Practicing Swordsmanship

At the Wondrous Talisman Studio in Red Leaf Market.

"What? You're going to Azure Luan Immortal City?"

When Song Xuan heard that Mo Wen was leaving Red Leaf Market, he was so anxious he nearly jumped to his feet. For the past two years, he had earned Spirit Stones by the handful thanks to the middle-grade talismans Mo Wen supplied. He even laughed in his sleep.

Who would have thought that, after only a few comfortable days, his god of wealth would be flying away? How could he bear to let him go?

"I don't want to either! But there's no way to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill here in Red Leaf Market. How about you get one for me?" Mo Wen joked.

Mo Wen's words left Song Xuan speechless. After hemming and hawing for a long while, he finally said, "Haven't I been trying to find a way?"

"All right, I'll stop teasing you. Even if I go to Azure Luan Immortal City, I can still supply the Wondrous Talisman Studio with First-Tier Middle-Grade talismans."

"Really? Old Mo, you're a true friend!"

"But we'll have to change the deal to once a year. You can send someone to collect them when the time comes."

"And the quantity?" Song Xuan's eyes lit up as he asked expectantly.

"You'll get plenty! Speaking of which, Old Song, you've reached the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining. Haven't you thought about Foundation Establishment? What's so interesting about thinking of nothing but earning Spirit Stones all day?"

"I wouldn't dare compare myself to a monster like you! We both have Four Spirit Roots, and I even have my Lineage's support and plenty of pills, yet I've only just managed to break through to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining. But you, on the other hand, quietly broke through to Qi Refining Great Perfection! Where's the justice in that?"

"I made it through one day at a time too. All these years, have you ever seen me indulge myself in the slightest? For the sake of cultivation, I made no friends, never went to teahouses to listen to music, and never visited pleasure houses for entertainment. I lived like a block of wood."

"That's true. Of everyone I know, you're without a doubt the hardest-working cultivator!" Song Xuan praised him sincerely. Then he thought of himself and felt a little ashamed by comparison.

"Old Song, I'll stay in Red Leaf Market for a few more days and leave as soon as I've finished my business. I won't come back to say goodbye. You've looked after me all these years. Thanks!"

"What are you saying? I've benefited plenty from knowing you too! You'd better reach Foundation Establishment quickly. Then I can hug your thigh!"

"In that case, this High Person will reluctantly accept you as his lackey today!"

"Oh, get lost!"

"Take care."

"Take care."

After leaving the Wondrous Talisman Studio, Mo Wen did not return to his former residence. Instead, he changed his identity and rented another small courtyard. He did so to guard against the four cultivation lineages.

Mo Wen's public identity was merely that of a low-grade talisman master at the Qi Refinement Sixth Layer. By rights, he should not have aroused those lineages' suspicions. Still, one could never be too careful. He would do his best to avoid any danger he could!

Although he had told his clansmen and friends that he was going to Azure Luan Immortal City, he was in no hurry to leave Red Leaf Market.

Having settled matters with the Mo Clan, Mo Wen no longer had anything weighing on his mind. His cultivation was improving with each passing day, so it would not be too late to go to Azure Luan Immortal City after raising his strength to a certain level.

Half a month passed, and Red Leaf Market remained calm and peaceful. Only then did Mo Wen visit the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and buy three First-Tier Superior-Grade Law Techniques and a sword technique inheritance.

The three First-Tier Superior-Grade Law Techniques were Black Tortoise Armor, Fire Crow Technique, and Meteor Arrow, covering defense, group attacks, and long-range attacks respectively.

The sword technique was the Flowing Light Sword Technique, said to be one of the nineteen foundational sword techniques of the sword cultivator's path. Upon reaching perfection, one could use it to attain Sword Qi Thunder Sound.

Sword cultivators were a special group in the cultivation world. Their killing power far surpassed that of cultivators at the same stage, and they could even fight across realms and defeat opponents a stage above them. They were terrifying indeed!

Though sword cultivators were powerful, they depended heavily on talent, putting them beyond the reach of ordinary people. There had always been a saying in the cultivation world: of a thousand people who painstakingly practiced foundational sword techniques to become sword cultivators, perhaps only one would succeed!

Mo Wen did not know whether he had a talent for sword cultivation, but he had a proficiency panel. As long as he was willing to put in the hard work, he was certain to become a sword cultivator! That was why he chose the Flowing Light Sword Technique.

From then on, Mo Wen devoted most of his efforts to practicing the Flowing Light Sword Technique. At first, his progress was infuriatingly slow. It seemed as though he were treading water the entire time, and he was utterly despondent! Fortunately, he could see his proficiency increasing on the panel, so he knew his efforts had not been wasted!

Thus, he practiced the sword even harder, to the point of forgetting to eat and sleep. Finally, after a month, his Flowing Light Sword Technique reached the beginner level.

The instant he reached the beginner level in swordsmanship, Mo Wen felt as though something had suddenly clicked. All at once, he understood many sword-wielding techniques and gained insight into the Flowing Light Sword Technique.

The way I used the Purple Star Sword before was far too crude. It was simply unbearable to look at!

He withdrew his Law Power and executed the Flowing Light Sword Technique using only his physical strength.

In an instant, streaks of flowing light flickered in and out around him, while the Purple Star Sword itself seemed to have vanished. At the same time, faint, barely audible humming began to sound all around him.

This is it! Mo Wen felt as though he had become one with the Purple Star Sword. Wherever his intent went, the sword followed, not a fraction too far or a hair's breadth short.

Only then did he understand that swordsmanship was not about ingenious moves, but about controlling one's own strength. With poor control, ten parts of strength produced only one part of power. With strong control, one part of strength could produce ten parts of power.

With one decreasing and the other increasing, the power one could unleash at the same cultivation level could differ by a hundredfold.

So this is a sword cultivator? I like it! He was beside himself with joy and yearned even more for the realm of a true sword cultivator.

Several days later, Mo Wen gained another insight: practicing Law Techniques was really no different from practicing swordsmanship. Both were about controlling one's own strength.

As the saying went, "Once one thing is mastered, a hundred things fall into place." When he practiced other Law Techniques again, he was several times more efficient than before.

Time flew by as he cultivated without distraction, and Mo Wen even forgot that he still had to go to Azure Luan Immortal City.

One day, his Flowing Light Sword Technique improved again, reaching the proficient level. He casually opened his Attribute Panel to check his progress over this period.

Host: Mo Wen

Talent: Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence (As you sow, so shall you reap. Effort will always bring rewards!)

Age: (60/134)

Spirit Roots: Four Spirit Roots (wood 42, metal 31, fire 25, water 11)

Cultivation: Qi Refining Limit Breaking (14836/100000)

Cultivation Methods: Azure Wood Instruction (great accomplishment 8475/10000), Sun Essence and Moon Radiance Life-Praying Technique (proficient 6819/1000000), Hundred Transformations Heart Scripture Qi Refining Chapter (great accomplishment 3028/10000)

Law Techniques: Black Tortoise Armor (beginner 240/1000), Fire Crow Technique (beginner 176/1000), Meteor Arrow (beginner 74/1000)

Sword Dao: Flowing Light Sword Technique (proficient 1/10000)

Talisman Dao: First-Tier Superior-Grade (271/10000)

I've grown another year older! Mo Wen mused, suddenly wanting to go out and clear his head.