Chapter 61: The Birth of a Sword Immortal (Subscriptions Requested)

Yuan Zhu was captivated by the words 'Sword Immortal' and crowded close to spectate eagerly. He then learned that Meng Xiyue had previously offered two enhancement schemes, both of which Zhou Chu had rejected on the grounds of being 'too radical!'

The indignant college student ultimately proposed a scheme acceptable to both sides: the power of Buddhism.

Especially since the team had just returned from the Scarlet Realm, the special discount section of [King Fuzz] featured a large number of entry-level foundational Buddhist teachings. Not only were they low-priced, but they were also safe and harmless 'Buddhist cocoons.'

These Buddhist cocoons had all been harvested personally by the team leader to ensure that the original sources were thoroughly dead, eliminating any blind-box possession trials. One only needed to transplant them to quickly inherit the predecessor's lifetime mastery, offering an extremely high cost-performance ratio that was both safe and reliable.

However, Lü Rang, who had personally experienced the [Buddha-Egg Night of Terror], shook his head frantically, dead set against entering Buddhism. He held a nether-world filter over Buddhist teachings, which were inherently neutral, peaceful, and compassionate. Until this prejudice was shattered, he would misunderstand Buddhism for the rest of his life.

In the end, the three parties reached a consensus on the transcendental system of the [Sword Immortal].

Lü Rang, who possessed a mere 400 contribution points to his name, could not help asking, "As a [Sword Immortal], why must one endure suffering?"

Meng Xiyue cheerfully replied, "Well asked. [Pain] is an indispensable step for a sword cultivator to forge their natal flying sword. In the Divine Space, one only needs to spend 400 contribution points to exchange for the basic blessing of the swordsmanship path: [Blessing of the Sword]. Upon acquiring this blessing, one can expend mental and physical energy to manifest an intangible sharpness across the body's surface, known as 'sword qi.' Sword qi itself is a transcendental power that can protect oneself and attach to all things to increase sharpness. When the sword qi is strong enough, even a chopstick can cut through steel."

Hearing this, Yuan Zhu felt that the [Blessing of the Sword] was exceptionally good, extremely cool, and sounded quite normal, so he could not help asking, "Then what are its flaws or costs?"

"???" Meng Xiyue wore a puzzled expression, looking as if she were thinking, 'Why are you like this? Can't you wish people well?' She explained, "[Sword qi] itself carries no side effects whatsoever."

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Yuan Zhu loudly retorted. How could there exist a power without costs or contamination? "Isn't sword qi a form of contamination? Doesn't it require paying a price?"

Meng Xiyue countered, "Why do you hold such prejudice? Doesn't our School of Knowledge lack contamination as well, remaining safe and eco-friendly? [Sword qi] differs from those 'innate transcendental (contaminated) systems' where the sources of contamination exist inherently from birth, and people gradually domesticate, master, and summarize them. [Sword qi] is an [acquired transcendental system] created postnatally. The 'School of Wisdom' to which I belong, as well as the [Pale Great Code], are both postnatal great daos, making them even safer and more eco-friendly."

Miss Zhou Chu also nodded in agreement.

Meng Xiyue continued, "The [Blessing of the Sword] is a blessing bestowed by the First Ancestor of Swords upon all 'sword cultivators' in the world, with the cost borne and paid for by the Sword Ancestor himself. Once you receive the blessing, you officially step onto the path of the sword and can never turn back."

Upon hearing this, Lü Rang was also greatly energized and puffed out his chest. Compared to those other [innate contaminated great daos], this [acquired sword dao] was truly wonderful.

Meng Xiyue went on, "However, a sword cultivator reaches the end of the road at this stage. If you wish to continue growing and strengthening, you must choose a natal flying sword. Then comes the continuous extraction of sword qi to temper and refine this blessing into that 'flying sword,' until they interact, generate telepathic communion, and subsequently elevate it into an 'external organ,' ultimately refining both body and mind into a natal flying sword."

"The most crucial and important step in nurturing and tempering a flying sword is called the [Pain-Entry Method]. The process is simple: use sword qi to bolster and nourish the sword body, then slice yourself inch by inch, carefully savoring and perceiving the pain, and re-infusing this sensation back into the flying sword to increase its spirituality and shape its sword soul."

"The speed of a sword cultivator's growth depends heavily on the intensity of their 'self-mutilation and self-torture.' At our Taixi University, we have established a professional [Sword Cultivator Research Project], inviting multiple great sword cultivators serving in the military. Rest assured, I am not deceiving you. The key to practicing sword cultivation is not the brutality of self-harm, but rather carefully savoring the experience within that self-harm. If you can infinitely slow down the process, magnify the sensations, and precipitate them with your heart, the efficiency of forging the flying sword will increase exponentially."

"If you fear pain and seek a swift end with a blade, or if you blindly pursue the speed of sword-nurturing with fast, accurate, and ruthless self-inflicted severe injuries, it will drastically diminish the effectiveness of forging the sword. Remember, you must stare pain in the face, perceive pain, understand pain, and merge with pain to comprehend 'sharpness' and bestow it upon the flying sword."

Hearing this, Yuan Zhu felt delighted and satisfied! I knew it, how could there possibly be a transcendental system without a price? This [acquired immortal sword dao] truly suited his tastes! Exactly, this was the flavor—authentic!

However, Lü Rang was dumbfounded.

He hastily spoke up, "Wait! Why must one nurture and forge a sword in this manner?"

Meng Xiyue spread her hands. "That is how the founder of the sword dao prescribed it, and all sword cultivators in the world must cultivate this way. Otherwise, choose another system. Afraid of pain? If you're afraid of pain, don't be a sword cultivator. Only by enduring the bitterest of hardships can one rise above the rest."

Lü Rang: "I don't understand why we must feel pain and self-torture."

Meng Xiyue: "I am not a sword cultivator, so I cannot give you the correct answer. But our university has collaborative research projects with the military aimed at increasing sword cultivators' training speeds, enhancing the lethality of flying swords, and improving flying sword quality... Therefore, we have conducted many surveys and formed hypotheses. Sword cultivators forge swords with their own bodies to better comprehend and understand the sword. Through pain, they can more clearly perceive and grasp the 'sharpness' of the sword, and then bestow this concept upon the 'flying sword' to make it even sharper! After all, compared to stabbing others with a sword, stabbing oneself is much better for 'deciphering the sword.'"

"But..."

Meng Xiyue: "No buts. The sword dao is just like this. There is no why—only whether you cultivate it or not. Every sword cultivator is like this; this is the mandatory path to achieving the status of a [Sword Immortal]. Besides, for a mere 400 contribution points, it is an insanely good bargain. Do you know how high a price others at our university have to pay if they want to become a sword cultivator? 100,000 in basic training fees, 3 years of specialized classes, ideological education by the military... and mandatory military service for 10 years."

"I..."

Hearing that becoming a sword cultivator required paying such a heavy price, Lü Rang instantly equated 400 contribution points with 100,000 yuan. Consequently, he became even more reluctant to give it up. "400 contribution points can only buy the blessing, but I don't have a flying sword!"

He thought of the most critical point: how could a sword immortal be without a flying sword?

Meng Xiyue smiled and raised her index finger. "Aha! This is the core reason why I recommend you become a sword cultivator. The path of the sword immortal is not picky about flying swords. [Sword qi] can attach to all things, so all things can become swords! The initial quality of a flying sword can be poor—though naturally, the more precious, the better. Regardless of the quality, as long as you meticulously forge it, it will continuously grow and become stronger."

"Our school has a research report showing that numerous factional ideologies have split within the internal ranks of sword cultivators. Among them, the greatest divergence between the [Sword Sect] and the [Non-Sword] lies in whether the form of the non-sword must maintain the shape of a sword. The report indicates that traditional flying swords account for less than 20%, while the remaining 80% of sword cultivators belong to the [Non-Sword] faction."

Yuan Zhu: "Why is that?"

"That is an internal matter among sword cultivators; we outsiders do not interfere, participate, or evaluate. Aside from whether they use non-swords or not, sword cultivators can also be divided into the three major factions of [Material Swords, Phenomenal Swords, and Karmic Swords]."

Lü Rang: "What are those?"

Meng Xiyue: "Material swords are the simplest—refining tangible objects into flying swords, such as metal or wooden swords, which are [Material Swords]. Karmic swords are also simple—refining living flesh and blood or bodily limbs and organs into flying swords while maintaining their vitality. For instance, if you chop off one of your own arms, the speed of forging the sword far surpasses that of your peers, and its destructive power is immense! The final category, [Phenomenal Swords], is slightly more abstract, consisting of 'phenomena' that are difficult to categorize being forged into swords; only powerhouses can manage to refine them."

According to Meng Xiyue, Yuan Zhu finally understood why [Non-Sword] practitioners could make up 80%. No matter how you looked at it, these 'karmic swords and phenomenal swords' fell squarely under the category of [Non-Sword].

After listening, Lü Rang stood dumbfounded with his jaw dropped wide open, completely stupefied. This sword cultivator path was indeed profound and vast; how was he supposed to choose?

"You're dazed already? Chop off an arm, refine it into a 'karmic non-sword,' rapidly build up combat prowess, achieve spiritual communion with the sword heart, and fast-track your natal flying sword!"

Yuan Zhu could not bear to visualize Lü Rang performing the 'Hundred-Pace Flying Hand' technique to claim an enemy's head.

A flash of sword light, a severed arm piercing straight toward the enemy commander's neck, followed by five fingers clamping around the throat, sword radiance erupting in a circle to effortlessly sever the head, and then flying back to Lü Rang's side.

Huh? This 'hand sword' seemed more functional, flexible, and convenient than a traditional flying sword. It wasn't entirely out of the question.

Lü Rang stood frozen, not daring to use his own limbs or organs to refine a karmic sword. It was all happening too fast! One minute ago, he didn't even know what a sword immortal was; one minute later, he was staring down the option of severing his arm to forge a sword?

It was too fast; his brain simply couldn't process it. His mind was currently blank. "I..."

Zhou Chu shot Meng Xiyue a sideways glance and warned, "Don't listen to her nonsense. A flying sword can be forged in multiple quantities. First, choose an item of special significance to yourself to forge a sword. Once you are familiar with the sword dao system, then seriously prepare for the refining of your natal flying sword."

"Thank you for the reminder, Sister Zhou." Lü Rang looked grateful. He had almost been hoodwinked by Meng Xiyue into getting hot-headed and hacking off some body parts to mess around with some bizarre karmic sword.

Yuan Zhu, listening from the sidelines, rolled his eyes, loving nothing more than a good spectacle. He pointed at the blood-stained pipe wrench beside Lü Rang and said, "I'd say this thing is destined for you. You brought it from Ningning, it accompanied you through the Buddha-Egg Night, and now you've even carried it all the way back here. Why don't you become a [Pipe Wrench Sword Immortal]!"

Meng Xiyue nodded repeatedly in agreement. "That sounds rather wonderful!"

Lü Rang: "Ah? Don't I need to go home and prepare a blade or a sword?"

"Where could the sharpness of a blade or sword ever compare to the [Blessing of the Sword]? As long as you meticulously forge it, you will surpass ordinary blades and swords sooner or later. Besides, the metallic texture of this pipe wrench is durable enough. Its durability is far superior to ordinary swords, it doesn't need much maintenance, and it's tough and rugged—first-rate foundation material for a flying sword!" Meng Xiyue analyzed with impeccable logic.

Lü Rang: "Really?"

"Of course. I've seen more sword cultivators than the number of deities you've ever heard of!"

"Then... then I'll do it!"

Having made up his mind, he hesitated no longer. He pressed his hand against the stone pillar, consumed contribution points, and exchanged them for the [Blessing of the Sword], deciding from that moment on to embark on the path of the 'Pipe Wrench Sword Immortal'!

Yuan Zhu was also quite expectant, having gained yet another research subject and object of observation. He had always held a romanticized filter regarding 'Sword Immortals' who soared through the nine heavens. He had no idea what the local 'Sword Immortals' of Duling were actually supposed to look like. In any case, he certainly wasn't going to cultivate that path himself.