Chapter 34 The Fifth Level of Sword Force

Ji Ning closed his eyes.

The countless insights into the sword that he had realized in his heart continuously converged, like mist gathering. Finally, with a boom, all this mist coalesced into a single 'seed'. A seed faintly wreathed in sword-ki—this sword-ki seed was entirely a condensation of Ji Ning's insights into the source of the sword, something he could sense within his heart.

It was not visible to the naked eye, but could be seen through inner realization.

This sword-seed lay within Ji Ning's heart.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning let out a gentle breath and opened his eyes.

Within the Azurejade Shrine, everything returned to calm. The seven-colored sword-light that had manifested on his body had also vanished. He seemed ordinary, yet a faint, heart-stopping sharpness lurked in his eyes.

“Insights into the sword, coalescing into a Dao-seed, carry their own spirit,” Ji Ning murmured to himself.

Thanks to the guidance of Northrest World God,

Ji Ning clearly understood the path of a sword immortal.

The fifth level of sword force, the 'Sword God Realm', required one's insights into the source of the sword to reach an extremely high level. Upon breaking through the bottleneck, a 'Dao-seed' would naturally form. Just as a plant needs a seed to sprout and thrive, this Dao-seed inherently possessed the verve of the true source of the sword. Even a single gesture from Ji Ning would carry the immense might of the sword source—that might was the fifth-level sword force, the seven-colored sword-light.

“Finally, I've entered the Sword God Realm.” Ji Ning extended his index and middle fingers, forming a sword-finger. Hummm~~~ Seven-colored sword-light swirled around his fingers.

The seven-colored sword-light was incredibly agile, bearing an utterly transcendent and sharp aura.

Irresistible!

Unbreakable!

This was the sword!

“No wonder the fifth level of sword force is so hard to reach. Without the aid of the Nine Chaos Seals and the sword-art stele, without those true gods and true immortals as whetstones, I might never have broken through for who knows how long.” Only after breaking through did he truly feel the vast difference of the 'Sword God Realm'.

Only now did he truly sense the verve of the 'source of the sword'.

At this moment, Ji Ning also understood that the path of the sword immortal could stretch far, far into the distance. Even Northrest World God was merely traveling along this path.

“Excellent. The stronger, the better. If there were a limit, that would be boring.” Ji Ning rose and walked out of the Azurejade Shrine. Gazing at the sword-art stele outside, he thought, “I've just entered the Sword God Realm, so I need to consolidate carefully. Then I'll study the sword arts left by Northrest World God and integrate them into my Brightmoon sword-art.”

…

Now, when Ji Ning studied the sword-art stele, it was much easier. Many things he had not understood before were now grasped one after another, and his understanding of the sword continuously improved.

He integrated these insights into his Brightmoon sword-art. The Brightmoon sword-art was a manifestation of Ji Ning's understanding of the sword; all insights and realizations could be fused into it.

This meditation lasted over three months.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning held the Northmoon sword and swung it lightly.

Seven-colored sword-light swirled, and everything seemed dreamlike, as if layered with multiple phantoms, hard for the naked eye to discern. This was the current 'Shadowless Style' of the Brightmoon sword-art.

“It's hard to improve further in a short time,” Ji Ning mused. “That Empyrean God Shiyu has the Skylight Grand Harmony Tower. No matter what, I must get that treasure. With enough time, I can grow stronger. But before I fight Shiyu… I should first find other opponents to hone my sword-art.”

Sword-art must be tempered through battle to become truly lethal.

If one only meditated in seclusion, one might have high insights, but actual combat ability would still be lacking.

“Who should I test my sword on? Hmm…” Ji Ning smiled. “Him.”

…

On the wasteland.

A gaunt old man sat cross-legged.

“Hm?” He looked up and saw a white-robed youth in the distant sky, diving down.

“Warden?” The gaunt old man sneered. “Daring to come to me again.”

Swoosh.

The white-robed youth landed, only a few hundred zhang from the gaunt old man—well within the thousand-li range of the imprisonment seal. The old man could strike at Ji Ning at will.

“Long time no see,” Ji Ning said, looking at him.

“It's only been five years. Feels like I just blinked, and here you are again.” The gaunt old man shook his head. “Your divine power is indeed abundant, and your control of those treasures can block me. Though you're no match for me, it's hard for me to kill you. I suggest you leave. I don't want to waste my divine power.”

This old man was True God Jueyu, who had nearly killed Ji Ning back then.

Whoosh, whoosh. Ji Ning produced a divine sword in each hand.

“Hm?” The gaunt old man's expression changed. He sneered, “You want to fight me in close combat? You?”

“Yes, me.”

With that, Ji Ning attacked.

The gaunt old man was furious. Imprisoned here, he conserved his strength—every bit of power spent shortened his time in this world-prison. Moreover, the warden's control of treasures was formidable, and he had no desire to fight. But this warden was arrogant enough to charge in close quarters.

“Since he seeks death, I'll send him off.” Though the old man suspected the warden might have improved, he thought, “Even if he has, how much can he improve in just five years?”

Bang. Bang.

The two crossed paths in an instant.

“With this strength, you dare come again?” the gaunt old man roared.

Afterimages flickered as sword-light and claw-light clashed.

“You've improved a bit, but it's useless. Your sword is fast, but too weak. If you became a true god, you might have a chance to defeat me. Now, you're far off.” The gaunt old man taunted while attacking fiercely, yet he could not defeat Ji Ning.

Ji Ning remained calm.

He had completely suppressed the seven-colored sword-light! If he used it, the power would be too great, easily defeating his opponent—which would defeat his purpose. He had come to hone his sword-art in real combat, to make it more perfect. So he held back the seven-colored sword-light, relying solely on his half-step true god divine power and the subtlety of the Brightmoon sword-art.

Even without the seven-colored sword-light, the Brightmoon sword-art was far more profound than before, enough to hold his ground.

“Break for me!” The gaunt old man went berserk. The fifth level of Netherwyrm Force was no joke, yet he could not break through Ji Ning's swordplay.

“His sword is too fast—still beyond the limits of the Heavenly Daos. And now it's even more profound, with higher skill. Though I have the upper hand, I can't defeat him.” The old man grew anxious. “If this continues, my divine power will be exhausted. I have divine power, but my qi-refining is only at the second-grade Golden Core—much weaker than my close combat.”

The two kept fighting.

The longer it went on, the more anxious the old man became.

“Almost there.” Ji Ning saw that the old man's claw techniques had no new tricks and were no longer useful for honing his sword-art. So he let the seven-colored sword-light appear on the Northmoon sword.

“Sword God Realm?” the gaunt old man exclaimed.

The sword, wrapped in seven-colored sword-light, suddenly surged in power, surpassing even the old man's claw techniques!

Pfft.

The ethereal sword-light, while deflecting the claw technique, traced a ghostly arc and sliced through the old man's divine body. The two halves of his body reconnected, and he stared blankly at Ji Ning.

“True God Jueyu, are you willing to submit?” Ji Ning asked.

True God Jueyu stared at Ji Ning, then lowered his head. “I am.”

True God Jueyu was never a proud true god. He had been ordinary in the Nine Chaos Kingdoms, but while imprisoned, his Netherwyrm Force had broken through to the fifth level, greatly boosting his strength. He was long accustomed to bowing to the strong and submitting.

“A true god at the fifth level of Netherwyrm Force, defeated by me.” Ji Ning's face was calm, but his heart surged with excitement.

His opponent was definitely at the level of a top-tier Daofather.

Without formations, without the Myriad Creatures, relying only on close combat, he had defeated his foe.

The 'Sword God Realm' represented a fearsome group. The former top assassin of the Outpace Gate, 'Darklight Swordlord', was at the fifth level of sword force. The famed Daofather Fuyu (possessed and disguised by Northrest World God) was also at the fifth level. Now Ji Ning had reached the same level, and he had also trained in the Five Treasured Sword-Art.

The fifth level of sword force, combined with speed beyond the Heavenly Daos—this was the most terrifying sword-art in the Three Realms.

More terrifying than Darklight Swordlord's!

If the current Ji Ning were to face that ambush from years ago, he could block Darklight Swordlord's sneak attack head-on!