Chapter 38: Practicing Swordsmanship Across the World

Bu Feng and Ji Ning had been fighting for a full day and night. The Nine Tooth Heavenly God had used his powers to completely seal off the area, preventing the mortals in the village from witnessing the battle. The only ones who could watch from the sidelines were the Nine Tooth Heavenly God and the dirty boy.

"Huff, huff, huff." Bu Feng's face was pale.

He had been exerting himself to the utmost. His Violet Mansion true essence had long been exhausted, so he could only rely on elixirs to replenish it. Now his elixirs were finally used up as well. He was extremely anxious in his heart. He knew very well that elixirs were nothing; being able to spar with this mysterious existence was a stroke of great luck for him. He longed to continue the fight for longer.

"Alright, you can stop now," Ji Ning said. He could also sense that the other's attacks had clearly weakened; his true essence was almost gone.

Bu Feng had no choice but to stop.

"Here are some elixirs to replenish your true essence." Ji Ning tossed out a bottle of elixirs.

Bu Feng caught it and gave it a quick inspection. Immediately, he was overjoyed and excited.

Heavens!

Even a Daoist of the Primordial Spirit probably couldn't produce so many elixirs. He didn't know that these were spoils Ji Ning had obtained during the war of the territories, when he had slaughtered countless immortals and demons. He had killed far too many loose immortals; a single White-Faced Flood Dragon represented a hundred thousand loose immortals, and every loose immortal during wartime carried a large amount of immortal pills and spiritual medicines. Ji Ning casually took out a bottle, which was the stash of those loose immortals. To a small Violet Mansion cultivator like Bu Feng, it was naturally a tremendous surprise.

"Senior, I can fight again," Bu Feng quickly said.

"That's enough," Ji Ning said with a smile. "Nine Tooth, let's go."

"Yes, Prefect." The Nine Tooth Heavenly God said respectfully.

Swish.

The white-robed youth and the bald old servant simply vanished.

"This, this..." Bu Feng was extremely excited. This bottle of pills, which probably matched the total treasures of a Primordial Spirit Daoist, gave him the capital to rise in the world. And the incredibly profound sword techniques he had recorded... they were a beacon on his path of immortal cultivation! They allowed him to go further and fulfill the desires in his heart.

"Father?" The dirty boy beside him looked at Bu Feng.

"Let's go, home, hurry home." Bu Feng quickly said, and immediately pulled his son back to their house in the village. He promptly wrote down the many sword techniques he had recorded during the battle, afraid he might forget them.

In the days that followed...

Bu Feng taught his son, studied the sword techniques, and eventually stepped into the threshold of the 'Way of the Sword'. Sixteen years later, when Bu Feng returned to his original sect, he was already a master of the Way of the Sword.

...

On the river's wooden boat.

"Prefect, the sword technique you displayed was the 'Five Treasures Sword Art' created by the number one sword immortal of the Three Realms, a sword art that transcends the limits of the Heavenly Dao. Even a tiny fraction of it is immense luck for that Violet Mansion cultivator," the Nine Tooth Heavenly God said. Watching the 'Five Treasures Sword Art' in person, the pressure it contained was something even Celestial Immortals generally couldn't withstand.

As for some scattered moves, just the moves alone, even if seen, wouldn't be understood.

Ji Ning personally demonstrated and even sparred with Bu Feng, allowing Bu Feng to truly understand the power of those moves, making it naturally easier for him to comprehend them.

"I also gained some insights," Ji Ning said with a smile.

In fact, half an hour into the fight with Bu Feng, Ji Ning could already completely counter all of Bu Feng's techniques. The reason he fought for a full day and night was that Ji Ning himself was continuously experimenting and gaining insights.

"Three thousand li away, there is a Violet Mansion cultivator quite skilled in swordsmanship. Let's go." Ji Ning's heartforce swept out and discovered a Violet Mansion cultivator three thousand li away practicing flying sword techniques, quite extraordinary.

On a mountain peak, a gray-robed scarred woman stood, remotely controlling a flying sword.

Suddenly, a white-robed youth and a bald old servant appeared beside her.

"Hm?" The gray-robed scarred woman was startled, and quickly said respectfully, "Greetings, Senior."

"Use your flying sword and attack me with all your strength," the white-robed youth said.

"Ah." The gray-robed scarred woman was taken aback. This mysterious youth was truly strange, but she didn't dare refuse and immediately began to act.

...

Time passed, day after day.

The God King, who commanded all sides of the Outcast Camp, occasionally probed, occasionally probed. He tracked Ji Ning like this for a full half month. Finally, the God King lost patience. After all, to the God King, Ji Ning was hardly a threat, just a minor nuisance. Looking at the Three Realms, what truly posed a fatal threat to the Outcast Camp were the many preparations the True Gods and Dao Ancestors of the Nuwa Camp were secretly making for the final battle.

"This Ji Ning is actually sparring with some laughably weak cultivators, practicing swordsmanship like this? How ridiculous. Even if he gains some insights, how powerful can he become?" The God King couldn't be bothered to watch anymore.

"Keep an eye on Ji Ning. If he dares to ambush our Outcast Camp, report immediately." After issuing the order, the God King stopped paying attention to Ji Ning. He had more important matters to worry about.

...

Day after day, month after month, year after year...

Ji Ning traveled across the Three Realms. Although the low-level Violet Mansion cultivators and Wanxiang Adepts were very weak, different regions produced different combat styles. Especially in the billions of minor worlds, the differences in combat styles were even more pronounced. Some sword techniques' concepts even left Ji Ning wide-eyed and marveling.

Countless combat styles. Ji Ning sparred with them, abandoning external forces like dharma power, heartforce, and swordforce, using only acquired strength against Violet Mansion cultivators, or innate strength against Wanxiang Adepts.

This gave Ji Ning many insights into the 'Five Treasures Sword Art'. His many clones were also comprehending and deducing, absorbing enough essence from the battles.

One day, nine years later.

This was a minor world of beautiful scenery, very remote. Immortals and demons of the Three Realms rarely passed through here. Ji Ning only came here while traveling across the Three Realms. The population here was very large, comparable to 'Earth' in Ji Ning's previous life. The strength levels here were divided into 'Human-level', 'Earth-level', 'Heaven-level', and 'Legend-level'. Simply put, they corresponded to Houtian, Xiantian, Violet Mansion, and Wanxiang.

The cultivation techniques here were very crude. Anyone who could cultivate to 'Legend-level' had a level of enlightenment in the Dao no less than that of a Primordial Spirit Daoist in the Grand Xia world. Some Legend-level cultivators had even comprehended a complete Dao. It was precisely because of their high Dao realm that they could, with crude techniques, forcibly cultivate to the Wanxiang level.

The Refining Sword Villa was one of the sacred grounds of this minor world.

The master of the Refining Sword Villa was also revered as the Sword Saint! He was a Legend-level existence. There were three Legend-level existences in the entire world, and the Sword Saint was recognized as the strongest.

"Master."

Thirteen disciples stood respectfully.

In front sat a plainly dressed middle-aged man. This middle-aged man was the Sword Saint! The number one expert in the world.

These thirteen disciples were thirteen of the 'Fifteen Heavenly Swords' under the Sword Saint.

"Sixth disciple, you go first," the Sword Saint said.

"Yes, Master." The sixth disciple said respectfully.

At that moment—

Whoosh.

A white-robed youth and a bald old servant appeared beside them. The Sword Saint, facing that direction, was the first to notice the sudden appearance of these two figures. His expression changed drastically: "How could they approach within a hundred zhang of me without me noticing at all?"

The Sword Saint's face changed greatly, causing the thirteen disciples to also follow his gaze. They too saw the youth and the old servant. Although startled, they were not panicked, for the Sword Saint was the number one in the world, a recognized fact. There were indeed some in the world skilled in concealment.

The sixth disciple immediately shouted, "This is the forbidden area of the Refining Sword Villa. You two, state your names immediately."

"In this world, you are said to be the strongest and the best in swordsmanship." The white-robed youth looked at the Sword Saint. "Draw your sword. Use your strongest sword technique."

"Didn't you hear—" The thirteen disciples were all angered.

But the Nine Tooth Heavenly God looked over and said softly, "Sleep."

Thump, thump, thump...

The thirteen disciples all fell down, fast asleep.

This scene completely shocked the Sword Saint. Most of these thirteen disciples were at the 'Heaven-level', yet they all fell asleep instantly. Such a method was simply inconceivable.

"Alas, in a major world, it wouldn't be so troublesome." Ji Ning shook his head and released his pressure. The Sword Saint immediately felt as if he were an ant in a vast ocean, fragile and weak. He even felt his whole body unable to move under the invisible pressure.

Then Ji Ning withdrew the pressure.

If he didn't show some power, the Sword Saint, accustomed to being 'number one in the world', might not quickly realize the gap. In a major world, he would have respectfully called out 'Senior' long ago.

"Attack," Ji Ning said.

"This Senior's skills are truly remarkable. I, Mutong, have roamed the world for a hundred years, thinking myself the number one. Now I see I was merely a frog at the bottom of a well." The Sword Saint looked at Ji Ning. "Over the years, I have created the Ninety-Nine Refining Sword Techniques. Please enlighten me."

Although he understood the gap.

The pride of being number one in the world for many years still made him want to prove himself through his sword techniques.

After a while—

"How is this possible?"

"This..."

He was completely dumbfounded.

"With merely Earth-level strength and speed, he can block my sword techniques?" The Sword Saint was utterly stunned. What he was most proud of was his swordsmanship. Yet compared to the person before him, the other's seemingly ordinary sword techniques, every single move, he couldn't fathom no matter how he thought. He simply didn't understand. But as he pondered, he still gained various insights. In just the short time of the sparring, some sword techniques he comprehended in his heart were already far superior to his own 'Ninety-Nine Refining Sword Techniques' that he had studied for years.

"Although this Sword Saint is from a minor world, his strength is indeed good. He has comprehended an ordinary Dao and even stepped into the threshold of the Grand Dao 'Way of the Sword'."

"Among the Wanxiang Adepts I've chosen, he is the most skilled in swordsmanship."

Ji Ning was also very cautious.

He used Xiantian strength against Wanxiang Adepts. As for the Wanxiang Adepts' sword techniques, Ji Ning naturally chose increasingly stronger ones. This was the first time he had chosen one who had comprehended a Dao at the Wanxiang level.

"Whoosh~~~"

"Whoosh~~~"

Ji Ning's sword techniques seemed to form a black hole.

No matter how frenzied the Sword Saint's sword techniques were, they were completely devoured by the black hole.

"My defensive sword move finally has a rough outline." Ji Ning felt joy. In the many years of sparring, his understanding of the 'Way of the Sword' had deepened, and he even vaguely understood his future path. A vague outline of a sword technique formed in his heart. Ji Ning estimated that this sword technique could probably be divided into five stances.

Of course, these five stances had not yet been created. It was only in this sparring with the 'Sword Saint' that Ji Ning finally managed to work out a rough outline for one of them.