Sword Dao in the Abyss

Three months flew by. That night, the darkness was like ink, and the moon scattered a few sparse strands of clear radiance.

Shen Qingzhou sat cross-legged atop a meditation cushion. Before him remained only the last bottle of Premium Qi Refining Powder.

"Bitter indeed..."

The spirit stones he had earned at Blackwind Market were already few and far between, and his medicinal pills were nearly used up as well.

"Cultivation truly is a bottomless pit!"

Shen Qingzhou could not help but sigh. If you had no money, you should not even consider cultivating immortality—it was far too bitter!

"The timing is about right."

After a brief hesitation, he swallowed the last of the pills. He had already reached a bottleneck today, and he intended to break through in one furious push!

The medicinal power gently dissolved. Guided by his cultivation technique, it transformed into countless tiny streams that gathered in an orderly fashion within his dantian.

The black pool of water opened up by the Wall-Water Essence began to slowly rotate under the infusion of medicinal power.

The undercurrents beneath the water's surface grew increasingly turbulent, while his sea of qi expanded outward bit by bit beneath the washing of spiritual qi.

The step from the second layer of Qi Refining to the third was neither a great nor a small threshold. Many disciples would be stuck here for months, repeatedly breaking open their sea of qi and accumulating magical power. Without medicinal pills, they could only wear away at it drop by drop, like water grinding stone.

Shen Qingzhou's foundation was solid. With the support of the Kan Water Lineage fate and without any shortage of resources, his cultivation had gone fairly smoothly.

Boom!

The barrier shattered in response, and a soundless roar rang out within his dantian.

The sea of qi in his dantian jolted violently. That rotating black pool suddenly sank, its area expanding by nearly double. The water became even more profound, and within it, a faint dark-golden gleam flickered in and out of sight.

Strands of spiritual qi were no longer mist-like, but thoroughly liquefied, sinking to the bottom of the pool. Both the quantity and quality of magical power within his sea of qi rose to an entirely new level.

The third layer of Qi Refining had been achieved.

Shen Qingzhou slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light flashing through them before vanishing.

"The third layer is here. Can the fourth be far behind?"

In the early stages of Qi Refining, the spiritual qi within the dantian remained gaseous. Once one entered the middle stage, however, one would undergo the qualitative transformation of Qi Refining into Liquid.

At that point, not only would the power of one's arts multiply, but a cultivator would also be able to sustain true flight techniques.

He was already looking forward to the scenery of the fourth layer of Qi Refining.

Riding the momentum of this breakthrough, he began considering his own cultivation and sword dao.

Shen Qingzhou steadied his mind and activated [Source Tracing].

Within his divine sense, he vaguely saw an image: in an endless, deathly silent abyss, an invisible sword floated quietly. Its edge was completely wrapped and concealed beneath ten thousand zhang of water pressure.

That familiar feeling again. He carefully experienced the true intent within it. The Kan Water Lineage was not sword dao in the purest sense.

Its core mystery was that water had no fixed form, and a sword had no fixed stance.

A gentleman concealed his tools within himself and waited for the proper time to act. It carried much the same feeling—one's edge remained hidden beneath the water in ordinary times, only to strike with fatal force at the crucial moment.

After his breakthrough, move one hair and the whole body was set in motion.

A key thread of thought suddenly connected, and Shen Qingzhou's heart opened wide with clarity.

Sword cultivator, sword cultivator... so that was how it was!

He rose to his feet, pushed open the door, and entered the courtyard.

The cold night wind stirred his robes. The sword's blade was narrow and long, glinting with a dim, chilling light beneath the moon.

The moment he grasped the hilt, a sense of familiarity flowed into his hand.

Shen Qingzhou closed his eyes and stood in place for quite some time.

Then, he moved.

There were no flashy techniques, nor did he stir even the slightest sword wind.

The tip of the Ripple-Pattern Sword cut through the air without a sound.

Shen Qingzhou turned his wrist, and the sword stance changed with it.

He began practicing the Tidal Sword Canon.

The same moves, when wielded in his hands, followed an entirely different path from those of the original owner.

The more he practiced, the more immersed he became. He could feel the Qi Seed within his body turning more smoothly as well.

The Ripple-Pattern Sword in his hand seemed like an arm that had grown from his own body.

His sword techniques, sword intent, cultivation method, and the sword in his hand all seemed to connect at once.

He thrust out with his sword, pushing the intent of Abyssal Concealment to its limit. Even the air before the sword tip twisted slightly. At that moment, the panel reacted.

[For the first time, the host has independently comprehended and perfected a sword technique, unlocking a new profession...]

[Profession: Sword Disciple]

[Level: Initial Comprehension of Swordsmanship (1/100)]

[Professional Ability: Swordheart Clarity]

[Ability Description: A sword dao cultivator's instinctive insight into sword principles. When you wield any sword technique, the efficiency of spiritual qi circulation increases.]

Shen Qingzhou's heart shook. It had finally come.

His first combat profession!

Scripture Master and Qi Collector were both professions inclined toward cultivation. He alone had lacked a profession that could directly increase his combat strength.

Now that he had taken up the profession of [Swordsman], things were immediately different.

"Swordheart Clarity... what a wondrous feeling..."

Shen Qingzhou carefully experienced this change. It was as though, in an instant, he had gained a greater affinity with sword dao.

It was very different.

This affinity had not been earned through diligent study and bitter training, but was an inborn talent.

He swung his magic weapon, and a streak of sword radiance slashed into the air.

It was silky and fluid, utterly natural.

It was no exaggeration to say that his former self had merely copied a cat by looking at a tiger, imitating whatever he saw. Every motion had reeked of craftsmanship, while now, wielding the sword felt as natural as moving his own hands and feet.

"So this is what it feels like to be a natural sword dao talent?"

Shen Qingzhou had never expected that he, too, would one day possess such comprehension. Moreover, when he had just unleashed that sword qi, he had clearly felt that it consumed less magical power, while its might seemed to have increased slightly.

It saved mana and increased attack power. In a life-and-death battle, that was the key to deciding victory or defeat!

This was only the most basic profession. If he raised its proficiency, the ability might undergo earth-shaking changes.

He now wished he could immediately max out its proficiency.

Shen Qingzhou felt thoroughly refreshed in body and mind. He deeply exhaled a stream of white breath.

The sky had only just begun to brighten, and the thin morning mist had yet to disperse.

"Immortal master, are you awake?"

Outside the courtyard, Ahu lightly knocked on the door.

Shen Qingzhou was practicing his swordsmanship. Hearing this, he reined in his magical power and pushed open the door, only to see the other man standing meekly at the entrance with his head lowered, holding a jade-green communication talisman in his hands.

"What is it?"

"In reply to you, Immortal Master, the Steward Hall on the peak has issued a decree. They say a dharma assembly is to be held."

Ahu spoke cautiously.

As he looked at Shen Qingzhou, he always felt that the immortal master seemed somewhat different from before... How should he put it? He had become increasingly handsome and elegant, carrying the bearing of an immortal.

"Let me see."

Keeping his head lowered, Ahu hurriedly offered up the jade talisman.

"Tomorrow at the hour of the dragon, all newly promoted inner sect disciples must attend the dharma assembly at the Sword-Inquiry Platform. The decree says that anyone absent without reason will have fifty sect contribution points deducted."

Shen Qingzhou took the jade talisman and swept it with his divine sense. It was exactly as Ahu had said, and he could not help calculating inwardly.

"...The rules for this year's inner sect minor competition will be announced at the assembly, and the quotas for various cultivation resources will also be provisionally decided."

This was the final sentence within it, and also the one that moved Shen Qingzhou the most.

Resources!

Shen Qingzhou pondered it.

All the good things were clutched in the hands of the sect higher-ups. If he wanted them, he had to follow their rules and fight for a good ranking in the minor and major competitions. This was something he had no choice but to do.

He knew clearly that he had to fight for this.

Lu Chen, Zhao Heng, Liu Yinghan... several names passed through his mind. These were his competitors.

They all had backing and lacked no resources. If he wanted to rise above the rest, he would have to snatch them from their hands!

"I understand. I'll go," he said calmly.