Chapter 439: The Divine Power Bearer: Forbidden Character Art, Jun Tian Sword Art!

There are countless methods of Foundation Establishment, ranging from first to ninth rank, with myriad varieties.

Some rely on immortal-grade treasures or celestial spiritual substances to establish the foundation.

There is also the path of martial Foundation Establishment!

Yet among all these methods, the most mysterious and most coveted is "Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!"

To forge this foundation, one must create from nothing a cultivation art never before seen on Tianxuan Continent.

And once this art gains the recognition of Heaven's Dao, a "Heavenly Dao Seed" shall descend—that is the hallmark of Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment.

Each Heavenly Dao Seed, when planted with a Dao Art, may one day evolve into a "Supreme Dao Art" spanning hundreds of billions of kalpas, illuminating the Three Realms and Ten Directions.

Each seed of the Dao, when planted with a Dao art, may one day evolve into a supreme Dao art spanning hundreds of billions of eons, illuminating the Three Realms and Ten Directions.

Since ancient times, through countless eons,

countless "Seekers of the Dao" have pressed forward, and the martial path has long been thoroughly explored.

To break free from the cages of predecessors and forge one's own path,

yet without aid from outsiders—

the difficulty is unimaginable.

In this generation of Shenxiao Sect, among its vast outer and inner halls, even including the True Disciples,

only four have completed "Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment."

Whoever achieves Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment immediately gains the sect's true elite cultivation support.

If they do not perish early, they generally ascend to the True Person realm.

All nine Inner Hall Masters of Shenxiao Sect today are Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishers.

Only after Foundation Establishment can one transform internal spiritual energy into "True Yuan."

Then, one must carve out a "Cave Heaven" within the body.

Within this carved-out "Cave Heaven," one plants a Dao Art.

Once any Dao Art is activated, one may be called a Third Heavenly Ladder cultivator.

Of course, there is one exception.

The world always has prodigies of extraordinary caliber who, even at the Second Heavenly Ladder realm,

have already planted Dao Arts.

Like the True Disciple "Li Qingshui."

After much deliberation, Yu Ke had reached the peak of the Second Heavenly Ladder, and his Shentian acupoint had already opened.

Yet regarding Foundation Establishment, he still felt hesitation and incompleteness.

Ordinary aristocratic youths, when establishing their foundation, always have family elders or high-ranking sect masters guard them to ensure absolute safety.

But he possessed the Kunxu Cauldron, a heaven-defying treasure, and could not flaunt it, lest he invite disaster by drawing attention to his wealth.

And since he possessed the Kun Xu Ding, such an extraordinary treasure, he could not display it, lest he invite disaster by drawing attention to his wealth.

Foundation Establishment is a matter of utmost importance, and he must prepare in advance—ideally, find within the sect a location rich in spiritual energy and equipped with perfected arrays: a "Foundation Establishment Ground."

Foundation Establishment is the root of all future cultivation; not a single slip may be allowed.

But such grounds require vast sums of spirit stones—not freely provided.

Within Shenxiao Sect, everything—from food and clothing to lodging and cultivation needs—requires spirit stones.

Yu Ke could not help but sigh.

Wherever you go, without money, you cannot take a single step.

His former self had lacked funds; otherwise, he would have secured a "Foundation Establishment Ground" without hesitation.

Now, he held fifty thousand spirit stones given to him yesterday by the young master of the small courtyard, "Cai Yingzhao."

Cai Yingzhao still owed him thirty thousand spirit stones.

His total external debts were sixty thousand—now he could repay them all.

After settling debts, he still had twenty thousand spirit stones left, plus the three hundred spirit stones compensation he received after being cut from Zhou Liang's gathering.

Thus, he now possessed twenty thousand and three hundred spirit stones.

Yu Ke was satisfied. On the ninth day since arriving in this world,

he had resolved the problem of bodily damage from failed Foundation Establishment,

repaid all his debts, and still had surplus.

The path of life flows slowly; one must manage step by step to achieve anything.

All of this was his own hard-won empire.

Since Foundation Establishment was not urgent, Yu Ke's mind shifted slightly, and the abundant spiritual fluid within him slowly dispersed, returning to stillness.

The twenty-nine precious strands of Woxuanmuqi, after consumption,

now remained only nine!

He carefully concealed them within his dantian, to be used as needed in the future.

Then, his mind turned—he decided to claim all subsequent rewards from the simulation, the one he most anticipated being the "Forbidden Character Art."

Yet a question arose: he had not yet established his foundation, nor carved out a Cave Heaven—how could he plant this art?

As he pondered, before he could think further,

the great cauldron boomed, its four legs trembling, as an ancient, primordial aura rose from within.

Then, a jade talisman of dark yellow slowly emerged from the cauldron's mouth, inscribed with a complex "Forbidden" character, emitting a faint glow as if holding the essence of Heaven and Earth.

The talisman gently descended and hovered above Yu Ke's lower dantian, motionless as a mountain.

The jade talisman gently descended and hovered above Yu Ke's lower dantian, motionless as a mountain.

Yu Ke was startled, turning his inner vision inward, locking onto the hovering Forbidden Character.

Could it remain stable within the dantian without a Cave Heaven?

Yu Ke pondered inwardly: what category of Dao Art was this Forbidden Character?

Dao Arts are divided into four ranks: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding; each rank further subdivided into Low, Medium, and High. What he had encountered so far was but a fraction.

Beyond his knowledge lay even more profound and unfathomable Dao Arts, some surpassing even the category of Dao Arts, revered as "Divine Powers."

Those who mastered great Divine Powers were called "Great Divine Power Bearers," crushing entire realms and standing as true supreme beings.

Yu Ke felt longing, yet knew well: eat one meal at a time, walk one step at a time.

He pulled his thoughts back to the present, considering how to use the Forbidden Character Art.

He had not yet established his foundation, nor condensed True Yuan—how could he activate this art?

He focused his mind, deciding to try using the spiritual energy in his dantian to activate the Forbidden Character.

As spiritual energy slowly flowed into it, the Forbidden Character seemed to awaken.

When he sank his spiritual sense into it, he instantly understood its method of use.

No hand seals or incantations needed—only select a nearby target with his spiritual sense.

This was like a game skill with "no casting animation, no cooldown."

And "instant-cast"… no, "Dao Art."

Yu Ke was delighted, yet had no target to test it on.

At that moment, blue text suddenly appeared on the cauldron, detailing the Forbidden Character's effects.

"Within a certain range, it can seal a target, preventing them from using spiritual energy, casting any Dao Art, or activating innate abilities."

"And it includes a brief immobilization effect!"

Yu Ke stared at the description, inwardly astonished.

The Forbidden Character's effect resembled a game's "Silence" plus "Control"—a devastating combat tool.

The effect of this forbidden character was akin to the game's "silence" combined with "control"—a formidable weapon in battle.

Yu Ke's heart brimmed with anticipation—he could hardly wait to use this Forbidden Character Art in the upcoming Inner Hall Grand Competition, to silence his opponents and catch them off guard.

He imagined their faces, blank with bewilderment, the classic "???" expression forming.

As if seeing the opponent's face slowly twist into a bewildered "WTF?" expression.

This art had a limitation: it could control only one target.

If it could control multiple targets, it would be perfect!

In the cultivator world, Dao Arts are the primary offensive means; once disabled, a cultivator becomes like a tiger without claws or fangs—a harmless "meow."

Yet cultivators in this world differ: they cultivate not only Dao Arts but also martial arts, and when pushed to extremes, martial arts can form powerful Dao Arts.

In Yu Ke's understanding, martial arts were like skill books in a game—only by learning the skill book could one gain the skill.

These martial arts were the lowest-tier "skill books."

In Shenxiao Sect, the most famed divine art was the "Nine Heavens Jade Purity True Thunder," a creation-grade art capable of commanding the Nine Heavens' Divine Thunder.

When perfected, it could condense Divine Powers such as "Jade Pivot Thunder," "Shenxiao Thunder," "Great Cave Thunder," and "Immortal Capital Thunder."

The opening line of this art: "Heaven has Nine Heavens; Shenxiao is the Highest"—this is the origin of Shenxiao Sect's name.

The reward prompt had been fully claimed, yet he remembered two more rewards.

Yu Ke recalled the third simulation, the "manual" left behind by the Great Snow Mountain's Master Bao Shu Chan before his death.

It was a dual-cultivation art, resembling a demonic technique.

Later, Lu Chen had completely forgotten about it.

The cauldron, as if sentient, now displayed text again.

【Claim the Great Snow Mountain "Union Secret Method"?】

【Can you claim the Great Snow Mountain's Joyful Secret Art? Do you claim it?】

Rewards must be claimed; free stuff is always tempting.

Claim it directly!

Yu Ke recalled that during the fiftieth simulation, when he altered the fate of the world, he had drawn one 【Personal Participation】.

He never ended up using it.

As Yu Ke willed it, the characters atop the great cauldron appeared again.

【Reward Item...】

1. "One Personal Participation" may be used at any time during the next ten-year simulation, after all uses of Personal Participation are exhausted, for a duration of one day.

【Hint: Upon completion of this Heavenly Reincarnation, this item becomes invalid.】

【Invalid item may be decomposed into Wu Xuan Mu Qi. Exchange?】

Yu Ke stared at the text above.

He pondered: this wasn't a waste of an item.

If Lu Chen hadn't "collapsed on Mount Zhongnan," it could have been used in the next simulation.

Fortunately, it could still be decomposed into Wu Xuan Mu Qi—so he wasn't truly at a loss.

It seemed the three 【Personal Participations】 were especially crucial in the Heavenly Reincarnation simulations.

With this experience, he must use them more carefully next time.

Without hesitation, he exchanged it.

The great cauldron exhaled five strands of Wu Xuan Mu Qi, which flowed into Yu Ke's dantian.

The next moment, a thick scroll of goat-skin scripture appeared in his hand.

Was this the "evil art" of Great Snow Mountain?

Good heavens!

Yu Ke was stunned—the characters were like pictographs, piled densely together, utterly illegible.

He couldn't recognize a single character!

He gave up and flipped through a few pages at random—then froze. There were simple line drawings on the back.

"This... a spring palace diagram?"

"A monk?"

He studied the illustrations closely—each posture was uniquely bizarre, dizzying and eye-opening.

Two naked bodies entwined, some positions too indecent to behold.

One of them was consistently depicted with a bald head.

"A monk?"

"Then again, these postures... they're quite the posture!"

But to Yu Ke, they were utterly useless.

Could he sell them?

After all, there were many "knowledge points" here.

Yet he shook his head, letting out a bitter laugh:

"Forget it, forget it—reputation matters!"

He didn't want his reputation ruined in the Outer Sect tomorrow.

In the end, Yu Ke stowed the mysterious goat-skin scripture into his storage pouch.

All rewards have been fully claimed!

He looked forward to tonight's simulation—what kind of life would it open?

Yu Ke gazed at the Kunxu Cauldron slowly rotating in his mind-sea.

It seemed that after this simulation, the cauldron had undergone another transformation—more ancient, more mysterious.

The cauldron's volume had doubled, but without a reference in the mind-sea, he only felt it clearly in his heart.

The inscriptions on the cauldron grew livelier: mountains, rivers, flying birds, running beasts, trees, and flowers—all lifelike, as if bursting forth from the vessel.

Yu Ke murmured to himself.

Was the Kunxu Realm a reflection of reality, or merely a dream?

Where had Lu Yu, Empress Wu Ying, and Huang Dao ascended to?

Beyond the cauldron, was there another world?

Countless questions filled Yu Ke's mind.

The cauldron would not answer.

Since he could not unravel its mysteries, he would cultivate first!

At this moment, night gradually faded.

Four great suns rose gently, and the world welcomed its first light.

The day's plan begins at dawn—cultivating now yields double results.

It was also when spiritual energy in heaven and earth was most abundant.

Yu Ke's acupoints were fully unblocked; he began the Great Circulation.

A faint shimmer of spiritual energy spread over his body; the immortal art, "Yang Tian Gui Zhi," quietly activated within.

When Yu Ke finished his morning practice, he slowly rose from his bed.

After opening the "Shen Tian Acupoint," he felt no other unusual sensations—only that he had been "elevated."

Not in height, but in memory: everything from yesterday became crystal clear, retrievable with a mere thought.

Even the hazy fragments of his former life's memories surfaced one by one.

He recalled, bit by bit, the embarrassing incident of wetting his bed at age two or three.

Wait a moment!

"?"

Suddenly, Yu Ke realized—the once obscure sword techniques now seemed as clear as clouds parting after rain.

Especially the Yu family's ancestral "Jun Tian Sword Art"—those previously incomprehensible sections now came to him effortlessly, naturally applied.

As if the sword intent had always flowed in his blood, innate and effortless.

The "Jun Tian Sword" was the sword scripture left by Yu family's founding ancestor, Yu Chuan. When perfected, it could condense six Dao arts.

The scripture contained only seven chapters; Yu Ke's cultivation was still shallow, and the family had only taught him the first two.

The first chapter was foundational Qi-refining and heart method—simple enough for most Yu clan youths to begin practicing.

The sword techniques in this chapter were plain and unremarkable, merely describing basic moves: "slash, chop, thrust, flick"—yet utterly orthodox.

The second chapter was titled "Jun Tian Zhen Jian"—only one technique, one sword stroke.

It contained only a brief passage, nothing else.

"The sword trembles like a cicada's wing, its might strikes like thunder upon earth!"

Yet its profound meaning remained elusive.

The former Yu Ke had only half-understood it, unable to grasp its essence.

He practiced for months without progress, and eventually gave up in frustration.

Now, memories of his childhood diligence in practicing the sword scripture surged forth—like nectar poured upon the head, clarity exploded in his mind!

Words of advice from elders in the Yu family suddenly became fully comprehensible.

"So that's it!"

"The 'Zhen' character requires not only trembling the sword's body, but also resonating with the tremor of heaven and earth's spiritual energy!"

"The sword trembles like a cicada's wing, its might strikes like thunder upon earth!"

Yu Ke's heart burned with eagerness. He hastily drew his magic sword from his storage pouch, gripped it tightly, gently opened the door, and stepped into the quiet morning courtyard.

Morning light fell like threads, gently bathing the clear pond, its surface shimmering with dazzling ripples.

Beside the pond, the pear tree still stood tall, its branches heavy with white blossoms that never withered through the seasons—now purer and more elegant in the dawn light, mirrored perfectly in the water.

Yu Ke strolled through the courtyard, his gaze falling upon a dedicated training ground.

PS: The early chapters were all simulations; this chapter serves as a patch for the main world.

(End of Chapter)