Chapter 12: Understanding the Sword

On this day, Ji Ning was in the floating wooden study, writing characters with a brush, each character brimming with sword energy.

Beside him, Fire Fairy Su Youji was diligently grinding ink, watching Ji Ning write. Though her name suggested a fiery temper, she was so obedient because she was Ji Ning's follower, and also because she wanted to stay by his side as much as possible.

That way, when the Daoist guided Ji Ning, he might occasionally guide her as well.

"That senior Daoist is truly remarkable," Fire Fairy Su Youji thought, filled with admiration and awe. "In these three years, he has guided me a few times, and now I can clearly see the path to the World level. Once I break through the bottleneck, I can step into the World level!"

Su Youji had gained tremendously.

A Life-Death Daoist on the verge of 'Dao Integration' was rare even in the entire Da Mo territory; Da Mo Daoist himself fell short in comparison. Guidance from such an existence was indeed a great opportunity. Previously, she had been groping alone, and with her qi-refining path, she could rival top-tier Ancestral Gods. Now, her progress was astonishing, and she was only a hair's breadth away from the World level.

Ji Ning's progress was also significant. Tian Yi Daoist had even sparred with him several times, fundamentally changing his understanding of the 'sword'.

Different levels of life lead to different perspectives on the 'Dao of the Sword'.

Although the Black Mist World God was formidable, his vision was limited.

Tian Yi Daoist, though not specializing in the sword, understood that all Daos share commonalities...

"What is the sword?"

"Haha, I once heard Emperor Xue Jian discuss what the sword is, and I found it quite reasonable," Tian Yi Daoist had said when guiding Ji Ning. "The sword is a weapon created by living beings for combat and killing. It has a tip, two edges, and a flat side. Its design is for killing. You need to deconstruct and comprehend the Dao of the Sword from the origin of its creation..."

"How does the tip kill?"

"How does a single edge kill?"

"How do both edges combined kill?"

"How does the flat side kill?"

"And when these are combined, how do they kill?"

"Comprehending the Dao means understanding its essence and origin, not something mysterious. If you remain in mystery, you will eventually lose your way. Your Dao may seem mysterious to others, but in your own heart, it should be as clear as a mirror. Remember, essence is crucial."

"Also, all methods are interconnected. When you focus solely on the sword and feel stuck, try writing more characters. I've seen your calligraphy before; it's quite good. Writing characters with sword Dao is different from combat—it's another approach. These two approaches share many commonalities and greatly benefit your enlightenment. I've heard that among Life-Death Daoists skilled in the sword, more than half enjoy painting or calligraphy. There must be a reason."

"I see that your insights into Water, Lightning, and Space are quite high. Don't abandon them; study them as well. Daos have commonalities. For instance, though I haven't studied the sword, I could comprehend it in three to five days to a level comparable to some Life-Death Daoists specializing in the sword."

Ji Ning felt as if another door had opened before him.

It wasn't about burying himself in bitter cultivation, but gaining a new understanding of the entire Dao of the Sword.

He hadn't abandoned his insights into Water, Lightning, and Space; he understood that Daos share commonalities.

He had found writing characters comfortable before, but Tian Yi Daoist truly made him realize how much writing helped in comprehending the sword.

The theory of essence truly opened a new door.

"Yes, long, long ago, when life in the Chaos first created a weapon called the 'sword,' countless beings later used it, their techniques improving until they reached the Dao, growing stronger... eventually giving rise to the Dao of the Sword that terrifies countless cultivators."

"The tip... the single edge... both edges... the flat side..."

From that day on, Ji Ning's understanding of the sword completely changed. Previously, he thought the Dao of the Sword was profound and approached it with reverence, slowly comprehending.

Now, he felt that although the Dao of the Sword was profound, its essence and origin lay in the ordinary sword. Grasping its origin made comprehension traceable.

Ji Ning's view of his own 'Moonbright Sword Art' and 'Nameless Sword Art' also changed. He immediately began revising his techniques: 'Blood Drop Style' became purer, 'Mind-Only Style' more ethereal, 'Yin-Yang Style' more chaotic, 'Heaven-Collapse Style' more domineering, and 'Shadowless Style' slightly less eerie but reaching the pinnacle of speed.

Even 'Heaven-Collapse Style' was divided into 'Heaven-Collapse—Cleave Style' using the blade edge and 'Heaven-Collapse—Annihilation Style' using the flat side.

With this change in understanding alone, the power of 'Moonbright Sword Art' more than doubled. In the long run, Ji Ning would truly feel how much this cognitive shift helped him, and he became even more grateful for Tian Yi Daoist's guidance.

"Hmm."

Tian Yi Daoist, sitting leisurely drinking wine, watched Ji Ning writing in the floating wooden study and nodded slightly.

"This Ji Ning is truly talented," he murmured.

The Dao is not lightly transmitted!

It wasn't that his guidance was so precious; his Dharma body was at Tian Cang Palace, and he could guide every brother there. But cultivators have their own convictions. If his guidance conflicted with their insights, they would instinctively reject it, or worse, doubt their own path because of trust in the Daoist.

Thus, the Dao depends on the person.

Finding a good disciple isn't easy for a master! Ji Ning's original 'Moonbright Sword Art' already had a rudimentary understanding of essence. In the Three Realms, he had boldly believed that all sword insights could be integrated into those five styles, not realizing they derived from essence.

He had done it, but not understood it.

Tian Yi Daoist's guidance broke through that window paper, and Ji Ning suddenly saw through to the essence. Since this was the path he was already on, he became even more enlightened.

"Ji Ning." Tian Yi Daoist stood up and spoke.

"Brother." Ji Ning stopped writing in the study and came out, followed by the Wild Dog Ancestral God who had been waiting.

"I'm going to the Yi Bo Realm," Tian Yi Daoist said. "Without me by your side, you'll have to rely on yourself."

"Brother, don't worry about me. But you must be careful in the Yi Bo Realm," Ji Ning said with concern. In three years, he had learned how dangerous the Yi Bo Realm was—far more perilous than the Sui Feng Ruins. Even Tian Yi Daoist risked death there.

"Haha, this old man still aims to achieve Dao Integration; how could I fall in the Yi Bo Realm?" Tian Yi Daoist laughed, then stepped into the void. In the distance, a figure in a green robe stood in the sky—Da Mo Daoist's Dharma body.

"Brother Da Mo, sorry for the trouble."

"Haha, I've never ventured deep into the Yi Bo Realm's core. With Brother Tian Yi here, I can explore more," Da Mo's Dharma body replied with a smile.

"Let's go."

"Let's go."

They transformed into streaks of light and quickly disappeared beyond the horizon.

Ji Ning watched from afar. In three years, he felt that Tian Yi Daoist truly treated him like a brother.

"Brother, come back alive," Ji Ning silently prayed.

...

Tian Yi Daoist had said that if everything went smoothly in the Yi Bo Realm, he would return in three to five years. If trapped, it could take anywhere from a hundred million years to ten or a hundred Chaos Cycles.

Ji Ning, Fire Fairy Su Youji, and the Wild Dog Ancestral God continued living in the Da Mo Estate. They gradually became familiar with other cultivators there. Ji Ning even sparred with some sword cultivators, causing a stir as Ancestral Gods and Ancestral Immortals of the Da Mo Estate were all defeated by him.

They all used ordinary weapons and suppressed their strength to very low levels, competing only in sword Dao.

Even World-level cultivators who engaged him found that only those skilled in the sword could barely overpower him. The cultivators of the Da Mo Estate marveled, "Brother Bei Ming will likely enter the World level through the sword Dao before long."

Life was leisurely and fulfilling, and the years passed one by one.

Three years, five years, ten years, fifty years, a hundred years...

Ji Ning lived in seclusion, cultivating, but Tian Yi Daoist never returned.