Immortality Cultivation

After parting ways with Mu Fenghua, Fang Hao didn’t dare to stay in Ten Thousand Swords Valley for long. This place was like a hornet’s nest; who knew if something like the "Black Wind Four Fiends" or "White Wolf Five Heroes" would suddenly pop out? He followed his original path, cautiously slipping out, and after half a day’s work, he finally made it out of the valley without any mishaps.

As soon as he exited the valley mouth, the pervasive, sharp Sword Intent suddenly lightened, and the air felt much fresher. Fang Hao let out a long sigh of relief, feeling as if a thousand-pound weight had been lifted. He looked back at the dark, murderous valley, still feeling a bit of lingering fear in his heart, but more than that, he felt excitement. This risk was worth it!

He found a relatively hidden mountain hollow neither too far nor too close to Ten Thousand Swords Valley, set up several layers of concealment and warning Formations, and dove inside. Sitting cross-legged, he couldn’t wait to start taking stock of his harvest this time.

First was that stalk of sword intent grass. Although more than half of it had been used, a small section remained, shimmering with silver light and emitting pure Sword Intent fluctuations. This was a precious treasure; he had to use it sparingly.

Then there were three "sword heart stones," about the size of eggs and quite heavy. They contained sharp Metal-element Sword Intent and were good Materials for tempering the yitian sword.

There were also spoils of war scavenged from the "Black Fiend Three Wolves" and "Old Three Qiu’s Treasure Cave." There was a large pile of Spirit Stones, as well as many Medicinal Pills, Talismans, and Materials. What interested him most was the Jade Slip containing the remnant of the Shadowless Evasion Technique and that phantom shadow sword. Although the evasion technique was incomplete, the several techniques for hiding one’s presence and short-distance bursts of speed recorded within were very practical, perfectly making up for the Divine Spirit Steps’ deficiencies in stealth. The phantom shadow sword was as thin as a cicada’s wing, nearly transparent, incredibly sharp, and even had a slight concealment effect, suitable for backstabbing... ah no, suitable for catching people off guard at critical moments.

However, these external items were secondary. The greatest harvest from this trip to Ten Thousand Swords Valley was that faint but resilient "Nascent Sword Intent" in his Dantian!

Fang Hao closed his eyes, his mind sinking into his Dantian. The seven-colored Golden Core rotated slowly, and on its surface, a strand of silver light thinner than a hair was wrapped around it. It flickered in and out of existence, emitting a faint Concept of charging forward and destroying everything. This was the Nascent Sword Intent he had just comprehended, the "Falling Star Sword Intent" derived from the Starfall Sword Art.

"Nascent Sword Intent..." Fang Hao pondered. According to the fragmentary information he had seen in the Sect’s ancient texts and True Person Chiyang’s Miscellaneous Notes, Sword Intent was a very mysterious thing and couldn’t be achieved overnight. Moving from nothing to condensing a prototype was considered crossing the most difficult hurdle, but there was still a long way to go.

The growth of Sword Intent can be roughly divided into several stages: Initial Success (10% to 30%), Minor Achievement (40% to 60%), Major Achievement (70% to 90%), and finally Perfection (100%).

In his current state, he had at most touched the edge; he couldn’t even be considered to have "10% Sword Intent." It was just a prototype with limited power, more of an enhancement to his sword techniques and an elevation of his Concept. For example, when performing the Starfall Sword Art, incorporating this strand of Sword Intent would make the moves sharper and more penetrating, but the consumption of spiritual energy would also be greater.

There were no shortcuts to making Sword Intent grow; it relied on "nurturing" and "tempering."

"Nurturing" meant constantly using one’s own comprehension of the sword dao and spiritual energy to warm and strengthen this strand of Sword Intent Origin. This was a slow, painstaking process that couldn’t be rushed.

"Tempering" was even more important. Sword Intent was honed through fighting and confrontation! It required constant collision and clashing with different Sword Intents, absorbing their essence and making up for one’s own deficiencies. Just like forging iron, only through thousands of tempers can the dross be removed and the essence kept, becoming purer and stronger.

"Ten Thousand Swords Valley is actually a good place to ’temper’ Sword Intent..." Fang Hao licked his lips, feeling a bit tempted. Those messy, broken Sword Intents in the valley, though dangerous, were indeed excellent "whetstones." However, his current strength wasn’t enough; rushing in blindly would be suicide. He had to stabilize this prototype and increase his strength first.

He picked up that half-stalk of sword intent grass and hesitated. The Sword Intent contained in this thing was very pure, making it a good item for "nurturing" intent. But his Sword Intent had just formed and his Foundation was unstable; directly absorbing high-purity external Sword Intent could easily lead to "indigestion" or even being influenced by someone else’s Sword Intent, deviating from his own Dao.

"Let’s play it safe first." Fang Hao suppressed the urge to consume it immediately and carefully put away the sword intent grass. He would use it to break through the Bottleneck once his Sword Intent had stabilized.

Over the next few days, Fang Hao stayed hidden in the mountain hollow and went nowhere. During the day, he practiced the Starfall Sword Art, Dividing Light Sword Shadow, and Seven Absolutes Sword Seal over and over again, using his mind to guide that strand of Nascent Sword Intent into every move and style, carefully experiencing the changes. He found that with the enhancement of Sword Intent, the power of his sword moves had indeed increased by ten to twenty percent, and they flowed more smoothly as if the sword techniques now had a "soul."

But problems also arose. His control over Sword Intent was still very clumsy, working only intermittently, and the consumption was high. Fully activating the Sword Intent could only be sustained for the duration of an incense stick before the Dantian’s spiritual energy would run dry. Furthermore, this Nascent Sword Intent was too weak; it could easily be crushed or backfire if it encountered a slightly more powerful opponent or Sword Intent.

"I have to practice! Practice like my life depends on it!" Fang Hao steeled himself and also brought out the remnant of the Shadowless Evasion Technique to study. Combining it with the Divine Spirit Steps, he leaped and dashed around the mountain hollow, practicing concealment and bursts of speed. When tired, he would sit in meditation to recover, using the Chaos Derivation Art to refine spiritual energy and nurture his Sword Intent.

He also took the time to refine the three sword heart stones to temper the yitian sword. After being nourished by both the sword heart stones and the Sword Intent, the yitian sword’s spirituality had clearly increased slightly, the blade became sharper, and its connection with his mind grew closer.

After seven or eight days of bitter cultivation day and night, Fang Hao felt that his control over that strand of Nascent Sword Intent had become much more proficient. At the very least, he could stably apply it to his sword moves, and the duration had extended to nearly half an hour. His cultivation at the Early Golden Core Stage had also completely stabilized, and he had even made a bit of progress.

"That’s about enough; it’s time to go out and move around." Fang Hao stood up and stretched his limbs. Constant seclusion wasn’t the answer; time in the Secret Realm was precious, and he had to hurry and find other Opportunities. Moreover, Sword Intent needed actual combat to be honed; working behind closed doors wouldn’t cut it.

He removed the Formations, identified his direction, and decided to head toward the central area of the Secret Realm. It was said that at the very center of the Secret Realm was a "heaven-reaching pagoda," a Trial Grounds left by an ancient powerhouse, containing countless Opportunities but also the greatest dangers. Many Geniuses would gather there.

"heaven-reaching pagoda... maybe I’ll encounter stronger opponents and better ’whetstones’!" A flash of anticipation crossed Fang Hao’s eyes. He performed the Divine Spirit Steps, his figure turning into a wisp of green smoke as he sped toward the depths of the Secret Realm.

This time, he felt his steps were much lighter. With his strength increased, his confidence had also grown. Whether this Secret Realm was a dragon’s pool or a tiger’s den, he was going to charge through it!