Chapter 117: 117. Chapter 117

117. Chapter 117

Guan San is currently stroking the server; please complete your subscription to defeat him! With Bai Tian now here, they have finally gathered enough people for a table of mahjong.

The Beihai Sword Sect opens its mountain gates once every fifteen years, which has resulted in many of the disciples present having come up the mountain in their childhood. The scarcity of female Sword Cultivators also means they have little experience interacting with women of their own age. Although they do gather to discuss which sect's female cultivators are the prettiest, it is too much of a challenge to ask them to step forward and strike up a conversation.

They dare not approach, but surely they can discuss it in secret?

Consequently, whispers filled every corner of the Classroom. Atian sat upright in her seat, returning every curious gaze cast her way with a polite smile; she truly possessed the demeanor of a refined young lady.

"Tap, tap, tap."

A series of footsteps approached from afar. The buzzing discussion vanished instantly. A slender young man wearing a cyan outer robe stepped over the threshold. He walked straight ahead until he reached the podium.

Only when he stood still did Atian clearly see his appearance. It was a face that could be called delicate, yet it carried a slight look of illness. Even though his posture was like a sword, it was hard not to form the impression that he was frail and sickly.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..." The young man opened his mouth and let out a string of coughs, living up to his impression perfectly. "... Since there are new disciples, I shall introduce myself. My name is Li Ke, and I am one of the Elders of the Beihai Sword Sect, specifically responsible for the Enlightenment of disciples."

"Those who cultivate immortality seek the Dao and longevity, and yearn for freedom and ease. Whether one is a Sword Cultivator, a Dharma Cultivator, or a Demonic Cultivator, one cannot avoid a single topic, and that is—how does one seek the true immortal path?"

Having said this, Li Ke coughed a few more times. He took out a meditation cushion from who knows where and sat down on it, looking every bit like he was prepared for a long, heart-to-heart talk.

"People of our generation emphasize Life Dual Cultivation. 'Life' refers to character and temperament, while 'longevity' naturally refers to one's lifespan. Different Dao Lineages have different answers to this: Dharma Cultivators call it Drawing Qi into the Body, Demonic Cultivators call it Demonic Thought Connecting to Divinity, and we Sword Cultivators call it Testing Heaven with the Sword."

"There are Three Thousand Great Daos, and there is more than one path to the heavens, but in the final analysis, one must choose what is most suitable for oneself."

"Elder! Elder!" Atian raised her hand to ask a question. "Are there any commonalities between these Dao Lineages?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ke pondered for a moment and actually provided an answer. "There are. The first stage is called Qi Refining, and the second stage is called Foundation Establishment. However, after Foundation Establishment, we don't have any more; it all depends on one's Sword Cultivation. The Dharma Cultivators, on the other hand, have titles like Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Great Vehicle. They spend all day comparing titles to determine who is superior; they aren't even ashamed of it..."

This was likely a joke, and a burst of laughter erupted in the Classroom. Atian, however, did not laugh; these conventional common-sense facts of the cultivation world were all very novel to her.

"The methods of Dharma Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators can wait until Senior Brother Tan Tianming comes to teach... cough, cough, cough, cough, cough... He is a proper Dharma Cultivator from the Taixuan Sect. Everyone here possesses a Sword Bone, so I shall speak about us Sword Cultivators."

"Cough. Sword Cultivator, as the name implies, one's entire cultivation lies in the Sword. And where does the sword come from? A Sword Cultivator's sword is not made of common iron, but comes from within your own body. That's right, it is the Sword Bone nurtured within you."

"Only when the Sword Bone within you grows enough to condense into a physical form and leave your body can you be considered to have gained the opportunity for Sword Cultivator Entry. And your Sword Bone determines your Sword Heart."

After finishing this sentence, Li Ke suddenly stopped. He unhurriedly took a clean white handkerchief from his sleeve to cover his mouth, followed by a series of heart-wrenching coughs. The violence of it made Atian worry he might cough his own lungs out.

"Elder Li practices the Sick Sword. He likes to spit blood and lie in bed whenever he has nothing to do. You'll get used to it," Zhao Kuo whispered to explain to Bai Tian.

"Sick Sword?" Atian blinked.

"It is said that once he draws his sword, a hundred-mile radius will be swept by a plague. Even cultivators will be struck by it, so Elder Li rarely leaves the mountain gate. Honestly, the sect has always used whether Elder Li moves his hand or not to judge whether we are going to fight someone to the death."

Atian nodded in realization. No matter where one is, weapons of mass destruction always serve as a deterrent.

While they were whispering, the "weapon of mass destruction" over there had stopped coughing and resumed his lecture.

"The Sword Bone is nurtured by the cultivator's essence, Qi, and spirit. It represents your origin, and the Life-bound Sword forged by the Sword Bone is born with its own name. Its name and power hint at your Sword Heart."

"The Sword Heart is the true heart of a Sword Cultivator. It is the Dao method most suitable for you. No matter how unexpected it may be, you must open your heart to accept it; otherwise, you are cutting yourself off from the path of the Sword Cultivator. Look, I am sickly every day, yet haven't I still lived for several hundred years?"

As he spoke, Li Ke's complexion turned even paler.

"Other sects are betting on when Elder Li will breathe his last, but he is actually faking his illness. The bookie for the bets is the Sect Master. Just from this one pool, we've emptied the pockets of those fat sheep," Zhao Kuo said, his words completely mismatched with his serious expression.

"Elder! Elder!" Atian raised her hand again. "How should we awaken our own Sword Bone!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many disciples groaned and buried their heads in their hands. Li Ke, however, had his eyes light up, and he didn't even care about coughing anymore, praising: "Good question!"

"There are no shortcuts to communicating with the Sword Bone," he stood up with a 'swish', a smile appearing on his pale face. "Only by dissecting oneself and liberating one's true nature is the only way out!"

"Everyone's understanding of themselves is one-sided and blurry," he patted his own chest, his emotions becoming inexplicably high. "Calm your heart, and you will discover many versions of yourself that you never even imagined!"

"I know this sounds shameful, but you need to discard your useless sense of shame, or you will be trapped deep within it and unable to extricate yourself. Come! Liberate your true nature! Just like when you all, in order for Xin Li to be elected to the top of the 'Heaven and Earth Talent Ranking', didn't hesitate to put on women's clothing to go and vote again!"

Before the words had even faded, a wail erupted in the Classroom.

Atian: It seems I've heard something incredible.

Zhao Kuo added blankly: "As an aside, in order to live up to their elaborate cross-dressing, they also went to pad the rankings for the 'Female Cultivators' Most Wanted to Spend the Night With' list."

"Regret? No, I don't regret it. Once you immerse yourself in the Senior Brother cult, you will find that everything is easy and pleasant."

"This is why I already possess my 'Duan Yue', while they are still at the Enlightenment stage."

The huge reaction from the male disciples drew a reprimand from Li Ke, who was disappointed that they hadn't lived up to his expectations. "What are you howling about! You must accept that version of yourself that wears women's clothing! The shameful you, the embarrassing you, are all you! Otherwise, when will you ever discover your true heart and resonate with your Sword Bone! I don't want to see you lot with these mournful faces again next year!"

By the time the class ended, it was already noon. The male disciples, whose dark history had been exposed by Elder Li in front of their Junior Sister, walked out of the Classroom one by one, dejected. Atian, however, was happily looking forward to lunch. Song Zhicheng, on the other hand, tugged on Zhao Kuo's sleeve, signaling him to stay behind.

"Senior Brother Zhao, after listening to the lecture today, I, your Junior Brother, have something I don't understand."

"Oh?" Zhao Kuo, who had finally reached the point where he was being called 'Senior Brother', raised an eyebrow.

"Elder Li said we all possess Sword Bones and described the manifestations of those who have them. I consider myself to be outstanding in martial prowess and immune to ordinary blades, which fits, yet when I run into Junior Sister Bai, I... I, oh no, I, your Junior Brother, am a grown man after all, and being unable to beat a little girl is just... is it that I am too weak, or is Junior Sister Bai's Sword Bone grade really that high?"

"Not bad, you've discovered her abnormality; you can be considered a person with a brain."

Zhao Kuo grinned, and relying on the fact that Song Zhicheng didn't know how cowardly he was in front of Atian, he put on the airs of a Senior Brother.

"I asked Master about this, and he told me the reason Junior Sister Bai is different from ordinary people is that her Sword Bone is already completed."

"Sword Bone... completed?"

"The Sword Bone, just like other parts of your body, matures slowly over time. Like you people who have just entered, most are at the Sword Bone Germination or Sword Bone Forming stage. The Sword Bone inside you hasn't reached the state where it can be formed into a sword and removed; it still needs to be slowly nourished and cultivated. This is the Qi Refining Early Stage for us Sword Cultivators. Once your Sword Bone grows to the point where it can be taken out, you can forge your own Life-bound Sword; that is the Qi Refining middle stage. The so-called Sword Bone Completed is the sign of the Qi Refining late stage. One step further is Foundation Establishment, and that is when you are truly initiated."

"And Junior Sister Bai, her Sword Bone has already grown to the point where it can be taken out, which means she is equivalent to a cultivator at the Qi Refining late stage. A mortal like you is naturally no match for her."

Having said this, Zhao Kuo touched his chin thoughtfully.

"However, to show such abnormality while it's still inside the body... that sword inside Junior Sister Bai's body is really not an ordinary vicious one..."

"Senior Brother Zhao! Senior Brother Song!" Atian's voice came from afar.

"Incredible, truly incredible."

Zhao Kuo walked toward the young girl who was waving at them, hands behind his back, shaking his head.

The servant's face turned bitter upon hearing this. "Replying to Furen, the Immortal Elder only stayed at the door for a while, saying he was still busy with the Ascension Ceremony, and then he left!"

"Ah!"

It was hard to say if it was disappointment or relief, but upon hearing this, Lady Bai sat back down in her chair, her brows furrowed.

Having finished the chicken leg in her bowl in a leisurely manner, Atian thought for a moment, but still did not reach out with her chopsticks to take a second one. Now was definitely not a good time to attract Lady Bai's attention.