After setting his goal for the journey,Jian Wushuang finally settled down to check his gains properly. He had been troubled since he found out that it was a bit impossible to introduce spiritual qi into his body using the sword Palace cultivation method.
' I hope I could find something to solve my current predicament among these cultivation manuals.' After a while, Wushuang simply gave up. ' Tired,let it all be destroyed '. There was no single cultivation technique that could introduce qi into the body.
He refused to give up till he found an ordinary looking stone and a pictorial illustration diagram.
As he picked the diagram,to peer into it and discern it's mysteries,his senses were drawn into the diagram. He watched lives being born,working,eating,toiling away and how they succumb to illnesses and death. He watched continuously,each cycle bringing a different realization and epiphany.
' In the end,how different are mortals from cultivators?. Mortals work and toil hard to ensure good life and to protect themselves. Cultivators cultivate to be strong and escape death. We all walk the same path, though our paths may end differently,we all hope to attain longevity. However,is immortality truly a good thing,living long enough to witness the death of a loved one, watching their life slip by as death comes to claim their lives?. Immortality without strength is like having food without having the tools for cooking. You either lose the food or share with someone who has. Those precious to me,if death tries to claim them,I'll smash his hands,if the underworld tries to interfere,I'll drag them out from the cycle of reincarnation. I'll become strong enough to protect everything I hold dear,not to watch powerlessly as everything is taken from me.
Spiritual qi surged wildly as they gathered towards Jian Wushuang and they rapidly condensed into his dantian. He broke through as if riding a rocket. From a mortal shedding cultivator whose meridian has been reshaped with excess qi and blood in his body into a cultivator who has gathered the world as the furnace and the qi as a spiritual sea.
The surge in spiritual qi unlocked a shackle in him as a cultivation technique unfamiliar yet familiar to him surfaced in his mind. The mortal Cultivation Art. He tried running the cultivation technique as his body rapidly consumed his already powerful spiritual qi. His body grew stronger as he cultivated. It was like he had merged with nature,a powerful heartbeat the only indication of his consciousness.
'The mortal Cultivation Art is unbelievable. I reached the peak of the spiritual sea in a few days. I should have sufficient self preservation ability now. At least,my trip to cangwu should be smooth.'
Having experienced the mortal world, Wushuang was deeply skilled in the ways of the world as he changed into a new white robe and got a white horse to follow,after a slight disguise, he began his travels towards cangwu.
'A well dressed and a confident scholarly appearance makes one feel different. Bandits hesitate when they see these kind of people because they believe experts must be protecting them.'
And the journey went smoothly till he got to the nearest town. He planned to restock and get more grain and water to accompany him on his journey. A spiritual sea cultivator still needs to eat.
"Primordial Lord Cang Tian would be holding a martial arts tournament to determine the ownership of the star iron. participants from spiritual core and below with bone age less than 15 can try their best to win the star iron".
The messenger repeated his proclamation with spiritual qi while Jian Wushuang just watched calmly.
He watched as cultivators scrambled to join the tournament just for a piece of star iron.
' Who says cultivators aren't as foolish as mortals,they know the star iron is not fated with them yet they struggle endlessly to gain it. What difference is between mortals and immortals exactly?. Is it longevity or is it the experience and hardships?. Who says mortals do not endure hardships?. You see others burdens as easy because you have the ability to carry theirs,others may also see your burden as light cause they have the ability to carry yours. Mortals have their own hardships and sacrifice. Mortals toil for survival,cultivators toil for longevity.'
Jian Wushuang watched the passing scramble quietly as his understanding of the mortal way grew deeper.
He moved through the stores calmly as he surveyed for interesting and novel things to buy. It suddenly occurred to him with a jolt that he knew no offensive spells or methods.
His only ability presently is probably crushing others with his cultivation level. A higher ranked cultivator supresses a lower ranked cultivator. That is the way of the heavens. After renting a coutyard in the town, he checked inside the qiankun ring and brought out a sword cultivation manual.
He opened the sword art and looked into it only to find out that he simply couldn't understand a word. Anyone who clamored about sword cultivation being easy was probably someone with a sword body or sword heart like Yi'er and Hao'er.
'. I wonder how those two are doing at the sword Palace now.' Jian Wushuang sighed and decided to figure out his path himself. Since he couldn't learn swordsmanship from the scriptures,there was no.reason for him not to try and create his sword technique.
Jian Wushuang worked tirelessly, swinging the sword till his palms bled and muscles ached. He drew the sword so many times he himself had lost count. He moved with the sword trying to grasp that sliver of opportunity to comprehend the sword. He practiced every swing,chop ,jab and block meticulously every single day for a week straight.
"Young mistress,you should hurry home. The clan leader would lose his mind should anything go wrong with you." The maid worriedly admonished as she cautioned her mistress to return home. The girl referred to as the young mistress unconsciously shivered as she thought of her father's terrifying image when he gets mad....