Hou Niao's cultivation embarked upon a very strange path.
He could be certain that killing how many soul entities in the Soul Realm did not help his Qi Gathering in the least. This conformed to the essence of cultivation; souls and dantian spiritual essence law power were originally not the same concept.
According to his judgment, after his soul entity entered the Soul Realm, his main body still operated its cultivation method and did not delay anything; but once he was killed out, this session of cultivation could not continue.
That was to say, it still related to his Qi Gathering effect, except that what it related to was time.
His persisting longer in the Soul Realm meant his outside body cultivated longer; if he was beheaded by that formidable soul spirit with a single sword, the time was too short, and then the Qi Gathering effect of the outside body would be awkward.
He had been beheaded by that fellow after entering more than once.
It was very depressing, but it did not matter; it could behead his soul, yet it could not extinguish his heart.
Hou Niao possessed a temperament of stubborn persistence. Once he set his mind on something, he would not yield even through a hundred setbacks, and it was precisely this temperament that had caused him to make such an irrational and impulsive move back in Fufeng City.
Every time he entered the Soul Realm, if his luck was good, he would first behead a few weak souls before running into that fellow, but if his luck was bad, he would bump right into him. His advantage lay in being able to use those soul entities swallowed each time as his own nourishment to strengthen himself, but the soul entities in the Soul Realm seemed vastly inferior to him in this aspect.
The result was that although his sword technique's progress was still not that of a match, his soul entity's sturdiness grew stronger day by day. A strong soul meant sufficient energy, allowing him to endure more executions, to spar for a longer time, to learn more, and to draw closer and closer to...
From originally being able to withstand only a dozen swords, he could now exchange a hundred blows without being behed. The sturdiness of his soul entity was the primary reason among this, but the improvement of his sword technique was also very important.
He finally transformed from a saber user into a genuine swordsman, and moreover, he was still growing rapidly.
It was precisely this kind of growth that made him increasingly curious about what background that wandering ghost with exceptional sword skills actually possessed. Could he perhaps be the ancestor of the Quanzhen Sect? It also seemed not quite right, as the direction of his sword technique was somewhat different, which he could sense.
Battle was the best method of learning, especially life-and-death combat, which no cultivation could substitute.
He studied the Quanzhen sword and also studied that wandering ghost's sword technique; to fight without stealing the master's secrets was to be an utter fool.
This was actually also his greatest harvest during this period. He had originally wanted to quickly rush through the Qi Gathering Stage, but the result instead rapidly improved his sword technique, teaching him the mysteries of the sword time and again amidst life and death.
After every trip to the Soul Realm, he would immediately deepen and solidify what he had learned in reality, solely to persist longer the next time he entered, yet he completely failed to notice that his sword technique in reality was likewise advancing by leaps and bounds, long surpassing the scope of his initial mastery of saber techniques.
...On this day, as he was exerting effort in the courtyard, someone knocked on the courtyard gate. It was a very unfamiliar cultivator whom he had never seen before; of course, he was unfamiliar with most cultivators in the outer courtyard.
"I am Ye Zigao, and I came here to inform Fellow Daoist that the outer courtyard's cultivators are preparing to leave the city to suppress demons. If you are willing to go, gather at the courtyard entrance in one hour and obey the dispatch."
Hou Niao was somewhat at a loss. "Many thanks to Fellow Daoist for informing me. I have focused on cultivation these past days and am still not very clear about affairs outside. What kind of demon dares to come to Jincheng and run amok? Also, what does the Quanzhen Sect say? Is this arranged by Quanzhen, or is it our spontaneous action?"
Ye Zigao grew somewhat impatient. A small Qi Gathering cultivator, the lowest existence in the outer courtyard, was now trying to clutch Buddha's feet at the last minute; what had he been doing earlier?
"No matter, they are just a few slipped-through fish, so it won't require high-gate senior masters. We candidates in the outer courtyard gathered and discussed it. Since we are idle anyway, it's better to take on these loose ends: first, to restore peace to the mortal world, and second, to prove our sword galls.
It is not forced; each takes their own will."
Having spoken, he no longer explained and went off to notify others, leaving Hou Niao stranded in place.
The matter was plain; this was a spontaneous action.
Hou Niao's character would not easily make a decision. Other people's suggestions served only as a reference for him, and he had his own method of handling affairs.
Since he happened to be free, he strolled leisurely to the residence of the Quanzhen senior brother who managed the outer courtyard.
"Senior Brother Zheng, there are rumors in the courtyard about going outside Jincheng to suppress demons and evil spirits, and I wish to know what the sect's perspective is on this?"
Senior Brother Zheng smiled faintly, his meaning profound. "Since it is spontaneous, what demands would the sect have? Before joining the Quanzhen Sect, you are all free individuals with the right to decide your own actions, and we find it difficult to speak rashly."
He knew this small cultivator, who had been personally sent by Daoist Wang under Commander Li's seat when he entered, so he figured he possessed some foundation and thus did not begrudge saying a few extra words.
"The Quanzhen Sect's massive recruitment has already lasted for a year up to now, and it will soon end. It is also time for a result to emerge.
Because our sect recruits people differently-not looking at realm, potential, or age, but solely at sword heart and sword gall-in the eyes of some people, it is filled with uncertainty. They are unable to judge whether they can pass through certain things laid out on paper, yet they are unwilling to passively wait, and therefore..."
The so-called sword gall was a very subjective concept. If they said you had it, you had it; if they said you didn't, you didn't, resting entirely in a single thought of the Venerable Master. Yet if someone could raise their sword and fight fiercely to slay demons, would this be a sword gall?
People who cultivate the Dao always act out of interests and origins. Where are your interests?
Hou Niao bowed in farewell and left, already having a set plan in his heart.
He returned to the small courtyard, cast these trivial matters to the back of his mind, and continued his cultivation.
Dozens of cultivators resided in the outer courtyard, and this was far from all of them. Many more people had left Jincheng after passing the face-to-face examination, going to other places on their own or renting houses elsewhere in Jincheng. Most people did not live here.
Practitioners were a very wealthy stratum. Mortal wealth was not regarded as important to them, and they always had means of acquisition, especially for these unscrupulous rogue cultivators.
What they truly lacked was cultivation resources, which was a different matter from mortal wealth.
Those who currently remained in the outer courtyard generally arrived after traveling long distances, or had some other reasons. They neither represented all participating cultivators, much less represented the Quanzhen Sect. He would have to be out of his mind to go join them and listen to people's dispatches. With just his meager strength, no one would care if he died, and they would even blame him for overestimating his capabilities.
Although he spent most of his time staying indoors these days, he still had some understanding of the overall tier of the outer courtyard's cultivators. Among these people, there were only a handful of Qi Gathering Stage cultivators, with the majority being in the Foundation Cultivation Realm and a small portion in the Grain Avoidance Realm, basically matching the overall status of the participating cultivators.
He was driving ducks among them; this was a fact.
That night, upon returning after dining out, an unfamiliar person was actually waiting for him again at the courtyard entrance. As soon as they met, the person acted quite familiar.
"Gu Weixin of Anhe Sanjiang Prefecture, I greet Fellow Daoist Hou here."