Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 279 - 279 278 An Important Step End of the Month for Votes

279: Chapter 278: An Important Step [End of the Month for Votes] 279: Chapter 278: An Important Step [End of the Month for Votes] PS: On the last day of the month, friends, if you have a vote, please cast it, just like Hou Niao ascending to the Upper Realm, give the old and lazy a little push…

………

Hou Niao took a crucial step in his cultivation journey; only from today could he proudly say, “I am a cultivator.”

As described in the Daoist Record, the true natural Great Mahayana is not reliant on any external objects at all; cultivation is natural, acting in accordance with the situation, so why should one insert all sorts of mundane things into it?

Seated in meditation, Hou Niao remained still, his ascension to the Upper Realm was successful, yet there were still many tasks to be done;

First, stabilize the realm, which required constant transfer of mana to familiarize the dantian and meridians with this brand-new sensation.

After dozens of transfers and smooth circulation, once his dantian mana operated freely without any signs of reverting back to spiritual power, he could finally relax.

Although rare, such accidents do occur.

During the ascension, spiritual power transforms into mana, and then bit by bit it falls back; that is an error of an incomplete bridge.

For him, he would not tolerate such a low-level mistake.

Second, check whether that miraculous Purple Mansion Vortex displayed any abnormalities.

When the operation of the two dantians exceeds a certain threshold, the vortex reappears—intact!

His consciousness delved into the Soul Realm.

There were no significant changes, except his Soul Body had become much more solid, indicating no abnormalities.

This also confirmed one of his conjectures: the so-called soul of a person resides in the Sea of Consciousness of the Upper Dantian, and without cultivating the Upper Dantian, significant changes are impossible.

Within the three Tongtian realms, there was no possibility of cultivating the Upper Dantian.

For cultivators in the three Tongtian realms, the direction is to cultivate both the Lower and Upper Dantian together.

He had already achieved this step, so, during this stage, would his cultivation be more effortless?

That would require further exploration later, there was no rush for now.

Standing up, mana flowed into the Lonely Sword, and an entirely different feeling naturally emerged.

Although both were forms of energy, the Qi Gang produced by mana was several times stronger than spiritual power, and that was when his Tongxuan had just begun, and his mana was meager.

Given time, the gap would widen even further.

With such a sword in hand, he felt capable of cleaving through all things in the world.

If he faced the Ghost King now, he truly possessed the ability to fight to mutual destruction.

Swinging the longsword a few times, experiencing the different nature of the force upon it, his mood surged with excitement.

Carried away by a rush of pride, he danced with the sword and leaped about, filled with boundless heroism.

Once the excitement subsided, he stood on a large rock, with a hundred-zhang abyss below his feet, yet he remained fearless, taking a step forward without hesitation; as his body quickly descended, with the surrounding mana operating crisply, he stood firm in the void!

Flying is a hallmark ability of the Tongxuan Realm.

That’s why it is said that Tongxuan is the true dividing line of whether a cultivator has really entered the path, with too many substantial changes.

It’s essentially the transformation from spiritual power to mana, which leads to a dramatic difference in a cultivator’s methods.

For disciples of the Daoist Sect, Instant Techniques are no longer just dreams, Forbidden Techniques are also within reach, and using formations has now evolved into true mastery rather than being merely for show.

For sword cultivators, there is another significant difference, the Flying Sword.

Flying is merely an accessory to possessing mana.

Spiritual power isn’t strong enough to carry a person’s weight, but mana is different—it can fully unleash the potential within the human body.

Except for not being able to leap out of the Jinxiu atmosphere, one can fly freely below a thousand zhang.

Standing in the breeze, he struggled to calm down for a long time.

With this opening of his body’s treasure-trove, countless possibilities were unlocked.

He felt an urge to return to Jin City immediately to obtain Tongxuan Realm cultivation techniques.

Everything else was negotiable, but three crucial directions had to be started as soon as possible.

The choice of main cultivation technique, the chosen method of flying, and, how to refine a Flying Sword!

Before that, he returned to the Banyan Cave; just as he entered, he saw a blind old man leaning against a stalactite, resting with his eyes closed.

Clearly, his every move over the years had not escaped the notice of this senior.

“Senior, the junior has come to visit you.”

He bowed respectfully and naturally sat cross-legged opposite the blind elder.

He understood a bit now; this was not an old man obsessed with empty formalities.

There was no need for extreme deference or profuse gratitude—ordinary interaction between cultivators would suffice.

As for the rest, it could wait for another day.

“Hmm, being able to take the thriving and withering of the four seasons, the cycle of birth and death as a guide is quite good; among the cultivators of the Tongxuan Upper Realm in Jinxiu Continent, you are indeed top-notch.”

Hou Niao was ashamed, “I stumbled upon it by accident.

I was clueless for three years, and it wasn’t until the very end that I had some enlightenment.

It’s a gift from the Heavenly Dao, and also a gift from you.”

The blind elder waved his hand, “Your own efforts have nothing to do with me, and you need not feel indebted to me.

When I made my move, I didn’t help your fellow disciples.

Do you have any complaints?”

At that time, if the blind elder had acted earlier, Xiang Zhiwen might not have needed to die, or even earlier, the Ghost King might not have had the chance to infiltrate Xiang Zhiwen’s Purple Mansion.

But that’s not how things are calculated in the Cultivation World; helping you is a favor, not helping is duty.

No one owes anyone anything.

“Since Brother Xiang took the Stone Spirit Milk, he had to bear the consequences, because the unexpected turns are also part of the opportunity.

No one can guarantee that the chance will always go smoothly.”

The blind elder nodded satisfactorily, “That’s right!

So then, do you know why I wanted to help you?”

Hou Niao thought for a moment, “Because I didn’t touch the Stone Spirit Milk?

Because I have a certain fate with you?

Because the Ghost King is an evil soul?”

The blind elder shook his head, “No, remember, in the Cultivation World there’s never truly evil, nor absolute justice.

If humans can resort to any method for their cultivation, why can’t the Ghost King?

It didn’t kill indiscriminately or vent anger on humans.

All it did was to survive in the human world; taking over a person’s identity, killing a disciple, is that too excessive?

You know very well that compared with what humans have done on West Mang Mountain, the Ghost King is a saint!

I helped you simply because you asked for help.

Some pride is unnecessary.

When you need to open your mouth, you must open it, otherwise how would others know if you need assistance?”

The blind elder smiled faintly, “And I, I just felt you were more in tune with nature, not because of your human identity.”

Hou Niao found himself at a loss for words, for he felt the blind elder was not wrong.

Humans regard demons and ghosts as dispensable others, as tools for trials, as targets for battle, as mere cold statistics.

But in reality, that’s not the case; they are just as flesh and blood, just as souled as humans, and in no way less than humans.

“Then, will you still treat them as tools?

Will you see them as stepping stones on your Cultivation Path?”

Hou Niao remained silent for a long while, “I suppose…

I will!”

The blind elder beamed with a smile, “You see, you understand!

You can act, you can rationalize, but you must never believe this is the truth.

Only then can you walk further on the path of cultivation.

I know you want to ask something, but I am not obliged to answer you.

If you want to hear my sincere advice, I do have one piece of advice for you: If you want to become a great tree, do not compete with the grass.”