All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 351 - 1: Pupil Fire (1/3)

Chapter 351: Chapter 1: Pupil Fire (1/3)

The nights at Broken Blade Mountain were tranquil, with no sound from insects or birds. The cold wind brushed aside the clouds and fog, and the moonlight reflected off the snow, casting a layer of icy cold light onto the ten thousand li of mountain ranges, lying horizontally like sword blades.

Legend had it that this place was an ancient battlefield for cultivators, where the intense aggression of weapon fiends and evil qi dissipated over the long years, allowing the resurgence of myriad forms of life. Even so, the wind blowing out from Broken Blade Mountain still carried with it a bracing chill that made people subconsciously hold their breath.

After the Frost Calamity, this bracing chill turned into a stark freezing air, and the white frost covering the mountain ridges shone like the polished edge of a sword blade, causing one to subconsciously turn their head with just one glance.

A once great river had become a glacier that flowed from the mountains—on both sides, forests of ice crystal-like trees stood erect. The bone-piercing cold wind passed through the branches like white smoke, emitting a breathing-like hissing sound.

Amidst the desolate snow and ice, a campfire was quietly burning, occasionally crackling and popping as it sent little sparks flying.

Surrounding the campfire, within a primitive campground, laid the carcass of a large bear; its bloody and putrid smell was sealed by the snow and ice. The severe cold of the Frost Calamity acted as a natural icehouse, providing the best preservation.

And within a tree hollow, a young man with black hair was practicing cultivation in meditation. His long hair, a tousled mess, was tied up roughly and hung behind him, yet his skin was like white jade, presenting a liveliness that was different from the surrounding frost and snow.

But no one would think of him as a feeble young master from a rich family, for if one observed closely, they could see that his muscles were well-built and vigorous, with blood coursing under his skin, pushing out waves of heat, making the entire tree hollow warm like spring. The ice and snow melted away, and even the branches began to sprout new buds.

At this moment, An Jing was at a critical juncture in his cultivation of the "Lesser Yang Sword Technique."

In the vast world of Embracing the Void, there were tens of thousands, if not countless, cultivation methods. Excluding those crude cultivation techniques that would ultimately be submerged in the tide of history, every unobscured and long-standing method, when cultivated to the very end, could foster all kinds of divine abnormalities and miraculous skills.

The Lesser Yang Sword Technique was one such ancient and long-circulated tome.

But just as fishing yields different results for different people, the same tome, with variations in annotations and interpretations, could demonstrate vastly different effects.

The Lesser Yang Sword Technique, as circulated among the common folk, used the movements of sword forms and the adjustment of breathing to regulate the circulation of blood and circulatory organs, in combination with diet to stimulate the Lesser Yang Qi. It could be used for health maintenance, keeping one young, and with years of practice, could lead to freedom from illness and a longer life—a genuinely effective and precious cultivation method.

However, the Lesser Yang Sword Technique transmitted by the Bright Mirror Sect was entirely different from the one circulated among the common folk. Although there were methods for nourishing the body and regulating the Inner Qi and breath, the core lie in the twelve secretive words: "Fix the mind like the moon, the breath like the sun, the spirit like the sword."

Fix the mind like the moon, implying the vast night sky with countless stars, there is only the Supreme Yin solitary moon hanging high. Life is filled with distracting thoughts as cluttered as the multitude of stars in the night sky, sometimes hidden, sometimes visible. These fleeting thoughts consume a lot of one’s energy, and even with focused attention, one can often not utilize their full potential.

By using complex sword forms and breath regulation, eliminate distracting thoughts and enter a state of tranquility through motion, just as the Supreme Yin sweeps across the night sky, causing stars to fade in its path.

Only then can one stabilize the breath like the sun, with a single thought controlling all the Inner Qi within the body, smoothing and releasing it as though there were a sun within, distributing all Essence Qi and Inner Breath throughout every corner of the body. As the Supreme Sun orbits, it illuminates and purges all shadows, burning away all waste and residues, ensuring the body’s pathways remain clear and unobstructed.

The Divine Sense as yin, the body as yang—within the yin lies the yang, thus named Lesser Yang.

Finally, condensing all Qi and Divine Sense into one, regarding the world as Great Yin and oneself as the true yang, and fixing the spirit onto the sword, one breaks free from the body and can then manipulate the Essence Qi outside their body and even the nature’s Yuan Qi.

This is the true intent of the "Lesser Yang Sword Technique," and the secret technique of Soul Condensing and Qi Stabilizing—to the ultimate point of the Body-Breaking Sword Technique—results in the divine skill known as "Pupil Fire."

The eyes are the gateways to life, the convergence point for the Essence Qi of the circulatory organs. Pupil Fire is just a name; its true transmission signifies that "the Essence Qi of the circulatory organs is powerfully exuberant, the whole person is filled with vigorous essence and energy, so much so that they can condense it into one, refining within the pupils a fiery divine light."

Only in this way can the Essence Qi break free from the body, forming an uncommon long-range offensive method for a Martial Artist with Inner Strength.

"Ordinary martial artists see this as a sneaking and sly tack, completely missing the true meaning of Pupil Fire. Even those with the True Transmission in hand often treat swordsmanship as their primary focus, devoting themselves to practicing the sword. Although they can indeed nourish their Inner Breath and temper their constitution, they ultimately miss the essence for the sake of the form, settling for the inferior path," he mused.

An Jing slowly opened his eyes, which were exceptionally mystical, with golden irises and crimson pupils. They were deep and profound, like the endless Flame Abyss, and at the very depths, divine lights, bright as stars, flickered incessantly.

He stood up, and the muscles and bones of his entire body made harmonious sounds together. His skin emitted large plumes of white steam, creating rolling heatwaves that swept towards the nearby bonfire. Suddenly, the flames rose on their own, fueled by the invisible Essence Qi, merging with nature’s spiritual energy to form a blazing Golden Flame that illuminated the night, melted the snow, and extinguished the woodpile.

While the common fire was extinguished, the flames of Essence Qi still burned. An Jing’s eyes moved, and his intangible sword of Divine Sense and Essence Qi swept across the crystal-like icy forest surrounding him. The ice and snow melted instantly, and amidst the sound of dripping, the intense cold mixed with the melting snow washed over the land, turning the nearby earth muddy and sodden. Yet, under his gaze, the vapors quickly evaporated and condensed.

Divine Abnormality "Pupil Fire".

This was the secret transmission of the True Method of the Bright Mirror Sect, the "Lesser Yang Swordsmanship". It was not a sword of mere flesh and bone, but one of Divine Sense and Essence Qi.

Once this Divine Abnormality was mastered, one’s gaze could turn into a sword. If one’s Fate Pattern was icy cold, it would be Supreme Yin Frost; if it was scorching hot, then Supreme Yang Daylight.

But this was just rudimentary control. If one truly comprehended the essence of Lesser Yang Swordsmanship and wielded the pure Divine Sense and Essence Qi as the sword, then when an ordinary Martial Artist was struck by this "Pupil Fire", their Essence Qi would uncontrollably ignite into an intense blaze, consuming themselves as if set on fire by the flames in the caster’s eyes, which was the origin of the name "Pupil Fire".

Racing out from the depth of the deserted snow plains at the Northern Border, An Jing, who had diligently practiced day after day, had completely mastered his second Divine Abnormality.

At this moment, the phenomena in his eyes receded, and An Jing, with his eyes reverted to their normal black, leaned over to pick up a piece of wood. With a pinch between his fingers, he rekindled the bonfire.

The flames reflected in his thoughtful eyes, "No wonder even the Emperor’s Blood of the Imperial Court cultivates this Divine Abnormality. Pupil Fire, turning the Soul and Spirit into a sword, and the Soul and Spirit as fire... This Abnormality can consolidate the Soul and Spirit, refine the Essence Qi. In the proper sequence, it should be the fourth Divine Abnormality to condense."

"But with my exceptional talent, I first cultivated the ’Tranquil Sword Manual’, condensed ’Grasping Heavenly Moment’ within my Soul and Spirit, hence I managed to condense Pupil Fire as the second instead."

Having received full disclosure from Mingguang Dust and Jin Yanhua, An Jing was no longer half-informed about Embracing the Void Martial Arts like a country bumpkin. At least in terms of theoretical knowledge, he could be considered a Martial Artist from a second-tier city.

An ordinary Martial Artist condensing Divine Abnormalities would follow the sequence of Flesh and Blood, muscles and bones, and then eventually reach the Soul and Spirit.

This is the most classic combination covering the entire body with Divine Abnormalities.

Firstly, one trains the Flesh and Blood to supply more abundant Essence Qi, such as "Golden Muscle" and "Qiu Luo Muscles".

Then they delve into the marrow to fundamentally improve their constitution, which is "Jade Marrow Bone".

Next is related to the Circulatory Organs: "Dantian Sea" or "Circulatory Organs", and those connected to the condensing Essence Qi, like "Pupil Fire".

Finally, comes the various Soul and Spirit Divine Abnormalities considered precious in Secret Transmissions.

This tends towards the traditional Martial Artist’s Body Refinement route. If you were like Mingguang Dust, who focused primarily on Inner Qi Divine Skills, Divine Abnormalities related to Flesh and Blood and marrow would be replaced with those related to blood, Circulatory Organs, and Essence Qi.

An Jing also planned to follow Mingguang Dust’s path. However, due to the Son of Heaven Method and Grasping Heavenly Moment, he first condensed the Soul and Spirit Divine Abnormality, so his cultivation logic was the reverse of others.

Through his powerful Soul and Spirit, he first condensed the inner Essence Qi into "Pupil Fire", and next, the Essence Qi would enhance the Circulatory Organs into either "Bright Mirror Heart" or "Circulatory Organs". These two steps could occur in any order and, ultimately, he would use the abundant Essence Qi and Divine Sense to penetrate his entire body, achieving a Divine Abnormality that could connect his whole body.

This completely reversed the usual order of cultivation for ordinary practitioners, which, in a sense... was quite Seven Fiend.