Bombarding Cultivators with Cluster Artillery

Jiang Ding opened the new edition of the Sword Refining Method.

The requirements had not changed: top-tier required Magic Arts-Breaking Immortal Gold and Taiqing Spirit Iron, while the monkey version used Thousand-year Soul Nurturing Wood and No. 21 Synthetic Geng Metal. At the core, the inscription of the First-order Spirit Gathering Array was still the distinctive Great Sun Gathering Spirit Formation of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, with no alterations.

Yet, the content within had undergone some changes.

”Talisman Sword, Wooden Sword, Iron Sword, three levels...”

A thought struck Jiang Ding; this was the concept from the Qixuan School’s ”Shenxiao Hundred Step Flying Sword,” but the content was completely different, more refined and complex.

”Legend has it that there is a certain mutual promotion between the treasures of genius from a realm and the Artifact Refining techniques of that realm. Could it be that the Array Spirit is deduced from this basis?”

On closer examination, it was exceedingly complex, far surpassing the likes of ”Shenxiao’s Hundred-Step Flying Sword” and ”Song’s Hundred Steps Flying Sword” by more than dozens of times.

But there was a strange sense of intimacy; many of the profound issues that he thought he would never understand suddenly became clear after several contemplations.

It was as if... this Cultivation Method was naturally born for him!

Without practicing, he achieved the great harmony required by the method—every word and deed naturally matched the highest realm of the method, returning to the basics.

”It’s too miraculous; this is like creating a favored child of the Immortal Path in a short time!”

The more Jiang Ding observed, the more astonished he became, ”If there could be many such methods, even the dull could reach the level of genius under the influence of related learning, right?”

”Hmm, there are also hidden dangers. If one relies too much on it, there would be explosive growth in academic achievements for a while, and then a complete stagnation, losing all the drive and instinct to explore the unknown, necessitating a deeper Cultivation Method to deduce.”

”After all, having ’Naturally Fitted with the Dao of Immortality,’ where’s the need to strive?”

Jiang Ding searched in the library and indeed found papers describing this phenomenon.

It often appeared among the youths of great clans—either they were infatuated with the reputation of a prodigy, too lazy to make an effort, or there were chaotic reasons such as the needs of the clan. In the end, they were forever stuck at a certain early stage.

In academia, this is called Enlightenment Poison.

Jiang Ding’s heart chilled, and his gaze returned to the Cultivation Method. He read carefully, determined to memorize it all and constantly contemplate it.

Time passed unknowingly. Suddenly, he heard a ”click.”

As if awakened from a dream, Jiang Ding only felt Inner Energy circulating spontaneously throughout his entire body. It was more than twice as fast. The whirl of energy in his Elixir Field became faster and more stable, refining the quality of his Inner Energy with higher efficiency bit by bit.

As he breathed, walked, and lay down, Inner Energy naturally flowed through his meridians without any conscious effort.

”’Eagle Taking Off Sword Technique’ Cultivation Method has reached completion!”

Jiang Ding was excited, carefully perceiving the changes in the Inner Qi within his body: ”The efficiency of Inner Qi generation has increased, as has the rate of tempering and refining the meridians. I can now temper over forty minor branches in a day, doubling the rate.

”Not only that but the quality of Inner Energy is also improving bit by bit, and the rate will be even higher in the future.”

”In at most twelve days, I can reach the ’Small Circle of Vital Energy’ realm.”

He practiced while contemplating the Cultivation Method until after eleven at night before Jiang Ding reluctantly left the library.

...

In the small courtyard, near noon, the sunlight shone beneath the shade of the trees.

At a square table, a young man in blue clothing and carrying a sword held a Talisman Pen and kept writing and drawing on paper, quickly spreading out a large circle of dense and twisted text and images.

Inner Energy surged into it, a flicker of Spiritual Light flashed by, and, astonishingly, the Talisman Paper floated slightly in the air.

”First Order Levitation Array, finally succeeded.”

Jiang Ding felt his Inner Energy within decrease by six-tenths, then continuously recover under the whirl of energy from his high-level Cultivation Method state, feeling very joyful inside.

”Next are the First-Order Great Sun Spirit Gathering Array and the First-Order Flight Array, unique to the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, plus the special Sharp Gold Array that I have already mastered. Combining the four arrays and folding them is the ’Great Sun Sword Cultivation Method’s Talisman Sword!’”

Jiang Ding pondered.

These two arrays were naturally much more difficult than the Sharp Gold Array and Floating Formation. However, with his understanding of the Sword Refining Method, he felt confident that he could engrave them one by one.

”The power of the Talisman Sword is equivalent to the impact of a flying bird. If replaced with a first-tier top-grade metal-properties Talisman Paper, its sharpness and speed would further improve and become quite useful.”

Thump, thump, thump!

Jiang Ding showed a look of surprise.

”Come in.”

The door opened, and instead of Huang Deyou’s short and plump figure, an ordinary-looking young man stepped in anxiously, bowing his head, afraid to meet anyone’s gaze.

”Boss, I have a favor to ask.” Han Lin clenched his teeth and said.

He felt it was difficult to broach the topic himself. Others had taken you in, allowed you to learn martial arts, and yet you still had the gall to push your luck—it was really improper!

”Speak.”

Jiang Ding glanced at the time, good, it was past twelve o’clock, not during work hours.

He harbored a great deal of sympathy for such oppressed commoners at the grassroots level, and he would definitely help if it was within his means.

”Boss, I have obtained a set of Inner Power techniques, but no matter what, I can’t seem to get started. I humbly ask for your guidance...” Han Lin’s face flushed even redder as he spoke in a voice as thin as a mosquito’s, too embarrassed to look up.

”Let’s have a look.”

Jiang Ding neither agreed nor refused, simply taking the book that the other person handed over.

”Green Primordial Skill”.

After spending about fifteen minutes reading it from beginning to end, he had a grasp of it.

The technique wasn’t difficult, and although there were some special terms he hadn’t seen before, they were easy to understand when viewed in context.

This was a special technique leaning towards the wood attribute, with certain healing properties, and the nature of the method was even and balanced, not easily leading to deviation. It involved 1,080 meridians.

This was already one of Yue Country’s top Inner Power techniques.

This guy was really lucky.

Jiang Ding glanced at the honest and simple-looking young man in front of him.

”Inner Energy has two methods of genesis.”

Jiang Ding spoke slowly, ”One, by tempering the human body, refining the tendons, bones, and skin to the extreme, until the essence overflows naturally, transforming into Inner Qi, and thus Inner Energy is born. This method is superior as the Inner Energy created is more in tune with oneself.”

This approach was mainstream within the Xianmen Sects.

”The other method is to follow the visualization provided in the technique, imagining an invisible ’Qi’ existing within the body, which is the stage of sensing Qi. With prolonged visualization, becoming more profound day by day, one can eventually manifest the intangible as tangible, and truly give birth to Inner Energy within the Qi and blood.”

”’Green Primordial Skill’ follows the latter. In the back of the method is a picture of a True Immortal from the Green Clouds realizing the Dao. This is also a viable path. While there are certain risks compared to the former, it is not necessarily impossible to do even better…”

Jiang Ding didn’t ask where he was confused but explained it from beginning to end.

To his surprise, Han Lin actually had a photographic memory, remembering everything after hearing it once, and turned to ask about certain key points he didn’t understand.

Jiang Ding explained carefully, yet a cultivation structure flashed through his mind.

A Spiritual Root-Qi Transformation Structure!

He also found this within the Inner Power technique ”Wild Wolf Strength” obtained from Long Shi, one associated with the earth attribute and the other with the wood attribute, both utilizing the naturally absorbed Spiritual Energy by the Spiritual Roots to convert to Inner Energy.

The two techniques were of different grades, yet this aspect was exactly the same.

For those with Quadruple Spiritual Roots, the cultivation speed would be faster by ten to twenty percent; for those with the Three Spiritual Roots, it would be forty to fifty percent faster; for Twinling Roots, it was twice as fast!

If all Inner Power methods had this structure, then the better one’s Spiritual Roots, the faster one would cultivate.

”Could this be deliberately released by an Immortal Sect for the purpose of selecting disciples?” Jiang Ding speculated.

He became vigilant in his heart, resolving to be even more cautious in his future conduct to avoid inadvertently exposing items related to the Xianmen.