Chapter 1126: Sword Force
After the spar, the two returned to Peach Blossom Valley.
Bai went directly into seclusion. Qin Sang passed through the peach grove and stopped before Senior Qingzhu’s grave. After paying his respects, he returned to his cave dwelling.
He took out the charred wood that the Wandering Man had left behind. Whether his cultivation was insufficient or the remnant was simply too faint, Qin Sang could not sense the Wandering Man’s true origin spirit within it.
Bai is right. I should wait until I reach the Spiritual Infant Realm before attempting this. Only then will it be foolproof. Qin Sang pondered silently. After forming the Spiritual Infant, I will first refine the ebony sword. The remaining Soul-Nourishing Wood will be enough to push it to a top-grade astra. Only then can I merge the charred wood into it.
With that thought, he took out the Du’e Pill. He had not been in the mood to examine it before.
With a soft snap, the jade bottle opened. Spiritual mist gathered at the mouth and lingered without dispersing.
He did not catch the rich fragrance he had expected. Instead, his mind suddenly cleared. Within his Qihai, the Golden Core and true essence stirred as though drawn by the pill’s power.
"As expected of the divine Du’e Pill!" Qin Sang steadied his Qihai, his gaze turning slightly grave.
There was only one Du’e Pill. When he would attempt the breakthrough to the Spiritual Infant Realm, failure would not be an option!
He sat down cross-legged. A flash glimmered at his brow, and the ebony sword flew out.
Back in Canglang Sea, after comprehending Sword Light Division, Qin Sang had never grown lax. He had formed his own sword wheel, experienced the sword path trials, sparred within the trial realm against the puppet sword array, and studied the Qingzhu Sword Scripture.
Yet he had always felt a thin barrier separating him from sword force.
Originally, he had intended to focus on cultivation first. After forming his Spiritual Infant, he would continue down the Sword Dao, allowing sword force to arise naturally. He had not expected to comprehend it so suddenly.
Bai had suggested the spar to dispel the gloom in his heart. During that fierce battle, Qin Sang had fought without reservation, abandoning all thoughts of retreat. In that pure release, his sword and heart had resonated with each other and created the opportunity for breakthrough.
Even then, he had still fallen just short. Fortunately, Bai’s keen insight had detected the anomaly at once. Under Bai’s relentless pressure, Qin Sang had finally shattered the bottleneck in a single stroke!
Sword force was the beginning of a sword array. Only when integrated into a sword array could it reveal its true power.
Previously, Qin Sang had set the Qingzhu Sword Scripture aside. He had believed that, at his current attainment, it would demand too much time and distract him from advancing his cultivation.
Now that he had grasped sword force, studying the Qingzhu Sword Scripture no longer seemed so daunting. If he could deploy a sword array, his combat strength would increase dramatically.
Countless scattered thoughts passed through his mind. There was the Qingzhu Sword Scripture. There were the myriad transformations he had witnessed within the puppet sword array.
There was also the next stage of the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment, including fragments related to the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array.
And there were Bai’s words from earlier. "Although you cultivate a sword array of the Dao of Slaughter, your past sword will carried a certain grandeur. It was not an extreme Killing Sword. Yet the sword qi you just displayed held a trace of sorrow."
Qin Sang reflected deeply. He understood why Bai had felt that way.
Cultivating the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment required comprehending killing symbols amid slaughter. Even one not inclined toward bloodshed would inevitably be affected after walking through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Yet the Jade Buddha had always protected Qin Sang. His mind had remained calm. He had treated the technique merely as a stepping stone.
He was likely the cultivator whose killing intent was the lightest among those who practiced the Dao of Slaughter.
Moreover, the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment encompassed far more than killing alone. The art was merely a foundation. Each cultivator derived personal insight from it and forged an individual path.
Without realizing it, Qin Sang had followed the method steadily and developed a subtle sense of a grand and upright Great Dao. The sorrow within his sword force had arisen from the circumstances of his breakthrough and was only temporary. After forming the Spiritual Infant, it would return to its proper course.
As he reviewed the Qingzhu Sword Scripture, he noticed that its sword will differed from his own. It pressed forward relentlessly, its edge fully exposed, yet it carried a trace of hatred and a hint of hesitation, reflecting Senior Qingzhu’s life experiences.
The puppet sword array differed again. Its transformations were endless, intricate, and complex.
It was clear that the puppet’s master had deep ties to the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment. The puppet sword array had been created upon the foundation of the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array.
"Senior Qingzhu’s path does not entirely suit me. I should absorb only the essence of the sword scripture and continue along the path of the art. I must not let Senior Qingzhu’s Dao influence mine." Qin Sang’s mind remained clear as he made his choice. "Based on the transformations of the puppet sword array, I should be able to grasp some of the essence of the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array and temporarily construct a sword array from that. This suits me best. The advantage is obvious. After forming the Spiritual Infant, the ebony sword will be used to nourish Senior’s true origin spirit. If I comprehend the Seven-Yin-Soul Killing Array myself, I can deploy it without relying on my life-bound spiritual sword."
After carefully sorting his thoughts, Qin Sang determined his path.
There was still no word from Qingjun. Only when she returned could he ascend Zhitian Peak.
For now, cultivation and the breakthrough to the Spiritual Infant Realm remained his priorities. However, since the Heavenly Demon Body Refinement required less time at this stage, he could devote part of that time to studying the Sword Dao.
***
Five years passed like the turning of seasons. Time was enough to smooth away all wounds. The sorrow of the Wandering Man’s fall gradually faded.
Qin Sang stepped out of his cave dwelling. Heavy snow drifted outside. Thousands of li lay frozen under ice. Yet within Peach Blossom Valley, it was warm as spring.
The white crane flew over carrying a Sound Transmission Talisman.
Qin Sang opened it. It was from Li Yufu. He wrote that he had encountered a bottleneck in cultivation, found no clarity in seclusions, and decided to travel abroad for experience.
More than twenty years had passed since Qin Sang returned.
The immortal cultivation world had rarely known such prolonged peace. One might almost believe that the Sin Abyss no longer had the strength to invade and that this calm would endure forever.
Li Yufu was gifted and not weak in cultivation. Qin Sang was not worried.
He noticed that the peach grove looked slightly untidy. He stepped inside and carefully pruned the branches.
The peach trees themselves seemed to exude loneliness. Qingjun had been gone far too long. With their master absent, the blossoms bloomed without anyone to admire them.
Suddenly, the barrier outside the valley stirred. Qin Sang’s heart leaped. He looked toward the entrance and finally saw that streak of red robes.
"Senior Sister!" He flashed forward to greet her.
Qingjun’s bearing remained as elegant as ever. As she gazed at the blooming peach blossoms, the sharpness in her eyes gradually softened.
"Hmm? You are nearly at the peak of the Core Formation Realm!" After studying Qin Sang, Qingjun showed clear surprise.
She understood the extraordinary efficacy of the killing symbols within the Primordial Spirit Sword Nourishment. Yet what surprised her was not merely Qin Sang’s advance in cultivation. His entire bearing had changed profoundly during her absence.
"I still need a few years to temper my cultivation," Qin Sang replied.
"Have you prepared for the Spiritual Infant Realm? How confident are you? It seems like Small Cold Domain will soon gain another Spiritual Infant grandmaster." They walked into the peach grove. Qingjun appeared to be in good spirits and asked the question on her own initiative.
"There is a small matter related to my breakthrough to the Spiritual Infant Realm. I would like to ask for your assistance." Uncertain how long Qingjun would remain this time, Qin Sang hurriedly explained his plan. "Senior Qingzhu once said that a powerful physical body aids in forming the Spiritual Infant. I cultivate a body-refining art. To break through to the fourth stage, I must undergo Star Essence Infusion. Zhitian Peak is the best place for that. I wonder whether the teleportation array and the immortal residence connected to Zhitian Peak are still there."
