Chapter 406 - 308: Enlightenment (Part 2)
[That day, you opened the Iron Sword Seventy-Two Forms, a basic swordsmanship of the Iron Sword Sect that had remained unopened for ten years.]
[You suppressed your cultivation to the Late-Stage Qi Refining, using the sword as a blade, and claimed the title of the Celestial River County’s youth Celestial Pride at the Qi Refining Field.]
[Thus, the identity of the Iron Sword Sect was preserved.]
[You emerged as an unexpected talent, attracting attention to the Iron Sword Sect; people claimed you were a Sword Dao prodigy delayed by sword training.]
[The second-rate major sect, Sky Blade Tower, wanted to recruit you into their sect, even tempting you with the title of Direct Disciple, but you were indifferent.]
[Your current identity is Inner Sect Disciple Zhao Song, but the real Zhao Song was killed by a demon beast over ten years ago, and having encountered him shortly after his death, you replaced him.]
[You simply maintained your current identity without taking further actions.]
[The reputation of the Sword Dao genius Zhao Song flashed by in Celestial Dust Continent, where there are too many such prodigies.]
[You became the new star of the Iron Sword Sect.]
[The temporary Sect Leader intended to groom you as the next Sect Leader, yet you expressed that you only wanted to cultivate and train with the sword.]
[You secluded yourself at the sect’s back mountain known as Peach Blossom Mountain.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11528, five years after you became famous, the tumult subsided, and even the Sky Blade Tower thought little of your lack of ambition.]
[News came from the frontlines that the Sect Leader and Senior Brother had unexpectedly died at the hands of an Outer Realm sect called Blood Demon Sect, leaving the Iron Sword Sect without any Foundation Establishment cultivators.]
[Temporary Sect Leader Li Dahai officially became the Sect Leader, sacrificing his lifespan to break through using Secret Technique, and successfully became the new Foundation Establishment expert of Iron Sword Sect.]
[Hence, the Iron Sword Sect only had Li Dahai as the sole Foundation Establishment cultivator.]
[You continued to elevate your cultivation at the regular pace of Four Spirit Roots, avoiding attracting attention.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11553, the Sect Leader’s lifespan ended and he passed, leaving the Iron Sword Sect without a Foundation Establishment to oversee.]
[Before his death, the Sect Leader summoned you and, using his last energy, transferred a mouthful of pure Liquid True Essence into your body, a condensation of all his power, sufficient enough to let a regular Qi Refining cultivator break through one or two minor stages without side effects.]
[Secretly, you disdainfully expelled this Foundation Establishment True Essence.]
[Looking at this Sect Leader who worked hard for Iron Sword Sect all his life, your heart slightly sighed, yet you still did not agree.]
[You were already contemplating which sect to visit next.]
[The Iron Sword Sect was left with only thirty-three people, approaching dissolution.]
[The Court Sect rushed over eagerly, hoping to cancel Iron Sword Sect’s quota because a Foundation Establishment cultivator is a necessary condition for founding a sect, and the quota for recognized sects is limited, always with cultivators whose potential runs dry wanting to establish a lineage.]
[You looked at the thirty-three sect disciples unwilling to leave, and felt a bit surprised that in your forty years within Iron Sword Sect, you had come to recognize all of them.]
[Suddenly, you felt a bit dazed, as everything of the past faded away, and now you seemingly were truly Iron Sword Sect disciple Zhao Song.]
[You experienced an epiphany about the Mortal Transformation Technique, realizing the true cultivation method of it was to genuinely immerse oneself in the mortal world...]
Entering the mundane world is easy, entering the mortal turmoil is harder.
Mortal Transformation Technique has stumped countless Golden Core Nascent Souls.
Although Xiang Wuji hadn’t quite comprehended, he had previously enhanced his mental state through Mortal Transformation Technique, increasing the probability of Core Breach to Nascent Soul transformation.
Now, Xiang Wuji truly felt the profound meaning of the Mortal Transformation Technique.
Separated by immortality and mortality, truly entering the mortal world meant stepping into it, isolating oneself from ’immortality,’ which equates to oneself.
Upon entering the mortal world, oneself becomes a new self, devoid of memories, no cause and effect, no relation to the past, as if merely an ordinary being among the vast multitude.
Only this way can one use the mortal world to wash away the new self.
Using the mortal world to sever mortal ties.
The true function of the Mortal Transformation Technique is to allow a cultivator to reach such a special state.
Otherwise, even if one’s memories are blocked, instinct of a cultivator would remain.
After Mortal Transformation, the cultivator’s mental state undergoes an enlightenment, gaining a significant advantage in the Divinity Transformation Tribulation’s mental insights.
[You realized the profound meaning of the Mortal Transformation Technique.]
[You planned to conduct preliminary experiments.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11554, you took over the position of Iron Sword Sect’s Sect Leader.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11554, you ’broke through’ to Foundation Establishment, single-handedly achieved a mid-tier ranking with severe injuries at the Wan General Tournament, retaining Iron Sword Sect’s sect quota.]
[You have found a path, yet are still unable to truly immerse yourself in the mortal world, unable to sever your former self; having just entered Nascent Soul, you’re not anxious to finish Mortal Transformation, intending to pursue a unique path by continuing as Zhao Song, exploring the truth of Mortal Transformation.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11568, you used management methods learned from Blood Demon Sect to develop Iron Sword Sect.]
[Iron Sword Sect’s personnel expanded to one hundred eighty-eight.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11591, the sect gradually gained three Foundation Establishment cultivators, reestablishing Inner and Outer Sect dynamics.]
..........
[In the Changtian Calendar 11623, you ’broke through’ to Fake Core, with newfound experiences in a new Cultivation Dao.]
[Iron Sword Sect became a Third-class Sect.]
[Your resources have been depleted, you secretly established the assassin organization Wind and Rain Tower, quickly gaining notoriety in the Underworld; any price can kill anyone from Qi Refining to Golden Core.]
[Though outsiders don’t know, the one hundred eight assassins labeled with heaven and earth character within Wind and Rain Tower are all played by you.]
[The Great Wei Imperial Court wanted to capture you, this organization straying from order, but could only catch Qi Refining Realm rookies.]
[You secretly controlled the Governor’s Mansion, making it the umbrella of Wind and Rain Tower.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11665, you finally ’broke through’ to Golden Core, Iron Sword Sect’s membership reached three thousand, successfully stepping into a second-rate sect.]
..........
[In the Changtian Calendar 11679, Iron Sword Sect discovered several Spirit Stone Mines that provided barely enough resources for your daily cultivation.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11688, you comprehended enlightenment atop the Iron Sword Sect’s Mountain Gate, breaking through to Mid-Stage Nascent Soul, greatly enhancing your mental state.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11693, Wind and Rain Tower was wiped out, the Governor’s Mansion annihilated, and no one knew you were the true master behind Wind and Rain Tower.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11698, Iron Sword Sect’s disciples surpassed ten thousand, three Golden Core cultivators, successfully advancing to a First-Class Sect.]
[In the Changtian Calendar 11713, you vaguely heard there were passages to other Blessed Lands within the Blessed Land...]
[You formally completed the practice of the Mortal Transformation Technique, after two hundred years of cultivation, your mental state greatly enhanced, and your Divine Sense qualitatively broke through.]
[You held no nostalgia for Iron Sword Sect...]
"How do you know what I said!?"
Xiang Wuji, now in a middle-aged appearance, wearing a long knife on his waist, seemed ordinary, but listening to the words of the woman in front of him, Xiang Wuji’s smile gradually faded.
In front of him stood not a stranger, but an old acquaintance from a past life.
Princess of Great Wei, Jiang Zhao.
Jiang Zhao coldly looked at him, saying, "Who exactly are you!"
Around Jiang Zhao, experts appeared.
Someone glanced at him and said, "Isn’t that Iron Sword Sect Leader Zhao?"
Then detailed information about Xiang Wuji was relayed to Jiang Zhao.
Jiang Zhao glanced at the surrounding people, then stared at Xiang Wuji, communicating via Divine Sense, "You definitely are not from Celestial Dust Continent, you come from elsewhere."
"Why."
Jiang Zhao coldly laughed, but within her laugh was some inexplicable helplessness and despair.
"Because the entire Celestial Dust Continent, people don’t know the truth!"
"Even if I say it to their face, everyone will just think I haven’t spoken!"
"So this Sect Leader Zhao, how do you know what I said..."