Chapter 164: The Sword Scripture of Wan Cang

  The first update!

  ——

  Late at night.

  Liuyun Sword Sect is located at the back mountain, by the side of a secluded valley and an emerald lake.

  Chen Xiao and Bei Heng talked for a long time, about the Xuan Yuan Domain. He finally understood that outside of the Great Chu Dynasty, there were not only countless dynasties, but also above the many dynasties, there was an even more vast and boundless world. That was a land with countless legends, beautiful brocades, and extreme magnificence.

  From ancient times to the present, it has given birth to one after another of the world's top powerhouses, creating a vast array of cultivation systems as numerous as the stars, and passing down a lineage as vast as the sea...

  There, there are Xian Tao, Mo Dao, and Yao Tao sects, all sorts of formidable figures, as well as various Void Caves, mysterious spaces, with countless dynasties offering sacrifices, countless countries making tributes, like the Great Chu Dynasty, which is just one of many.

  There, it is the Xuanhuan Realm, an ancient, vast and majestic world. Compared to it, the Great Chu Dynasty is like a small wave in the ocean, tiny and insignificant.

  "Unfortunately, after searching the world for countless years, I have yet to find a path leading to the Xuan Yuan Realm. It's as if it were just a legend, and finding it is even harder than ascending to heaven." Bei Heng sighed incessantly.

  "Is it harder than ascending to heaven? Hasn't anyone entered the Xuanhuan Realm in countless years?" Chen Tai asked incredulously. Beiheng was a cultivator of the Second Heaven of Earth Immortals, and had lived for who-knows-how-many years, yet even he had never reached the Xuanhuan Realm - this was simply unthinkable.

  "Of course, once you've cultivated to the sixth realm of Earth Immortal, someone will naturally come to guide you in the Xuanhuan Realm. This is a threshold; if you can't cross it, you won't have the qualifications to enter the Xuanhuan Realm for your entire life." Beiheng's expression was complex as he said: "You should know that the Xuanhuan Realm is the closest place to the Immortal Realm. Cultivating and crossing tribulations there will have a much higher success rate than other places, with many benefits. It's simply the most sought-after cultivation location in our hearts."

  "So, I can only enter the Xuanhuan Domain after cultivating to the sixth heaven of the Earth Immortal?" Chen Tai furrowed his brow and said. The jade slip left by Bai Yuqing made him understand that if he wanted to get more clues about his mother and father, he had to go to the Xuanhuan Domain. However, only when he truly understood everything about the Xuanhuan Domain did he realize that things were not as simple as he had imagined. The Xuanhuan Domain was not a place where anyone could enter at will!

  It's just like ascending to the heavens, and must go through the heavenly tribulation of ninefold trials. The trial of Xuanhuan Realm is to reach the cultivation base of Sixth Heaven of Earth Immortal, which seems much simpler, but how many cultivators in this world can safely reach this step?

  "There is another way." Bei Heng smiled slightly, "Ten years later, the Grand Chu Empire's Stellar Gathering will begin. As long as you can get into the top ten, you'll have a chance to enter a mysterious place, the Ancient Battlefield. And there, as long as you perform exceptionally well, you might have a chance to enter the Xuanhuan Realm."

  "After going through the Gathering of Stars and the Primordial Battlefield, there is only a glimmer of hope to enter the Xuanhuan Realm?" Chen Xiao emphasized the two words "glimmer of hope" heavily.

  "Indeed, to participate in the All-Stars Conference, one must be an outstanding talent of the entire Great Chu Dynasty. The Southern Border, Northern Barbarians, Eastern Sea, and Central Plains have countless talents, with at least hundreds of millions participating. Among them, there is no lack of extraordinary geniuses. To get a spot in the top ten, the difficulty is not ordinary, and the competition is extremely fierce. And those who can enter the Ancient Battlefield are the crème de la crème of countless dynasties, each one being an extraordinary prodigy. The difficulty of competing with them to obtain the qualification to enter the Xuanhuan Domain can be imagined."

  "With such layers of screening and competition, you say, how can hope be greater?" Beiheng sighed and said: "I also participated in the All-Stars Conference back then, but didn't even make it into the top 100. If you don't participate personally, you won't understand just how many young and powerful generations there are in this world."

  Chen Xiao suddenly felt an unspeakable pressure, but he was not afraid at all. His goal was to become a celestial being, how could he be stopped by these repeated tests?

  "Bei Heng big brother, what are the qualifications for participating in the All-Star Congress?"

  "Under thirty years old, already at the Two Instruments Golden Elixir Realm!"

  When Chen Tai returned to his own Qinxin Peak, the words spoken by Bei Heng still echoed in his mind, especially the qualification for participating in the All-Stars Conference, which was only open to those under 30 years old who had cultivated to the Two-Yuan Golden Elixir realm! Just this point alone is enough to prove that the cultivators who can ascend to the stage of the All-Stars Conference have how strong qualifications.

  "In just ten years, I now have only the Purple Mansion's complete boundary, with still a layer of Yellow Court boundary in between, to reach the Two Principles Golden Elixir realm. It seems that I must seize the time to cultivate."

  Sitting cross-legged in the quiet room, Chen Tai no longer delayed and began to cultivate his skills. He was this kind of person, once he had set a goal, he would go all out to achieve it without hesitation or dragging his feet.

  ——

  ——

  The flowers bloom and fall, three months pass in a flash.

  Kai Xin Peak, on one side of the cliff, a group of sword lights like a rolling exercise suddenly appeared and disappeared, coming and going, the sword energy whistling, as fast as lightning, fleeting without a trace.

  Gradually, Chen Xiao's movements changed from extremely fast to slow, and the sword seemed to be carrying a mountain, each stroke was laborious, as slow as a snail.

  However, the sword's momentum became increasingly mysterious, carrying an inexplicable divine charm. The breath that floated out of the sword energy seemed to contain the trajectory of the stars, the thickness of the earth, the sharpness of metal, the vitality of all trees, the wildness of fire, the gentleness of water, the lightness of wind, and the rotation of yin and yang...

  He actually wants to integrate all ten Dao intentions into his swordsmanship!

  If someone were to watch Chen Xiao's sword trajectory from the side, they would surely become disoriented and fall into a demonic trance in an instant, for this sword move had already completely transcended the realm of ordinary swordsmanship.

  Bang!

  It was unknown how long it took, but the sword tip trembled and the ten kinds of Taoist intentions shattered and dispersed instantly. Chen Tai was already sweating profusely, panting uncontrollably, and his body and mind were exhausted.

  "It seems that apart from the Wind Path, my understanding of other paths is still very superficial. Three months have passed and I'm still unable to merge them, the Dao Domain, it's really difficult to comprehend."

  Chen Xuan let out a soft sigh in his heart. Indeed, since witnessing Luo Xiuxiu's Blood Devouring Domain, he had been restless, trying to integrate and merge the ten types of Dao intent he had comprehended into a domain. However, when he actually started cultivating, he suddenly discovered that he had still underestimated the difficulty of condensing a domain, and it was much harder than he thought.

  However, these three months of cultivation were not without progress, and his understanding of swordsmanship had made rapid advances, unlike before.

  "Whoosh!" Chen Tuan let out a long sigh of turbid air, looked up at the sky, and saw that the night sky was clear and bright, with countless stars twinkling on and off, vast and profound.

  Witnessing the struggle of the various heavens, Chen Xuan unconsciously felt a stirring in his heart: "I've only been thinking about merging with the Dao's intention, yet I've fallen into biased and absurd thoughts. Since that's the case, why must I force it?"

  In an instant, Chen Xiao's heart was suddenly clear and open, his thoughts were unobstructed, and he let out a long laugh. He felt infinite sword intent surging up to his head, and immediately his sword moved with his will, splashing out freely, its momentum like a gust of wind blowing snow, bold and unrestrained.

  The sword dance in the night sky, has no moves to speak of, but the meaning is becoming more and more profound. The sword light flows and turns, like a dragon and snake, flying and leaping like lightning, with wind and fire overflowing, matching the stars, yin and yang intertwined, earth and water surging, like the sun and moon converging, everywhere subtly combining multiple heavenly and earthly mysteries.

  It wasn't until half a watch had passed that Chen Xun finally felt refreshed and clear-headed, the lump in his chest completely gone. Just then, he heard someone clapping their hands in admiration: "Good swordsmanship!" He turned to look, and saw Bei Heng standing on the edge of the cloud, a smile playing on his lips.

  "Ah, so it's Big Brother."

  "Just now, your sword intent seemed to contain several kinds of sword intents, it's wonderful and can't be put into words." Beiheng flew down beside Chen Yu, and once again praised: "However, this sword move is mixed and not pure, and has yet to reach the realm of fusion, only lacking the final integration."

  Chen Xiao nodded and said: "Indeed, these are all my own wild guesses, I'm afraid it's laughable to Elder Brother."

  "You're being humble again, if I had your understanding back then, I'd probably be an immortal by now." Bei Heng said with a fake angry smile, before suddenly saying: "I see that your sword technique contains the hidden meanings of stars, wind, thunder, five elements and yin-yang, all of which are part of the Supreme Tao. Wanting to merge them into one will probably be very difficult."

  Chen Xuan's heart moved slightly, and he asked: "Big brother, do you have a solution?"

  Bei Heng smiled and said, "I knew you wouldn't be fooled." He took out a jade slip from his bosom and handed it over. "This is the Wan Cang Sword Classic, which means that all things in heaven and earth can be contained within it. It's a sword technique that has been passed down the most widely, but also the most difficult to master."

  "What is most widely spread and yet the hardest to cultivate?" Chen Tai was taken aback.

  "It is indeed true that this sword scripture has been passed down in every corner of the world, with unmatched power and infinite mystery." Bei Heng sighed: "However, this sword scripture is extremely difficult to cultivate successfully, and even the vast majority of people can't even enter the door. My Flowing Cloud Sword Sect takes the sword as its foundation, and over the past tens of thousands of years, countless predecessors have tried to cultivate the Wan Cang Sword Scripture successfully, but unfortunately, up until now, not a single person has been able to do so."

  "Isn't there anyone?" Chen Xiao exclaimed in surprise.

  "It's indeed because it's too difficult." Bei Heng said with a smile, "I'm giving it to you for your contemplation and understanding, not for actual practice. After all, this sword technique is too hard, and even if you practice diligently, you'll end up with nothing to show for it, and instead delay your own progress. However, the eight great sword paths within it - Qian, Kun, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui, Zhen - mutually generate and transform, containing the logic of heaven and earth's myriad phenomena, which will greatly benefit you in integrating the meaning of the Tao."

  "Big brother, can you tell where it's difficult?" Chen Tai asked as he took over the jade slip.

  "Elaboration, enlightenment." Bei Heng replied: "This sword manual has only eight major sword paths, but it can evolve into endless sword moves, endless changes, simply vast as the sea, exhausting all changes in heaven and earth. Even a master of divination who is skilled at deducing heavenly mechanisms will be trapped by its changes, and if their spiritual power is not strong enough, they will inevitably become disordered and possessed."

  Deduction? Enlightenment?

  Chen Xuan had a faint feeling in his heart that this sword manual seemed to be very suitable for him.

  Because as he knew, the master of the cave, Fuxi, was able to observe the River Chart and deduce the changes in the heavenly mechanism, grasping the great way of heaven and earth, reaching the ultimate goal. And now, in his own sea of recognition, there is a true body imprint of Fuxi's predecessor, day and night contemplating, making his divine soul extremely strong, far surpassing ordinary people.

  However, this is just his speculation, and whether it is as he thought, still needs to be personally experienced and pondered to be clear.

  After chatting for a while, Bei Heng left immediately. Chen Tang then opened the jade slip that recorded the Wan Cang Sword Classic without hesitation and meditated deeply to comprehend it.

  The Wan Zang Jian Dian is divided into eight sword paths: Qian, Kun, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, Dui and Zhen. Chen Tang first flipped through the "Xun Sword Path".

  Xun is wind. He had long since grasped a complete understanding of the meaning of the Wind Dao, and his comprehension of the Wind Dao was unparalleled. Naturally, he decided to start with what he was most skilled at - speculation.

  "The Xun Jian Dao" is a free and easy style, similar to the Tai Yi Wu Xing Jian, but its variations are so numerous that they cannot be compared to the Tai Yi Wu Xing Jian. It is divided into nine major sword styles, each of which contains nine medium sword styles, and each medium sword style contains nine small sword styles, linked together in a never-ending cycle.

  "Nine times eighty-one, repeated again and again, the small sword moves derived from it are as many as six thousand six hundred and fifty-one, and each of these small sword moves has infinite variations... This is just the 'Xun Sword Way', if you add up the changes in the other seven major sword ways, it's simply an astronomical figure!"

  Chen Xiao hastily scanned through it, and instantly understood what Bei Heng said. Indeed, this Wan Cang Jian Dian was too difficult, worthy of being called vast like the ocean. If one wasn't skilled in deduction, they might not be able to successfully cultivate it at all.

  However, how can one know whether the practice is successful or not without giving it a try? Chen Xiao was unaware that his attention had been completely absorbed by the Wanzang Sword Manual in his hand.