Chapter 131: Chapter 131: Return, Immortal Sword!
Half a year later, in the deserted wasteland outside Mount Shu, sword Qi crisscrossed the sky, as the True Martial Sword cleaved through mountains, causing their peaks to collapse, thundering down with a force that shook the earth and sent rocks flying.
“The eighth form of the ‘True Martial Nine Forms’ has finally been mastered,”
“Cultivating a Heaven Rank superior-grade cultivation technique is more difficult than a Heaven Rank mid-grade one, but luckily with my Innate Taoist Body, whatever technique I practice, the effects are doubled.”
Lu Changsheng had cultivated the ‘True Martial Nine Forms’ up to the eighth form, with only the ninth form left.
At the first level of the Void Refinement Realm, he was not yet capable of comprehending the ninth form, and Lu Changsheng was in no rush.
The eighth form of the ‘True Martial Nine Forms,’ in combination with the eighth layer of the Taiqing Wuji Technique, was sufficient for Lu Changsheng to use.
“Cultivating the ‘True Martial Nine Forms’ has deepened my understanding of the Sword Dao; now, I can begin cultivating the third layer of the Tiangang Sword Formation.”
Cultivation techniques of the same type complement each other and do not conflict.
When Lin Qingzhi cultivated the Taxuan Skills and the Profound Heavenly Spell, after achieving Great Perfection in the first two, he would naturally cultivate faster in the Taiqing Wuji Technique given the foundation he had laid compared to someone starting directly with the Taiqing Wuji Technique.
It was easier for Lu Changsheng to understand the ‘Tiangang Sword Formation’ after practising both ‘Myriad Swords Return to Origin’ and ‘True Martial Nine Forms.’
The potential of the ‘Tiangang Sword Formation’ was no less than that of Immortal Rank sword techniques. At the first level of the Void Refinement Realm, Lu Changsheng could multitask with eighteen tasks at once, enough to control eighteen Flying Swords, which was a prerequisite for cultivating the third layer of the ‘Tiangang Sword Formation.’
“Generally speaking, Heaven Rank superior-grade techniques are enough for the Void Refinement Realm, but I aim to master all Heaven Rank techniques to Great Perfection before reaching the Great Accomplishment stage of the Void Refinement Realm, and then move on to Immortal Rank techniques. Only then will it be solid enough.”
With the Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator, Immortal Rank techniques were not out of reach for Lu Changsheng.
The third layer of the ‘Tiangang Sword Formation’ could control eighteen Flying Swords, and to fully unleash the power of the Tiangang Sword Formation, one would need eighteen Innate Treasure Flying Swords.
Ideally, the Tiangang Sword Formation formed by eighteen Immortal Artifact Flying Swords would be the most formidable.
But in reality, it wasn’t so.
Setting aside the difficulty of acquiring eighteen Immortal Swords, whether there was enough True Qi to activate them was another issue.
Even if Lu Changsheng ingested an eighth-rank Red Emperor Dragon Strength Pill, he still wouldn’t be able to activate eighteen Immortal Swords at the same time.
Given his early stage cultivation level in the Void Refinement Realm, Lu Changsheng believed that controlling eighteen Innate Spiritual Treasure Flying Swords to form the Tiangang Sword Formation would be the most cost-effective and would not exhaust his True Qi all at once during battle.
Of course, Lu Changsheng still hoped to come across an Immortal Sword, so he would not overly rely on the Tiangang Sword Formation as his only means of attack.
Lu Changsheng returned to Qingyun Peak and summoned his eldest disciple, Lin Qingzhi, to continue bestowing upon him Flying Swords.
Since awarding items to disciples could lead to redundancy, and the same type of items cannot be awarded again within one month, Lu Changsheng bestows Flying Swords only periodically, more often granting Elixir Pills, Talismans, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, or other types of magical artifacts.
Alternatively, Lu Changsheng alternately bestowed gifts on different disciples to avoid triggering the redundancy mechanism.
“Today, as your master, I confer upon you an inferior-grade Innate Spirit Treasure ‘Extermination Sword.’”
Lu Changsheng once again gifted Lin Qingzhi with a Flying Sword.
“Many thanks for the master’s generous gift,”
Lin Qingzhi was not surprised.
As Lu Changsheng would teach him the Tiangang Sword Formation in the future, bestowing him with a batch of Flying Swords in advance wasn’t considered redundant.
[Ding, you have conferred upon your disciple “Lin Qingzhi” an inferior-grade Innate Spirit Treasure “Extermination Sword,” and received the Disciple Apprenticeship Thousandfold Return Reward: an inferior-grade Immortal Artifact “Blazing Extermination.”]
[The number of returns for Immortal Artifact this month -1.]
[Blazing Extermination: One of the Ancient Fierce Swords, “Blazing” signifies light, this sword can destroy divine glows.]
An Immortal Sword?!
Lu Changsheng had given each of his disciples dozens of Flying Swords and at last, a return of an Immortal Sword!
An Immortal Sword appeared within Lu Changsheng’s inner space, its sharpness fully revealed, with overwhelming killing aura pervading.
Lu Changsheng was certain that this was an Immortal Artifact meant for attack.
“As your master, I bestow upon you three Elixir Pills. Go down and cultivate, for I shall enter closed-door cultivation again.”
Lu Changsheng, anxious to refine the Immortal Sword, let Lin Qingzhi go after using the remaining three Disciple Apprenticeship Simulator return chances and then proceeded to refine the first Immortal Sword alone in his cave dwelling.
Lu Changsheng activated the eighth layer of the Taiqing Wuji Technique, suppressing the killing aura of the Fierce Sword Annihilation, attempting to imprint his own mark and refine it into his exclusive treasure.
The Fierce Sword Annihilation violently resisted, seemingly unwilling to have its remnant soul erased.
“Indeed worthy of being a Fierce Sword, to actually produce a wisp of a remnant soul. However, within my body, you must resign yourself to your fate obediently.”
Lu Changsheng stimulated the Yin Yang Dragons Cauldron, the Mysterious Yellow Tower, and the Holy Fire Immortal Ring, three Immortal Artifacts, to suppress the rebellious Fierce Sword Annihilation and forcibly subdue it!
Under the suppression of the three Immortal Artifacts, the Fierce Sword Annihilation eventually became immobilized, and Lu Changsheng, using the power of the Taiqing Wuji Technique, completely erased the remnant soul of the Fierce Sword Annihilation and imprinted his own mark, thoroughly refining this Immortal Sword.
After being subdued by Lu Changsheng, Blazing Extermination floated in the void, emitting a terrifying might as if it could tear apart the heavens and the earth.
“Both the Fierce Sword Annihilation and the Holy Fire Immortal Ring are lower-grade Immortal Artifacts meant for attack, but the might of Blazing Extermination is noticeably stronger than the Holy Fire Immortal Ring. It seems, even among lower-grade Immortal Artifacts, there are levels.”
Lu Changsheng finally forged an Immortal Sword, his mood greatly uplifted.
After his disciple stepped into the Dao Palace realm, the probability of returning Immortal Artifacts really increased.
“The Holy Fire Immortal Ring serves little purpose for me now. It can be kept as a backup treasure or perhaps given to Lian as a toy in the future.”
Having obtained the Fierce Sword Annihilation, Lu Changsheng, with a corresponding cultivation technique to activate it, truly didn’t care about the Joyous Union Sect’s treasure that protected the sect.
If the Sect Master of the Joyous Union Sect knew that Lu Changsheng planned to reward the Holy Fire Immortal Ring to Lu Qinglian as a toy, he would be livid.
This was an insult to the Joyous Union Sect!
“The power of a lower-grade Immortal Artifact is already so vast, I can’t imagine how terrifying a medium-grade Immortal Artifact would be, it’s just that the probability of returning a medium-grade Immortal Artifact is too low.”
To this day, Lu Changsheng hadn’t received a single medium-grade Immortal Artifact, nor had he even seen one.
Of the Immortal Artifacts from the six major sects and the four Great Demon Sects, Lu Changsheng had only seen Mount Shu’s Gallbladder Mirror and the Holy Fire Immortal Ring from the Joyous Union Sect, both of which were lower-grade Immortal Artifacts.
“No, no, my expectations are too high; one must keep a low profile.”
Lu Changsheng suddenly realized that to the six major sects and four Great Demon Sects, lower-grade Immortal Artifacts were already considered treasures that protected the sect, and activating medium-grade Immortal Artifacts must require even higher cultivation levels.
“However, when confronting the four Great Demon Sects, one must show their true colors fiercely.”
The four Great Demon Sects had calculated against him numerous times, and Lu Changsheng was not one to hold back. He would show his true colors when the opportunity arose.
With the Great Accomplishment of the Nine Dragons Refinement Technique, Lu Changsheng began to cultivate the Nine Revolutions Divine Demon Body Refining Skills and obtained the Fierce Sword Annihilation and the Within Reach, Ends of the Earth Talisman. He cultivated the True Martial Nine Forms up to the eighth layer and the Tiangang Sword Formation up to the third layer, enhancing his ability to preserve his life by more than just one level.
The latest intelligence regarding Lu Changsheng from the four Great Demon Sects had once again fallen behind.
Lu Changsheng continued to improve his life-preserving abilities, “There are three and a half years left until the calamity, I must continue to lay low…”