Chapter 165 – Five Years
Wind was born from the ground and brushed at the end of the grass first. When gentle, it’s like a willow touching the clouds, yet when its violent, it’s instead able to easily split the sea and shatter mountains. In terms of variation, not a single thing in the world was able to compare to it.
As he sat cross-legged in the sea of clouds at the side of the precipice, Chen Xi pondered slightly in his heart before temporarily putting aside the cultivation of the Xun Sword of Wind and looking at the other seven Sword Daos.
The Qian trigram represented the sky; the Qian Sword of Sky possessed sword moves that were lofty, like the heavens that covered the earth, unpredictable and vast.
The Kun trigram represented the ground; the Kun Sword of Ground was heavy and deep. and possessed continuous defense.
The Kan trigram represented Water; the Kan Sword of Water was like a surging stream and stormy sea.
The Li trigram represented Fire; the Li Sword of Fire was raging and violent, scorching and overbearing.
The Zhen trigram represented Lightning; the Zhen Sword of Lightning possessed moves that were like bolts of lightning that conquered all.
The Gen trigram represented Mountain; the Gen Sword of Mountain was lofty and powerful like a tall mountain.
The Dui trigram represented Marsh; the Dui Sword of Marsh was like glue that slowed others down extremely.
These seven great Sword Daos were similar to the Xun Sword of Wind, and all of them contained numerous variations that were vast like the sea. Each of them had their own profound uses, and they even contained numerous profundities of the heaven and earth.
At least in the eyes of Chen Xi, besides deducing and comprehending, if he wanted to thoroughly understand this sword technique, he would still need to comprehend eight Dao Insights: namely the Sky, Ground, Mountain, Lightning, Water, Fire, Wind, and Marsh Dao Insights.
Amongst these, Chen Xi had already mastered the Water, Fire, Wind, and Lightning Dao Insights. The Ground Dao Insight and Mountain Dao Insight were only minor Daos and belonged to the Grand Dao of Earth, whereas, the Marsh Dao Insight was similarly a minor Dao and belonged to the Grand Dao of Water, and all of these Dao Insights were also mastered by him.
All in all, amongst these eight types of Dao Insight, Chen Xi only hadn’t mastered the Sky Dao Insight for now, and he clearly understood the other seven types of Dao Insight. It was precisely because of this that Bei Heng said the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture was suitable to be comprehended by Chen Xi, and it could be considered to be teaching in accordance with Chen Xi’s aptitude.
But Bei Heng only suggested that he comprehend it and not cultivate it. After all, the cultivation of the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture was too difficult. Everyone in the world knew that this sword technique was formidable, yet no one cultivated it, and why was that? Because of a single word — Difficulty!
Even though the lifespan of cultivators was much longer than an ordinary person in the mortal world, if one was unable to ascend to become a Heavenly Immortal and possess the same lifespan as the heaven and earth, then there would be a day that one would fall from the exhaustion of one’s lifespan. It was precisely because of this that no one would waste a great amount of time to comprehend a sword technique that was impossible to cultivate successfully.
This was the common view of most people, or perhaps there were people that had cultivated it successfully, but these people were existences that were akin to phoenix feathers and qilin horns, and there would probably not be a single one amongst 10 million people.
But Chen Xi intended to cultivate it. He wasn’t trying to prove them wrong, nor was it because he refused to believe it was difficult, but it was purely a type of impulse that came from the heart. It was like his crafting of talismans, it was purely because he liked it in his heart, and there was no other reason to it.
Moreover, he faintly felt that if he were to be able to successfully cultivate the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture, then it would bring about immeasurable benefit to his cultivation in the Dao of Talismans.
The Dao of Talisman’s essence was to deduce the profundities of the heaven and earth, to turn the mundane into the divine, whereas, even though this Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture deduced sword technique, didn’t sword techniques embody the profundities of the heaven and earth as well?
If I’m able to successfully cultivate the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture before I advance to the Golden Core Realm, then perhaps I’ll be able to stand at an invincible position during the Allstar Meeting… Chen Xi pondered for a long time before starting to cultivate the Xun Sword of Wind right away.
In his sea of consciousness, the enormous strength of Chen Xi’s soul circulated as he immersed himself in the boundless variations. What he wanted to do was deduce all the variations of the Xun Sword of Wind and understand it thoroughly.
This was an extremely vast project that was like remembering the trajectory of 100 million stars, and it was extremely complicated, dull, and painstaking.
Fortunately, Chen Xi had an exceedingly solid cultivation in the Dao of Talismans, and he wanted to cultivate the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture from the bottom of his heart, so he didn’t feel it was dull.
Just like this, Chen Xi was immersed in his deduction, and he completely didn’t notice the passage of time. Day after day and night after night, he sat cross-legged at the side of the precipice on True Heart Peak, not moving, eating, or drinking, just like a clay statue.
During this period of time, the entire True Heart Peak went on the right track, each of the 72 male and female Inner Court disciples was busy with their own tasks and fulfilling their duties, and it seemed to be in perfect order.
Presently, Chen Xi’s name had already resounded throughout the entire southern territory’s cultivation world, and these 72 Inner Court disciples of Wanderingcloud Sword Sect felt extremely honored and proud from this.
Moreover, because Chen Xi was the sword brother of the Supreme Ancestor Bei Heng, the resources and various benefits distributed by the sect to True Heart Peak was one of the most generous in the entire sect, and it had caused the other Elite Disciples and even Elders to be extremely jealous. But they could only be jealous, yet couldn’t arouse the slightest discontent and envy. What could they do about the Supreme Ancestor being Chen Xi’s Big Brother?
Something worthy of mention was that after the annihilation of the Su Clan, the Su Clan’s eldest son, Su Chan, that was originally a disciple of Ancestor Ling Du, had suddenly vanished. No one knew where he’d gone, or if he was alive or dead. Some said he was killed by his enemies, some said he’d fled for his life, and there were multiple views towards this. But along with the passage of time, Su Chan’s name gradually faded from the field of everyone’s vision, and no one mentioned him again.
Days passed by quietly like this, and in the blink of an eye, a year had passed.
On this day, snow fell heavily, causing the heaven and earth to be a vast expanse of whiteness. Bei Heng had arrived at True Heart Peak at the crack of dawn, yet he saw that Chen Xi was still cultivating, and his body was buried by the snow, causing Bei Heng to be unable to see his appearance.
“Has he been cultivating all this time?” Bei Heng spoke with astonishment. During this last year, he’d been in closed door cultivation as well, and this time, he was seized with a sudden impulse of wanting to come see how’s Chen Xi’s cultivation was going, yet he never expected that Chen Xi seemed to be in closed door cultivation as well.
“Yes, my Brother has been sitting here without moving since last year.” Chen Hao stood by Bei Heng’s side as he explained in a low voice.
“Last year? Could it be that this fellow has been comprehending the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture all this time?” Bei Heng’s expression focused as he hastily arrived at Chen Xi’s side. As expected, he noticed that the aura in Chen Xi’s body was quiet and dormant, and Chen Xi was utterly not cultivating. Then, there was only one possibility, Chen Xi was deducing the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture in his heart!
“Really… How do I say this?” Bei Heng’s brows raised, and he seemed to want to flare up, yet he forcefully restrained it before sighing with a bitter smile. “If I knew this would happen, I ought to have not given the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture to him.”
“Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture? So that’s how it is. That’s the sword technique that’s the most difficult to cultivate in the world, and there’s rarely anyone that’s able to cultivate it successfully.” Chen Hao came to a sudden understanding. He’s once heard his Master, Daoist Wen Xuan, speak of this sword technique, and he understood the difficulty in cultivating it.
“Nevermind, just cultivate it. I hope he knows that retreating after learning of the difficulties is the best, otherwise, it would purely be a waste of time.” Bei Heng shook his head before turning and leaving.
“Retreat after learning of the difficulties? I hope that Big Brother is able to cultivate it successfully… Hmm, I have to work hard as well. I’ll return to Pine Mist City after a few years and rebuild the Chen Clan to comfort Grandfather’s soul in heaven.” Chen Hao muttered before leaving right after.
The cold winds of another year blew by. Chen Xi had already been sitting quietly at the side of the precipice for two years, yet he still didn’t have the slightest trace of awakening.
Besides cultivating diligently and bitterly, Chen Hao would come to the peak of the mountain to visit his big brother. Chen Hao acutely noticed that Chen Xi’s countenance grew more and more pale, his cheeks became gaunt, his dense long hair and beard already hung on the ground, and his appearance was extremely haggard.
When he saw this scene, Chen Hao couldn’t help but be worried for Chen Xi. Expending too much energy was extremely harmful to one’s cultivation, as not only did it harm one’s vitality, it was extremely easy for one to suffer qi deviation. If it was like this, then one’s cultivation would be completely crippled.
During this period of time, Bei Heng, Daoist Wen Xuan, Ling Kongzi, Du Qingxi, Duanmu Ze, Song Lin and the others had all come to visit Chen Xi, but when they found out that Chen Xi had been comprehending the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture all this time, they sighed endlessly as well.
There was no denying that Chen Xi’s natural talent was extraordinary, and his strength was exceedingly formidable as well. But as far as everyone was concerned, the hope for him to successfully cultivate the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture was extremely slight, and Chen Xi’s actions had instead become unnecessary trouble, a complete waste of his own time, and an arduous but fruitless task.
Gradually, the entire Wanderingcloud Sword Sect knew that Chen Xi was cultivating the Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture. Some sighed with admiration, some were astonished, but even more of them were doubtful, as no one thought that he would be able to succeed, and they purely took this matter to be a tragedy. An extremely young genius was now already no different than a madman, and it truly caused others to sigh in agitation.
The third year.
The fourth year.
On the fifth year, as he gazed at Chen Xi who was silent and unmoving, Chen Hao couldn’t endure the worry in his heart, and he intended to rouse his brother. Because he was able to sense that the aura of his big brother’s vitality had already become extremely weak, and it was even to the extent that it would soon dry up. If this were to continue, Chen Xi would undoubtedly die.
Hmm? Just when Chen Hao intended to make a move, he suddenly noticed that Chen Xi’s body seemed to have moved slightly, but when he looked over carefully, it still remained silent and unmoving.
Could it be that I’m hallucinating? Right when Chen Hao was bewildered, Chen Hao suddenly noticed that Chen Xi had opened his eyes, and his eyes were filled with threads of blood, causing them to be completely red and extremely terrifying.
“Brother, you’ve woken up?” Chen Hao spoke with a trembling voice.
Chen Xi paid no attention to Chen Hao and he instead stood up, his entire body emaciated to the point it was like a bamboo, and his cheeks and eyes had even sunken in extremely deeply, causing him to be appalling to look at.
“Hu!” Chen Xi started to breathe deeply and circulate his Shaman Energy. Instantly, the threads of blood in his eyes vanished swiftly, the skin around his body bulging up once more, and his shriveled wrinkles vanished; replacing it was a sheen that was sparkling and glossy like warm jade. His face had once again recovered to his handsome appearance from before.
In an instant, Chen Xi was like a completely different person, extraordinary and handsome, and he didn’t have the wretched appearance from before any longer.
“Brother, you’ve finally realized that you’ve strayed and returned to the right path. No matter how formidable that Myriad Convergence Sword Scripture is, it’s fine if you don’t cultivate it.” Chen Hao spoke worriedly.
Chen Xi was stunned, and he didn’t say anything further before forming a sword with his fingers and stabbing out.
This point didn’t contain a trace of True Essence, yet when it entered Chen Hao’s eyes, it was instead as if it had flawlessly fused with the surrounding space, unpredictable, vast, and difficult to understand. It seemed as if any he would be unable to avoid the attack of this point strike no matter what he did. He actually seemed as if he’d fallen into a hopeless situation that caused him to feel powerless.
Unpredictable and profound like the skies of the ancient times, and it was precisely the Qian Sword of Sky.
But Chen Hao had been infatuated by the Sword Dao since he was young. During these past few years, he’d even tempered the Righteous Sword Dao he’d comprehended to become even more formidable, and it was faintly soon to touch the border of the Dao Territory Stage. So how could he possibly not put up a fight when faced with Chen Xi’s relaxed point strike?
“Bring it on!” Chen Hao shouted loudly, and he similarly formed a sword with his fingers before sweeping out in the air. Instantly, a vast, mighty, and righteous aura that was lofty gushed out from the tip of his finger, and it pressed forward invincibly as it moved to collide directly with the tip of Chen Xi’s approaching finger.
Chen Xi lightly smiled as he shook his finger. Instantly, it was as if a great river that surged forward with great momentum was formed, and it was able to hold everything in the world, allowing it to easily dissolve Chen Hao’s strike into nothingness.
Nothing in the world is softer than water, yet a strong assault is unable to defeat it — Kan Sword of Water.
Chen Hao’s move being thwarted had instead aroused the stubbornness in his heart. His figures moved repeatedly right away, his righteous sword moves were like embroidered pieces of literature that were used to portray culture and write history, and every word was exquisite and righteous. Its might filled every inch of space, as if it was a celestial being that had arrived at the mortal realm and didn’t tolerate any violation.
Chen Xi smiled, his figures moving once more, and he successively utilized the Kun Sword of Ground, the Dui Sword of Marsh, the Li Sword of Fire, the Zhen Sword of Lightning, and the Gen Sword of Mountain, and all of them repelled Chen Hao’s attacks with a single strike, and his sword moves were unparalleled in the world.
“Enough, enough.” Chen Hao leaped over and said loudly, “But I won’t admit defeat. I’ll surpass you one day.”
“Then I’ll be waiting, hahaha…” Chen Xi’s laughter grew louder and louder, his voice clear and melodious like the roar of a dragon, and it completely resounded in the heaven and earth, revealing an indescribable feeling of happiness and delight.
Sitting there being haggard for five years, disregarding food and sleep while making every effort to succeed. The dangers and hardships in this were something that couldn’t be spoken to others unless one had experienced it one’s self.