Before anyone knew it, more than a hundred years had passed.
One day, a piercing hum rang out. The Supreme Clarity Flying Sword blazed with light, its aura strengthening a notch as its edge grew keener.
The eleventh sun-rule restriction was complete.
"Roughly one sun-rule restriction every thousand years."
Jiang Ding stroked his bonded flying sword and calculated silently. "The limit for a Dao Integration treasure is thirty-six rule restrictions. At this rate, I'll need about twenty-four thousand years to refine the Supreme Clarity Flying Sword to its limit."
"If I break through in the Heaven Sword Art, that time will be cut in half."
"If my sword soul can pass from adolescence into adulthood, it will shrink by another third."
"The first won't be too difficult. I'll certainly break through in the Heaven Sword Art within five thousand years. As my research continues, it might take even less time... But the sword soul is another matter."
"A sword soul is the core will and conviction of a sword cultivator."
"I need to find a suitable enemy, preferably one at my own level... Enemies like that exist only in the upper realm."
Jiang Ding sighed soundlessly.
The upper realm truly was a wonderful place.
The only pity was that its powers had no sense of fair play. At the drop of a hat, they sent opponents of a higher order to crush people. He hardly dared go there, afraid he would die as soon as he arrived.
Jiang Ding set down the Supreme Clarity Flying Sword and checked the progress of the Immortal Sect's major research projects. He found a problem with the Dao Integration cultivation method, a minor difficulty involving a soul structure.
He worked out the crucial part, then handed the rest back to the Immortal Gate Academy