The group continued on their way, traveling together toward Flowing Cloud Grotto.
For over a month, they toured the mountains and rivers while drawing closer to their destination.
In their imaginations, a journey was always arduous and winding, yet filled with excitement. In reality, it was mostly tiring and dull. Fortunately, there were magnificent landscapes along the way to admire and local customs to experience, making the trip worthwhile after all.
Yet this was the everyday life of many rogue cultivators, forever rushing about and toiling. Wen Qingfei had once sighed that she truly had no idea how they managed to endure it.
Fang Qianyuan, however, became interested in Li Yan's path of sword cultivation and took the initiative to ask her about it.
As it turned out, sword cultivation originated in the Ancient Era's cultivation practices. But after the First Year of the Dharma-Ending Era began, the Great Dao could no longer be wielded directly through techniques. Cultivators commanded spirits to borrow their power, and sword cultivation likewise came to require spirit creatures.
Some predecessors had devoted themselves to cultivating metal spirits, using metal escape arts to express the way of the sword, thereby recreating the supreme secret arts of ancient sword cultivators.
The primary spirit creatures of sword cultivators generally belonged to the Seven Heavenly Spirits, with the metal spiritual root being particularly prevalent. They likewise nurtured Sword Qi and stored sword pellets, devoted solely to the sword and the heart, their power extraordinarily keen.
"We sword cultivators have only a sword in our hands, and only a sword in our hearts. We rely entirely on this path to kill our enemies and protect ourselves. We don't have the dazzling variety of divine abilities and spells that you spell cultivators do, but we're still not to be underestimated."