Rare Profession, Clear-Heart Sword Disciple

"Exhale, inhale..."

Just as Dong Hao had said, the first realm of this sword art was exceedingly simple.

Especially since Jiang Xuan had already cultivated mana.

"Let the heart guard the One, let ten thousand thoughts return to truth; let Qi condense into One, let the heavenly circuit flow without obstruction..."

He had merely recited the general sword formula of the Innate One-Qi Sword once when the system's voice buzzed at Jiang Xuan's ear.

[You have cultivated the "One Qi Sword Art." Your cultivation method has reached the introductory stage.]

[Your spiritual Qi is exceptionally pure and aligns with the core of the sword art. "One Qi Sword Art" progress +103.]

[One Qi Sword Art]

[Method Grade: Mysterious Grade, Mid Rank (Blue)]

[Progress: Realm 1 · Introductory (103/108)]

After just one session of cultivation, the One Qi Sword Art's progress had shot straight to 103 points. Only 5 points remained before the first realm reached completion. Such progress was breathtakingly fast, yet perfectly reasonable.

And Jiang Xuan's rapid progress was not merely because the One Qi Sword Art was easy to cultivate.

It was also intimately connected to his cultivation.

There had always been a saying in the cultivation world: once one method was mastered, ten thousand methods would follow.

Jiang Xuan had long cultivated spiritual Qi and gained experience. Naturally, cultivating another Qi-refining method was far faster for him than for ordinary people.

Moreover, the purification abilities inherent in the three great mantras made the spiritual Qi he cultivated incomparably pure, perfectly matching the One Qi Sword Art's core principle of "condensing Qi into One."

Only the convergence of so many opportunities had created this wondrous sight of him nearing completion upon first cultivating this art.

"Exhale, inhale..."

After several more rounds of breathing, Jiang Xuan drew his consciousness inward and guided the pure mana within him, slowly compressing and refining it, shaping it bit by bit into the form of a sword.

After only a few circulations through the heavenly circuit, the One Qi Sword Art broke through accordingly and entered the second realm, the proficient stage.

[You compressed the mana within your body. Your mana has become more condensed. One Qi Sword Art progress +3.]

[You shaped the mana within your body. Your mana has become sharper. One Qi Sword Art progress +3.]

[Your One Qi Sword Art has advanced. It is now Realm 2: Proficient (1/4000).]

[You have unlocked a new trait: One-Qi Sword.]

Jiang Xuan opened the One-Qi Sword trait for a look, then discovered that the so-called One-Qi Sword was simply compressed and refined mana Sword Qi nurtured within the Qi Sea of one's chest and abdomen. When facing an enemy, one could open one's mouth and spit out Sword Qi to attack and kill them.

This move was fairly powerful during the early stages of Spirit Pivot Aperture Opening, but its endurance was lacking. It possessed only the power of a single sword strike.

Fortunately, as a Mysterious Grade cultivation method, this sword art naturally possessed a complete path of advancement and transformation.

Once a pure One-Qi Sword had been nurtured, Jiang Xuan could not only circulate it through his meridians, but also nurture it within his five viscera.

This was not merely nurturing a sword. It was also using Sword Qi to temper and strengthen the internal organs, a uniquely innovative method of Aperture Opening.

Washed over and nourished day and night by the One-Qi Sword, the five viscera would gradually awaken their innate visceral Qi. This One-Qi Sword would then develop the ability to change its attributes—

When nurtured in the lungs, it could refine Geng Metal Sword Qi;

When nurtured in the heart, it could transform into Heartfire Sword Qi;

When nurtured in the kidneys, it could condense into Blackwater Sword Qi.

In the end, the Qi of the five viscera would fuse into one, returning to the innate state. At that time, Jiang Xuan's One-Qi Sword could transform into the Innate One-Qi Sword.

Beyond that lay the cultivation method of the fourth realm.

Since Jiang Xuan had no intention of making the One Qi Sword Art his primary cultivation method, he merely glanced over it and passed it by without reading further.

What concerned Jiang Xuan more now was taking up his main profession.

"The second requirement for my Qi Refiner profession must already be complete."

With a thought, Jiang Xuan immediately summoned the game panel. Sure enough, all the entry requirements for [Apprentice Qi Refiner] had already been fulfilled.

[Job Requirements

①: Find a spiritual land and settle within it. (Completed)

②: Obtain a Qi-refining cultivation method and cultivate it to the proficient level. (Completed)

③: Cultivate a thread of mana. (Completed)]

This was the moment Jiang Xuan had longed for day and night ever since beginning his path of cultivation.

With a stir of his mind, Jiang Xuan was about to confirm his job selection.

Yet before he could press it, he discovered that among the main professions available to him, a new profession had appeared out of nowhere at some unknown moment—[Clear-Heart Sword Disciple].

That alone was not enough to move Jiang Xuan. What made his heart jolt was that the profession's name glowed with a faint purple light, and beside it was a string of constantly ticking-down numbers.

Having once deeply immersed himself in Celestial Immortal Realm, Jiang Xuan understood the meaning of this scene at a glance.

"My fortune has erupted. I've encountered an opportunity..."

Immortal cultivation games had always placed the greatest importance on destiny and opportunities.

In the game, characters possessed a hidden attribute known as "fortune and luck," and it constantly fluctuated.

When one's fortune was at its peak, everything went smoothly. Exploring ruins or opening treasure chests could yield treasures of the highest grade; when one's fortune waned, even walking on level ground could invite heavenly thunder to strike.

This world also had the concept of fate and fortune. Clearly, because fortune fluctuated, Jiang Xuan too had times of extraordinary luck and times of terrible misfortune.

Right now was when his fortune had reached its peak, which was why he had encountered this opportunity.

This fortuitous encounter was known in Celestial Immortal Realm as [Numinous Insight].

Its effect was to unlock rarer hidden professions within the player's available profession list, while also waiving one or two job requirements.

Because fortune had boundless uses, Celestial Immortal Realm had a school known as the Fortune Path.

Hmm... Jiang Xuan could take this path as well, and he had already completed the prerequisite job change—Daoist Acolyte.

If he worshipped not Heaven and Earth, but the Heavenly Officials instead, and fulfilled the corresponding requirements, he could change jobs into [Fortune Acolyte], then later become a [Golden Child of Bestowal].

This branch was related to fortune.

Of course, Jiang Xuan would not take this path.

Fortune was good, but Jiang Xuan did not believe in luck. He felt it was too insubstantial, far less reliable than solid cultivation.

What made Jiang Xuan hesitate now was this:

"White labels are common-grade in the game. Green represents fine-grade, or perhaps quality-grade. Blue is rare, while purple is precious... A precious-grade profession, placed in this world, would at minimum be an Earth Grade inheritance."

"Should I choose it?"

On one side was [Clear-Heart Sword Disciple], with rarity at the absolute peak and a time limit. Once he missed this window of surging fortune, it would vanish outright, and who knew how many years or months it would be before he encountered it again.

On the other side was [Apprentice Qi Refiner], with a clear path that perfectly matched his current cultivation and accumulated foundation. It was the safest choice.

One option was risky, the other stable. Jiang Xuan found himself unable to decide for the moment.

In the end, unable to make up his mind, Jiang Xuan first opened the precious purple-grade [Clear-Heart Sword Disciple] and looked over its job requirements.

[Clear-Heart Sword Disciple (Purple Precious)]

[Job Requirements:

①: Cultivate a sword art related to the heart to the proficient level. (Completed)

②: Reach the mid-stage Qi Refining level in attributes related to the soul. (Completed)

③: Complete an essential transformation of the mind.

④: Permanently remain in the state of Clarity of the Spirit Platform, keeping the heart-soul Untouched by Dust. (Completed)