Chapter 974: Chapter 52: Sword Saint Transmits Power_3
The Sword Saint of the Tian Gang said, "It won’t affect you. Just accept it with peace of mind. After I transfer my power to you, I will successfully ascend to another world. Today might be our last conversation before you ascend to the Divine Realm. In this realm, I still have many unresolved matters, and from now on, you will have to resolve them. Although your body is very robust, it currently cannot accept so much of my power. I will create another Energy Golden Body over your chest, which might look like the one in your Dantian, but since my power is much greater than yours, it might be larger. This Golden Body will stay inside you and will not be under your control. You must continually cultivate and gradually absorb the energy contained within the Golden Body at your chest, converting it into your own power in your Dantian. When you have completely absorbed the Golden Body I transferred to you, your power will surpass my current realm and reach another pinnacle, a realm I have never reached. I hope you can achieve it."
Ah Dai said, "Master, do you really have to go to that other world? Is there no other way?"
The Sword Saint of the Tian Gang revealed a gentle expression and said, "The master is old now, this leather bag can no longer sustain me, and that other world is a must-go. It’s not something the master can decide. Therefore, the master can only leave you with more things before I go. Do you understand? There are three things I need you to do. First, after I have gone, if the Tian Gang Sword Sect encounters any trouble, as a disciple of the sect, you must help with all your might."
Ah Dai nodded and said, "Of course, even if you didn’t say so, I would do that."
The Sword Saint of the Tian Gang smiled satisfactorily and said, "That’s good. The master has invested most of his life into the Tian Gang Sword Sect, and I do not wish to see its renown diminish on the continent after I am gone. Second, the duel you will have with Xuan Ye in five years, no matter what, you must win. Remember, never underestimate yourself. Although you might not be his match now, if you can absorb more than thirty or forty percent of the power I transfer to you, Xuan Ye will not stand a chance against you at all. You see, besides Forbidden Curses, he’s merely a guest star in all of magic. Ah Dai, this duel affects not only the honor of the Tian Gang Sword Sect but also your happiness for life."
Ah Dai appeared stunned and said, "My happiness for life? Why!" Naturally, his straightforward mind couldn’t grasp the underlying meaning.
The Sword Saint of the Tian Gang smiled slightly and said, "You will understand when the time comes. The third and most important task is another duel, also in five years, but a bit earlier than your match with Xuan Ye. In February of five years from now, which is February of the year 999 of the Sacred Calendar, here, at the peak of Tian Gang Mountain, three old men as old as the master will come. They are all friends of the master, and you must spar with them. The master does not require you to beat them, only to either draw with them or let them know the power of True Qi. This is very important to me, and you must accomplish it."
Ah Dai scratched his head and said, "Master, are these three friends of yours very powerful?"
The Sword Saint of the Tian Gang nodded and said, "Yes, they are not weak. You can say they are formidable. Once you get past them, Xuan Ye’s challenge will be nothing." What the Sword Saint was referring to, the duel that occurs every twenty years between the four great Sword Saints, had already been held three times, with each ending in victory for the Tian Gang Sword Saint. He did not tell Ah Dai that these three friends were the other three great Sword Saints because he did not want to put psychological pressure on him. After all, the power of the three great Sword Saints was far beyond Xuan Ye’s reach.
"Alright, master, I promise you, I will diligently cultivate and not bring shame to you."
The Sword Saint of the Tian Gang nodded and said, "If you handle these three things well, then the master, even if... ah, even if I am in another world, I will be very content." He almost let the word "die" slip out. Fortunately, Ah Dai did not catch the slip in his words. "Ah Dai, the master has carefully studied the Sword of Hades you wield, and confined within it is a surge of Evil Power so strong, indeed, as Owen has said, it does not belong to this world, and even I find it terrifying. However, its energy is truly formidable, and if your life is threatened, the master permits you to use it. With your current power, as long as you don’t use the last five moves of the ’Nine Hades Decrees,’ you won’t be invaded by the Evil Aura. The vitality within you can completely suppress the Sword of Hades. Honestly, the master is really keen to see how powerful the last few moves of the Nine Hades Decrees are. It’s too bad I won’t see it. You mustn’t force yourself, and if you want to test the later moves, you must wait until you have absorbed several parts of the power I transferred to you and reached the ninth level of True Qi. Only then will you at least have the power to protect yourself. I have carefully observed that the Hades Sword Technique becomes more powerful and risky toward the end, and one carelessness could lead to its backlash, so you must be cautious, master has placed too many expectations on you!" When Ah Dai first started cultivating with the Sword Saint of the Tian Gang, the Sword Saint had confiscated his Sword of Hades because he feared the sword’s Evil Power would affect Ah Dai’s progress in True Qi. He had carefully studied the two sheepskin documents among the possessions of the Sword of Hades, one of which showed the Nine Hades Decrees as Ah Dai had seen it. However, the strange characters on the other sheepskin remained undecipherable to him, and he eventually had to give up.
