Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 866: 865 The Trial is Difficult

Chapter 866: Chapter 865 The Trial is Difficult

The trial arrangement for the criminals on Hell Star generally involves one person enduring ten rounds over several days before retreating, allowing others to take their place. With the number of criminals on Hell Star, such a cycle can be maintained for about six months, ensuring nearly a hundred participants each day.

The two began their preparations. The preparation for Shui Zhen Dong was rather unnecessary, but Hou Niao’s preparation focused primarily on the Body Sword Skill. His foremost goal wasn’t to comprehend the Sword Light Division but rather how to survive. Under the current circumstances, the Body Sword Skill was his only protection.

As Yue Duo mentioned, it was now the only thing he systematically mastered.

Within the Foundation Establishment Three Character Mantra, he had achieved initial insights into the ‘Zhen Character Mantra’ of the ‘Qianlie Zhen’. This was something unattainable in the world of Jinxiu. The saying goes, “The formation of clouds does not move, the secret connection with Hetu,” only by emerging into the universe can one profoundly feel the intertwined internal and external factors of the Universe Cultivation Realm, much like a Hetu merging all factors together, innumerable threads making one dizzy.

Thus, he had accomplished great progress in the ‘Qianlie Zhen’ Three Character Mantra, with only the ‘Zhen’ Character Mantra requiring further deepening through experiences, but he had at least entered the basics, and this was a delightful advancement.

Understanding the ‘Zhen’ Character Mantra further benefited him in making the correct decisions in unpredictable battles. This was a Sword Momentum that enhanced the insight of a Sword Cultivator, appearing to have no direct effect but actually exerting influence at all times.

Even when Sword Cultivators vied for explosive power, they must strike appropriately, at crucial points.

The Body Sword Skill at the Golden Core Realm allows for cultivation of the ‘Jie Bing Dou’ Three Character Mantra, all about life and death, sharing glory and shame; the army’s edge sweeps the universe, never ceasing to battle; as the cosmos shifts with momentum, time elapses in a blink.

In fact, the inscription of each mantra subtly hints at the intrinsic Sword Momentum, such as the ‘Jie’ Character Mantra relating to life and death, the ‘Bing’ Character Mantra relating to the ceaseless spirit of life and battle, and the ‘Dou’ Character Mantra relating to the universe and stars?

However, some aspects hold no meaning from a literal understanding and require cultivators to apprehend from intrinsic elements, explore, form resonance, to genuinely establish Sword Momentum, not something that materializes automatically upon reaching the Golden Core. If that were the case, where would the difficulty in cultivation be, and merely poring over scrolls would suffice.

The lifespan during the Golden Core ranges from four to five hundred years, depending on personal conditions. For him at a centenarian’s age, there is ample time to squander, but that’s referring to peaceful times. He, having cultivated for a century, experienced everything but peace.

A life that could end at any moment; time waits for no one.

The Sword Light Division remained a distant goal.

…With such anxiety, he faced his second trial. The same procedure, yet again unable to witness the true appearance of the Nineteen Continents, with the only difference being that Wang Zuo the Daoist no longer cautioned him because he had become an experienced hand.

He was uncertain if the masacre against them in the Anchor Chain Star System would continue, also curious about how Hell Star would respond to an execution that inevitably harmed innocents? He even questioned how many, including himself among the twelve, successfully passed? And how many fell?

They were indeed all geniuses, but that was during the Foundation Establishment Stage. On Hell Star, they were all at the Golden Core Early Stage.

This time, the trial process was slightly more relaxed compared to the last, not because the Anchor Chain people abandoned their mission, but rather he had grown stronger.

Everyone was making progress, but one aspect always remained unchanged, the early stage always progressed faster than later stages. His cultivation and swordsmanship were in a rapidly progressing growth phase, while those Golden Core Late Stage old cultivators endured painful time consumption.

The growth phase dominated by the Body Sword Skill was also currently the only tangible thing that could save his life.

The only difference this time was that there was no Master being transmitted, only Spiritual Bodies and Puppets, but unchanged was the attitude of everyone towards him, seeking to kill him beyond conventional trials.

He clearly sensed the attitude from the Anchor Chain. In the real universe, the collisions under rules were more cruel than he imagined.

His luck was decent, not encountering opponents as troublesome as Mu Fan last time. Though still difficult, with stumbling and tripping, he overcame dangers, thanks to the collaboration of his Body Sword Skill with the Five Elements Mysterious Light and Ancient Thunder Skill.

This marked the end of his second year on Hell Star, equating to six years in external time, and by this trial’s end, he had been in Core Formation for five years.

The performance in the Trial Arena was quite commendable. At least, from a general perspective, a Golden Core Early Stage cultivator standing out in an environment surrounded by old cultivators certainly deserved to be called a genius.

Only he knew how fortunate he was. The Anchor Chain Cultivators were still unfamiliar with the Sword Vein Daoist, especially him with the habit of unexpected sword paths.

The entire procedure was the same as before, with the Innate Spiritual Treasures executing their operation laws unchangeably, leaving him no time to linger within the Spiritual Treasure Space, before being transmitted back to Shiqi Land.

Half a month later, Fairy Shui returned, as he expected, without a scratch.

“I have become a hot commodity, everyone treats me with respect, willingly letting me achieve victory. They even told me that my performance would be recorded, I have entered the top thousand in the Anchor Chain Star System Golden Core ranking, with the sect rewarding, even benefiting my two sisters.”

Fairy Shui spoke calmly, showing no delight at her achievements, as she was well aware that her current success stemmed from Hou Niao’s concession back then.

“Is that all?”

“Of course not! They sent me my mission.” Fairy Shui sat beside him, her eyes bright with anticipation.

Hou Niao handed her a cup of tea. This woman had a calming aura that was not related to romantic matters, but a tranquility derived from Daoist inheritance, devoid of eagerness, content with circumstances.

“If it involves sect secrets, you needn’t disclose it, just as I won’t reveal everything to you; it’s your right.”

Fairy Shui gave a gentle smile. A few years prior, she certainly wouldn’t have disclosed it, for the sect, for the Anchor Chain, for the absurd persistence of the Dao Heart. However, she no longer thought that way after being abandoned once, having finally grasped one truth of the Cultivation World,

People must look out for themselves, or the heavens and earth will destroy them!

She could endure the Anchor Chain treating her as a discard, equally granting herself the right to view the Anchor Chain as a mere partner of interest, quite liberating, resolving certain restraints over herself, freeing her from moral fetters.

Living, surviving well enough, would suffice.

“The Anchor Chain’s objective remains to execute you twelve, a notion unlikely to change in the short term, prominently mentioning two Sword Cultivators and a Daoist. I assume those two Sword Cultivators are you and your senior sister?”