no reason to complain about failing to break through before!

Always dissatisfied with this or that, how could one expect to break through?

Forcing a breakthrough might have been possible, but it would have required pills and external aids; otherwise, there would have been absolutely no chance of success.

But now!

Who needs pills?

A person must, in the end, rely on themselves!

25 points of Comprehension is no joke.

Back when he had 9 points of Comprehension, he could already rank in the middle tier of the outer sect.

Now with 25 points, let's see if anyone dares to rank him in the middle tier again.

Moreover, 25 points of Comprehension is far from Yu Xiu's current limit.

He still had the Flawless Realm techniques: ten volumes of the Tide-Rising Sword Art and ten volumes of the Indeterminate Sword Art.

Even if each volume only added 1 point of Comprehension, that would still be an increase of 20 points.

Besides, if basic sword techniques could add 1 point per volume, it would be an insult to the heavens if Flawless Realm techniques only added 1 point as well!

After eating and drinking his fill, he went to sleep.

The next day.

When the morning sun first rose, Yu Xiu was already moving with his sword.

Develop, develop, and keep developing!

[Tide-Rising Sword Art Volume 1: Great Success (295/300)]

He had only been 5 points of proficiency away from perfection.

Now, with 25 points of Comprehension, 16 points of Sword Sense, and the system panel, it was different.

No, he didn't even need the 16 points of Sword Sense or the panel.

As soon as the sword was in his hand and he had gone through the first volume of the sword art once, Yu Xiu clearly perceived the state of perfection for the first volume—how it should be practiced and how it should be cultivated.

The gap—this is the gap between 9 points of Comprehension and 25 points.

This gap is far too vast!

Bottlenecks, difficulties, barriers, and reaching a dead end—none of these existed anymore.

In the face of absolute numerical values, they simply ceased to exist.

If they did exist, it only meant the numbers weren't high enough yet.

He could always just add another point to Comprehension.

If his original 9 points of Comprehension were like a bronze mirror in his mind covered in filth and rust, unable to reflect himself or the path ahead clearly, then his current 25 points were like an invisible hand wiping away a portion of that filth and rust.

He could now see himself clearly, and he could see the path ahead.

Yu Xiu could sense that the four Ascending Dragon barriers—not just one or two, but all four—could no longer trap him.

Even the Great Four Barriers might not be able to block his path.

And this was only at 25 points of Comprehension.

It was still far from his current limit.

Tide-Rising Sword Art Volume 1 +2.

Tide-Rising Sword Art Volume 1 +2.

It was no longer +1, but directly +2.

This was the most intuitive manifestation of 25 points of Comprehension.

[Tide-Rising Sword Art Volume 1: Perfected (300/300)]

[Tide-Rising Sword Art Chapter 1: Perfection (Sword Sense +3)]

It's already perfected!

Yu Xiu felt a bit dazed.

This was no basic technique; it was a cultivation method of the Flawless Realm, directly tied to his cultivation level.

The ten chapters of the Tide-Rising Sword Art corresponded directly to the early, middle, late, and perfection stages of the Flawless Realm.

Every bit of progress made would increase his cultivation base.

Now that he had perfected the first chapter, his cultivation level shifted immediately.

[Cultivation Level: Flawless Realm Late Stage (491/500)]

He was only 9 points of cultivation away from perfection.

When the time came to break through, it would be as natural as water flowing into a channel, requiring neither pills nor external force.

But right now, Yu Xiu didn't care about his cultivation level; his eyes went straight to the Insight and Lifespan columns.

For basic sword techniques, perfecting one chapter granted +1 Insight and +1 Lifespan.

So, how much would a Flawless Realm technique add?

[Insight: 28 (25+3)]

[Lifespan: 103 (100+3)]

It added 3 points of Insight!

Yu Xiu was overjoyed.

If the ten chapters of the Tide-Rising Sword Art and the ten chapters of the Indeterminate Sword Art—twenty chapters in total—were all perfected, wouldn't that mean an increase of 60 points of Insight and 60 years of Lifespan?

If 25 points of Insight were enough to clear the four Ascending Dragon barriers, Yu Xiu couldn't imagine which of the Great Four Barriers could stop him with 85 points of Insight!

Steady now, keep developing!

He calmed his heart and continued to practice his sword, his sword momentum flowing without obstruction.

Tide-Rising Sword Art Chapter 2 +2

Tide-Rising Sword Art Chapter 2 +2

Tide-Rising Sword Art Chapter 2 +2

[Tide-Rising Sword Art Chapter 2: Perfection (Sword Sense +3)]

Insight +3

Lifespan +3

[Tide-Rising Sword Art Chapter 3: Perfection (Sword Sense +3)]

Insight +3

Lifespan +3

In the blink of an eye, it was the night of the second day.

[Tide-Rising Sword Art Chapter 10: Perfection (Sword Sense +3)]

[Insight: 55]

[Lifespan: 16/130]

[Cultivation Level: Flawless Perfection (Ready to break through)]

[Sword Sense: 46]

If I want to, I can break through at any time and enter the second stage of the Ascending Dragon, Qi Circulation!

However, he could not break through just like that.

First, breaking through involved the "Shadow Demon Tribulation."

The "Shadow Demon Tribulation" was something every cultivator in this world had to experience, and it was the greatest danger of all.

The so-called Shadow Demon could also be called an "Inner Demon," but it was more than just that.

An Inner Demon only corrupted the Dao heart, but a Shadow Demon not only corrupted the Dao heart, it would manifest during the breakthrough to fight the cultivator for control of their physical body.

He had heard from his sect elders that ever since The Emperor passed away, the myriad Daos had fallen into chaos, the Yin and Yang had lost their order, and the world had changed drastically.

Heaven was divided into Yin and Yang, and so were humans; all living beings who practiced cultivation harbored Shadow Demons within them. As long as a person lived, the Shadow Demon would never cease.

The Shadow Demon had always been within a living being, or perhaps, it could be called the dark side of a living being.

You are you, and the Shadow Demon is also you—two sides of the same coin.

Therefore, one's own Shadow Demon possessed strength identical to one's own.

Many cultivators were harmed by their Shadow Demons during breakthroughs and subsequently had their bodies usurped; such beings were also known as "demons." Many of the terrifying, world-shaking evil demons in this world were born this way.

Conversely, if one could kill the Shadow Demon when it manifested, it would transform into various spiritual treasures. That was why, whenever a cultivator reached a breakthrough, they required protection from sect elders to prevent the Shadow Demon from causing chaos.

For those loose cultivators, breaking through a realm naturally carries immense risk, but for the Qingwei Sword Sect where Yu Xiu belongs, the Shadow Demon is actually a reward.

Show up, and get insta-killed.

Actually, I might not even need to fear the Shadow Demon Tribulation, Yu Xiu thought, lost in contemplation.

His comprehension is already extremely high, and since the Shadow Demon's strength matches his own, he could simply achieve a breakthrough in his cultivation technique or sword arts the moment the Shadow Demon emerges, allowing him to crush it instantly.

However, Yu Xiu has always been curious: the Shadow Demon is a product of the disorder between yin and yang caused by The Emperor's passing, but at its core, it still originates from one's inner demons.

In other words, the Shadow Demon is also him.

If that is the case, the two cannot coexist.

Hmm, that's not quite right.

Is it that the Shadow Demon cannot become his avatar?

If he could refine the Shadow Demon into an avatar, wouldn't he instantly have another version of himself?

When there are traps, let the Shadow Demon trigger them; when there is danger, let the Shadow Demon take the hit!

Since you are me, and you won't die as long as I don't die, isn't it perfectly logical for the Shadow Demon to trigger the traps and face the risks?

Isn't this far more useful than a subordinate?

This is essentially gaining an external avatar!