Sword Challenge Register

"Brother Jinghan, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but your life is truly... minimalist."

Ling Yun paused briefly, found himself a cup of tea in the small courtyard to moisten his throat, then continued at length.

"I'll explain these methods to you one by one. Perhaps they can resolve the doubts in your heart."

"The path of arduous cultivation is the greatest test of perseverance, suited to those with immense determination. Cultivators cast aside the distractions of the mundane world, heed no worldly affairs, and spend years in secluded places deep within mountains and ancient forests, sitting in meditation to comprehend the Dao and temper their true hearts. This method is unremarkable in its early stages, progressing slowly and yielding little, but once enlightenment comes, one's realm advances by leaps and bounds, covering a thousand miles in a day. Ancient records mention a great figure of antiquity who sat beneath a bodhi tree for hundreds of years. In a single moment of enlightenment, he grasped the true essence of martial arts and ultimately shattered the void. Such ascetics usually remain hidden beyond the borders and rarely set foot in Great Yan's martial world, so they are seldom seen."

"The path of battle is to nurture battle through battle, suited to martial artists with resolute temperaments and blazing fighting spirit. Only by throwing oneself into combat and facing life and death head-on can a martial artist's obsessions, fighting spirit, and state of mind be pressed to their utmost limits, tempered and sublimated, allowing their artistic conception to rise."

Ling Yun's expression was resolute, his eyes bright. "In that instant between life and death, one's will is refined to the utmost. The martial heart breaks and is rebuilt amid desperate circumstances, and one's intent naturally transforms and rises step by step."

"Ancient records also speak of a great figure of antiquity who fought thousands of gods and Buddhas and a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals. He waged countless battles in his life, endured innumerable struggles between life and death, tempered an immaculate martial heart, ascended to the pinnacle of martial arts, and left his name for eternity, bearing the title Equal to Heaven."

"In Great Yan's martial world today, all those who have achieved something in sword intent are keen to travel everywhere and challenge swordsmen at their doors. Only by purging stray thoughts and strengthening their convictions through repeated confrontations and breakthroughs can their sword intent continue to advance, rising level by level. The martial world has even established a dedicated Sword Challenge Register for swordsmen across the realm to compete and comprehend the Dao."

"The path of entering the mundane world is to immerse oneself in mortal life and temper the heart through tribulations. Only by experiencing the countless facets of human life, enduring the rise and fall of worldly affairs, settling oneself amid sorrow and joy, struggling through mire, and being cleansed by hardships can one shed all restlessness and delusion. Only then will the true heart grow ever clearer, and the road of cultivation ever more distinct."

"Ancient records further state that the maze of worldly affairs is like a dream, illusory and unreal. A great master of supernatural abilities in antiquity once sank deep into the tides of mortal life, experienced the joys and sorrows of a hundred lifetimes, tempered his true heart through cycles of the secular world, and saw through all falsehood. Upon suddenly awakening, he cast off every worldly shackle. His state of mind became complete and clear, his cultivation realm followed naturally, and he ascended on the spot."

"In martial cultivation, one always enters the world before leaving it. This is precisely why the foremost sects throughout the realm place such great importance on their disciples' experience in the martial world and their journeys through life."

"Since ancient times, countless supreme experts in this world have all been like this."

"Some suffered the humiliation of a broken engagement, some had their meridians severed and their cultivation completely crippled, and some even had their bones dug out and were left on the brink of death..."

"Once they endured the darkest moments of their lives, their state of mind completely broke and was rebuilt, and they attained enlightenment in a single moment. Their martial paths then surpassed those of peers whose lives had gone smoothly."

"Take me as an example. This time, I was trapped in that blood pool prison, tortured beyond measure, and narrowly escaped death. It may seem that my cultivation was damaged and my circumstances miserable, but in truth, after enduring the tempering of life and death, all stray thoughts were swept away. My resolve grew purer, and my mind was unknowingly elevated considerably. The road ahead in my cultivation is now several times clearer than before."

"Besides the methods I mentioned, pills are also a shortcut for advancing one's artistic conception."

"Medicine King Valley once produced a miraculous pill called the Heart-Breaking Illusory Dream Pill. A martial artist who takes it must endure forty-nine days of extreme agony—his flesh seemingly torn apart while nightmares coil around him—as he sinks into endless illusions. If he can survive that ordeal and see through the illusions to his true heart, he can break free of his shackles and step into artistic conception in a single stride."

"Which method does Brother Jinghan wish to try?"

Having said that, Ling Yun raised his eyes to look at Xie Jinghan.

At those words, Xie Jinghan's eyes brightened slightly, and realization dawned on him.

All his doubts about cultivation vanished, leaving him suddenly clear-minded, and his heart was deeply stirred as well.

He murmured softly, "So there are such considerations involved. It seems I have been too confined to one corner in the past. I truly need to see more of this martial world."

Seeing that Xie Jinghan did not respond, Ling Yun added, "Besides that, breakthroughs in martial cultivation also bring transformations to the mind."

"That is why martial artists who enter the Innate Realm find it easier and smoother to condense their minds and break through into artistic conception."

"Conversely, if one can comprehend the artistic conception of the sword while still in the Postnatal Realm, such talent and temperament are exceedingly rare in all the world. He will certainly break through to the Innate Realm in the future."

"Once a martial artist enters the Innate Realm, he may be called a Martial Master and join the ranks of the martial world's established experts. A Xiantian Martial Master lives for two hundred and forty years!"

"A Xiantian Martial Master is not the end of the martial path. Beyond the Innate Realm lies the True Essence Foundation Establishment Realm. Upon entering that realm, one may be called a Grandmaster. They live for two hundred and fifty years!"

"Beyond the Foundation Establishment Realm, one may condense a martial Golden Core and enter the Golden Core Realm, attaining the rank of Great Grandmaster. Martial artists in this realm stand at the pinnacle of the martial world, presiding over a sect and holding its rise and fall in their hands. They live for five hundred years!"

Ling Yun went on to lay out the divisions of the martial realms.

Xie Jinghan was somewhat shaken by what he heard. Previously, he had only possessed a vague notion of realms beyond the Innate Realm.

"Only today did I learn that the martial heavens of this world are so vast and boundless."

After pondering for a moment, Xie Jinghan looked at Ling Yun and asked, "What exactly is the sword register Brother Ling mentioned just now?"

"Once a martial artist enters the Innate Realm, his strength undergoes a complete transformation. Innate experts possess overwhelming combat power, and a casual strike can cause tremendous destruction. They are by no means comparable to Postnatal martial artists. Thus, both the Great Yan court and the martial sects have ironclad rules: Innate martial artists are strictly forbidden from engaging in reckless private fights or needless slaughter. They may not contend as freely as low-level martial artists."

"To restrain disputes among Innate martial artists, the righteous factions of the martial world and the major sects joined forces to establish the Sword Challenge Register."

"From then on, any conflict between Innate martial artists could be listed on the register for a sword challenge, where superiority—and life or death—would be decided through a public duel, purging the chaos and troubles of the martial world."

Seeing Xie Jinghan's interest in the Sword Challenge Register, Ling Yun immediately seized the chance and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, there happens to be an important matter. Before I descended the mountain, my senior brother Chu Ning had been in seclusion, diligently cultivating his sword intent. He once declared that after leaving seclusion, he would roam the martial world and challenge swordsmen everywhere. Counting the days, he should descend the mountain before long."

He looked at Xie Jinghan with blazing eyes. "Brother Jinghan, your talent is peerless. At seventeen, you have already cultivated sword intent, and your strength far surpasses that of your peers. If the timing works out, you could formally challenge my senior brother to a sword duel. It would surely be of great benefit to the advancement of your sword intent."

Xie Jinghan understood at once. In an instant, he saw through Ling Yun's little scheme—Ling Yun clearly wanted to egg him on into competing against his senior brother.

His expression remained calm, but inwardly, he weighed the matter in silence.

He possessed a personal proficiency panel. Every bit of progress he made gave rise to new insights into the sword. Though his daily painstaking cultivation advanced slowly, it was steady and solid, allowing him to improve step by step. Thinking it over, that was perfectly acceptable.

Sword challenges in the martial world are contests between experts. Their dangers are impossible to predict, and the slightest mistake could leave one gravely injured. The losses would outweigh the gains. For me, developing steadily and safely while keeping a low profile is the best choice for now.

Having made up his mind, Xie Jinghan shook his head slightly and declined. "Sword challenges in the martial world are fraught with unpredictable danger. When experts duel, life and death are decided in an instant. It is far too risky, so let us leave this matter aside for now. I would rather cultivate quietly and steadily strengthen the foundation of my sword intent."

Ling Yun sighed in disappointment. "What a pity, truly a pity. You and my senior brother are both sword dao prodigies. If the two of you could fight, it would surely be a grand event for the sword dao of Central Province."