Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 302 - 302 301 Getting Back on Track

302: Chapter 301: Getting Back on Track 302: Chapter 301: Getting Back on Track Three treasures.

The Huyan Sign is a standard Earth Element Escape Artifact.

In the Cultivation World, flying boats are common in the skies; who among Tongxuan Realm Cultivators doesn’t have one?

Those with a bit more disposable resources might have more than one, specializing in speed, for transportation, incorporating attack and defense capabilities, or even controlling water to overturn rivers and seas…

But artifacts capable of burrowing through the earth are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

They are often talked about, but very few have ever seen one, and this Huyan Sign is among the top-tier in that category.

Its value isn’t about how fast, or how silently and invisibly it can burrow; its true worth lies in allowing cultivators to fully experience the intricacies of the Earth Element.

It facilitates an interaction between the user and the artifact, a synergy that enables earth burrowing.

In short, after becoming proficient in using this item, even those with a modicum of talent will find learning Earth Element Escape a natural progression, which suits him perfectly.

Grassroots, an artifact that harnesses the power of natural plant root systems to enhance Earth Element Escape capabilities.

It has limited effectiveness in deep underground excursions, especially in barren lands like deserts and rocky terrains.

However, where vegetation is lush, it’s like a fish in water.

The richer the vegetation, the better the Earth Element Escape performs.

Moving just below the surface, not only is the speed astonishing, but one’s presence is absorbed by the plant roots, truly allowing one to come and go without a trace.

Considering the topography of the continent, barren lands are ultimately the minority, with most areas covered by all sorts of vegetation.

The practical applications for such a treasure are readily apparent.

The Thousand-Mile Earth Map is yet another approach altogether, combining formations and Earth Element Escape organically.

When a cultivator painstakingly constructs an underground escape formation in a specific area, Earth Element Escape undergoes a qualitative change, becoming faster, deeper, and more concealed.

All these are aspects of skill application, and slightly different from the Earth Element Escape cultivation techniques Hou Niao was learning.

The differences were not fundamental, however, as they could help him rapidly enter the state of Earth Element Escape, and through that state, gain a profound understanding of the essence of the Earth Element—thus, in turn, advancing his cultivation technique.

The Bai Family’s resources were indeed substantial; even another powerful faction would struggle to match such generosity, and even a major sect like the Quanzhen Sect might not possess such assets.

Of course, they had been very straightforward, making Hou Niao feel somewhat guilty for being cunning.

It was due to his in-depth research into these three treasures that he dared to harbor a sliver of hope, deciding to give it another three months.

The reason he obsessed over this tricky challenge was that the lessons learned from his recent combat experience highlighted how crucial a cultivator’s strengths were in battle.

He could switch to the Six Meridians Huangting Decision and at least reach the level of an average Tongxuan Cultivator, but that would mean losing his uniqueness, which was not what he wanted.

Earth Element Escape, the Three Night Thunder Law Regular, were pursued by him for the sake of distinctiveness and individuality.

Following a unique path to achieve a different self.

Half a month later, his body was completely healed.

The Natural Dao Body demonstrated its formidable capacity for healing; thank goodness his choice of cultivation technique was not too outrageous.

He began with the Huyan Sign.

A month later, Hou Niao was quite satisfied with his cultivation progress.

It wasn’t that he had surpassed others in speed, but rather that his current pace had greatly accelerated compared to his former snail’s pace, and this trend was continuing.

He could envision a day when the Earth Element Escape technique would no longer be his weakness in cultivation; instead, it would become his weapon in combat.

Diving into the earth at will, coming and going as he pleased—wasn’t that wonderful?

With his health restored and his cultivation gaining momentum, he truly realized how important a solid main cultivation technique was.

According to the understanding in the Cultivation World, the Five Elements Cultivation Technique is the foundation of all things.

It is the most common and the most fundamental, the simplest and the most fitting for low-rank cultivators.

Gentle, reliable, down-to-earth, advancing step by step, it’s the least prone to error and the least likely to lead to demonic deviation—even Demon Sect disciples fear demonic deviation.

Therefore, more than half of the Cultivators choose the Five Elements Cultivation Technique upon reaching the Tongxuan Realm, with the remainder selecting a variety of other techniques.

Another advantage of choosing the Five Elements Cultivation Technique is that it does not conflict with other methods, allowing for future supplemental, concurrent, or even switch in cultivation without impeding progress.

Unearthing a Divine Skill Secret Manual from a hole, a cave, or a tomb to become invincible in the world is a mortal’s fantasy.

The most popular method is the best, since it has withstood the test of time and the scrutiny of countless individuals.

Among the Five Elements Cultivation Techniques, according to the Daozi Tongjian, Water Element and Fire Element are most commonly practiced because water embraces all things which is favorable for longevity, and in the realm of skills, it has many powerful variants.

The relentless nature of fire is the most powerful among the Five Elements Skills; it can also burn away many negative influences.

Only after these come the Wood Element and the Gold Element, each with its unique characteristics.

For instance, the Wood Element’s natural regeneration, the never-ending cycle of life; the Gold Element is unparalleled in sharpness, boasting the highest penetration of the Five Elements.

Many sects and powers on the continent are established on the foundation of a single element, which illustrates its vastness and profundity.

The Earth Element is the most challenging among the Five Elements to cultivate.

It is commonly understood as a supplemental direction, normally becoming accessible to other realms naturally with enough level of advancement.

However, this generally refers to Nascent Transformation, which for the vast majority of cultivators, is an aspirational yet unattainable goal.

Hou Niao had chosen just such a pursuit, not considering the post-Nascent Transformation expansion of skill.

He only focused on how to carefully reach the next three realms.

As his cultivation started to ascend, his Divine Sense improved accordingly, and his swordsmanship advanced as well, meaning he could now throw longer punches in a fight.

He gradually extended his sword’s reach from fifty zhang to sixty zhang, and then to seventy zhang.

It is rumored that the record for a Tongxuan Realm Sword Cultivator from the Quanzhen Sect is three hundred zhang—a substantial gap still separates them.

But any improvement is good as long as there is progress and not stagnation.

Sword Control Technique remained his focus, for even if he thought himself quite adept, his skill was still inferior to that of the truly skilled.

His day-to-day practice didn’t mean much—only a battle of life and death could reveal real shortcomings.

With swordsmanship, he added the Goat Horn Technique.

There was only one goal: understanding that it would take time to significantly increase the reach of his sword, he focused on increasing the sword’s power instead.

With his cultivation on the right track, the incident in the Poplar Forest also faded quietly.

Had the Wu Sect deliberately downplayed the incident to avoid magnifying its impact?

Hou Niao always believed that the quieter a dog, the more dangerous it could be.

In the battle, he killed two, and Daoist Yan helped him with another, but without hesitation, all the blame was placed on him; he understood Daoist Yan’s intentions, putting pressure on him, still hoping he would return to Anhe Daoist Sect to contribute to his hometown.

But he felt it wasn’t the right fit; had he been with the Anhe Daoist Sect, he would probably have already come into direct conflict with the Wu Sect, not showing the same restraint as those people.

Two years passed in the blink of an eye.