Chapter 11 The Sixth General

Only when sparring with a sword dao grandmaster did he truly see his own 'weakness'.

His Heartsword Heaven and Earth was indeed formidable, allowing perfect control over every strike, yet it was too ordinary... the speed of the sword was not fast enough, not cunning enough, not fierce enough—there were far too many shortcomings. Once the Black Mist World God's swordsmanship was revealed, he was completely suppressed. This was truly a terrifying, self-contained system of sword art.

The 'Sword World' realm was an enlightenment of the essence of the sword, forming a complete system that could create a sword world.

The Black Mist World God had clearly achieved this.

"Pfft."

"Swoosh."

"It should be like this."

"The second move of the Nameless Sword Art—no wonder it always felt wrong before."

"Yes..."

During the battle, the puzzles of past sword insights were unraveled one by one, filling Ji Ning with excitement and joy. On his homeworld of Earth, there was a saying: 'A single conversation with a wise man is worth more than ten years of study.' Sparring with a sword dao grandmaster like the Black Mist World God, Ji Ning made astonishing progress. Since he began cultivation, he had never encountered such a terrifying figure in the sword dao.

The Black Mist World God had clearly restrained his power, preventing it from leaking out. If he fully unleashed his 'Sword World', destroying an entire vast chaos world would be effortless.

Though Ji Ning was constantly improving, he still felt weak before this 'Sword World'.

"The Killing Sword..."

"Yes, this strike does not seek stability; it seeks only the kill."

Ji Ning gradually gained insight.

The first move of the Nameless Sword Art—Heartsword.

The second move of the Nameless Sword Art—Killsword.

...

"His talent in the sword dao is truly remarkable." Void Immortal, seated high above, watched Ji Ning below as he sparred with the Black Mist World God. Each sword light's power continuously rose, becoming more and more sharp. The 'sword dao's' chilling edge, which made cultivators tremble, grew increasingly evident.

"To improve so quickly, I suspect this Northmont has not been cultivating for long." Mistrock Planet Lord said with a smile.

"Mm." Void Immortal nodded.

If one failed to become a World God within a chaos cycle, there was almost no hope of ever becoming one.

Ji Ning improved so rapidly simply because this was his first time sparring with such a sword dao grandmaster.

...

"This, this..." The red-robed youth among Void Immortal's disciples watching from the side was most embarrassed.

"Now you see the gap." Palace Ancestor Immortal, standing nearby, laughed.

"Elder Brother, don't mock me." The red-robed youth quickly said, "Now I realize that Northmont the Ancestral God was going easy on me earlier. If he had shown such terrifying swordsmanship from the start, I would have lost in an instant. His sword art has completely surpassed that of a peak Ancestral God and should rival the five generals. Perhaps only you, Elder Brother, could defeat him."

"If Elder Brother acts, of course he can win."

"Definitely."

Several other disciples chimed in.

Void Immortal had come from a distant outer region, and his eldest disciple, 'Palace Ancestor Immortal', had always followed him. Palace Ancestor Immortal's strength was equally unfathomable, but he had not joined the Mistrock Army and kept a low profile. Only Void Immortal's disciples and the high-level members of Mistrock Planet knew that the strongest below the World God level on Mistrock Planet was this 'Palace Ancestor Immortal'. It was even said that once, the five generals had joined forces and still lost to him.

But Palace Ancestor Immortal was too low-key...

He disliked conflict.

Since Palace Ancestor Immortal had been cultivating for over a chaos cycle, Mistrock Planet Lord and the others no longer forced him to undergo trials. He simply lived quietly on Mistrock Planet.

"Defeating him won't be easy." Palace Ancestor Immortal watched Ji Ning sparring with the Black Mist World God. "You all underestimated him. Earlier, when the Black Mist World God's avatar attacked, its sword power was immense, yet it still couldn't do anything to this Northmont. Now that the Black Mist World God has unleashed his 'Sword World', Northmont still holds his ground. Although the Black Mist World God is doing this deliberately, Northmont's swordsmanship is at least remarkably strong in defense."

"He is too steady."

"Watertight, with no flaws. The other five generals each have their own methods, but facing this flawless Northmont, given time, they would all surely lose. Even I... am not certain I could defeat him." Palace Ancestor Immortal said.

"No flaws?" The disciples, who had always admired their senior brother, were all astonished.

"His swordsmanship is already this terrifying. If he had a Dao divine weapon sword..." Palace Ancestor Immortal shook his head. "That would be even more formidable."

"Mm." All the junior disciples nodded.

This Northmont was already this strong. As a sword dao expert, if he had a 'Dao divine weapon' sword, what then?

...

Ji Ning's 'Heartsword Heaven and Earth' was an absolute control. Even those stronger than him would find it difficult to break through his sword techniques, unless the gap was truly absurd.

The Nameless Sword Art was too powerful.

Northrest World God, who came from the Heavenly Palace of the Skies, was also obsessed with this sword art.

Until his death, Northrest World God was far from fully mastering this Nameless Sword Art.

"Whoosh."

The Black Mist World God stopped.

Ji Ning stood there, sweat on his face but fervor in his eyes. He had expended a great deal of mental energy, but he couldn't care less. For the first time, he was sparring with such a formidable sword dao grandmaster, and he naturally seized the opportunity.

"Thank you, Senior." Ji Ning said gratefully.

Ji Ning was truly grateful.

Because during this long battle, his swordsmanship had indeed been improving at first, but later it could no longer advance. After all, it was a burst of insight built on accumulated understanding—the six thousand years of cultivation in the Three Realms had led to this day's explosion. But an explosion always has its limits. Clearly, Ji Ning's years of cultivation were not enough to fully comprehend the 'Killsword'.

Yet Ji Ning had grasped most of the Killsword. The remaining parts were even more obscure and difficult. Still, even so, Ji Ning's sword power had greatly increased.

"On Mistrock Planet, there is rarely anyone who understands the sword dao. You can come find me to spar anytime." The Black Mist World God smiled.

"Yes." Ji Ning was overjoyed.

But since Senior Black Mist said 'anytime', Ji Ning wouldn't be foolish enough to go frequently. Practicing the sword required a combination of 'enlightenment' and 'combat'. He had to meditate long enough, accumulate enough, and then go for another battle.

"At my current rate of progress, in another ten thousand years, I should be able to comprehend the second move," Ji Ning thought to himself. "With the aid of the Peeping Heaven Tower, it will only take a few hundred years."

Without the Black Mist World God, the time required would be ten or a hundred times longer. Some bottlenecks might leave Ji Ning completely stumped. But a single pointer from a master could clear everything—that was the importance of a good teacher.

...

"Northmont." Mistrock Planet Lord spoke from above, with Void Immortal and the Black Mist World God beside him, both looking at Ji Ning.

"Planet Lord." Ji Ning replied respectfully.

"Your strength is indeed impressive. My Mistrock Planet has five generals; now you shall be the sixth." Mistrock Planet Lord smiled.

Ji Ning was slightly taken aback.

For a key position like general, strength was one thing, but some merit was usually required.

"Yes." Ji Ning quickly responded.

"As a general, the requirements on you will be relatively relaxed." Mistrock Planet Lord laughed. "If I am not mistaken, you have not been cultivating for long."

"Yes." Ji Ning replied.

"Mm, since your cultivation time is short, you will certainly strive to become a World God." Mistrock Planet Lord said. "In the future, you will also go out to explore and take risks. This is the lifeblood oath you need to take to join my Mistrock Army—it is quite lenient." With a wave of his hand, a scroll flew down from above toward Ji Ning.

Ji Ning took it. Joining any faction required taking a lifeblood oath.

If one merely served as a guest elder, the terms of the lifeblood oath would be very loose.

Ji Ning looked at it...

This lifeblood oath was indeed very loose, almost negligible in its binding on Ji Ning. It only required loyalty to Mistrock Planet.

"Planet Lord." Ji Ning said respectfully, "This oath may need a slight modification."

"Modification?" Mistrock Planet Lord frowned. This oath was already the most lenient. He asked, "Where does it need to be changed?"

"In the future, when I go on adventures, I may need to leave the Damo Territory." Ji Ning said respectfully.

"Leave the Damo Territory?" The three World Gods above were puzzled.

How vast was the Damo Territory?

It was filled with many World God-level experts. Such a territory was more than enough for an Ancestral God or Ancestral Immortal to train.

"I have no choice. I am bound by a lifeblood oath and must leave the Damo Territory in the future to find a place called the Heavenly Palace of the Skies." Ji Ning quickly asked, "Do the three seniors know of this Heavenly Palace of the Skies?"

There was no need to hide his intention to go to the Heavenly Palace of the Skies.

The three World God-level experts surely had broader horizons than he did; perhaps they knew of the Heavenly Palace of the Skies.