Standing before the towering black structure, Ye Xuan was overwhelmed by a profound sense of awe.
What lay before him transcended all his previous understanding.
He took a deep breath, forcibly calming his mind. He understood that this might be an opportunity, though he was equally aware of the dangers it might hold.
After a moment of hesitation, Ye Xuan decided to push open the door of the tower and enter. Leaving now would mean giving up on what could be a transformative experience, a possibility he could not bear.
Once inside, Ye Xuan scanned his surroundings. The walls were adorned with paintings of various exotic beasts that he had never seen before, each one vividly detailed. Alongside them were mysterious symbols in purple and gold—some of which seemed to wriggle and move as though alive.
Eventually, his gaze settled on something not far ahead—a skeleton in a meditative posture, with a long sword planted in the ground beside it.
His eyes focused on the area around the skeleton, where a line of text was inscribed on the ground:
"I am the Sword Master of the Cang Realm. I began practicing the way of the sword at twelve, attained mastery at seventeen, and became invincible across the Cang Realm by twenty-one. At twenty-seven, I transcended the limits of my heart with my sword, attaining ultimate swordsmanship. I have been imprisoned here for twelve hundred years. Despite all efforts, I could not escape the tower. Today, I leave my legacy for future generations. Should anyone find it, I hope they will pass it on. If you are inclined, please watch over the Cang Sword Sect."
The Sword Master's Legacy
Sword Master of the Cang Realm?
Ye Xuan frowned. He had never heard of such a person. His gaze shifted downward, where he saw a jade stone roughly the size of his fist.
A legacy stone!
Excitement surged through Ye Xuan's veins.
A sword cultivator!
In all of Qingzhou, martial artists were numerous, but true sword cultivators were exceedingly rare, like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. It was said that becoming a sword cultivator required a special spiritual root—something Ye Xuan did not fully understand, except that it was extremely rare.
Instinctively, Ye Xuan stepped forward to grab it, but as he moved closer, an invisible force blocked his advance, preventing him from moving even an inch closer.
He was stunned!
Blocked?
"A newcomer?"
Suddenly, a woman's voice echoed throughout the hall.
Startled, Ye Xuan stumbled backward, looking around frantically. There was no one to be seen!
Did I imagine it?
Before he could settle his thoughts, the voice spoke again, "Who controls the Heavenly Dao in this realm?"
Ye Xuan was confused. "The Heavenly Dao? What is that?"
There was a moment of silence before the voice spoke again, "Why are you so weak? Wait... you weren't imprisoned here."
Ye Xuan was utterly bewildered.
The mysterious voice seemed to carry a hint of surprise, "A naturally born Dao body, and with dual spiritual roots—both in one vessel. No wonder the Tower of Jieyu chose you."
Naturally born Dao body? Dual spiritual roots?
Ye Xuan was perplexed. "Senior, who are you?"
The voice replied, "You are an adult now, so you should at least be in the Communing Realm. Why are you still this weak, and with such an abysmally poor physical foundation? It is simply shameful."
Ye Xuan: "..."
The mysterious woman continued, her tone sharp. "How do you train your body?"
Ye Xuan hesitated for a moment, then answered, "I do push-ups, carry heavy weights for long runs, and strike my body to toughen it."
The woman scoffed. "Are you living in the primitive era? Using such backward methods to train is an utter waste of your natural talents! You are squandering your spiritual roots!"
Ye Xuan gave a bitter smile. "Senior, everyone in Qingcheng trains like this."
The woman fell silent.
Feeling awkward, Ye Xuan glanced around the hall, still unable to see anyone. There was something deeply eerie about this place.
When the woman did not speak again, Ye Xuan's gaze fell once more upon the legacy stone. His eyes were filled with undisguised longing.
"You wish to learn the way of the sword?" the mysterious woman suddenly asked.
Ye Xuan nodded eagerly. "I do!"
Who wouldn't want to wield a sword across the heavens and look down upon all of creation?
The woman said, "Your dantian is shattered. You cannot inherit the sword cultivation in front of you."
Hearing this, Ye Xuan's face darkened.
A shattered dantian! Let alone the profound sword cultivation, even becoming an ordinary martial artist was now a near impossibility. He could only be considered a martial apprentice.
But then the woman said, "How about this—I have a unique sword cultivation method that differs from the conventional way. Would you like to learn it?"
Ye Xuan hesitated for a moment, then asked quickly, "Even without a dantian?"
The mysterious woman replied, "It's even better without a dantian."
A cultivation method that didn't require a dantian!
Ye Xuan was so excited that he almost jumped up, but he quickly forced himself to calm down. He looked around the hall again and said, "Senior, what are your conditions?" He was well aware that nothing came without a price.
The woman said, "This tower was severely damaged in the past. Its nine Dao Seals were scattered across the Qingcang Realm, and the seals on each level have weakened. You are just fortunate that the sword cultivator before you had already died before you entered. Otherwise, you'd probably be dead by now."
Ye Xuan: "..."
The woman continued, "I know you are curious about the true nature of this tower, but it won't make much difference to you. Just know this: there are twelve levels in the tower, each imprisoning some of the most powerful beings across worlds—humans, spirits, demons, and even the soul of a world's Heavenly Dao. Once, the tower was able to suppress them, but now, the seals have loosened, and its power to hold them has almost faded."
She paused, then added, "What you must do is recover those lost Dao Seals to reinforce the tower. Alternatively, you could release those imprisoned."
"Release them?"
Ye Xuan was taken aback. "What would happen?"
The woman said, "Two possibilities. First, they kill you and seize control of the tower. Second, you subdue them and make them serve you. Of course, given your current abilities, the chance of them killing you is nearly one hundred percent."
Ye Xuan smiled wryly. This opportunity was both a blessing and a curse.
A sudden thought occurred to him, and he quickly asked, "Senior, are you imprisoned here as well?"
The mysterious woman replied, "No."
Ye Xuan pursued, "Then who are you?"
The woman responded, "You ask too many questions."
Ye Xuan: "..."
The woman said, "As the master of this tower, each time you recover a Dao Seal, your power will increase significantly, and your control over the tower will also strengthen. If you manage to recover one Dao Seal, you will gain mastery over the first level. In future battles, as long as your opponent isn't vastly stronger than you, you can activate the tower to trap them inside. Currently, with no Dao Seals, the tower is completely ineffective, and the seals on each level are gradually weakening. If the tower collapses and those imprisoned are released, your world will likely be doomed. And you will be the first to die."
Ye Xuan asked earnestly, "Senior, are you asking me to save the world?"
The woman replied, "You need to save yourself. Those imprisoned on the second level are no saints. If I'm correct, the seal on the second level will be completely gone in no more than a year. At that point, you can say goodbye to this beautiful world."
Ye Xuan bowed deeply. "Please, Senior, teach me the method of cultivation that does not require a dantian."
The woman was silent for a moment before saying, "My path of the sword is vastly different from conventional sword cultivation, and it is far more challenging. Practicing it may be worse than death. Are you sure about this?"
Ye Xuan gave a bitter smile. "With my dantian shattered, I have no other path to take, do I?"
The woman said, "True. However, I must explain this cultivation method to you. Since you have no dantian, you are ideally suited for it. This method requires you to use the sword as your dantian."
Ye Xuan was stunned. "Use the sword as my dantian? Is that even possible?"
The woman replied, "Of course. By using the sword as your dantian, you will not follow the martial path but the sword path. The better the sword, the stronger your dantian will be. Unlike others who cultivate spiritual energy, you will cultivate swords. You won't need to sit and meditate to absorb energy. All you need to do is seek out quality swords to absorb. The better the sword, the faster your progress. If you achieve initial success, your body will transform into a sword body, making you immune to ordinary swords. Not only that, when you appear, all swords will bow before you."
The Path of the Sword
All swords bow!
Ye Xuan felt his blood boil. He could hardly wait.
The woman continued, "Before you entered, did you see the three swords at the top of the tower?"
Ye Xuan nodded. "I saw them."
The woman said, "Those three swords represent the three ultimate sword paths of the universe. If you can absorb them and use them as your dantian, your power will reach an unprecedented height."
Ye Xuan hesitated, then said, "Those three swords seem to be suppressing the tower. If I absorb them, will something bad happen?"
"Of course not," the woman replied quickly. "Nothing will happen, trust me. I'll be watching over you."
Ye Xuan was skeptical, but he knew he had no other choice at this point. He had to believe her.
The woman said, "Do you see the sword in front of you?"
Ye Xuan looked at the sword beside the skeleton. It was over three feet long and about the width of a finger, its entire body silver and pleasing to the eye. On the blade were two small characters: "Ling Xiao."
The Ling Xiao Sword!
The woman said, "This sword has been imprisoned for twelve hundred years, and ninety percent of its spiritual energy has dissipated. It is just right for you to use now. I will teach you a technique, and you will use it to absorb this sword into your body. You are currently at the peak of the fifth level of the Tempering Body Realm. If successful, you should be able to reach the sixth level, the Genuine Qi Realm."
Sensing a hint of uncertainty in her words, Ye Xuan quickly asked, "Does that mean there's a chance of failure?"
The woman replied, "It's possible."
Ye Xuan was stunned. "Senior, don't tell me this cultivation method has never been used before!"
The woman was silent for a while, then said, "Indeed, no one has ever used it. You are the first. If you succeed, congratulations, you will be without precedent."
Ye Xuan's expression froze. After a moment, he smiled wryly. "Senior, what happens if I fail?"
The mysterious woman said, "The sword will shatter your body. You might... probably... most likely... die."
Ye Xuan: "..."
The woman said, "With your dantian shattered, you're already worse than dead. Why think so much? Just fight for it."
Hearing this, Ye Xuan's expression became resolute. She was right. With his dantian shattered, he was already in a desperate situation. If he didn't fight for it, not only would he have no hope, but his sister Ye Ling would also have no chance of survival!
He had to fight!
Ye Xuan nodded. "Let's do it!"
As soon as his voice fell, a streak of white light entered his forehead. Soon, a torrent of information poured into his mind like a tidal wave.
The Invincible Sword Body Technique!
"Treat your body as the sword, treat the sword as your dantian. Use the dantian to absorb all the swords of the world, and use the world's swords to nourish the body, endlessly and continuously..."
After a moment, a white light suddenly fell on the long sword not far in front of Ye Xuan. The sword trembled slightly, then transformed into a streak of sword light and entered Ye Xuan's body.
"Ah!"
In an instant, Ye Xuan's eyes widened, his entire face contorting.
The pain!
It was unbearable!
At this moment, Ye Xuan felt as though his entire body was being sliced apart inch by inch!
The mysterious woman's voice rang out in his mind, "The sword has entered your body. You must endure the pain it brings. If you can't, you won't be able to use the sword as your dantian. Not only that, but you might also lose your life!"
Ye Xuan gritted his teeth, his whole body trembling violently.
If I don't succeed, I die trying!
Time passed slowly. Ye Xuan's face twisted into a ghostly mask, his body twitching uncontrollably. Many times, he wished to pass out from the pain, but he knew that if he lost consciousness now, he might never wake again.
He had to endure!
And so, Ye Xuan held on. After about a day, a faint sword hum suddenly echoed within his body, and Ye Xuan collapsed. At the same time, a wave of energy spread out from him!
The Genuine Qi Realm!
In Ye Xuan's body, where his dantian used to be, a small sword now floated.
In the tower, a soft murmur suddenly echoed, "I didn't expect it to actually work..."
Ye Xuan had already passed out, oblivious to this revelation.