Gu Weixin could understand the reason for the visit, but he did not agree with it, nor would he follow suit. He had too many troubles—recently regarding Cultivation issues, and further back, problems related to his identity. Getting involved with others was not suitable.
Some people prefer being a big fish in a small pond, while others are content being a small fish in a big pond; his personality dictated that he only wanted to maintain his independence—a label that the law could not erase.
Only through independence could he remain impartial; any sort of faction would cause him to lose this steadfastness.
More than half of the outer court cultivators went out to exterminate demons, but there were also half who remained unmoved; in Hou Niao's indifferent observation, there were constant updates about where what monster was killed, who made a name for themselves, and other such matters.
The extermination of demons had proceeded very smoothly, as these were just the ones that had slipped through the net; otherwise, the Quanzhen Sect would not have truly let go. About ten days later, the Loose Cultivators returned victorious, and it was time to announce the results of the campaign.
...At the beginning of the new year, hundreds of cultivators from various countries who had endured various trials were now about to see the outcome.
By evening, the courtyard next to him had again become lively; it was a celebration after the campaign, something to which Hou Niao was no longer surprised. Tomorrow morning, Quanzhen Sect would release the results, and then everyone would scatter—this was their last gathering, determined to revel till dawn.
Hou Niao still kept himself confined in his courtyard; joy did not belong to him, nor did he have the luxury to waste time.
In the midst of Energy Induction, at the Lower Dantian, slowly, that mysterious vortex quietly appeared, clearer than when it had first appeared, every detail visible.
After more than a month of Energy Induction, his progress had been incredibly fast, having reformed his skin, flesh, and bones, and was now altering his meridians. This change was pleasing, but the downside was that the vortex grew increasingly large. Whenever he channeled his Dantian, regardless of his effort, his Divine Soul would be sucked into it, seemingly becoming part of the Cultivation process.
Even more dangerous was the fact that the other Wandering Souls in that channel had mostly been cleaned out by him. Now, whenever he entered, he was bound to encounter that highly skilled Wandering Soul. Then, he would be expelled, concurrently interrupting his Cultivation.
The reason his Energy Induction had been ineffective these past few days was that he was not staying long enough in the Soul Realm, so brief that his outer body couldn't even complete one Circulation.
The gap between him and that Wandering Soul was quickly narrowing. On one hand, his Soul Body was becoming stronger; more importantly, his swordsmanship was beginning to take shape, starting to sense the true essence of the Sword Dao.
Of course, it was still rather vague.
The prior few battles had begun to see some exchanges, just lacking the final step.
As his consciousness wavered, his Divine Soul entered the channel in the Soul Realm. Almost the moment he entered, not far from him, that Wandering Soul, brandishing a longsword, charged at him. Although it no longer had any consciousness, this fellow must have been belligerent in life; the sight of him excited it…
Hou Niao's Soul Body did not hesitate and charged forward. When you fight with this person, you simply cannot be weak, you cannot even defend; the only strategy is to counter attack with attack, to overcome killing with killing, not giving an inch until death!
In an instant, the two Soul Shadows intertwined, as if two figures on shadow screens were dancing together, unleashing unimaginable Sword Moves without regret, dozens of strikes with not a single one purely defensive!
This was Hou Niao's countless life-and-death experiences over the past month evolving him from a primarily cautious strategist to a well-balanced offensive and defensive approach, and now to an outright Sword lunatic!
After dozens of exchanges, his heart was pierced by a sword—if this were reality, it would have been conclusive, but here, in his complete Soul Body form, it merely reduced a segment of his Soul Body Energy.
He didn't mind at all, still flinging himself into the fray recklessly! His swordplay wasn't a chaotic flail, but organized and layered; this was his greatest progress in sword combat, even when fighting desperately, he was making calculated strikes, even hinting at planning traps.
In madness, he maintained his sanity, and in sanity, he displayed sheer madness!
In such combat, after dozens of sword strikes, heads were decapitated, and with another series of strikes, arms and legs were severed, yet none of these weaknesses affected him; he remained calm, waiting for his opponent to make a slight mistake!
Waiting for this day, he had already died hundreds of times. He believed that the day would eventually come, and he also believed that the Wandering Soul's swordsmanship would not be endlessly perfect.
Finally, after being stabbed seven or eight times, he seized an opportunity when his opponent crossed paths with him to roll with the momentum and elbow strike; he had seen this move before and had already figured out how to counter it...
Not by rolling and stabbing in the same way, for that would achieve nothing.
He merely slightly shifted his body to let the opponent's longsword pass beneath his ribs, then bent his arm to clamp it down; as the opponent subconsciously pulled back the sword, his own longsword thrust out from underneath his elbow, shifting from a stab to a slash halfway through!
This time, the Wandering Soul could not dodge; it was the first time he had been injured, but considering the sturdiness of their Soul Bodies, this was a strike he couldn't withstand!
With a piercing shriek, Hou Niao felt as though he heard a trace of excitement rather than the fear of impending death!
In the sharp screeching, the Wandering Soul's Soul Body flickered erratically and finally could no longer sustain itself, dissolving into nothingness.
Hou Niao lunged forward; hmm, this Soul Body's energy was almost of no benefit to him, too weak; yet such a weak soul had managed to cut him down hundreds of times!
Raising his sword in salute, if souls have spirits, this must have been a Sword Soul, right?
He hadn't genuinely defeated this respectable opponent; what he relied on was merely his much stronger Soul Body, a bit more resilient.
"Rest in peace, I didn't want to defeat you this way, it lacks honor! But I had no choice, you insisted on blocking the way, and I had to pass through."
Finally clearing the obstacles ahead, Hou Niao continued excitedly with his enlivened Soul Body, passing this segment, and new Wandering Souls appeared ahead; like a hungry tiger spotting prey, Hou Niao brandished his sword and charged forward.
This time, it was the most satisfying slaughter since he entered the Soul Realm. That Sword Soul was an exception; after undergoing the baptism of the Sword Soul, his sword skills had undergone a qualitative leap, regarding these ordinary Wandering Souls as nothing, slicing through them as if entering a realm without souls.
Ultimately, due to excessive excitement and charging too aggressively, he wound up surrounded by a group of Wandering Souls and was dismembered by their chaotic blades!
Returning to his own body, he felt a swelling sensation due to practicing Energy Induction for a long time, and couldn't help feeling completely satisfied, laughing heartily.
Having endured hardships and finally passed the test, persevering until the clouds broke and the moon appeared; if so, perhaps the appearance of this vortex wasn't such a bad thing after all?
At least, during the Energy Induction stage, it won't cause him any issues; as for later, he would just have to play it by ear.
Though he had not entered the Quanzhen Sect, he discovered a new sensation towards the sword. Carefully caressing the longsword in his hand, he sighed in his heart,
[Why have I found the True Sword, if not to rectify the injustices of the world?]