Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 389 - 389 388 Keep Up the Good Work

389: Chapter 388: Keep Up the Good Work 389: Chapter 388: Keep Up the Good Work He straightened his clothes and rose, bathing anew in the spring light, Hou Niao felt much clearer all over.

It wasn’t that he had changed, rather, he and nature had become indistinguishable from each other.

From then on, he could possibly leverage the natural forces of heaven and earth.

Of course, his current mana and cultivation didn’t allow it, but at the very least, he now had the qualifications.

This barrier, he had already crossed—it wasn’t some Heart Demon illusion, but a choice on his own cultivation path; regardless of what impact this choice would have on his future, he had come this far, and must face it.

Only after coming this far did he realize that his Natural Realm hadn’t reached the stage before Golden Core; the God Sensing Realm was still a barrier to him, and the only difference between him and others was the sequence.

That was somewhat strange.

With the issue of cultivation temporarily solved, he planned to press on and resolve the long-troubling problems with his sword skill system.

He had harbored a rebellious idea for a long time, having never tried it because no one else ever had, but now it seemed his own peculiarities were countless, so what was adding one more?

After rummaging in the Treasure Gourd, he pulled out a yellowing jade scroll, a fortuitous game between him and the Elder of the Sword Storage Tower after he achieved Tongxuan; it was originally just a funny story, but now he intended to use it as a direction, somewhat bewildering.

Exactly because it was bewildering, wildly imaginative, he had pondered it for over a decade.

After numerous fruitless attempts with various sword techniques, he prepared to try this seemingly useless, and in fact useless, Body Sword Skill.

The Body Sword Skill was specifically made for ordinary Shan Sect cultivators who could not develop Sword Consciousness, its period of origin and creator already blurred and unknown in the history of the Quanzhen Sect.

To be realistic, it had already become worthless in the current Quanzhen Sect, whether for the so-called True Sword Cultivators who had developed Sword Consciousness or the Fake Sword Cultivators who hadn’t, none practiced the Body Sword Skill, thus it had become extinct.

And no one cared, because the technique was indeed useless.

True Sword Cultivators who had developed Sword Consciousness didn’t use it, as it meant ignoring the advantage of the Flying Sword’s long-range attacks to instead use themselves as swords, which negated the purpose of developing Sword Consciousness.

Those without Sword Consciousness didn’t use it either because it was too dangerous, with almost every attack throwing themselves as if they were the sword; it could serve as a fatal move in a rare suicidal attempt, but not as a regular tactic, otherwise no number of lives would suffice.

Thus, True Sword Cultivators focused solely on the Flying Sword, while Fake Sword Cultivators began to explore other techniques, and gradually, the Body Sword Tech was neglected and discarded.

He understood these taboos, and because they were true, he had always deemed the Body Sword Skill as something useless, discarded like an old shoe.

But recently, in the Soul Realm, he encountered a Sword Soul, whom he named Sword Three.

The swordsmanship of Sword Three was extremely unique; fighting against it with his current abilities was suicidal, and it was also the focus of his recent studies.

After countless failures and deaths, he realized that Sword Three’s sword techniques resembled the Body Sword Skills—those that threw the body forth as if the body was the sword, and the sword was the person.

Frighteningly fierce, with murderous intent soaring to the heavens.

There was no confrontation, no stalemate; the beginning was the end, life and death in an instant.

Even so, someone like him who held great confidence in swordsmanship had not a single victory in such encounters!

This indicated that Sword Three’s swordsmanship was not accidental, but had its profound underpinning sword principles!

He wanted to know it!

Wanted to master it!

Wanted to overcome the somewhat overwhelming feeling he currently had.

Opening the jade scroll of the Body Sword Skill, the first page had a single large character, “Forward!”

What did it mean?

He didn’t understand.

But as he read on, page by page, line by line, it talked about essentially one thing—how to throw oneself out like the Flying Sword.

It is just one word, forward!

Strike before your opponent!

Contend before the confrontation!

Die before death itself!

Put yourself in a dead place and then find life!

Before time, before the motion of a thought, before your opponent can react.

Before everything.

This kind of madness never planned on properly living, life is a fight, living is a gamble; it’s like rolling the dice, flip and stare!

No matter the realm, regardless of strength or weakness, who cares right or wrong?

The ultimate goal is to launch oneself like a flying sword, face life and death, and cut off any retreat.

From then on, there’s no need to worry about the flying sword coming back, because you are beside the flying sword, you are the flying sword, and the flying sword is you!

His previous Shape-following Sword had this effect, but it was only partial, only close for a certain distance, not as direct, decisive, mad, and unstoppable as this Body Sword Skill.

The Shape-following Sword only allows the cultivator to appear at certain positions along the flying sword’s path, with certain limitations.

At its most refined, the appearing position can’t be less than ten percent of the sword’s path, nor more than ninety percent; the remaining distance still needs to be managed by the sword cultivator himself.

But with the technique “forward”, wherever the flying sword settles, that is my home!

Theoretically, such an adventure seems reasonable?

If one could really achieve it.

But in reality, truly achieving this is extremely difficult.

For instance, the rigidity during Body Sword Conversion?

How to maintain sharpness of mind at all times?

How to manage instant transmission and control while one’s body flies with the sword?

How to perfectly integrate the body and the flying sword as one, separate yet unified?

Sword cultivators who possess Sword Consciousness have the advantage of the flying sword, but even they cannot achieve this, often turning themselves into targets as soon as they shoot out, placing themselves in peril.

Sword cultivators without Sword Consciousness even less so, their so-called Body Sword Skill is just ordinary sword holding attacks, that’s not true Body Sword Skill, that’s just Sword Holding Skill.

The uselessness of this forward Body Sword Skill lies here; it outlines a completely new world of swordsmanship, yet it provides no way to enter this world, and ultimately, it is regarded as the delusional rantings of a madman following a setback.

Hou Niao had always seen it this way, but recent changes in the Soul Realm made him feel like Body Sword Skill might not just be some mad predecessor’s empty promise?

He has always believed that the soul bodies in the Soul Realm truly exist, or to say, had once existed.

Otherwise, it’s impossible to explain the myriad differences among them; having cultivated for nearly twenty years, interacting with countless varieties of soul bodies within the Soul Realm, to this day he has not encountered a repeated one, as if it were once part of the Cultivation World, the countless true existing cultivators.

Everyone is unique; everyone has their own direction, specialty, hobby, means…

These things helped his growth, so now that a Sword Three has appeared, there must certainly be such a person.

He just doesn’t know whether it is in Jinxiu Continent or some other Cultivation World?

He tends to think of the vast universe, where there are many worlds like Jinxiu Continent.

Since Sword Three is real, therefore his swordsmanship must also be real.

Why not learn it?

…Ten years on the sword’s path, transmitting all the teachings of my master.

Under the moonlight over Tide Gorge, autumn wind returns to Bamboo Pavilion.

The door opens to new green trees, climbing the tower to see old mountains blue.

Recalling the place of our philosophical discussions, the energy of my Body Sword still unsettled.