The Five Supreme Sword Arts

Ji Lie returned to his manor, his face dark as a storm cloud. Behind him followed the strange four-hoofed beast. As the pair walked through the estate, servants and guards either knelt or bowed their heads, not daring to make a sound. Everyone could see that their master, 'Ji Lie', was in a foul mood. To provoke him now would be to court a death too foolish to deserve pity.

"Father." A voice came from afar. A middle-aged man wrapped in animal hides and sporting dozens of braids quickly hurried over.

Ji Lie glanced at the newcomer. This was his most useful son, Ji Wuyu, who had also become a Xiantian lifeform. Frowning, he asked, "Wuyu, is this true? I had only been out hunting for a short while when I received word that Ji Yichuan's brat has already reached the Subtlety realm and Unity of Man and Sword with his swordplay?"

"Yes, Father." Ji Wuyu shook his head with a sigh. "It was today, during Ning's spar with the nine Nine-Fang warriors. He broke through in the middle of the match. There's no doubt about it."

"Tch!" Ji Lie's voice was bitter with spite. "Heaven truly refuses to favor me, Ji Lie! My elder brother, Ji Youyang, was never my equal back then. In my youth, I was arrogant and careless, and I let him seize the position of Prefectural Lord. Then, a prodigy like Ji Yichuan emerged from his bloodline, making his branch's position even more secure. And now, an even more monstrous talent, Ji Ning, appears, reaching Unity of Man and Sword after only six years of practice!"

"Six years of sword practice to reach Unity of Man and Sword. Compared to him, the three genius youths we selected from the various tribes are still far behind." Ji Wuyu shook his head.

In order to obstruct Ji Ning, they had specially selected three infants of exceptionally high natural talent from the many tribes, children roughly the same age as Ji Ning. They had been groomed from infancy, yet they still fell short of Ji Ning.

"We were so close. If Pi were just two or three years younger..." Ji Wuyu sighed.

"Pi?" Ji Lie was startled.

Pi was his adopted son.

Long ago, while returning from punishing a large tribe, Ji Lie's army had encountered a great demon, a 'Golden-Furred Pi'. A fierce battle had ensued, which ended with the Golden-Furred Pi fleeing in defeat. Ji Lie had then ransacked the demon's lair, where he discovered an infant. The child appeared to be less than a year old, but was blessed with incredible natural strength. Ji Lie was delighted. "You were captured by a Golden-Furred Pi, yet you weren't killed, but instead raised. Hahaha... From today on, you are my adopted son. I grant you the name—Pi!"

Adopting children of heaven-defying talent as godchildren was a common practice.

Pi was determined to be one year old when he was brought back. He was now thirteen. Ji Lie had raised 'Pi' as a terrifying monster, having him fight beasts from infancy, then demonic beasts, all while teaching him the most suitable cultivation techniques...

Through this life of slaughter, Pi had honed his saber skills, breaking through to 'Unity of Man and Saber' just last year.

"The Golden Sword Ceremony is held every four years, and this year is one such occasion," Ji Wuyu said, narrowing his eyes. "There will be another Golden Sword Ceremony in four years, but by then, Pi will be seventeen. Only those under sixteen can participate. He won’t be able to block Ji Ning even if he wanted to!"

"Our only hope now is those three brats we've been training. Hopefully, one of them can break through to the Xiantian level within four years," Ji Lie said in a low, dark tone.

"Mn." Ji Wuyu nodded. "The three of them were personally selected by me from the various tribes as the most suitable for Ki Refining. They've already reached the peak of Houtian. If even one of them can cross from Houtian to Xiantian, we will have a sure victory."

Ji Lie nodded. "A Xiantian Ki Refiner can use magic treasures. They would definitely win. But it is truly too difficult to become a Xiantian..."

"Now, we can only leave it to fate," Ji Wuyu said, his voice equally grim.

Ji Lie gave a slight nod in agreement.

Despite fighting for the position of Prefectural Lord, Ji Lie and his faction had never once considered killing Ji Ning. On this vast, desolate land, for a tribe to survive... it must remain united. Internal strife was absolutely forbidden! Now that Ji Ning had been designated as a candidate, if anyone were to use underhanded methods to kill him, it was likely that all five prefectures of the Ji Clan would join forces to eradicate the murderer.

Thick wax candles burned, illuminating the hall. Ji Yichuan sat at the head of the table, with Yuchi Snow and Ji Ning seated on either side. The family of three ate the food laid out on the low tables before them.

"Yichuan." Yuchi Snow looked at her son, who was gnawing on a piece of meat with greasy lips, her eyes brimming with pride. "It took Ning three years to lay his foundation, and another three to reach Unity of Man and Sword! It seems he will secure the position of Prefectural Lord with ease."

Ji Yichuan held a ram's horn drinking vessel and nodded slowly. "When Ji Ning sparred with others, he only used his internal energy. He didn't use the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique, the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens. And in his bouts with outsiders, he only used a single sword."

Others were unaware of Ji Ning's true strength, but Ji Yichuan and his wife knew their son's capabilities well.

Winning a Golden Sword?

It would be as easy as taking something from his own pocket!

"Right now, Ji Ning could easily claim a Golden Sword if he went all out. In four more years, not even a Xiantian lifeform would be able to stop him." Ji Yichuan poured himself another drink.

Ji Ning, meanwhile, was too busy feasting to care about the discussion.

Because he was training in the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique, the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, he possessed the appetite of a Fiendgod. He could easily devour dozens of jin of demon beast meat in a single meal. He had already reached the third layer of the technique two years ago, and was now stuck at a bottleneck. Just one more step would bring him to the fourth layer!

The fourth layer meant becoming a Xiantian lifeform, and as a cultivator of the number one Fiendgod Body Refining method, his combat power would be hundreds, even thousands of times greater than an ordinary Xiantian.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle..." Ji Ning picked up a large jug of water, tipped his head back, and drained it all in one go. He set the jug down, patted his belly, and said, "Ah, that feels good."

"Ning'er." Yuchi Snow smiled at her son.

"Mother." Ji Ning was perfectly well-behaved. He could feel that while his father loved him, he also cared deeply for the tribe. His mother, on the other hand, had devoted almost all of her heart and soul to him. In her eyes, it seemed, even the rise and fall of the Ji Clan was far less important than her son.

Yuchi Snow looked at her son. "The 'One Hundred Eight Swords of Heaven and Earth' your father taught you was the most complex swordplay set. It was the best set for entering the 'Unity of Man and Sword' realm. But now that you've achieved that, that set of techniques is of no further use to you."

"Mn." Ji Yichuan also looked at his son. "That's right, Ji Ning! I had you train your 'body' and 'heart' so that every point, thrust, chop, lift, and twist became as fast as lightning and utterly precise, as if carved into your very bones. Then I had you train with the 'One Hundred Eight Swords of Heaven and Earth'. This was the path 'from simplicity to complexity'!"

"The way of the sword begins with a progression from simplicity to complexity, and then returns from complexity to simplicity. Only then is one's swordplay considered accomplished." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "You have now reached Unity of Man and Sword. Every casual strike comes as naturally as reaching for a cup. This is the 'return from complexity to simplicity'."

Ji Ning nodded.

He understood this principle. If one foolishly always practiced the Thirteen Fundamental Sword Forms—just thrusting, chopping, lifting—they could still become a skilled swordsman. But without the transformative process of 'from simplicity to complexity, and back to simplicity', it was very difficult to truly reach Unity of Man and Sword.

"Next, you will need to attune your heart to Heaven, achieving Unity of Man and Heaven." Ji Yichuan sighed emotionally. "This step is also extremely difficult."

"Unity of Man and Heaven..." Ji Ning's eyes were filled with anticipation.

"The sword techniques you've practiced before are now useless to you." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "Your level of attainment is now sufficient for you to begin training in the Ji Clan's supreme sword arts."

Ji Ning's eyes lit up. The Ji Clan's supreme sword arts?

"Our Ji Clan is famous for its swordplay." Ji Yichuan's voice was filled with a deep sense of history. "The clan's main city is even named 'Ten Thousand Swords City', precisely because our founding ancestor relied on the 'Ten Thousand Swords Song' to establish our foundation and carve out this territory."

"Over the millennia, the Ji Clan has accumulated five supreme sword arts: the 'Ten Thousand Swords Song', the 'Thunderfire Sword Fragments', the 'Demon Illusion Manual', the 'Dripping Sutra', and the 'Beidou Secret Manual'. Each one is extremely profound, created by beings who surpassed the Unity of Man and Heaven realm. If you can achieve any success in training them, their power is boundless." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "I practice the 'Dripping Sutra' myself. An ordinary person, even after reaching Unity of Man and Sword, can typically only choose one manual to study. Mastering too many is not beneficial. However, since you, Ji Ning, possess a divided mind, you can choose up to two."

Whoosh!

Five books materialized in Ji Yichuan's hand. He casually tossed them into the air, and the five volumes spun in a perfect arc, landing in a neat stack on the edge of Ji Ning's table, not disturbing a single plate or bowl.

"Supreme sword arts?" Ji Ning looked at the five books before him. He understood that these were merely abridged manuals. Only after he made his selection would he receive the 'full version'.

"Choose carefully."

Ji Yichuan looked gravely at his son. "Once you have chosen, it will be recorded in the clan's annals for inspection by the five prefectures! If you practice them without proper documentation, it will be considered theft. Theft is punishable by joint execution by all five prefectures of the Ji Clan!"

"Ah!" Although Ji Ning understood this rule, he was still taken aback. "Then why was there no such rule when I practiced the Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens?"

"Although the Crimsonbright Diagram is the number one Fiendgod Body Refining technique, it is also the most widely spread. Almost every tribe of similar standing to the Ji Clan possesses it, so it matters little if one teaches it to outsiders." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "Common Ki Refining techniques and body refining methods are not considered precious. It is techniques that can be called 'supreme arts' which are not casually passed on. Of these five sword arts, four are unique to our Ji Clan here in the Yan Mountains. Only the 'Beidou Secret Manual' is also owned by another power, the 'Blackfire Sect'."

Ji Ning nodded.

He knew that in the Yan Mountains, besides the garrison troops of the Grand Xia Dynasty, there were five other hegemonical powers. The Ji Clan was one of them.

These six overlords fought and schemed against each other constantly, but none of them would provoke the Grand Xia Dynasty's troops!

"Alright." Ji Ning lowered his head and began to leaf through the five supreme sword arts. Even among those who had reached Unity of Man and Sword, a preliminary grasp of such an ultimate technique could increase one's combat strength several times over.

"The Dripping Sutra..." The first one Ji Ning examined was the very art his father had used to make his name.

Father's title was, after all, 'Dripping Sword'.