Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 318 - 318 317 Difficult Cultivation

318: Chapter 317 Difficult Cultivation 318: Chapter 317 Difficult Cultivation Hou Niao slowly descended, this brief moment of fight had also drained him significantly.

The mana of his two opponents, who were far stronger than him, forced him to give his all with each sword strike, otherwise, he might not even break through their shields.

This was still during close combat, a situation where his opponents’ various techniques could not be fully utilized.

Unfortunately, his opponents’ cultivation was far superior to his, and there were two of them; fortunately, these were robbers and not assassins sent to take his life, which made a huge difference.

He began to clean up the aftermath; one good thing about pirates was that, like sword cultivators, all their possessions were on them, although not as affluent as those three Daoists from the Wu Sect, it was nearly as much.

Even if there was nothing of use to him, it was still a fortune.

A dignified sword cultivator, unable to fight with flying swords, could only employ strategies to kill at close quarters, which was somewhat embarrassing, but he had no other choice.

From the moment the man in black appeared, he had been on guard for a second, then a third person—this was necessary caution.

He didn’t recognize these two men, nor had he heard of them, but someone with only slightly superior strength daring to swagger on his turf and challenge the formation surely had some backing.

Thus, grinding the formation was simply him waiting for the second cultivator to appear; if a third or a fourth showed up, he would just use his Earth Element Escape and make a clean getaway.

The arrival of the man in white robes above his head was also within expectations.

He was not proficient in formations, but he had basic knowledge and had delved into various aspects during his free time in the past two years.

It was the only area where he had decided to put some effort into supplementing, but with Tongxuan freshly achieved, there were too many skills needing cultivation for him to focus on just this.

There were many techniques to break formations, as well as many principles; positioning was basic knowledge.

The right position for each type of formation could maximize its effectiveness and achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Therefore, once the man in black took his position, the location of the man in white became obvious; naturally, the key here was that the two pirates could never imagine a sword cultivator would practice Earth Element Escape?

Especially when he had only just reached the Upper Realm and had not yet mastered the flying sword?

He took the element of surprise to its extreme.

To kill one first was to capture all; otherwise, letting the tiger return to the mountain would lead to endless troubles and provoke retaliation from other bands of robbers, which would be truly annoying.

As for the fight with the man in black, it was already a foregone conclusion.

A cultivator without the will to fight offered no true conquest, and there was little to be proud of.

What frustrated him was the lack of opportunity to practice with the flying sword.

Without using the Shape-following Sword, he worried that this fellow might desperately flee, which, in fact, was exactly what the man in black was thinking.

His cultivation limited the power of his flying sword; time limited his refined control over it.

In an aerial face-off, he couldn’t hold back his opponent.

Speed, power, distance, control…

Each aspect was below standard, making it difficult for him at this stage to use the flying sword to decide the outcome.

Once he failed to set the stage in the air and then had to escape into the ground, others, being prepared, would not fall for his tricks again.

This was the core strategy of his battle, somewhat forced, but he had to bow down to reality.

Outsiders all spread tales of how formidable Quanzhen sword cultivators were, but only when Hou Niao actually engaged with flying swords did he realize how much effort was needed.

It wasn’t as simple as throwing a sword at the enemy and expecting them to yield.

Just remembering the first time he saw Yu Zhengxing practicing control on the grass, he knew he still had a long way to go.

No shortcuts existed, just as he realized in the Soul Realm when he was endlessly tormented by Soul Bodies, understanding how hard it was to become a superior being.

The one consolation was that this battle proved his choice of Earth Element Escape was correct.

Before his abilities were fully developed, he still needed to rely on this technique to survive.

Cultivation continued under his control.

Many cultivators find themselves not fully in control during their cultivation journey; for example, you can’t refuse assignments from your sect, nor can you always stay in a safe place without experiencing trials and tribulations.

This presents a contradictory choice; do you want safety, or do you want to brave the storms?

Opting for safety might mean no achievements, while facing the storms could lead to being overwhelmed.

Any cultivator with a bit of ambition will choose to venture out, to grow and harden amidst great trials, looking at the figures who shaped the history of Jinxiu Continent, none made their mark through isolated training.

So the question arises, when you step out, a cultivator’s normal cultivation plan may need to be altered due to threats to life, and plans must change according to real situations.

Changing plans again and again, cultivators might find themselves deviating from their original direction.

This is how the environment changes a person, often imperceptibly.

Some, even after changes, do not lose their way, while others completely lose themselves through constant adjustments and ultimately become unrecognizable.

It’s hard to say what the right approach is, as everyone’s circumstances vary and cannot be replicated.

Hou Niao studied Earth Element Escape to provide support for sticking to his own path; because he could escape through it, he could flee if he couldn’t win, thus buying himself ample time to pursue his main direction of cultivation.

His primary direction in flying swords was Thunderbolt, a path that requires a lot of time and shows slow progress.

This is also why few sword cultivators at the early stages of Tongxuan practice it; they can’t endure the skill gap in the interim.

When Thunderbolt fully matures, the natural speed of the flying sword combined with the instant strike of Thunderbolt virtually represents the pinnacle of sword cultivation; the prospects are tempting, but the process is torturous.

Not many can witness the fruition of their efforts before dying, and regret choosing such a path.

Hou Niao had chosen such a path, not because he sought trouble but because the Lonely Sword itself had chosen it.

He could only go with the flow; and later, as his understanding deepened, he indeed felt Thunderbolt suited him very well, complementing each other.

The significance of Earth Element Escape was to buy him time to endure this difficult period.

The battle in the Poplar Forest was his first attempt, full of flaws.

If it weren’t for the late arrival of those Daoists, he would have faced his anniversary of death; this second time on Crab Claw Island, the outcome was tolerable, but it couldn’t cover the deficiencies in his capability with the flying sword.

Theoretically, even without making use of the Thunderbolt power, he should at least have the basic ability to compete with ordinary cultivators, but currently, he did not.

Reflecting on the battle, he felt he still needed to strive in several areas—improving cultivation, enhancing escape techniques, and better controlling the flying sword.

These were fundamentals, the bedrock of Extreme Sword.

Having confirmed his direction, he persisted resolutely, not altering his course due to the peril of the battle, nor did he rashly enter the Thunder Triangle.

He wanted to solidify his foundation even more.

The sturdier the foundation, the taller the building.