Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 291 - 291 290 Uneven Added for 500 votes

291: Chapter 290 Uneven [Added for 500 votes] 291: Chapter 290 Uneven [Added for 500 votes] Hou Niao pushed himself to the limit with his time management, and such arduous cultivation practices were not uncommon in the circle of cultivators; a minority of cultivators would spend their entire lives in such states, twisting themselves into something neither human nor ghostlike; the rest would also, more or less, undergo this kind of extreme cultivation during certain critical periods.

Belonging to the latter, Hou Niao was only subjecting himself to this extreme pressure during this special period after reaching the Tongxuan Realm.

He could manage it for two years without issues, but he dared not guarantee any longer; according to the “Daoist Record” guidelines on cultivation, being in such a state for long periods might not necessarily be beneficial.

There needed to be a balance between work and rest, a practice of moderation.

The outcome of cultivation was determined not just by time but also by efficiency.

A month had passed, and as he opened his eyes in meditation, he let out a sigh.

That month had brought gains and losses.

Advancement in techniques but regression in magic powers.

He made various improvements in several techniques, with the Natural Dao Body showing the most progress surprisingly originating from his perfect harmony with nature in the Upper Realm.

Without intention, he had inadvertently provided shade by planting trees.

His Sword Control Technique also progressed rapidly, thanks to his extensive attempts at flying.

Not just during scheduled flying sessions, whenever he felt tired, bored, or moody, the best way to relieve his restlessness was to take a quick flight out.

As he kept flying, it became an instinct for him, and he estimated that in another two months, flying would no longer be an obstacle for him.

Without conscious control, he could then start to practice swordsmanship while flying.

His training in the Sword Form True Understanding was also satisfactory.

Being in the Poplar Forest meant greater difficulty than normal open spaces, but that was his choice; only when one could control the Flying Sword effortlessly in more complex environments could one handle it perfectly in real combat.

The logic behind this was simple to understand.

Now his Flying Sword had not yet reached the limits of his Divine Sense, but he had extended its range to thirty yards, barely qualifying him as a true Sword Cultivator.

The trouble was with two Cultivation Techniques—the Three Night Thunder Law barely progressed, and the Earth Escape Skill was slow as a crawl.

He finally understood why so few people chose these techniques; even if some did, they tended to use them as secondary supporting methods, but he had selected two as primary techniques.

After a month of cultivation, he had more or less figured out the reasons.

The Three Night Thunder Law required a rather unique environment — a place where thunder and lightning were constant all year round.

However, such places were scarce on the Continent.

The reason for the scarcity of Earth Escape Skill practitioners was not only because its execution was somewhat sneaky, but also because it was the hardest among the Five Elements Cultivation Techniques to master, a price to pay for its powerful underground capabilities.

Most cultivators, even if they wished to practice Earth Escape, would do so only after achieving some success in their primary Cultivation Technique, so as not to hinder their overall cultivation progress.

Confronted with the harsh reality, his reverse-engineered system hit a wall head-on; this was the price of trusting oneself but disregarding experience.

It’s not that one shouldn’t be confident, but rather, one needs the capital to back that confidence.

Desiring to persist a bit longer, he slightly adjusted his cultivation plan—practicing Earth Escape in the morning and evening, and the Three Night Thunder during the day sessions.

Cultivation Techniques were dead, people were alive.

He couldn’t be constrained by the order of main and support techniques—if one progressed faster, that’s the one to work on first.

It was also at this time that the thought of switching to a different, more conventional technique began to flicker in his mind.

The Three Night Thunder Law was indispensable as it was fundamental to his Flying Sword; therefore, only Earth Escape could be replaced.

Perhaps the Six Meridians Huangting Decision would be a better choice?

Three months later, a sword light streaked across the sky above the Poplar Forest, precisely pruning a dry branch from a poplar tree; then a figure flashed and stood atop the tree, swaying with the wind, undulating up and down.

After nearly a hundred days of mixed hardship and pleasure, the smooth went smoother, and the sluggish grew more sluggish.

With the Natural Dao Body, his physical functions had reached a minor state of accomplishment.

He had chosen this path well; it was also his intuition at work.

Since the observation within the Purple Mansion revealed a Sword Orchid, it was only logical to support it with a Natural Dao Body.

To insist on using a Fire Dao Body instead would be nonsensical.

The integration of flying and sword-flying was beginning to reach an optimal state.

When flying no longer required deliberate control but became as natural as thought, and when the summoning and recalling of the Flying Sword became instinctual like breathing, then their combination laid the foundation for a Sword Cultivator’s Ascending Sword technique.

He could now freely control his Flying Sword within the maximum reaches of his Divine Sense and bring the full potential of his Dantian Magic Power into play.

This should have been a gratifying development, yet he found no joy in it.

Because the growth rate of his cultivation was slow, his Divine Sense was also not expanding; with this constraint, even if his ability with the Flying Sword was good enough to start learning swordsmanship, he still felt inadequate compared to others.

The ceiling of Divine Sense for cultivators at the Tongxuan Realm was around a hundred yards, and yet he only had a pitiful fifty, which meant he was bringing a dagger to a swordfight…

His skills were greatly diminished in effect, and his combat ability was constrained by several rigid indicators: distance, speed, and power—all of his weakest points.

Seeing less than others, striking shorter than others, lacking in power and endurance…

the root cause of all this was that his Cultivation was lower than others!

He suddenly grasped You Sunzhi’s reasoning—if I don’t see less than you, don’t strike shorter than you, then I could wear you down with my profound cultivation!

And yet, he was the first to dismiss this correct answer.

After much contemplation, he decided to struggle for one last half-year; if after six more months there’s no improvement, he would return to Jin City and switch his technique, replacing Earth Escape with the Six Meridians Huangting Decision.

Changing one’s cultivation technique after half a year signified a huge blow to self-confidence.

The implications were profound; it meant he would become increasingly conservative in his future cultivation journey, increasingly trusting in the wisdom of predecessors, less daring to be different, and hence increasingly mediocre.

All of this could have been avoided if he had a competent master or senior, which he did not.

Once again revising his cultivation plan, he dedicated all morning, daytime, and evening sessions to the Earth Element Escape, making one final push.

Although Earth Escape was progressing slowly, at least it was still making headway, whereas the Three Night Thunder Law had simply stalled.

This technique’s environmental requirement was just too high, especially in the introductory phase.

As for the three swordsmanship techniques, he planned to postpone starting two in favor of solidifying the basics even more, thus reaping greater benefits in his later swordsmanship cultivation.

The only one he was ready to start practicing was the Shape-following Sword, which would determine if he had a chance to close in on his enemies.

Right now, close-combat swordsmanship had become his only commendable skill, and if he lost that, he would truly have nothing left.

He couldn’t quite understand why as a lower Realm powerhouse, he had become so feeble upon entering a new and pristine Realm?

In the circle of cultivators, such cases were not uncommon; brilliance in the youth, mediocrity in the prime—it was part of the charm of cultivation, and the reason why many cultivators did not acknowledge those stronger within the same Realm.

If I can just climb one step higher, who’s to say I won’t surpass you?

Six months—this was his final act of defiance.