All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 429 - 72: Nature, Spirit, and Life Qi (2/3)

Chapter 429: Chapter 72: Nature, Spirit, and Life Qi (2/3)

It must be said that Principal He, though unassuming and looking no different from an ordinary middle-aged academic staff member, An Jing instinctively sensed a very intense danger emanating from him.

Very strong. Extremely dangerous. Like... a sword that can harm others as well as oneself!

"Oh... this is a pure Sword Immortal!"

At that moment, with the keen perception of an Immortal Sword, Subdue Evil also made a similar assessment to An Jing’s, "He’s quite good... His Sword Intent is clear and transparent, representing some kind of Gold Water Intent. His foundation is solid, and if nothing goes wrong with his Immortal Foundation, it should belong to the category of [White Feather Banner, Golden Sand Cloud Cliff]."

"Strange." Seeing this, Subdue Evil, the Sword Spirit, expressed his confusion, "He has already passed the three challenges of ’Foundation Transformation to Origin,’ ’Mysterious Cavern Forging Seed,’ and ’Enlighten Mind to Communicate with the Divine.’ He should be able to transform his Natural Spirit into Lifebound Divine Skills, and his Life Qi into an Immortal Body. At this point, Divine Skills and True Qi blend together, and he can entrust his True Soul to the Great Void. Once the Great Void True Soul is indestructible, he becomes a True Person of the Purple Mansion."

"But how did he get stuck at the last step of Foundation Establishment, that is, the first challenge of the Purple Mansion ’Great Void Sheltering Soul’?"

"Is there some imperfection?"

An Jing thought to himself, "I see that his physical body isn’t very strong, just about the same as those Grandmasters from the Zuohuan Sect—except that his Sword Intent is much purer than that guy who uses his heart to transform into a sword."

"The path of Qi Refinement Immortal Dao doesn’t focus on physical strength, but on the soul and the life force," the Sword Spirit of Subdue Evil explained, "Thus, whether you use the Natural Spirit to walk the path of Divine Skills or Life Qi to construct the Immortal Body, you must complete both by the third challenge, which is the Dual Cultivation of Life and Nature."

"The three challenges of the Immortal Body are ’Cultivating the Holy Embryo,’ ’Refining the Jade Body,’ and ’Returning Life Qi to Truth.’

"Finally, when the Holy Embryo transforms and the nature leaps upward with every step, the Spiritual Nature naturally ascends—similarly, after ’Enlighten Mind to Communicate with the Divine,’ the Divine Skills refine the shell and can also swiftly increase Life Qi."

"I see," An Jing mused thoughtfully, "Then what about tandem cultivation?"

"Dual Cultivation of Life and Nature, of course," Subdue Evil said with a smile, "Possessing both Divine Skills and an Immortal Body, the final leap is naturally extraordinary. One can even condense a trace of real gold nature ahead of time, providing a powerful ingredient for later when reaching the peak of the Purple Mansion, during the ’Seven Returns and Nine Transformations,’ to refine the Golden Core. It can enhance the quality of the Golden Core. Therefore, those aspiring to a high-quality Golden Core will attempt Dual Cultivation of Life and Nature. However, the process is challenging, and unless it’s for the First-Rate Golden Core, it might not be worth the tremendous effort just for a high-quality one."

"As for Principal He, he focuses on Spiritual Nature... It looks like there’s a problem with his mindset, his Sword Heart has started to hesitate, hence he cannot achieve clarity and divine communication, and he cannot break through the barrier of the Purple Mansion’s Great Void to entrust his True Soul."

"He has been at this realm for at least twenty years but has wasted all this time, what a pity."

Of course, An Jing couldn’t discern exactly what was wrong with Principal He’s mindset, but he was very clear that the other’s strength surpassed that of any Grandmaster he had encountered.

Even the Blood Fiend clone of the Western Patrol Envoy, because it wasn’t a true Martial Meridian Grandmaster and didn’t have the internal Martial Meridian Formation Realm, was definitely inferior to him in terms of raw power.

It sounds like this strength meant little due to the Western Patrol Envoy.

But in reality, the Western Patrol Envoy’s Martial Meridian clone was still the strongest enemy An Jing had ever seen; he had slain his foe with the aid of the Earth Vein, the power of Mingguang Dust, and various cards up his sleeve that the Western Patrol Envoy couldn’t anticipate.

Moreover, aside from the final moment, the Western Patrol Envoy had never had the heart to deal a death blow, only thinking of capturing An Jing to refine him as raw material.

At this moment, Principal He slightly frowned; he felt that An Jing’s gaze was pricking him—but soon, he smiled. The fact that An Jing’s Sword Intent could evoke such a sensation of ’a thorn in the back’ indicated that the latter’s potential was extraordinary.

"Here, I want to thank you for your assistance to Nian Quan. I can tell that Nian Quan was able to temporarily raise his power significantly, entirely relying on your help."

With that said, he didn’t belabor the point and extended an invitation directly, "Although it may be somewhat presumptuous, may I ask if you’re interested in joining Third Middle School?"

Huo Qing glanced at An Jing before taking the lead to respond, "I’m a bit too old, I’m afraid it won’t work."

"Indeed, but that’s a minor matter." Principal He glanced at Huo Qing, recognizing the robust physical foundation of the young man, which was also admirable, "I know you also have the qualification to audit courses from the four major Daoist Academies."

"However, I can give you certification from Third Middle School, allowing you to audit as a reserve prospect of Third Middle School. This is far rarer than the ordinary auditing qualifications available on the market, and it comes with many benefits."

"What about you?"

Turning his head, Principal He’s focus was always An Jing. He looked at the young man with bound hair in front of him, who seemed extraordinary just from his demeanor, and spoke quite earnestly, "In my view, your strength is quite remarkable. Would you be interested in joining us at Third Middle School? I would invite you with a special admission slot."

"Unlike the Wilderness, even if the Wilderness has legacies not inferior to those in cities, it couldn’t possibly surpass an academy in comprehensiveness and integrity."

Principal He’s invitation was indeed sincere, and An Jing must also give a serious answer, "Principal sir, I must admit, I do want to accept. My backing... sect indeed sent me to Xuanye City to further our prospects."

"If I could join Xuanye City and become a student of Third Middle School, it would be beneficial for both me and the people behind me."

"However, as I am the heir on my side, even if I want to agree, I still need to go back and discuss the relevant procedures and make preparations... I can give you an answer within a shortest period of three months, and at most half a year."

An Jing’s response was his true thoughts.

To be able to study at the university in Xuanye City, to fully understand the cultivation system of Qi Refinement and the Immortal Path would definitely be a huge gain. Not to mention the many Skills recorded in the school library, the experiences of previous cultivators; perhaps he really could gain inspiration and make leaps in his cultivation?

But with An Jing’s current situation of disappearing every three days, staying in Xuanye City to study was wishful thinking. He must first recover the Subdue Evil fragments within Broken Blade Mountain to gain longer stay times in the other world before he could agree.

"Good."

Principal He knew that An Jing was making excuses, but such matters indeed can’t be decided by An Jing alone.

Most people in Xuanye City look down on the Wilderness, but Principal He knew that the number of unique and remarkable individuals in the Wilderness far exceeded everyone’s imagination.

The eccentrics who do not wish to be cultivated in safe zones, the geniuses who chose to explore ancient Dao Courtyard ruins and never returned, and the many strong individuals who for various reasons wanted to break free from constraints to establish their own sects, would all eventually choose to head to the Wilderness.

Although the Wilderness lacks Primordial Spirit Inheritances and could never compare to the four major conglomerates, it is not to be underestimated in other aspects.

— Behind this An Xuan, there must either be a Sword Immortal inheritance or indeed a Sword Cultivator who is at least as strong as myself at the Foundation Establishment stage... no, stronger. Perhaps a Purple Mansion Sword Immortal.

Principal He pondered inwardly, "If possible, it would be great to establish a connection with the elder backing him... Well, even if there’s something big, it has nothing to do with me as of now."

His high opinion of An Jing was precisely because he had an excellent eye for talent. Being a Sword Immortal himself, he could recognize the value of ’Wounding Sword Qi’ and ’Piercing Armor True Strength’ — such skills would be considered True Transmission Secret Manuals even in Xuanye City and are definitely not something ordinary people could easily learn.

In the Wilderness, they would definitely be learned only by the core inheritors of an organization.

"If you want to apply for early admission."

His thoughts racing, Principal He wore a smile as he handed An Jing a business card, "This is my private contact information. Whether you want to apply for a chip or have other matters, you can contact me to discuss."

"Also,"

Seeing An Jing accept the business card, he nodded slightly, "I see you were planning to buy some things in the Special City earlier?"

"Although the Special City occasionally has good items, the supply is not stable. If you need anything, it’s more convenient to go through my channels."

An Jing thought about it and still informed the other party of his needs.

Sometimes, when encountering such situations, it’s not possible to cut ties simply because one wants to. The less you owe someone, the more curious they become — so it might be better to make some requests that are convenient for oneself, also allowing the other party to be at ease, facilitating future cooperation.

"Drones for high-danger environments and Evil-Repelling Clothes?"

Hearing An Jing’s request, Principal He showed an understanding expression, "You want to prepare for exploring Ancient Immortal Ruins?"

— Actually not.

An Jing remained silent, but since the others had misunderstood, let them be. He couldn’t very well explain that he wanted to explore the lair of a Blood Fiend from the Purple Mansion, could he?

"A small matter."

Principal He took An Jing’s silence as consent, his eyes flickered with Spiritual Light, and he had already sent the request to others via the chip.