Having seen through this, Jiang Xuan was unwilling to spend even half a thought on figuring out the ways of human relationships—rather than waste that effort, he might as well cultivate a little longer.
Besides, cultivating immortality was fundamentally about cultivating the heart. If my heart was full of calculations about currying favor with the powerful and bending myself to please others, could this sword heart, this Great Dao, still be traversed?
"Phew..."
Holding the Qingli Sword in his arms, Jiang Xuan cast all the survival wisdom of those petty mortals behind him and once more softly recited the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation, cleansing his mind and spirit and returning his spirit platform to crystalline clarity.
For the time that followed, Jiang Xuan continued silently reciting this divine incantation, free of distractions.
The cultivation resources Dong Hao had sent to win him over were not only abundant in quantity, but also excellent in quality. Bolstered by pills and spirit meals, although Jiang Xuan's body needed to rest and recover after a morning of bitter cultivation, his divine soul remained full, with plenty of strength to spare.
Naturally, Jiang Xuan would not waste such a fine opportunity. He took this chance to focus wholly on cultivating the divine incantation.
However, unlike before, he did not cultivate all Three Divine Incantations together today, focusing solely on the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation.
This approach stemmed from an experiment Jiang Xuan had in mind.
"Whether Spell Arts or cultivation arts, once they reach the Third Realm: Proficient, they enter the realm of Minor Achievement—a qualitative transformation as though shedding the mortal body and exchanging bones. Let me see what changes a Third Realm Purifying Heart Incantation will bring."
"Supreme Dais Star, ever responsive to change; banish evil and bind demons, protect life and guard the body. Wisdom clear and pure, mind and spirit at peace; the three souls forever endure, the seven spirits suffer no loss..."
His eyes lightly closed, Jiang Xuan recited in a low voice time and again. With every recitation, he repeatedly bestowed the divine incantation's power upon himself.
"Bzzz—"
As the divine incantation took effect again and again, Jiang Xuan's mind grew increasingly tranquil, increasingly harmonious, and increasingly—sharp!
When ordinary people recited the Purifying Heart Incantation, all they gained was a peaceful state of mind and a clear spirit platform.
Yet Jiang Xuan, holding the Qingli bamboo sword and possessing numerous talents such as Sword of the Mind and Heart: Sincerity, also had the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation, foremost among the Daoist Sect's Eight Great Divine Incantations. It appeared basic, but in truth encompassed all things; it could even be said to shared the same root as his Sword of the Mind, blending with it without the slightest gap.
With all these opportunities layered together, Jiang Xuan's recitation was also sword cultivation; purifying his heart was also tempering his heart.
This was evident from the logs and prompts constantly refreshing on the game panel.
[You wholeheartedly recited the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation once. Your Daoist Acolyte profession experience +2. You are now a Level 2 Daoist Acolyte (91/600); your Heart-Purification Divine Incantation proficiency +2. You are now at Second Realm: Skilled (39/300)] [Your purity of mind has increased. Your Sword of the Mind proficiency +2, First Realm: Initiate (47/800); your Clear-Heart Mirror (Observe Self) proficiency +2, First Realm: Initiate (367/3000)] [Your Clear-Heart Sword Disciple profession experience +4]
[Clear-Heart Sword Disciple (Purple Premium Grade)] [Level: 1/5 (107/900)] [Profession Passive: Clear-Heart Mirror (Observe Self), Heart: Sincerity] [Profession Skill: Sword of the Mind] [Available Class Advancement: None]
A profession's advancement and class changes were not all unlocked from the very beginning. Jiang Xuan usually had to fulfill certain prerequisites before they appeared one by one.
For instance, the Mountain Guardian Daoist, Demon-Slaying Daoist, and Scripture Mystic Daoist Jiang Xuan had seen yesterday were paths that had opened on their own only after he combined and fused the two elements of [Sword] and [Daoist Acolyte].
At present, because the Clear-Heart Sword Disciple was of such a high grade, its advancement and class changes were correspondingly more difficult to reveal.
"Forcing a class change to unlock isn't difficult. I only need to raise the Clear-Heart Sword Disciple to its full Level 5, then push Clear-Heart Mirror (Observe Self) and Sword of the Mind to their current limits. At that point, no matter what, a guaranteed class-change direction will appear."
"However, with that method, the profession grade won't rise even a fraction after the class change. At most, I'll go from Clear-Heart Sword Disciple to Clear-Heart Swordsman... If I want a qualitative class change that sheds the mortal body and exchanges bones, my sword path and Sword Intent must expand outward and walk a broader road."
Jiang Xuan's thoughts at that moment were not stray thoughts disrupting his mind, but questions posed to the road ahead of his own sword path. Thus, not only were they not severed by the Heart: Sincerity talent, they instead received its full support.
With extreme concentration paired with a crystal-clear spirit platform, Jiang Xuan gradually truly found a road to the heavens for his Clear-Heart Sword Disciple realm.
"One Qi Sword Art, one heart, one thought, Clear-Heart Mirror (Observe Self)... I've found it. My Dao is there!"
[You have determined the path ahead for your sword path. Your heart is no longer lost. Your Heart-Purification Divine Incantation experience +103] [Your Sword of the Mind experience +132] [Your Clearheart Mirror (Observe Self) experience +192] [Your Clear-Heart Sword Disciple experience +164] [...]
Having gained enlightenment in his heart, Jiang Xuan was like someone who had swept away the dust upon his soul and broken through the mists in his heart. He had undergone a small epiphany.
This epiphany also brought Jiang Xuan considerable gains in matters of the heart.
His Heart-Purification Divine Incantation leapt from Second Realm: Skilled (39/300) to Second Realm: Skilled (142/300), already nearly halfway to the qualitative transformation of Third Realm: Proficient.
"The bodhi was never a tree, nor was the bright mirror a stand. Originally there was not a single thing—where could dust arise?"
"When it came to cultivating the mind and spirit, years upon years of bitter cultivation could sometimes not compare to the swift progress of a single epiphany. No wonder there was such a Buddhist verse. Unfortunately, I am not some peerless prodigy born with a Dao heart. For me, epiphanies are opportunities that can be encountered but not sought, not the norm of cultivation."
That faint ripple only stirred a trace of waves in Jiang Xuan's heart before his Sword of the Mind cleaved it apart with one stroke.
Very soon, he gathered his mind again, embraced the Origin and guarded the One, and recited the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation with utmost sincerity.
Because holding Qingli had triggered the passive [Heart: Sincerity], and because the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation could combine perfectly with Sword of the Mind and Clear-Heart Sword Disciple, Jiang Xuan recited incantations as though practicing swordsmanship, his spirit highly concentrated and focused.
At this moment, he felt as though both self and world had been forgotten.
This wholehearted devotion meant that every time Jiang Xuan recited the Purifying Heart Incantation, his experience did not increase by merely +1, but by +2. Sometimes, there would even be explosive increases of +3, +4...
This ultra-efficient cultivation allowed Jiang Xuan to push the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation into Third Realm: Proficient in just one afternoon.
And the qualitative transformation belonging to this divine incantation descended upon him at this very moment with a thunderous crash.
"Bzzz—!"
At a certain instant, Jiang Xuan, who was reciting the divine incantation, suddenly sensed a clear, crystalline spiritual radiance descending from the heavens and pouring into the depths of his sea of consciousness.
This light smoothed every ripple in his mind, brushed away the weariness and confusion of his divine soul, and seeped thread by thread into the depths of his soul body, bringing unprecedented stability and tranquility.
As the spiritual radiance completely fused into his soul body, an understanding abruptly arose in Jiang Xuan's heart—his Heart-Purification Divine Incantation had advanced.
And that was indeed the case.
[You wholeheartedly recited the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation once. Your Heart-Purification Divine Incantation experience +3. You are now at Second Realm: Skilled (301/300)] [Your Heart-Purification Divine Incantation has advanced. You are now at Third Realm: Proficient] [Heart-Purification Divine Incantation] [Realm: Third Realm: Proficient] [Ability Description: Years upon years of recitation and cultivation have brought your understanding of the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation beyond mere practice making perfect, granting you a deeper understanding uniquely your own. The duration of your Heart-Purification Divine Incantation's enhancement has increased; your Heart-Purification Divine Incantation now has the effect of clearing disorder and calming the mind and spirit; when you fall into an illusion or develop demonic obstructions, you may recite the divine incantation to break the illusion and drive away inner demons; your divine incantation can now be cast upon others; you have gained a layer of the 'Transcendent Purity' effect]
The changes brought by the Third Realm Heart-Purification Divine Incantation were nothing short of earth-shaking. The extended duration alone allowed Jiang Xuan to gain nearly one shichen of Clarity of the Spirit Platform with a single recitation.
Combined with the ability to cast it upon others, this trait suddenly gave Jiang Xuan an idea.
"This ability might be something I can reveal and use to cast enhancements upon the other students in the Daoist Academy."
This thought did not arise because Jiang Xuan wanted to show off after gaining an ability, nor because he was selfless. It was because he—was desperately short of Spirit Stones.
He had never intended to rely on Dong Hao's support forever, but at present, Spirit Stones paved every part of his cultivation road. Whether buying pills that replenished Origin Energy or building the Scripture Repository he had planned and unlocking the class change for Scripture Mystic Daoist, all required an amount of Spirit Stones that, to him now, was an astronomical figure.
This had also left Jiang Xuan constantly considering how to open a stable source of Spirit Stones.
And now, the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation having advanced to Third Realm: Proficient allowed him to see an excellent opportunity.
"It is the proper path by which Daoist Sect cultivators settle themselves and make a living to recite incantations and pray blessings for others. If I cast heart-purifying incantations for my fellow disciples and charge a small Spirit Stone fee, that is simply a Daoist's duty. Moreover, when I do so, my Daoist Acolyte profession experience can increase as well... And although the effect will be somewhat weaker when the Heart-Purification Divine Incantation is cast on others, that will also make my ability less conspicuous."
The more Jiang Xuan considered it, the more he felt this was the path most suited to him at present.
However, he did not intend to begin this matter immediately.
"Earning Spirit Stones isn't urgent. I'll wait until I enter the Dao-Bearing Class... That will be the most secure time."
"Besides, if I can enter the Dao-Bearing Class with an Excellent Rating, that alone will be the finest gilded signboard. By then, my fellow disciples' willingness to pay Spirit Stones to have me cast incantations will rise along with the tide."
Setting aside the matter of making money, Jiang Xuan looked at the sky and discovered that it was already time for the evening lesson. Seeing this, he hurriedly composed himself and entered meditation for the second time that day.
There were no surprises in the cultivation process. Relying on the Qingli Sword and the enhancements of the Three Divine Incantations, he absorbed only pure spiritual energy, opening another five... six Apertures that night.
The enhancement from the Third Realm Heart-Purification Divine Incantation further improved Jiang Xuan's control over the natural spiritual energy between heaven and earth, as well as its spiritual intent contamination.
Unfortunately, a cultivator's early cultivation was ultimately centered on Refining Essence into Qi, while Jiang Xuan's breakthrough lay in his divine soul and purity of mind.
This would benefit his later cultivation, but for now, its effects were not particularly strong.
At present, he had opened the sixth Aperture, but due to insufficient Spell Power, he had yet to nurture it fully.
"But it's enough."
By this point, the number of Apertures Jiang Xuan had opened had reached twenty-nine. He was only seven away from the thirty-six needed for an Excellent Rating.
At the same time, this was the sixth day since Jiang Xuan and the others had entered the Daoist Academy. Tomorrow would be the final day of the Excellent Rating assessment!
"Whether I'm a dragon or a worm will depend on tomorrow's fortune!"
After cultivation ended, Jiang Xuan thanked Cheng Xiudao, who had guarded him all day, then turned and headed home.
Upon returning to his residence, Jiang Xuan did not immediately rest.
Because of the stacking effect of True Spirits, coupled with the fact that both professions he held were related to the Dao Path of the mind, Jiang Xuan's Soul Spirit strength now overwhelmingly surpassed that of his physical body.