Chapter 91: 91. Chapter Ninety-One

91. Chapter Ninety-One

Guan San is currently stroking the server; please complete your subscription to defeat him! 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 permanently stationed at the Sword Scripture Pavilion.

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

With the addition of Bai Tian, they finally have enough people for a game 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 has the prettiest female cultivators, it is too embarrassing for them to actually step forward and strike up a conversation.

They don't dare to step forward, but secretly discussing them is fine, right?

Consequently, whispers filled every corner of the Classroom. Atian sat upright in her seat, responding to 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, and the buzzing discussion vanished instantly. A slender young man wearing a cyan outer robe stepped over the threshold and walked straight toward the podium.

Not until he stood still did Atian see his appearance clearly. It was a face that could be called delicate, yet it carried a slight look of illness. Even though his posture was as straight as 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 joining, 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 the Dao and longevity, 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?"

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

"Those of us in this profession 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 as for us Sword Cultivators, we 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 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 anything else; 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 showing off their titles to determine who is superior; they aren't ashamed of themselves..."

This was likely a joke, and a burst of laughter erupted in the Classroom. Atian, however, did not laugh; these common, conventional bits of knowledge about 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 sitting here possesses a Sword Bone, so I shall talk 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? The Sword of a Sword Cultivator is not made of common iron, but comes from within your own body. That's right, it is the Sword Bone gestated 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 intensity of it made Atian worry that he might cough his 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.

"It is said that once he draws his Sword, a radius of a hundred miles will be swept by a plague, and even cultivators will fall victim to it. That is why Elder Li does not easily leave the mountain gate. To be honest, we have always used whether Elder Li makes a move 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 gestated 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, but haven't I still lived for hundreds of years?"

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

"Other sects are betting on when Elder Li will kick the bucket, but he is actually faking his illness. The bookie running the bets is the Sect Master. Just from this one round, we 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, praising, "Good question!"

"There is no shortcut 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 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, "If you calm your heart, you will discover many versions of yourself that you never even imagined!"

"I know this sounds shameful, but you need to abandon your unnecessary 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 and go vote again!"

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

Atian: It seems I heard something incredible.

Zhao Kuo added woodenly: "As an aside, in order not to waste their elaborate cross-dressing, they also went to pad the rankings for the 'Female Cultivator Most Wanted to Spend the Night With' list."

"Regret? No, I don't regret it. Once you immerse yourself in the cult of Senior Brother, 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 that wears women's clothing! The shameful you, the embarrassing you, are all yourself! Otherwise, when will you ever discover your true heart and resonate with your Sword Bone! I don't want to see you bunch of long-faced people 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, on the other hand, happily began to look forward to lunch. Song Zhicheng, however, 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, your Junior Brother, do not understand."

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

"Elder Li said we all possess a Sword Bone, and he also mentioned the signs of having one. I consider myself to be outstanding in martial prowess, and I am immune to ordinary blades, so I fit the criteria. However, when I run into Junior Sister Bai, it's just... I, oh no, I, your Junior Brother, am a grown man after all; losing to 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 can discover 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 Bai Tian, he 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 people who have just entered, most of you are at the stage of Sword Bone Germination or Sword Bone Forming. The Sword Bone in your body has not yet reached the state where it can be formed into a sword and taken out; it still needs to be slowly nurtured and gestated. 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 Mid Stage. The so-called Sword Bone Completed is the sign of the Qi Refining Late Stage. 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."

At this point, Zhao Kuo touched his chin thoughtfully.

"However, to show such an abnormality while 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, his hands behind his back and shaking his head.

Li Ke knew every embarrassing detail about these disciples who had grown up in the sect like the back of his hand. Every sentence could accurately and ruthlessly poke at their most painful spots, and the Classroom was instantly filled with wails of misery.