Chapter 20: Practicing the Sword

Jiang Ding slumped helplessly in his chair, waves of pain throbbing in his mind.

“You’ve… drained your spiritual soul?”

Li Jun hesitated, then glanced again at the intricate, exquisite array diagram on the desk—clearly not a shallow copy, but a functional one.

Spiritual soul depletion.

This is a common phenomenon when cultivators carve talismans or arrays beyond their capacity.

Even this level of overreach is dangerous; if one attempts to carve high-grade talismans or arrays far beyond their limits, their spiritual soul can be drained instantly, turning them into a corpse.

“...Yes, I learned it from the library. You have a bright future—don’t follow my path.”

Jiang Ding reluctantly extended his hand and tucked the talisman sword array diagram into his sleeve to avoid endangering Li Junhao.

It’s a path that costs your life and destroys your future.

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Pulled out the talisman-sword array diagram.

Jiang Ding studied it carefully; after practical application, his understanding of the first-layer talisman-sword technique in the “Shenxiao Hundred-Step Flying Sword” deepened further.

In fact, if they survive, past experience shows such individuals are destined to rise.

“It has nothing to do with him.”

“Report, Master, young Han has performed excellently,” Huang Deyou forced a smile: “He can read and knows basic arithmetic—I’ve assigned him to the accounting office to record collected specimens, preventing duplicate purchases.”

Jiang Yuan’s eyes sparkled, as if fantasizing about a life of lazy indulgence while still becoming a Gao Jie cultivator.

This time Jiang Ding didn’t look at the ledger; he tossed fifty taels of silver over: “That brother… Han Lin—how is he doing?”

Lin Wanshi opened her mouth but held back, worried—she clearly knew what happened in class.

He handed over the ledger, verified no fewer than ten times.

She felt her son was striving hard to prove something.

Soon after Jiang Yuan’s birth, Jiang’s father had an affair, chose another woman with superior strength, and fathered another child older than Jiang Ding—hinting at his lingering obsession with becoming a cultivator.

Jiang Ding froze. Such ambition! 800 points—even in Lián Ròu Realm? That means near-perfect scores in all academic subjects!

Li Junhao’s baseline is Qingfeng Beidou; even if he fails to enter the Daoist Studies department, he could still enter the realm of immortal-tech support research—and perhaps even reach the immortal path through the Academy’s route.

A faint voice sounded.

At dawn, Huang Deyou came as usual to knock.

“Dingding, why…?”

Since elementary school, he trained with his sword day and night, without fail, through wind and rain, until today, reaching the absolute limit of daily nutrient absorption.

“Huh? You want a beating?”

This is a core Ruijin Array, combined with a touch of spirit-linking spiritual soul runes, later to be augmented with levitation, spirit-gathering, and flight arrays—four talisman sheets fused into one, forming a standalone talisman-sword.

She swung the thin bamboo stick she’d plucked from the garden downstairs.

The class fell silent, then erupted in murmurs—mostly worried ones.

“Criminal Jiang Ding, confess!” Jiang Yuan declared sternly: “Or I’ll beat your ass—with this!”

“You…”

Unlike me—too high to sink, too low to rise.

Jiang Ding and Li Junhao walked with the crowd outward, surrounded by chattering voices, distant engines rumbling as tanks returned to campus.

Grabbed his backpack, checked and maintained his pistol components.

Lin Wanshi sighed, knowing their family’s talent was far too poor.

Not only can it use spirit-linking runes to accelerate mastery of levitation, flight, and spirit-gathering arrays, but the talisman-sword’s power rivals a strong bow—crucially, it’s agile enough to dominate within the Neiqi Realm.

Jiang Ding murmured to himself, his heart filled with longing.

“Also, since we began collecting animal specimens, the volume has surged—we now receive over a hundred intact specimens daily.”

Jiang Ding answered calmly, spreading his palms—a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy, covered in calluses.

He lay dazed in the cultivation room for two hours until the array spirit alerted him class was over; only then did he awaken and slowly walk toward the classroom.

Levitation array, flight array, spirit-gathering array—each harder than the last, and all weak. Even if the talisman-sword is completed, its impact equals only a bird’s flight strike, with short endurance. “Because of longing.”

“Meeting dismissed!”

Ding ling ding ling…

“Message from Teacher Guo.”

Jiang Ding said calmly: “Mother, eternal life, sword ruling the world—these are every boy’s lifelong dream. Especially when it can bless one’s family and forcibly elevate those with inferior talent.”

Li Junhao suddenly said: “I’m quitting martial training. I’ll devote all my time to studying, aiming for 800 points on the college entrance exam.”

Essence refinement.

“The ‘Great Sun Seed Sword Refining Scripture’—once one of the Nine Outer Realm’s Dao-Heir-level cultivation methods…”

“Enter.”

If successful, the Great Dao is within reach.

If one can forge a Dao-Heir-level Hundred-Step Flying Sword, their spiritual soul will undergo a qualitative transformation even in mortal life, granting an inherent advantage over other cultivators—not to mention the continuous spiritual soul nourishment the sword provides later.

Class monitor Hua Bing did not immediately announce dismissal: “Midterm exams begin in a week. Everyone must work harder and aim for better results. The school places great importance on this midterm—top-ranked students will receive abundant resource rewards.”

“Mm.”

All the scolding and lecturing Lin Wanshi had prepared suddenly died on her lips.

Jiang Ding glanced at Jiang Yuan; she shrank back, hiding behind Lin Wanshi.

Back home, just as he was about to return to his room, Jiang Ding paused.

!.

“Decided.”

The bell rang; Jiang Ding staggered toward the cultivation room, step by step.

“But you must be careful!” Lin Wanshi sighed: “I know when you were young, your father…”

Huang Deyou carefully closed the door and stepped before Jiang Ding, bowing respectfully: “Master, we now have less than one tael of silver left. Here is the ledger.”

Put down his backpack and sat before Lin Wanshi.

Both Lin Wanshi and Jiang Yuan stared at him, faces grim.

Midterms approaching meant half the first term had passed—the college entrance exam, which would decide one’s fate, was not far off.

“You did well.”

Such individuals are considered prodigies even among immortal sects—they will surely be specially recruited by the Daoist Studies department and won’t be denied a set of pills to improve martial talent.

The door opened; without hesitation, Jiang Ding drank the Ningyuan Zhuanggu Soup. A warm flow surged down his throat, instantly easing his fatigue.

As a mother, she knew how much her son had sacrificed—but he’d inherited her own abysmal talent. How desperate must he feel?

Knowing Jiang Ding valued this, he added:

“Sigh…”

…

There is, of course, a shortcut.

“...Wishing you swift success.”

“Big brother!”

The array script was exquisite and ornate, layered with spatial depth—ordinary people felt dizzy just looking at it.

“Mom, are you off today?”

Jiang Ding glanced at his library points: 658. Remember, not every specimen was a new unknown species—often, dozens were needed to yield one.

“Also, I need Purple Spirit Grass. Get me forty or so pieces—find a few seasoned herb collectors. Today.”

“Yes, Master.”

Huang Deyou bowed respectfully and withdrew.

(End of Chapter)