Blind Spot
Chapter 528 - 485 Destiny 3

Chapter 528: 485 Destiny 3

Time passed, and after receiving the Sword Nurturing Pouch from Master Kui Ling, Li Chengyi did not immediately begin choosing a sword blade target to nurture.

After all, it was somewhat strange that he inadvertently produced a particularly unique sword blade.

So he set it aside for the time being and followed Tie Zhu and his senior fellow disciple Huo Qingkong in learning the Faceless Sword Technique.

The moves of the Faceless Sword Technique were quite simple, but they were mostly instant-kill attacks. The essence of this art centered around being "faceless".

That is, making it impossible for the enemy to see one’s face even in death. This was the true intent of the Faceless Sword Technique.

The core of it was speed.

Quick to act, quick to explode, quick with the sword blade, and even quicker at heart.

Speed of heart aligns with intent and spirit.

Li Chengyi’s shortcoming was precisely speed, and since he could not leave the mountain due to his age, he simply dedicated himself to cultivating on the mountain.

As for the issue of the flow of time, he could no longer afford to be concerned. Trapped here, what he needed to consider now was to quickly unravel the truth of this place, why he had ended up here, and how to escape and return.

Whether it was Earth-Moon or Midlane, there were people waiting for him.

He had made promises to others and committed to leading his team out of their blind spots.

Under such a hidden cultivation, two years went by in the blink of an eye.

In the central practice hall of the Faceless sect.

"The essence of a sword technique lies not in its retention but in a singular point. Focus on that point, maintaining the best posture for drawing your sword at all times. When drawing your sword, let your intent follow your heart, and your heart be in harmony with your sword."

On the practice field, the eldest senior disciple, Huo Qingkong, explained the key points of the third realm of the Faceless Sword Technique.

"But Senior Brother, if that’s the case, doesn’t that turn into the sword controlling the heart? A sword like that, wouldn’t it lose its own soul?" a plump girl with a ponytail asked loudly, frowning.

She was Zhao Yuan, the chubby girl who had practiced swords with Li Chengyi in the past. Two years had passed, and she had grown to a height of one meter fifty and was beginning to develop curves.

Li Chengyi and the other junior disciples beside her had similarly grown to similar heights, and from afar, they started to resemble Taoists with swords in hand.

"Yes, if the sword controls us, while the speed increases, wouldn’t we lose the ability to decide when to act or when to stay still?" Another young Taoist boy echoed.

"I expected you to ask that. But if you want the sword to reach the ultimate speed, this is the prerequisite. No matter how quick your thoughts are, they cannot match the sword’s own movement.

Thus, when you go with the flow, the speed of the sword will naturally be at its pinnacle. As to your concerns about the sword controlling the heart... it’s time to mention our other fundamental technique."

Huo Qingkong explained gently.

"The Seven Spirit Holy Technique, being one of the two fundamental techniques of our sect, the Sword of Wisdom that is cultivated is used at such times."

As he said this, he slightly turned his body, aiming at a huge crane not far away.

The crane was leisurely pecking at pebbles on the ground, its snow-white wings flapping occasionally, its black-and-white neck and beak flexible yet resilient.

"Combining both fundamental techniques, I can give you a demonstration in advance. Since you all have almost mastered the basics of the Faceless Sword Technique, you can start attempting to cultivate the Holy Spirit Technique."

He formed a sword gesture with his hand and held it upright in front of him.

"Watch closely. The Sword of Wisdom overlays the blade in the Sword Nurturing Pouch. The more layers you can stack onto the blade, the more powerful it will be when you strike. Let your heart be guided by the sword movement; don’t think, don’t hesitate. Allow the Sword of Wisdom to control the blade so they merge into one, and you will naturally find the perfect moment to strike."

"Because the Sword of Wisdom originates from our cultivation, it is the embodiment of our thoughts; thus, the control naturally shifts from the sword controlling the person to the person controlling the sword."

Then, he fell silent, and a hint of black void slowly emerged in his eyes.

Chhh!

In an instant, a black line shot out.

One thousandth of a second!? No!

Faster than that!!

Much faster!

Li Chengyi instantly called upon his powerful dynamic vision, concentrating as he watched the black sword light shoot out from Huo Qingkong’s Sword Nurturing Pouch.

The sword light moved at an inconceivably terrifying speed, instantly striking the casually behaving crane’s tail feathers.

A small piece was missing from the tail feathers, and yet the crane remained oblivious.

In the distant sky, layers of clouds silently burst open, creating a circular void.

And in that instant, Li Chengyi’s eyes flickered as he noticed three marks of white light faintly shining on Huo Qingkong’s chest.

This guy... so fast... ten times the speed of sound? No... possibly faster... and that power...

He’s only what, thirteen years old? And he has reached the speed of Jiu Yi?

A chill ran through his heart. He had only just managed to condense the True Seal of the Triple Yin Canon Techniques, enhancing his body’s recovery ability significantly.

The marks of the Triple Yin Canon Techniques were all based on enhancing recovery strength.

By this point, he had officially stepped into the Eight Seals level, having crossed the Five Seals without obstacles; the subsequent advancements came much quicker.

But at this point, the only way forward was to continue the arduous training. Here, without the shortcut of the Essence of the True Seal, the martial arts of Blood Essence were useless; one could only follow the traditional techniques of the Faceless Sword Sect.

"How about it? Did you see my move just now?" Huo Qingkong asked with a smile, as he sheathed his hand.

"I conjured nine Swords of Wisdom, but having more Swords of Wisdom isn’t necessarily better. They need to reach a certain strength and power before you can continue to conjure more. Otherwise, if the Swords of Wisdom you create can’t even break the opponent’s protective artifacts, having more is useless."

"Senior Brother, I’ve heard from some folk tales that we cultivators are divided into different realms. Does our Sword Sect have this kind of division?" Li Chengyi asked.

Huo Qingkong glanced at the conspicuously attentive Li Chengyi among the disciples.

This junior brother was his favorite and he had great admiration for him, after all, a genius who could grasp anything taught with ease and then further deduce on his own was liked by everyone.

"There is such a division, but it’s not very useful. Our goal as cultivators is to cultivate to the Heavenly Holy Spirit and transcend everything. Techniques like Faceless Sword Technique are just measures to protect ourselves along the way. Once you practice the Seven Spirit Holy Technique to the fourth layer, you can condense the Origin Seal and bring a qualitative change to your spiritual consciousness. Thereafter, with each advancement, you can condense an additional Origin Seal," Huo Qingkong said with a smile.

"Then, Senior Brother, how many layers have you cultivated to? Can you reveal a little?" Li Chengyi asked quietly.

"There’s nothing I can’t say. I have now stepped into the final layer of the Seven Spirit Holy Technique and will soon be cultivating the supreme Thousand Face Sword Canon," Huo Qingkong replied gently.

"But isn’t the Holy Spirit Technique supposed to require a Holy Infant?" Zhao Yuan asked, puzzled by the side.

"No need for a must. The role of the Holy Infant is to take over and share in some of the pressure of the technique, but if one can withstand the side effects of the technique oneself, then the Holy Infant is not necessary," Huo Qingkong answered with a smile.

"Worthy of being Senior Brother! It seems that it won’t be long before our Faceless Sword Sect can dominate Panguang and lead the Four Sects!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuan’s eyes could not help but reveal a hint of admiration.

Huo Qingkong shook his head, too lazy to correct the little fellow, and continued to teach everyone to practice the sword.

Li Chengyi, on his part, while cooperating with the sword practice, also seemed thoughtful.

’It seems that the techniques of the Faceless Sword Sect also have the function of condensing imprints, otherwise where would Huo Qingkong get his three major imprints? If I also practice the techniques in the same way... I should also be able to condense additional new imprints.’

However, he hesitated whether to practice the techniques from Evil Flower’s Flower Language Technique or the original techniques taught by the Sword Sect.

Comparing the two, he could not discern the subtle differences between the original and the version of the Evil Flower, but the Evil Flower had never harmed him so far, whereas the future of the Faceless Sword Sect was doomed to destruction, so the techniques were likely to be flawed in power...

’But the problem is, for the techniques of the Evil Flower, one must find a Holy Infant at every level and wait for the Holy Infant to succeed in practice before continuing to the next level, as well as find a mutant Purple Delicate Flower to complete subsequent evolutions... which is quite troublesome.’

Li Chengyi, with his thoughts, completed his sword practice in due order and returned to Master Kui Ling’s attic.

He asked Master Kui Ling the same question again.

"Realms? There aren’t any, however... if you can cultivate the Faceless Sword Technique and the Holy Spirit Technique to the fourth layer, you will naturally condense an Origin Seal each. An Origin Seal signifies that your body and spiritual consciousness have undergone a complete sublimation. The Faceless Sword Technique enhances the characteristic of attack, and the Holy Spirit Technique enhances the robustness of your spiritual consciousness. Both complement each other."

Master Kui Ling was sitting in a bamboo chair reading a book, holding a bamboo slip in one hand. She wore a flowing, softly draping purple gown, trailing on the floor. The blue flower pattern on her forehead emitted a faint luminescence, accentuating her fair arms, creating a picturesque scene.

"What about the Thousand Face Sword Canon? What conditions are needed to practice that?" Li Chengyi asked.

"Do you reckon you can fly before you’ve learned to walk?" Master Kui Ling couldn’t help but pinch Li Chengyi’s cheeks.

"The Thousand Face Sword Canon is the supreme scripture of our sect’s cultivation, honed to perfection; it can adapt to any enemy or disaster with ease, for the so-called ways of the heavens leave a sliver of hope for survival.

This sword canon is divided into nine levels, with the entrance requiring the Four Origin Seals. Each level solidifies one Origin Seal, with each seal allowing the cultivator to find their adversary’s weak point at the fastest speed, and then deliver a fatal blow, a blow that defeats the enemy. At the highest point, the Origin Seals connect in a ring, resonating with True Fire, allowing one to quickly adapt to any adversity, transform into a divine being, and instantly render the opponent’s attacks ineffective. This is the undefeated realm, the same realm once reached by Ancestor Chi Yuan."

True Fire?

A chill ran down Li Chengyi’s spine as he heard about this again here. The Origin Seals forming a ring, isn’t that the True Seal Ring? And this True Fire, it sounded like Divine Fire... and that undefeated thing...

"You’ve just started your cultivation, don’t aim too high and neglect your foundation," Master Kui Ling touched the antlers atop his head.

"Yes, mother," replied Li Chengyi.

"How’s your sword nurturing coming along? You’ve been all secretive, not even showing your mother," Master Kui Ling asked softly.

"Well... isn’t it just a matter of time before I go down the mountain to be tested? Then you’ll see," Li Chengyi replied with an awkward laugh.

What he had placed in his Sword Nurturing Pouch was neither the Golden Sword nor the Yinglong Sword, but a piece of bamboo.

Just an ordinary piece of bamboo.

He planned to use this to test how effective his sword nurturing had been.

"Soon you’ll begin cultivating the Holy Spirit Technique, and then it’ll be time to search for the Holy Infant," Master Kui Ling nodded. "I can’t go with you, so you must be extra cautious on your own."

"Understood."

Li Chengyi nodded.

As an Eight Seal powerhouse, he believed that no matter how bad his luck was, it was unlikely that there would be any complications in finding the Holy Infant among the young Taoist disciples.

Now that he had left Tian Ju Pavilion and lacked subsequent martial arts techniques and paths of cultivation for advancement, it seemed he would temporarily have to follow the path of the Faceless Sword Sect.

After hearing about the function of the techniques from Master Kui Ling, Li Chengyi returned to his room, pondered for a moment, and decided to continue down the path of the Sword Sect.

The night was silent; the next day dawned early.

With the sky still dimly lit, several direct disciples had already gathered at the Faceless Dojo.

Unlike common disciples, those who could practice their techniques at the highest dojo were either the disciples or descendants of the Head Elders, so these Taoist disciples started on a different level from others.

If one were a common disciple, they would have to be assessed for ten years to determine their temperament before being allowed to touch the sect’s foundational entry-level martial arts.

Unlike Huo Qingkong, who had rapidly surpassed most of the stewards and was about to begin cultivating the supreme sword canon, becoming a powerful individual on the same level as the elders.

In Li Chengyi’s generation of more than a dozen direct disciples, four of them, due to their outstanding performance and extraordinary potential, made swift progress when cultivating the entry-level Sword Techniques and the Faceless Sword Technique. Their reputation as "Little Four Swords" was quietly spreading among the common disciples.