Hou Du stayed in Dushan. He had to adapt to this relatively fixed cultivation environment, because the Quanzhen Sect now had a Mountain Gate.
Over the course of a year, the strength of Quanzhen's middle- and upper-ranking Sword Cultivators had changed enormously. Almost all the Nascent Soul True Persons, along with thirty percent of the Golden Core cultivators, had gained an initial grasp of their own distinct ways of launching swords. Once their flying swords changed from tangible swords into illusory ones, their Sword Light Division underwent a qualitative improvement.
But the Foundation Establishment cultivators still could not manage it. They found it difficult to gain much understanding of Dao Realms, and therefore could not slice off their own illusory flying swords within their Purple Mansions. Yet this also intensified their longing to reach a higher realm. It did not matter if they could not do it now. As long as there was hope, they had a goal to strive toward.
The methods of slicing off Sword Qi came in all manner of strange varieties. Some followed Hou Du's example and used a rotating Five Elements Wheel; naturally, there were other methods too. Each varied according to the Dao Realm its practitioner primarily cultivated. There was no fixed method to follow, which also led to vast differences in Sword Frequency.
Some of the stronger True Persons could already launch more than ten swords in a single breath. With a little Sword Light Division, they could easily produce over a hundred sword lights. As their swordsmanship improved, they still had a long period of growth ahead of them. Their abilities could no longer be mentioned in the same breath as before.
Sea True Person had made the greatest progress, raising his Sword Light Division from fewer than a hundred to over