Chapter 416: Twenty-Five Years of Time

"Still passable?"

Jiang Ding paused.

He had never learned flying sword techniques.

"Never mind, I understand what you mean."

Before he could answer, Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun waved his hand: "You've seen my sword technique; that's it."

"But even this is considered good among Nascent Soul cultivators in the Immortal Sects. Many haven't touched skill-based cold weapons since the college entrance exam; they all rely on brute-force treasures like Shi Yin or Small Mountain."

"I estimate that even if you searched the entire Immortal Sects, you might not find anyone capable of being your sword technique teacher."

"Don't you have a Yin Mist Treasure Pearl?"

He remembered something and asked: "You can practice inside it. Yin Mist Master Dinghai Zhenjun is a Sword Dao Master Dinghai Zhenjun; flying swords and sword techniques are her foundation, so it should be quite good."

"It won't work."

Jiang Ding shook his head: "Simple combat is possible, but I need systematic sword technique training before engaging in combat to make progress. I cannot create something from nothing."

"That's true."

Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun fell into thought.

"Should we kidnap a Jin Dan sword cultivator to bring back?"

"No, a Jin Dan sword cultivator isn't enough; at least a Nascent Soul sword cultivator is needed. But that's too dangerous. There's also the matter of teaching; an enemy could deliberately lead you astray."

"The sword cultivators of Wuxingtian Sect might work. It would be best to send you abroad to study in the Wuxingtian Sect sword cultivator lineage, but that's too dangerous. After a costly transaction, they might sell you out..."

"I'll figure something out."

After pondering for a moment, Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun sighed, never expecting the Immortal Sects to one day worry about teaching staff: "I will invite a Nascent Soul sword cultivator from Wuxingtian Sect to teach you. Additionally, I will construct a framework for the sword Dao inheritance of the Immortal Sects. The inheritance of the Great Sun Sword Pavilion cannot be left to waste; it is excellent material."

"It will just take time."

"Such exchanges between Immortal Sects are troublesome. First, an application must be submitted to the Immortal Sects for approval and consent. Then, Wuxingtian Sect must go through the same procedures; they are much slower than us. Finally, we must ensure a Nascent Soul sword cultivator who has comprehended sword intent is available..."

"The entire process will take a hundred years. You must be mentally prepared."

"Understood!"

Jiang Ding was overjoyed, scratched his head, and pretended to be polite: "Making such a huge fuss, how embarrassing."

"Nonsense!"

Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun laughed and scolded him.

"Class dismissed!"

"... Family, the foundation of humanity. Without families, there would be no multitude of cultivators in the Immortal Sects."

"Therefore, it is inappropriate to call the private companies of the Immortal Sects, which have inherited traditions for hundreds or thousands of years, 'families.' They should be called 'inherited families'."

"The most important distinction between inherited families and the families of the Nine Great Immortal Sects is scale. Three generations under one roof, with numbers reaching at most dozens or hundreds, is completely different from the tens of thousands in Immortal Sect families. Families maintain internal harmony through kinship rather than clan laws."

"Supplemented by inheritance tax and laws mandating division after reaching a certain size, families cannot form clans."

"The families of the Nine Great Immortal Sects are, in fact, political entities. They possess clan laws and armies of enforcement cultivators to execute them, tax organizations that collect internal clan taxes to support the elite, and clan values entirely distinct from other groups."

"Each family is essentially a feudal state within an Immortal Sect, where cultivators are often constrained by both clan laws and Immortal Sect laws."

"Clans are unacceptable and must be abolished,"

"Families, however, should be encouraged. One who does not love their family cannot be expected to love the Immortal Sects..."

The blue-gold tree swayed, gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the Great Sun. Not far away, a television played the news. Jiang Ding sat at his desk, the tip of a ballpoint pen writing character after character on paper.

This was a practical summary for the Moral Character class.

"Influenced by the Xu family, my actions previously seemed too extreme, overcorrecting..."

Jiang Ding's pen paused.

Remembering Master Dinghai Master Dinghai Zhenjun's original intention and the talk of heart demons, he silently recalled his past life experiences. Whether towards enemies or friends, he had basically acted with a clear conscience.

Only towards his two nephews and nieces did he seem too ruthless.

"Families maintain harmony through kinship, not clan laws."

"Kinship."

Jiang Ding murmured to himself: "We did not share the experience of living together in our youth, so our bond is not deep, but some feelings brought by bloodline still exist."

"Perhaps I should provide support at a general level, and then see if they succeed based on their own efforts and fate?"

Characters flowed forth one by one. The paper extended from time to time, always maintaining the size of a single sheet.

Several days later,

the hundred-thousand-word Moral Character practical report was finished.

Jiang Ding swept his divine sense over the paper, transcribed the text into an email, reviewed it, and clicked send to the Moral Character teacher, Teacher Ouyang Hui.

He closed his eyes and returned to cultivation, refining and increasing his magic power.

The television turned off.

Silence descended here, leaving only the rustling sound of wind passing through the leaves.

Every day, he attended classes and studied, occasionally returning home to visit family, and occasionally handling miscellaneous matters in Master Tushan Xiancheng.

Days passed one by one.

Time flew.

Twenty-five years.

"Another many years."

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death."

On this day, Jiang Ding awoke from cultivation, revealing a trace of sorrow.

"Uncle..."

Having cultivated the Dao to this day, former classmates are now nearly centenarians, while elders have begun to wither and depart one by one.

Between Heaven and Earth,

those he cares for and those who care for him have grown fewer.

The blue-gold tree's branches, leaves, and trunk contracted, flew into his brow, and his entire body rose, merging in the sky with a silver-white aerospace fighter; with a sonic boom, it broke through the troposphere, soared out of the stratosphere, and vanished.

Over ten minutes later, a figure appeared above Rongcheng and slowly descended.

"Ding Ding."

"Brother..."

In Uncle's home, many exchanged greetings.

Jiang Ding silently looked over.

Lin Lin Wanqiu is now one hundred and twenty-one years old; cultivating the supreme Gong Fa "Ancient Wood Samsara Art," she extended her life by thirty years and thus avoided dying of old age.

Jiang Yuan is now eighty-six, with a head full of silver hair, wrinkles spreading across his face, at the ninth layer of Qi Condensation.

"Jiang Ding."

Lin Lin Yuanwang's eyes were red and swollen; he greeted hoarsely.

Jiang Ding offered no hollow words of comfort, merely nodded slightly, and looked toward the bed.

Uncle Lin Yong lay in bed, covered by a quilt; having reached the limit of one hundred and twenty years, his body was withered and emaciated, his hair dry and yellow, his skin gray, and his mind somewhat unclear.

Jiang Ding's nose stung.

He recalled many years ago when Uncle came to their home, carrying something precious like a treasure, and gave him the Blue-and-White Foundation-Enriching Spirit Pill to lay his foundation, so that his future work and life would proceed more smoothly, sparing him the hardships endured by the older generation.

"Ding Ding!"

Uncle Lin Yong suddenly regained consciousness, opened his eyes, his chest heaving violently; he grinned and said, "Tell me, if there is reincarnation in this world, will I still be able to meet my nephew, who is still alive, thousands or tens of thousands of years from now?"

"You certainly will, Uncle."

Jiang Ding said softly.

"That is good."

"That is good..."

Lin Yong let out a long sigh; his voice grew fainter by degrees, his essence, qi, and spirit visibly collapsed, his chest heaved with barely perceptible motion, and finally he looked with boundless attachment at his only son.

"Uncle, rest assured."

Jiang Ding said softly, "If he is worthy of cultivation, I will provide necessary assistance."

Lin Yong closed his eyes and gave no further sign of life.

(End of this chapter)