Chapter 30: 30. Chapter Thirty

30. Chapter Thirty

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Aside from Bai Tian herself, the other three residents are Su Ying, who lives next door to Atian, Chen Zhi, who is traveling abroad, and Liu Yan, who is a permanent resident of the Sword Scripture Pavilion.

These are the "Three Great Heavenly Kings" of the Beihai Sword Sect.

With the addition of Bai Tian, they finally had enough people for a game of mahjong.

The Beihai Sword Sect opens its mountain gates once every fifteen years, which resulted in many of the disciples present having come up the mountain in their childhood; the scarcity of female Sword Cultivators also meant they had little experience interacting with women of their own age, and although they would gather to discuss which sect's female cultivators were prettier, it was too much to ask for them to step forward and strike up a conversation.

They didn't dare to approach, but surely they could 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—truly the demeanor of a refined young lady.

"Tap, tap, tap."

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

Not until he stood still did Atian see the other's appearance clearly; it was a face that could be called delicate, yet it was slightly pale, and even though his posture was like a sword, it was hard not to get the impression of someone frail and sickly.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..." The young man opened his mouth and let out a string of coughs, living up to the impression others had of him, "... Since there are new disciples entering the sect, 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."

"Cultivators seek to attain the Dao and immortality, and they 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?"

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

"Those of our generation emphasize Life Dual Cultivation; 'Life' refers to character and temperament, while 'span' naturally refers to longevity. 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 as for us Sword Cultivators, we call it Testing Heaven with the Sword."

"There are Three Thousand Great Daos, and the paths to the heavens are more than just one, 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 gave 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 those; it all depends on one's Sword Cultivation. The Dharma Cultivators have titles like Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Severing, and Great Vehicle; they aren't ashamed to argue over who is superior based on titles every single day..."

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

"The methods of Dharma Cultivators and Demonic Cultivators can wait until Senior Brother Tan Tianming gives his lecture... 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, unhurriedly took a clean white handkerchief from his sleeve to cover his mouth, and what followed was a series of heart-wrenching coughs, the intensity of which 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 Bai Tian.

"Sick Sword?" Atian blinked her eyes.

"It is said that once he draws his sword, a hundred-mile radius will be swept by a plague, and even cultivators will fall victim to it, so Elder Li does not easily leave the mountain gate. Honestly, we have always used whether or not Elder Li makes a move 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" 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 from the Sword Bone is born with its own name; its name and power hint at your Sword Heart."

"The Sword Heart is the original 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've been sickly every day for hundreds of years, haven't I?"

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

"Other sects are betting on when Elder Li will kick the bucket, but he's actually faking his illness. The bookie running 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 Bones!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many disciples groaned and buried their heads in their hands, but Li Ke's eyes lit up, and he didn't even care about coughing, praising, "Good question!"

"There are no shortcuts to communicating with the Sword Bone," he stood up with a 'swish', a faint smile appearing on his pale face, "Only by dissecting oneself and liberating one's 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 mind, and you will discover many versions of yourself that you never even imagined!"

"I know this sounds shameful, but you need to discard your unnecessary sense of shame, or you will be trapped deep within it and unable to extricate yourself. Come! Liberate your 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 vote again!"

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

Atian: It seems I've heard something incredible.

Zhao Kuo added blankly: "As an aside, in order not to waste their elaborate cross-dressing, they also went to boost the ranking on 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 relaxed and happy."

"This is why I already possess the Mountain Breaker, while they are still in Enlightenment."

The huge reaction from the male disciples drew a reprimand from Li Ke, who was disappointed that they wouldn't live up to his expectations, "What are you howling about! You must accept that version of yourself in women's clothing! The shameful you, the embarrassed you, are all yourself! Otherwise, when will you ever discover your original heart and resonate with your Sword Bone! I don't want to see your 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 the Junior Sister, walked out of the Classroom one by one, dejected, while Atian began to look forward to lunch in a relaxed and happy mood; however, Song Zhicheng tugged on Zhao Kuo's sleeve, signaling him to stay behind.

"Senior Brother Zhao, after listening to the lecture today, there is one thing I do not understand."

"Oh?" Zhao Kuo, who had finally managed to be called "Senior Brother", raised an eyebrow.

"Elder Li said we all possess Sword Bones, and he mentioned the manifestations of those who possess them. I consider myself to be outstanding in martial prowess, and I am also immune to ordinary blades, which fits the description. However, when I run into Junior Sister Bai, I... I, oh no, I as a Junior Brother am a grown man, yet I can't beat a little girl, which is too... Is it that I am too weak, or is the grade of Junior Sister Bai's Sword Bone truly that high?"

"Not bad, to be able to discover her abnormality, you can be considered a person with a brain."

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

"I asked Master about this, and he told me that 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 newcomers, most are either 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 taken out, and it still needs to be slowly nurtured 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, and one step further is Foundation Establishment, which is when you are truly considered to have entered the path."

"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."

Speaking to this point, Zhao Kuo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"However, to show such an abnormality while still inside the body... the sword inside Junior Sister Bai's body is truly not an ordinary fierce 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, his hands behind his back, shaking his head.

If anything else goes wrong, he might as well stop being a Sword Cultivator and just buy a block of tofu to bash his head in.