Chapter 14: The Cage

The Dripping Water Sutra, taking its meaning from 'dripping water wears through stone.'

The sword art was dense and endless, like rain drifting from the sky; the sword's strike was like a downpour, making it hard for the enemy to dodge. And its defense was airtight... At the same time, when countless raindrops converged in one place, they could unleash terrifying power. Even ordinary dripping water could wear through stone, and the power condensed from each sword's 'dripping water' was naturally invincible.

'This Dripping Water Sutra is indeed profound.' Ji Ning nodded as he read, then picked up the second book, The Secret Manual of the Big Dipper.

The Secret Manual of the Big Dipper was a portion of the legendary secret canon, The Big Dipper Sword Canon. It comprised seven sword forms: Celestial Pivot, Celestial Jade, Celestial Gem, Celestial Balance, Jade Measure, Opening Yang, and Shaking Light. These seven sword moves all possessed the power to draw upon the stars, such as the Shaking Light Greedy Wolf Sword, brimming with fierce and baleful aura, and the Celestial Balance Literary Star Sword, supremely yin and soft...

The sword art was unfathomably profound, and it balanced offense and defense.

'Excellent sword art.' Ji Ning marveled as he read, then picked up the third abridged copy.

The Fragmentary Thunderfire Sword, a book obtained by an ancestor of the Ji clan while wandering and training on the endless earth. By chance, he found a burned book with only a few remnants; the title was illegible except for two characters—'Thunderfire'! And of the sword art, only three complete sword moves could be discerned.

Every move was offensive. With one move, it was like thunder and earthfire colliding. In terms of sheer attack power, it was indisputably the first among the Ji clan's sword arts! Relying on only three surviving moves to rank among the five supreme sword arts, the unknown complete sword art was clearly far superior to the other four.

But while its strengths were obvious, its weaknesses were also clear. Because they were remnant moves—only three—they lacked continuity, and all three were offensive, with no defensive moves at all. How could a powerful warrior fight without defensive techniques? So very few chose this sword art.

'I really want to see the complete version of this Fragmentary Thunderfire Sword.' Ji Ning couldn't help sighing.

'If it were complete,' said Ji Yichuan beside him, 'it would be the undisputed number one immortal demon secret art in this land of Yanshan.'

Ji Ning nodded and picked up the fourth abridged copy.

The Phantom Demon Book. Strictly speaking, this could not be considered a sword art, because once one understood the true meaning of 'phantom demon,' one could also execute phantom demon blade techniques, phantom demon spear techniques, phantom demon staff techniques... It was a set of extremely sinister and powerful immortal demon secret arts that used illusion to conceal reality, often killing enemies before they even saw clearly.

This subtle art followed the path of sinister and devious methods.

'This doesn't suit my nature.' Ji Ning rejected The Phantom Demon Book outright. Choosing a secret art that suited one's taste was very important. A sword art completely at odds with one's disposition, no matter how profound, would yield half the results with twice the effort. Ji Ning naturally rejected it directly.

'Mm, the last one, also the foundation on which our Ji clan originally stood.' Ji Ning flipped through The Ten Thousand Swords Melody.

The Ten Thousand Swords Melody was the most complex of the five sword arts, even far more complex than the One Hundred and Eight Swords of Heaven and Earth that Ji Ning had once practiced. But though complex, if one truly understood it, The Ten Thousand Swords Melody could be refined into three sword moves: 'Ten Thousand Shadows of One Sword,' 'Ten Thousand Swords Return to One,' and 'Ten Thousand Swords Melody.'

...

Ji Ning closed his eyes and pondered carefully.

In terms of grandeur and complexity, or perhaps simplicity, it was The Ten Thousand Swords Melody.

In terms of sinister deviousness and unpredictability, it was The Phantom Demon Book.

The most standard and balanced was The Secret Manual of the Big Dipper.

The strongest in defense was The Dripping Water Sutra.

The strongest in attack and most mysterious was The Fragmentary Thunderfire Sword.

'First, eliminate The Phantom Demon Book—it doesn't match my nature!' Ji Ning thought. 'The Secret Manual of the Big Dipper is a portion of The Big Dipper Sword Canon. In attack, it's not the strongest; in defense, it's not the strongest; in subtlety, it's not the best... It's mediocre in everything, but not bad in anything either. But in a fight between experts, advantage is crucial! So The Secret Manual of the Big Dipper is also rejected.'

'Only three remain: The Ten Thousand Swords Melody, The Dripping Water Sutra, and The Fragmentary Thunderfire Sword.'

'The Dripping Water Sutra is a must-choose!' Ji Ning pondered.

The Dripping Water Sutra, like endless rain, was the best in defense among the five sword arts.

The importance of defense in combat even surpasses offense!

In his past life, Ji Ning had watched many sports competitions. Those boxing champions, kickboxing champions, etc., were all extremely skilled in defense and dodging. Even in soccer and basketball, there was the saying 'defense wins championships.' Offense looked flashy... but true victory relied on defense.

Different categories, but the principle was the same!

In life-and-death combat, defense was equally important. When facing a stronger opponent, one could only try to defend. If one's defense was strong, there was hope of survival. But those with strong offense, once they encountered an even stronger opponent and their attack couldn't overcome the enemy, it was over.

'Defense is about staying alive. First keep your own life, then you can take others'. Moreover, this is the supreme art my father made his name with. With my father's guidance, I can improve even more. The Dripping Water Sutra is a must.' Ji Ning thought carefully. 'As for The Fragmentary Thunderfire Sword and The Ten Thousand Swords Melody...'

"Mm, 'Thunderfire Sword, Fragmentary Edition'!" Ji Ning quickly made his decision.

If he were an ordinary person who could only use a single sword, Ji Ning would probably have chosen between 'Dripping Water Sword' and 'Ten Thousand Swords Melody.'

But since he used twin swords, and he already had 'Dripping Water Sword' for defense, he would choose the most offensively powerful 'Thunderfire Sword, Fragmentary Edition.' The drawback of 'Thunderfire Sword, Fragmentary Edition' was that it had no defensive sword techniques, but for him, using twin swords, it was hardly a drawback. Having already chosen 'Dripping Water Sutra,' he also desperately desired a powerful killing move.

"'Dripping Water Sutra' and 'Thunderfire Sword, Fragmentary Edition.'" Ji Ning silently confirmed. "'Dripping Water Sutra' excels at defense, while 'Thunderfire Sword, Fragmentary Edition,' though only three remaining techniques, are three supremely powerful killing moves."

"Moreover, my 'Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens' has the Lunar Divine Mark and Solar Divine Mark. Once I break through to the Xiantian level, I can control water and fire. Water corresponds to 'Dripping Water Sutra,' fire to 'Thunderfire Sword, Fragmentary Edition.' I believe this will also help my swordsmanship."

"Defend so tightly that not a drop leaks through!"

"Attack as fiercely as a volcanic eruption!"

"With twin swords, one sword defends, one attacks. Or both hands defend together. Or both hands attack together. Everything follows the heart!" Thoughts swirled in Ji Ning's mind, his future combat path now crystal clear. He understood well... having a clear path for his future growth would allow him to take as few detours as possible and grow faster!

In war, strategy outweighs tactics.

For personal growth, the path outweighs diligence.

With a clear path, advancing a little each day, in ten or twenty years, one will reach a high point. Without a clear path... blindly working hard may lead to stagnation or even regression!

...

Carefully examining the five bamboo slips took over an hour. The arm-thick candle had burned more than halfway. Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Xue, the couple, were still waiting, occasionally whispering to each other.

"Father, Mother." Ji Ning suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?" Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Xue both turned to look. Ji Yichuan said, "Have you chosen?"

Ji Ning nodded.

"Ning'er, what did you choose? One or two?" Yuchi Xue asked.

"I chose two." Ji Ning picked up two bamboo slips. "One is 'Dripping Water Sutra,' the other is 'Thunderfire Sword, Fragmentary Edition.'"

"Dripping Water? Thunderfire?" Ji Yichuan nodded slightly. As the number one expert of the Ji clan's Western Prefecture, his deterrent power had only grown stronger despite having no notable achievements since his son's birth. No one knew how powerful Ji Yichuan was now... but undeniably, ten years ago he was already the number one expert of the Ji clan's Western Prefecture.

How sharp were his eyes?

"Mm, acceptable." Ji Yichuan nodded.

"Please advise me, Father." Ji Ning quickly said.

"No rush." Ji Yichuan shook his head. "I have some insights into 'Dripping Water Sutra,' but you have never practiced it. Even if I explain it to you, it won't resonate. Only after many sessions of practice and even life-and-death battles, and then my guidance, will it truly strike a chord with you."

"Tomorrow morning, I will give you the complete texts of 'Dripping Water Sutra' and 'Thunderfire Sword, Fragmentary Edition.' Then you will demonstrate them before me. As long as your sword postures and key points are correct, that will suffice." Ji Yichuan nodded. "Three days later, you will begin real combat. Ordinary sparring is too gentle; you need true life-and-death battles."

Ji Ning was puzzled.

"Father, haven't I already experienced killing?" Ji Ning couldn't help asking. "Back then, when you judged that my swordsmanship had reached the first level and laid the foundation, didn't you have me fight death row prisoners and kill quite a few?"

He still remembered his first kill. His whole body trembled uncontrollably. Although rationally he wasn't afraid, he couldn't stop shaking. According to his father... except for those born for killing, most people experience this the first time they kill.

After killing dozens of death row prisoners, he had calmed down.

"That wasn't killing; it was building courage." Ji Yichuan shook his head. "Fighting death row prisoners, all weaker than you, that's not life-and-death killing. Three days later... I will arrange for you to fight real demonic beasts, all powerful ones at the Houtian perfection level."

"Demons?" Ji Ning's expression changed.

"Those imprisoned demons, driven by hunger and survival, become extremely ferocious, and they won't show any mercy." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "In a huge cage, one-on-one with a demonic beast. This is the 'Cage Battle' that important members of our Ji clan must undergo. Among the best-trained Ji clan youths, about half die in the cage."

Half?

Ji Ning was startled but quickly calmed down, because he knew that in this land, tribal women and slaves could bear many children, yet the total population had barely changed for thousands of years. Why? Because in this harsh environment, countless tribes had to fight against the heavens, the earth, the great demons lurking in mountains, forests, lakes, and marshes, and even other tribes. Only a few survived! Even being born into the Ji clan, one had to undergo brutal training; those who survived had to be elites.

It was precisely because the Ji clan members were all so powerful that the Ji clan dominated the region and became a local hegemon.