Cultivating with Bragging System

「Inside the Phoenix Perch Building.」

At this moment, everything was silent; everyone had fallen quiet. They were reminiscing about the music just played, reliving the scenes from the visions. By now, nobody cared about the musical contest between Feiyin and Tian Yu. It had become completely and utterly unimportant.

After all, the musical duel appeared to be a battle for honor between Tian Yu, representing the Miaoyin Immortal Sect, and Feiyin, representing the Sanqing Immortal Sect’s Sonic Sect. In fact, the Miaoyin Immortal Sect was not qualified to compete on the same stage as the Sanqing Immortal Sect; it was merely a proxy for the other Cave Heavens backing it. The Miaoyin Immortal Sect was simply testing the waters, probing their bottom line.

However, after the performance of the Tribulation-Passing Immortal Melody, the musical realm it manifested revealed scenes of battle and desolate graveyards, each one more shocking than the last. Anyone with half a brain could tell which war this timeless masterpiece depicted: the war from over eight hundred years ago when the Sanqing Immortal Sect vanquished the demons.

Many years had passed, and the devastating war had long been forgotten by the younger generation. Many ambitious figures were now biding their time, preparing to prey on the Sanqing Cave Heaven for their own benefit. Yet, after hearing this Tribulation-Passing Immortal Melody, the countless prodigies within the Phoenix Perch Building gained a newfound understanding of the fierce and tragic grandeur of the Sanqing Immortal Sect’s historic battle.

Public opinion would now swing back in favor of the Sanqing Immortal Sect, forcing those restless powers lurking in the shadows to once again hold back and observe. After all, those of the Righteous Path valued their reputation, and public opinion was crucial. If their methods for dealing with "former heroes" were too crass, they could easily be branded as bullies who preyed on the weak. When that happened, both their sect’s prestige and their ability to recruit new disciples would be affected.

...

A sword!

It is meant for protection, not slaughter.

When you have family, friends, and the people you wish to safeguard standing behind you...

Only then does drawing your sword truly hold meaning.

「Within the private room.」

Li Zuoyue sat cross-legged, a fierce Sword Intent emanating from his body. His eyes were tightly shut, yet the Sword Dao spiritual eye on his forehead shone brilliantly, reflecting an endless sword gleam.

He was fortunate. After listening to the Tribulation-Passing Immortal Melody, he became deeply captivated by the bearing of the White-clothed Sword Immortal, completely immersing himself in the Sword Immortal’s perspective. He had even entered a state of sudden enlightenment, and his comprehension of the Heavenly Timing Sword Scripture was advancing at an inconceivable pace.

SHIING!

From the Sword Box on his back, numerous famous swords began to resonate, causing the box itself to tremble lightly.

Spring Equinox!

Clear and Bright!

Grain Rain!

Start of Summer!

...

Beams of divine light shot out from the Sword Box like shooting stars and dancing rainbows, orbiting Li Zuoyue. They cast a brilliant sword glow, vaguely coalescing into a sword formation.

Six swords!

Nine swords!

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Twelve swords!

Fifteen swords!

Eighteen swords!

A full eighteen longswords now surrounded Li Zuoyue, their sword qi linked as one. At this moment, his sword qi was twice as sharp as it had been when they first met at the Zhao Residence. Although his Cultivation Level remained at the Ninth Heaven of the Golden Core Stage, his understanding of the Sword Dao was now vastly different. If he were to duel his past self, he could now defeat that version of him within a few moves.

With eighteen swords flying in unison, the Li Zuoyue of today already possessed the combat strength to challenge the top ten on the Golden Core Ranking. If he succeeded, he would truly be considered a top prodigy in Nanzhou.

"Nineteenth sword, out!"

After a moment of channeling his power, Li Zuoyue let out a long cry. The nineteenth Heavenly Timing sword shot forth, joining the other eighteen and shattering the void. Controlling nineteen swords of Heavenly Time, he now possessed the power to firmly secure a spot in the top ten of the Golden Core Ranking, his sword energy peerless!

Li Zuoyue exhaled a murky breath, awakening from his epiphany. His eyes filled with undisguised amazement. "A single song has saved me years of effort. Inconceivable, truly inconceivable."

"This senior’s Tribulation-Passing Immortal Melody must be approaching the state of perfection!" I’ve never heard of such a senior still living in the Sonic Sect. It seems that even though our sect is in decline, the foundations we have left are not to be underestimated! This time, that senior must have been disgusted by the Miaoyin Immortal Sect’s behavior and decided to make a small move to intimidate everyone. I never expected that I would be the one to benefit so greatly.

Li Zuoyue turned and saw that Li Longhao and Li Longyou also had their eyes slightly closed, their bodies wreathed in swirling sword qi. They had clearly gained significant insights as well. Even if their gains weren’t as profound as Li Zuoyue’s sudden enlightenment, they had definitely benefited immensely.

Li Longji was squinting and dozing off, yet his hands were gently tracing out sword moves as he muttered, "Fiend, behold my Dreaming Heavenly Supreme Sword! Black Dragon Probes the Sea! White Crane Spreads Wings..."

Even Huang Yunchong seemed to have gained a major insight. His eyes were squeezed shut and all five of his limbs were stretched out, as if he were practicing the secret, unteachable arts of the boudoir.

Huh? Where did Junior Brother Wang go? Li Zuoyue paused, slightly stunned, and was about to send a message.

Just then, the door to the private room opened, and Wang Xiu walked in, his face a mask of astonishment.

"Splendid! Simply too magnificent, too thrilling!" Wang Xiu exclaimed. "I was originally going to head downstairs to get a closer look at the musical duel between Miss Feiyin and Miss Tian Yu. I never expected to stumble upon an old senior of the Sonic Sect making a rare appearance!"

"This melody... wow, it’s simply out of this world! As the saying goes, ’to hear their music is to know their heart.’ A senior capable of playing such a world-shaking piece must possess an aura that could swallow the eight desolates and embrace the cosmos. They must be peerlessly handsome as well. I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to pay my respects in the future."

Li Zuoyue nodded slowly and sighed. "I once had the honor of hearing the First Seat of our Sonic Sect, Martial Uncle Gong Shangyu, play a piece. But to be honest, it was nowhere near as stunning as what we heard today. This senior... they must be an elder of our Sonic Sect who survived that tragic war all those years ago. Perhaps even Martial Uncle Gong would have to address them as ’Ancestor’. We would have to call them ’Grand Ancestor’. This Grand Ancestor is truly formidable!"

Wang Xiu: ???

Ahem. If you insist on calling me Grand Ancestor, I suppose I could agree to it.

"Junior Brother Wang," Li Zuoyue said apologetically, "after hearing this piece, I feel my chest brimming with soaring sword qi. I’ve made extraordinary gains, so I plan to first pay my respects to the senior to thank them for their performance.

"Then, I’ll rent a seclusion chamber here in the Phoenix Perch Building to consolidate what I’ve learned.

"Perhaps, by striking while the iron is hot, I can make another breakthrough and comprehend the Heavenly Timing Sword Scripture to the level of twenty swords flying in unison.

"I’m afraid I can’t accompany you any longer today. My apologies."

Wang Xiu smiled slightly, not at all surprised. We are all cultivators, after all. Seeking the Dao and cultivating always comes first, far more important than drinking and catching up. The Phoenix Perch Building had many seclusion chambers that were quiet and tranquil, equipped with expensive spirit-calming incense to help one focus their mind. This was indeed the right time for Li Zuoyue to enter a seclusion chamber.

"Cousin, I’ll go with you," Li Longhao said, opening his eyes. His gaze burned with intensity, clear evidence of his own great gains.

Then, Li Longyou also opened his eyes. He hoisted the still sleep-talking Li Longji over his shoulder and left with Li Zuoyue.

Soon, only Huang Yunchong and Wang Xiu remained in the vast private room.

...

"Junior Brother Wang," Huang Yunchong said, his small eyes gleaming brightly from within his dark circles. "Your big brother here has also had many revelations and would like to consolidate them.

"I was wondering... could you lend me some Spirit Stones so I can go do some... ’hands-on practice’?

"I won’t borrow them for free, of course.

"I’ll trade you for some juicy information and even take you ’shop exploring’ with me. How about it?"

Wang Xiu’s face fell. Senior Brother! What kind of person do you take me for?