With a sinister look on his face, Lee returned to his estate. Behind him was the four-hooved beast. The two entered his estate, and those servants and house guards all knelt down or lowered their heads when seeing him. None of them dared to even breathe too loudly. They could all tell that their master, Lee, was in an extremely foul mood. Someone who upset him might be slapped to death.
"Father." A sound from afar, and a middle-aged man clad in beast fur with dozens of braids in his hair came out.
Lee glanced at him. The person was his most competent son, and also one who had become a Xiantian lifeform; Ji Jadewich. Frowning, he said, "Jadewich, is this true? I just went out hunting, and shortly afterwards, I received news that Yichuan's little animal has reached the 'advanced' stage of swordplay, 'one with the sword'?"
"It is, father." Jadewich shook his head and sighed. "Today, Ji Ning and nine Ninefang Warriors were sparring. He made a breakthrough in swordplay while sparring. There's no doubt about this at all."
"Argh!" Lee let out an angry sound. "The Heavens have set themselves against me, Ji Lee. My elder brother, Ji Young, was inferior to me, but due to my arrogance, I allowed him to seize the position of Prefecture Lord. He produced an outstanding descendant, Ji Yichuan, making his lineage even more stable. But now, an even more outstanding Ji Ning has been produced, who in six years managed to reach the 'one with the sword' level!"
"Reaching the 'one with the sword' level in just six years. Those three geniuses we selected from those countless tribes are far inferior to him by comparison." Jadewich shook his head as well.
For the sake of blocking Ning's progression, they had specially selected three outstandingly talented children near Ning's age, and began to teach them from a young age. But they were still inferior to Ning.
"Just a bit off. If Grizzly was just three years younger…" Jadewich sighed.
"Grizzly?" Lee was startled.
Grizzly was his foster son.
In the past, when he had led the army to punish one of the larger tribes for a transgression, he had encountered a Diremonster, a 'Golden Grizzly Bear'. After a vicious, terrifying battle, the Golden Grizzly Bear had finally fled in defeat. Lee then raided the Golden Grizzly Bear's lair, and found inside the lair an infant child. The infant wasn't a year old, but was born with tremendous strength… and was very much to Lee's liking. He had said, "Kid, you were snatched by a Golden Grizzly Bear but weren't killed. Instead, it raised you? Hahaha… from today onwards, you will be the adopted son of myself, Ji Lee. I'll name you… Grizzly!"
It was common for someone to raise an adopted son who possessed extraordinary abilities.
When Grizzly was brought back home, it was determined that he was one year old. He was now thirteen years old. Lee treated and raised Grizzly as a terrifying monstrous beast, having him engage beasts in battle since he was an infant, and sometimes even with monstrous beasts. Naturally, he also taught Grizzly the most suitable training methods…
In the middle of all that combat, last year, Grizzly had reached the stage of 'one with the saber'.
"The Ceremony of the Golden Sword is held every four years. There will be one this year." Jadewich narrowed his eyes. "Four years from now, there will be another one. In another four years… Grizzly will be seventeen. Only those sixteen and younger can participate in the Ceremony of the Golden Sword. Four years from now, Grizzly won't even be able to participate, much less stop Ning!"
"The only hope we have right now is that the three little brats I took in will be able to become a Xiantian lifeform within these next four years," Lee muttered.
"Right." Jadewich nodded. "I personally selected the three of them out of all of the tribes as the most suited for Ki Refining. They've reached the peak of the Houtian level long ago. If a single one of them can advance to the Xiantian level, then our victory is assured."
Lee nodded as well. "A Xiantian Ki Refiner is capable of using magical treasures and would definitely win. Only, it is simply too hard to become a Xiantian lifeform…"
"All we can do is wait and see what Fate has to offer," Jadewich said softly.
Lee nodded lightly.
Although they were struggling over the Prefecture Lord position, Ji Lee and Ji Jadewich never even thought about killing Ji Ning. In this vast world, for a clan to be able to survive… they had to be unified, and fratricide was definitely forbidden! In addition, Ning had already been selected as a potential heir. If someone dared to try and use a wicked method to kill Ji Ning, most likely everyone in the Five Prefectures of the Ji Clan would join forces to punish the murderer!
...
The thick, large candle lit up the hall. Yichuan was seated in the primary seat, while Snow and Ning sat close to him.
The three of them were eating the meal in front of them on the table.
"Yichuan." Snow looked at her son, his hands and mouth greasy from the meat he was eating. Her eyes were filled with pride. "Our son Ning mastered the basics in three years, and in three more years became 'one with the sword'! It seems it will be easy for him to gain the position of Prefecture Lord."
Holding a ramshorn goblet, Yichuan nodded lightly. "When Ning sparred with the others, he only used his internal force. He didn't use any of the power of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens], the number one Fiendgod Body Refining method. And in addition, when sparring with outsiders, Ning has only used a single sword."
Others didn't know how powerful Ning was, but Yichuan and his wife knew exactly how capable their son was.
Seizing the golden sword?
As easy as picking something out of his pocket!
"Ning, at his current level of power, is already easily capable of seizing the golden sword. In four more years, even Xiantian lifeforms won't be able to stop him." Yichuan poured himself another cup of wine.
Ning continued to simply sit there, eating and drinking prodigious amounts of food.
Because he trained in the number one Fiendgod Body Refining, the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens], he possessed the appetite of a Fiendgod as well. He could easily eat dozens of pounds of the meat of monstrous beasts in every meal. He had reached the third level of the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] two years ago. He was at a bottleneck now, but with one more step, he would reach the fourth level!
The fourth level would let him become a Xiantian lifeform, and one which belonged to the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique. His battle ability would far outstrip that of normal Xiantian lifeforms by a hundred times or a thousand times.
"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle." Ning drank large mouthfuls of hot water, pouring it all down his mouth, then rubbed his stomach as he put it down. "That feels good."
"Ning." Snow looked at her son with a laugh.
"Mother." Ning was very obedient. He could sense that his father cherished him but also valued the clan, while his mother had placed virtually all of her hopes and concerns in him. In her mother's eyes, perhaps even the rise and fall of the entire Ji clan wasn't nearly as important as her son.
Snow looked at her son. "When your father taught you the [108 Swords of the Gods and Demons], it was the most complicated level of sword techniques you could learn, and it was the most suitable set of sword techniques for you to reach the 'one with the sword' level. However, now that you have already reached that level, the [108 Swords of the Gods and Demons] technique is no longer of much use to you."
"Right." Yichuan looked at his son. "Now, Ning! When I had you prepare your 'body' and your 'mind', I needed you to make all of your attacks as fast as lightning and incomparably accurate. I needed you to imprint those things in your bones. Only then did I teach you the [108 Swords of the Gods and Demons], and the purpose of that was… to let you go from something simple to complicated!"
"The path of sword training first goes from simple to complicated, and then from complicated back to simple. Only then can one be considered to have mastered the sword." Yichuan looked at his son. "You have become 'one with the sword', and you can wield it as easily as your own hands. You can be considered to have gone from complicated back to simple."
Ning nodded.
He understood this logic. If he was so stupid as to just constantly use those thirteen basic stances, he could still be considered an expert swordsman, but without having truly experienced 'going from simple to complicated, then from complicated to simple', it would be very hard for one to reach the 'one with the sword' level.
"Next, you will need to reach the level of being 'one with the world'." Yichuan sighed. "This step is an extremely hard step."
"One with the world…" Ning was filled with anticipation.
"The previous sword techniques you've learned are now useless to you." Yichuan looked at his son. "Your current level is enough to qualify you to learn the highest level swordplay of the Ji clan."
Ning's eyes lit up. The highest level swordplay of the Ji clan?
"Our Ji clan is famous because of our swordplay." Yichuan sighed with emotion. "In turn, the city of the Ji clan of the Main Prefecture, the 'City of Ten Thousand Swords', was named because the ancestors of the Ji clan rose to fame due to the [Melody of Ten Thousand Swords], which they used to establish themselves here."
"After thousands of years, the Ji clan now has five highest level sword arts. They are the [Melody of Ten Thousand Swords], [Thunderflame Sword], [Illusion Sutra], [Raindrop Sutra], and the [Polaris Secret Manual]. Every single technique is extremely profound and is beyond what the 'one with the sword' level is capable of. If you can make accomplishments in any of them, you will find that their power is boundless." Yichuan looked at his son. "I trained in the [Raindrop Sutra]. Most people, even after reaching the 'one with the sword' level, is at most able to select a single one of the arts to train in. This is because dividing the mind is simply too difficult. But Ning, since you are able to divide your mind in two, you would be able to choose two arts to train in."
Hu!
In Yichuan's hand, five books suddenly appeared. He casually tossed them out, and they flew straight over, landing in a neat stack on a nearby table, not touching any of the cups or plates.
"The highest level swordplay?" Ning looked at the five books. He understood that these were just abridged versions. Only after he made his choice would he receive the 'full versions'.
"Make your choice."
Yichuan looked at his son and said solemnly, "Once you have chosen, your choice will be recorded for the Ji clan of the Five Prefectures to review! If it isn't recorded down, you will be considered to have learned in secret. Anyone who does that will be exterminated by the combined forces of the Five Prefectures."
"Ah!" Ji Ning understood this, but he still couldn't help but feel surprised. "Then why is it that there was no such restriction on the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] technique that I learned?"
"Although the [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] technique is the number one Fiendgod Body Refining, it is extremely widespread. Virtually all of the tribes on the level of the Ji clan possesses a copy. Therefore, it doesn't matter if our copy is leaked." Yichuan looked at his son. "Most Ki Refining methods and Fiendgod Body Refining methods aren't very valuable. Only the ultimate techniques of each clan are tightly restricted, like these five sword techniques here. In the area around Swallow Mountain, four of these techniques are possessed only by our Ji clan. Only the [Polaris Secret Manual] is also in the possession of another entity, the Blackflame Sect."
Ning nodded.
He knew that in the area around Swallow Mountain, aside from the armies of the Grand Xia Dynasty that were stationed here, there were in total, five other hegemonic powers. The Ji clan was also one of them.
These six hegemons engaged in constant battle, but none of them dared to offend the armies of the Grand Xia Dynasty!
"Right." Ning immediately lowered his head and began to read, flipping through these five top-class sword techniques. If a person was at the 'one with the sword' level and then also possessed this sort of top-class sword technique, his power would definitely multiply.
"Raindrop Sutra…" This was the first one Ning looked at. This was the top-class technique which had made his father famous.
His father's nickname, after all, was the 'Raindrop Sword'!
[Raindrop Sutra]. The principle behind it was that of the saying, 'dripping water can eventually tunnel through a rock'.
Its attacks were soft yet inexhaustible, seemingly as endless as the raindrops falling from the skies during a rainstorm, making the enemy find it difficult to even dodge. In turn, its defenses were utterly airtight… and at the same time, when tens of millions of raindrops converged on one point, it could form a terrifyingly explosive force. Even ordinary drops of water could eventually tunnel through a rock; the sword that had been transformed into 'raindrops' would naturally contain an unshakable, unyielding power.
"The [Raindrop Sutra] truly is profound and wondrous." Ning nodded as he read it, then picked up the second book, [Polaris Secret Manual].
The [Polaris Secret Manual] was part of the legendary [Polaris Sword Manual]. It was divided into seven different sword stances, known as Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar, and Alkaid. These seven major sword stances all contained the power of the stars. They could be as ferocious and savage as the Voracious Alkaid Wolf Sword, or the extremely soft and extremely sinister Melodious Megrez Sword…
The sword technique was unfathomably mysterious, and was very hard to defend against.
"What a good sword technique." Ning sighed in amazement as he read, before picking up the other three books.
[Thunderflame Sword]. This was something which the ancestors of the Ji clan, when roving and training themselves elsewhere in the world, had been lucky enough to find. They had found a half-burned remnant of a book, and the words in it were not very clear. Only two words on the title could be seen: Thunderflame! In addition, they were only able to reclaim three complete sword stances from the book.
All of the stances were used to attack. When the stances were used, it was as though it contained the power of heavenly thunder and hellish flames. There was no question that in terms of attack power, it was the undisputed champion amongst the sword techniques of the Ji clan! For just three stances to allow it to be ranked amongst the Five Major Sword Techniques of the Ji clan, one could imagine how that unnamed complete sword technique… definitely outstripped the other four sword techniques vastly.
However, although its strengths were apparent, its weaknesses were also apparent. This was because these vicious stances… were only three in number. Thus, they didn't perfectly link to each other. In addition, all three stances were purely offensive, without any defensive stances. How could experts, when engaged in battle, have no defensive stances? Thus, very few people would choose to train in this sword technique.
"I really want to see what the complete Thunderflame Sword looks like." Ning couldn't help but sigh.
"If we had a complete copy," the nearby Yichuan said, "Then it would be, without question, the number one Immortal technique in Swallow Mountain."
Ning nodded, then picked up the fourth book.
[Illusion Sutra]. Strictly speaking, this wasn't a sword technique, because once one truly understood the meaning of the word 'Illusion', one could execute an 'Illusion Saber' technique, or an 'Illusion Spear' technique, or an 'Illusion Staff' technique… this was an insidious and powerful attacking technique that allowed one to hide one's true abilities and actions. Opponents often would die before even knowing what happened.
This technique was sinister to the extreme.
"This isn't suited to my temperament." The first technique Ning discarded was the [Illusion Sutra]. Picking something suited to a person was very important. A technique that was opposite of one's natural instincts, no matter how profound… would be incredibly difficult to train. Naturally, Ning immediately discarded it.
"Hrm, the last one was originally the greatest strength of the Ji clan." Ning began to flip through the [Melody of Ten Thousand Swords].
The [Melody of Ten Thousand Swords] was praised as the most complicated of the five sword techniques, far more complicated than the [108 Swords of the Gods and Demons] which Ning had previously learned. But although it was complicated, once one truly mastered it, the [Melody of Ten Thousand Swords] could be simplified into three major stances. The 'One Sword, Ten Thousand Shadows' stance, the 'Ten Thousand Swords Become One', and the 'Melody of Ten Thousand Swords'.
...
Ning closed his eyes, pondering.
In terms of being the most awe-inspiring and most complicated, or perhaps even the simplest, it would be the [Melody of Ten Thousand Swords].
In terms of being the most insidious and difficult to guard against, it would be the [Illusion Sutra].
In terms of being the most orthodox, it would be the [Polaris Secret Manual].
In terms of having the greatest defense, it would be the [Raindrop Sutra].
In terms of the most powerful attack and the deepest, most profound principles, it would be the [Thunderflame Sword].
"First of all, the [Illusion Sutra] can be excluded. It doesn't suit my temperament!" Ning pondered. "The [Polaris Secret Manual] is part of the [Polaris Sword Manual]. In terms of attack, it isn't very strong. In defense, it isn't either. It isn't very exquisite either… it's comparatively average, but it isn't weak in any aspect either. When fighting against experts, one must have some sort of advantage! The [Polaris Secret Manual] can be excluded as well."
"Only three left. The [Melody of Ten Thousand Swords], [Raindrop Sutra], and [Thunderflame Sword]."
"The [Raindrop Sutra] is a must!" Ning thought to himself.
The Raindrop Sutra was like a curtain of endless raindrops. It was the most defensive technique amongst the five major sword techniques.
In a battle, defensive abilities were even more important than attacking abilities!
In his past life, Ning had seen many martial arts competitions. All of the champions were experts at dodging and defense. Even in soccer and basketball, there was the saying that 'defense is king'. Although attacks were pretty to look at… it was defense which truly gave the best chances at victory.
The venue was different, but the logic was the same!
In life and death battles, defense was also important. When encountering an expert more powerful than one's self, one might reach the point of only being able to defend and not attack. If one's defense was strong, then perhaps one might still live. But once those attack-focused people encountered those who were even stronger than them, once their attacks were not able to harm the opponent, they were finished.
"Defense is the same thing as preserving my life. First, I have to preserve my life; only then can I take the lives of others. In addition, this is the technique which my father used to become famous. With him personally instructing me, I will improve quickly. The [Raindrop Sutra] is a must." Ning carefully continued to consider. "As for the [Thunderflame Sword] and the [Melody of Ten Thousand Swords]…"
"Alright, [Thunderflame Sword] it is!" Ning quickly made his decision.
If he was like an ordinary person who could only use a single sword technique, Ning probably would've made a choice between the [Raindrop Sutra] and the [Melody of Ten Thousand Swords].
However, since he used twin swords, he already had the [Raindrop Sutra] for defense. Thus, for the second one, he chose the most offensively powerful [Thunderflame Sword]. The [Thunderflame Sword] had, as its flaw, no defensive techniques, but as a twin-sword wielder, that wasn't a flaw at all. He had already chosen the [Raindrop Sutra] for his defense, and thus what he now truly needed was a powerful killing technique.
"The [Raindrop Sutra] and the [Thunderflame Sword]." Ning made up his mind. "The [Raindrop Sutra] is excellent at defense, while the [Thunderflame Sword], despite only having three strokes, has three incomparably powerful killer moves."
"In addition, once my [Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens] reaches the Xiantian level, my Divine Sun Tattoo and Divine Moon Tattoo will allow me to control fire and water. Water is very suited to the [Raindrop Sutra] while fire is very suited to the [Thunderflame Sword]. I trust they will be of great help to my swordplay."
"In defending, my defense must be so tight that not even a drop of water can get through!"
"In attacking, my attacks must be as explosively powerful as a fiery volcano!"
"I have twin swords. One for defense, one for offense. Or perhaps I can use both for defense. Or both for attack. I'll do as I please!" Ning rapidly began to evaluate his future possibilities in battle, and he saw the path with crystal clarity. He knew… only once one had a full understanding as to how one would develop and progress would one be able to avoid taking a wrong path. This would help one develop faster!
In warfare, strategies were of greater importance than tactics.
In a person's growth, there was a saying that planning counted for more than effort.
If one knew the right way one needed to advance fowards, even if one didn't make huge advances every day, after ten or twenty years, one would still reach a high level. But if one didn't have a clear objective, and just blindly worked hard, a person might just be running in-place without improving, or perhaps even going backwards!
...
His careful examination of the books had taken two hours. That huge candle was already half used up. Yichuan and Snow just waited there quietly, occasionally exchanging a few words.
"Father, Mother," Ning suddenly spoke.
"Hrm?" Yichuan and Snow both turned to look at him. Yichuan spoke. "You've chosen?"
Ning nodded.
"Ning, son, what have you chosen? One or two?" Snow asked.
"I've chosen two." Ning held out the two books. "One is the [Raindrop Sutra]. The other is the [Thunderflame Sword]."
"[Raindrop Sutra]? [Thunderflame Sword]?" Yichuan nodded slightly. As the number one expert of the Ji clan of the West Prefecture, despite not having gained any merits in battle after his son had been born, his reputation had only grown. This was because no one knew how powerful Yichuan had become… but no one could dispute that in even ten years, Yichuan had already become the number one expert of the West Prefecture.
His judgement was therefore exceptional.
"Fine." Yichuan nodded.
"I'd like to hear your advice, Father," Ning hurriedly said.
"No rush." Yichuan shook his head. "I have some thoughts on the [Raindrop Sutra], but you've never trained in it before. Thus, even if I explained my thoughts to you, you wouldn't be able to comprehend them. You have to first train hard, and even engage in life-and-death battles, before I can successfully guide you."
"Tomorrow at dawn, I will give you the full copies of the [Raindrop Sutra] and the [Thunderflame Sword]. At that time, you will perform them in front of me once. As long as you can get the postures and movements right, that will be enough." Yichuan nodded. "Three days later, you will begin to engage in real battles. Those sparring matches you usually do are too simple and soft. You need to fight in real life-and-death battles."
Ning was puzzled.
"Father, haven't I already engaged in life-and-death battles?" Ning couldn't help but ask. "In the past, when you acknowledged that my skill had reached the first level in sword training, the basic level, didn't you have me fight against and kill some prisoners who had been sentenced to death?"
He still remembered the first time he had killed someone. At that time, his entire body had been trembling, uncontrollably so. Although he rationally knew that he shouldn't be afraid, he still couldn't help but shake. According to what his father had said… aside from a very few people who lived for slaughter, this was the normal reaction of most people the first time they killed someone.
After having killed dozens of people sentenced to death row, he had grown calmer.
"That wasn't a battle. That was just training your courage." Yichuan shook his head. "Fighting against convicts? All of them were weaker than you. How can that be called a life-and-death battle? Three days from now… I will arrange for you to engage in a true battle with monstrous beasts, powerful ones that have already reached mastery in the Houtian level."
"Monsters?" Ning's face changed.
"Those captured monsters will turn insane and ferocious for food and for the chance to live. In addition, they won't show you any mercy at all." Yichuan looked at his son. "In front of a massive cage, you will fight against the monstrous beasts, one on one. This is the battle which all important descendants of the Ji clan must go through; the 'Cage Battle'. Over half of these important descendants will die in that cage.
Half?
Ning was briefly shocked, but then grew calm again. This was because he knew that the women and the slaves in the various tribes were highly fertile, but the total population here had never changed. Why? Because the savage environment had caused the tribes to need to struggle against the heavens, against the earth, against the Diremonsters hidden within the mountains and valleys, and even against other tribes. Only a few would be able to survive! Even though he was born into the Ji clan, he still needed to face tough, relentless training. Only the elite would survive.
It was precisely because all the clan members of the Ji clan were so strong that the Ji clan was famous and had become a local hegemon!
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