Chapter 13: Five Great Sword Techniques

Ji Lie returned to his mansion with a dark face, followed by the four-hoofed beast. As they walked through the mansion, the servants and guards either knelt or bowed their heads, not daring to breathe loudly. Everyone could see that their master, Ji Lie, was in a very bad mood. It would be unjust to be slapped to death for angering him.

"Father." A voice came from afar, and a middle-aged man with dozens of braids and wearing animal skins hurried over.

Ji Lie glanced at the newcomer, his most useful son, Ji Wuyu, who had also become a先天性 being. He frowned and said, "Wuyu, is this true? I had just gone out hunting when I received news that that brat of Ji Yichuan had already achieved subtlety in swordsmanship and unity of man and sword?"

"Yes, Father." Ji Wuyu shook his head and sighed. "Today, Ji Ning competed with nine Nine-Fang warriors, and during the competition, his swordsmanship broke through. There is no doubt about it."

"Alas!" Ji Lie said bitterly, "Heaven truly does not help me, Ji Lie. My elder brother Ji Youyang was never as good as me back then. In my youth, I was reckless and careless, allowing him to seize the position of prefect. Among his descendants emerged the unparalleled Ji Yichuan, which further solidified his branch's status. Now, an even more monstrous Ji Ning has appeared, achieving unity of man and sword after only six years of practice!"

"Six years of practice to achieve unity of man and sword—compared to him, the three genius youths we selected from various tribes are still far behind." Ji Wuyu shook his head.

To hinder Ji Ning, they had specially selected three infants of extremely high talent from various tribes, similar in age to Ji Ning, and had trained them since infancy, yet they still fell short of Ji Ning.

"Just a little more, if Po were two or three years younger..." Ji Wuyu sighed.

"Po?" Ji Lie was startled.

Po was his adopted son.

Back then, on his way back from leading an army to punish a large tribe, Ji Lie discovered a great demon, the 'Golden Fur Po.' Itching for a fight, he engaged in a terrible battle, and ultimately the Golden Fur Po was defeated and fled. Ji Lie then ransacked the Golden Fur Po's lair, where he found an infant. The infant looked less than a year old but possessed innate divine strength... which greatly pleased Ji Lie: "You little one, captured by the Golden Fur Po but not killed, instead raised by it. Hahaha... From today on, you are my adopted son, Ji Lie. I grant you the name—Po!"

Adopting children with extraordinary talent as sons was common.

Po, when brought back, was deemed one year old. Now he was thirteen. Ji Lie had raised Po as the most terrifying beast, making him fight wild beasts from infancy, then demonic beasts, and also teaching him the most suitable cultivation methods...

Through killing, he honed his blade technique and had already achieved 'unity of man and blade' last year.

"The Golden Sword Ceremony is held every four years, and there is one this year." Ji Wuyu squinted. "Four years later, there will be another Golden Sword Ceremony. By then, Po will be seventeen. Only those under sixteen can participate. Po won't be able to participate in four years, let alone stop Ji Ning!"

"Now our last hope is those three brats we trained. I hope one of them can become a先天性 being within four years." Ji Lie said in a low voice.

"Mm!" Ji Wuyu nodded. "The three of them were personally selected by me from various tribes as the most suitable for Qi cultivation. They have already reached the后天 perfection. As long as one of them can break through from后天 to先天性, we will surely win."

Ji Lie nodded: "A先天性 Qi cultivator can use magical treasures and is sure to win. But becoming a先天性 being is truly too difficult..."

"Now it all depends on fate." Ji Wuyu said in a low voice.

Ji Lie nodded slightly.

Although they were competing for the position of prefect, Ji Lie and his faction never thought of killing Ji Ning. On the vast land, for a tribe to survive... they must unite, and internal strife is absolutely forbidden. Especially since Ji Ning had been designated as a candidate. If anyone used underhanded means to kill Ji Ning, the five prefectures of the Ji clan would likely join forces to eliminate the murderer!

...

Thick candles burned, illuminating the hall. Ji Yichuan sat in the seat of honor, with Wei Chi Xue and Ji Ning on either side.

The family of three ate the food on the low tables before them.

"Yichuan." Wei Chi Xue looked at her son, who was gnawing on meat with an oily mouth, her eyes full of pride. "Ning'er spent three years building a foundation, and another three to achieve unity of man and sword! It seems the position of prefect will be easily won."

Ji Yichuan held a ram's horn cup and nodded slightly: "When Ji Ning sparred with others, he only used internal energy, not the first divine demon body refinement method, 'Red Bright Nine Heavens Diagram.' Moreover, when Ji Ning sparred with outsiders, he only used a single sword."

Others did not know Ji Ning's true strength, but Ji Yichuan and his wife knew their son's abilities well.

Seizing the Golden Sword?

As easy as taking something from one's pocket!

"Now Ji Ning, going all out, could easily seize the golden sword. In another four years, even a Xiantian lifeform won't be able to stop him." Ji Yichuan poured himself another drink.

Ji Ning, meanwhile, was eating and drinking ravenously.

Because he cultivated the number one divine body tempering method, the "Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens," he had a divine beast's appetite. He could easily consume dozens of jin of demon beast meat at every meal. He had already reached the third stage two years ago, and now he was stuck at a bottleneck. One more step and he would reach the fourth stage!

The fourth stage meant becoming a Xiantian lifeform, and as a Xiantian lifeform of the number one divine body tempering method, his combat power would far exceed that of an ordinary Xiantian lifeform by a hundred or a thousand times.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle~~~" Ji Ning picked up the large water jug, tilted his head back, and drank all the hot water in one go. Setting down the jug, he patted his belly and said, "Refreshing."

"Ning'er." Yuchi Xue smiled at her son.

"Mother." Ji Ning was very well-behaved. He could sense that while his father loved him and also valued the tribe, his mother devoted almost all her thoughts to him. In his mother's eyes, even the rise and fall of the Ji clan was far less important than her son.

Yuchi Xue looked at her son: "The 'One Hundred Eight Swords of the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends' your father taught you is the most complex sword art and the best set of techniques for entering the 'union of man and sword' realm. But now that you have achieved union of man and sword, this set of 'One Hundred Eight Swords of the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends' is of no use to you."

"Yes." Ji Yichuan also looked at his son. "Right, Ji Ning! I had you prepare your 'body' and 'mind,' making every thrust, stab, chop, slash, and twist as fast as lightning and extremely precise, as if carved into your bones. Then I had you cultivate the 'One Hundred Eight Swords of the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends.' This is... from simplicity to complexity!"

"The way of the sword begins with simplicity leading to complexity, then complexity returning to simplicity. Only then is one accomplished in swordsmanship." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "Now that you have achieved union of man and sword, every swing comes as naturally as picking something up. This counts as returning from complexity to simplicity."

Ji Ning nodded.

He also understood this principle. If one foolishly kept practicing the basic thirteen stances—thrusting, chopping, slashing, etc.—one could still be a sword expert. But without the transformative process of 'simplicity to complexity, complexity to simplicity,' it was very difficult to truly achieve union of man and sword.

"Next, you must attune to the heart of heaven and achieve union of heaven and man." Ji Yichuan sighed. "This step is also extremely difficult."

"Union of heaven and man..." Ji Ning was full of anticipation.

"Previous sword techniques are now useless to you." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "Your level is sufficient to cultivate the Ji clan's supreme sword art."

Ji Ning's eyes lit up. The Ji clan's supreme sword art?

"Our Ji clan is famous for its swordsmanship." Ji Yichuan said with emotion. "The city of the Ji clan's ancestral mansion is even named 'Ten Thousand Swords City' because our Ji clan originally established itself and founded this territory through the 'Ten Thousand Swords Song.'"

"Over thousands of years, our Ji clan's supreme sword arts total five: the 'Ten Thousand Swords Song,' the 'Incomplete Thunderfire Sword,' the 'Phantom Demon Manual,' the 'Dripping Water Sutra,' and the 'Secret Manual of the Big Dipper.' Each is extremely profound, created by beings who surpassed the realm of union of heaven and man. If one achieves some success in practicing them, the power is limitless." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "I cultivate the 'Dripping Water Sutra.' Ordinary people, even if they achieve union of man and sword, can at most choose one. Because dividing one's focus is not good. But since you can split your mind in two, you can choose at most two."

Whoosh!

Five books appeared in Ji Yichuan's hand out of thin air. He tossed them casually, and the five books spun through the air, landing on the edge of the table, stacked one on top of another, without touching any bowls or jars.

"Supreme sword arts?" Ji Ning looked at the five books before him, understanding that these were only abridged versions. Only after he made his choice would he receive the 'complete version.'

"Choose carefully."

Ji Yichuan looked at his son solemnly. "Once chosen, it must be recorded for inspection by the five prefectures of the Ji clan! If there is no record, it counts as stealing the art, and the five prefectures will join forces to 'silence' the thief."

"Ah!" Ji Ning understood, but was still surprised. "Then why is there no such rule for my cultivation of the 'Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens'?"

"Although the 'Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens' is the number one divine body tempering method, it is also the most widely spread. Almost every major tribe like the Ji clan has this set. Whether it is passed on or not is naturally unimportant." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "Generally, qi cultivation methods and body tempering methods are not considered precious. Only what can be called supreme arts are not easily passed on. Among these five sword arts, four are unique to the Ji clan in the land of Yanshan. Only the 'Secret Manual of the Big Dipper' is also held by another force, the 'Blackfire Cult.'"

Ji Ning nodded.

He knew that in the land of Yanshan, besides the garrison of the Xia Dynasty, there were five other hegemon forces, and the Ji clan was also one of them.

The six hegemons fought each other endlessly but none dared to provoke the garrison of the Xia Dynasty!

"Hmm." Ji Ning immediately lowered his head to browse these five top-tier sword arts. Even at the same level of union of man and sword, if one could initially master such a top-tier sword art, one's strength would likely increase several times.

"Dripping Water Sutra..." Ji Ning's first browse was the supreme art his father had made famous.

His father's title was Dripping Water Sword.