The Cage Battle

The Dripping Sutra took its name from the saying "dripping water penetrates stone." It was a sword art of dense, inexhaustible strikes, like rain pouring from the sky. When attacking, it came down like a torrential downpour, making it difficult for the enemy to dodge. When defending, it formed an impenetrable barrier… At the same time, when countless raindrops converged on a single point, they could unleash terrifying power. Even ordinary dripping water could bore through stone, and the 'drops' formed by each sword strike, condensed together, were naturally unstoppable.

"This Dripping Sutra is truly profound." Ji Ning nodded, then picked up the second book, the Beidou Secret Manual.

The Beidou Secret Manual was a fragment of the legendary Beidou Sword Canon. It consisted of seven sword stances: Heavenly Pivot, Heavenly Jade, Heavenly Power, Heavenly Authority, Jade Balance, Opening Sun, and Shaking Light. Each of these seven stances could draw upon the power of the stars—the Shaking Light Greedy Wolf Sword was thick with savage killing intent, while the Heavenly Authority Literary Star Sword was supremely yin and soft…

The sword techniques were unfathomably profound, equally effective in offense and defense.

"Excellent sword arts." Ji Ning marveled, then picked up the third abridged manual.

Thunderfire Sword Fragments. This was a book that an ancestor of the Ji Clan had acquired by chance while wandering and training across the endless lands—a charred remnant of a larger work whose title was barely legible, only two characters discernible: Thunder and Fire! Of its sword techniques, only three complete stances remained.

Every stance was pure offense. When one stance was unleashed, it was like lightning colliding with earthly fire; in terms of raw attack power alone, it was indisputably the number one sword art of the Ji Clan! Simply on the strength of these three remnant stances, it ranked among the five supreme sword techniques. Clearly, the complete work from which it came… had far surpassed the other four.

However, its strengths were obvious, and so were its weaknesses. Because it was a fragment of only three stances, it lacked coherence, and those three were all attacking moves without a single defensive technique. How could a true expert fight without defensive skills? Very few chose this manual.

"I would love to see the complete version of these Thunderfire Sword Fragments," Ji Ning sighed.

"If it were complete," Ji Yichuan said from beside him, "it would be the undisputed number one immortal-demon secret art in the entire Yan Mountain region."

Ji Ning nodded, then picked up the fourth abridged manual.

The Demon Illusion Manual. Strictly speaking, this wasn't a sword art at all, because once one understood the true meaning of 'demon illusion,' they could execute it with a blade, a spear, a staff… It was an extremely insidious and deadly immortal-demon secret art that concealed real attacks within illusions. Enemies often died before they even saw the attack coming.

This technique followed a treacherous, devious path.

"It doesn't suit my nature." Ji Ning rejected the Demon Illusion Manual outright. Choosing a secret art that fit one's disposition was crucial; a technique completely at odds with one's heart—no matter how profound—would yield half the results with twice the effort. Ji Ning dismissed it without hesitation.

"Now the last one, the very foundation upon which the Ji Clan was established." Ji Ning flipped open Ten Thousand Swords Song.

Ten Thousand Swords Song was by far the most complex of the five supreme techniques—even more intricate than the One Hundred Eight Swords of Heaven and Earth that Ji Ning had previously practiced. But despite its complexity, if one truly grasped it, Ten Thousand Swords Song could be condensed into three core stances: 'One Sword, Ten Thousand Shadows,' 'Ten Thousand Swords Converge,' and 'Ten Thousand Swords Song.'

…

Ji Ning closed his eyes and thought carefully.

For grandeur and complexity—or perhaps simplicity—there was Ten Thousand Swords Song. For treachery and unpredictability, there was the Demon Illusion Manual. For balance and discipline, the Beidou Secret Manual. For the strongest defense, the Dripping Sutra. For the most fearsome attack, the mysterious Thunderfire Sword Fragments.

"First, discard the Demon Illusion Manual—it goes against my nature!" Ji Ning deliberated. "The Beidou Secret Manual is only a fragment of the Beidou Sword Canon. It's not the best in offense, not the best in defense, nor the most exquisite… It's mediocre in everything. But in a fight between experts, advantage matters! The Beidou Secret Manual is also out."

"Only three remain: Ten Thousand Swords Song, the Dripping Sutra, and the Thunderfire Sword Fragments."

"The Dripping Sutra is a must!" Ji Ning thought.

The Dripping Sutra was an endless, continuous rain of strikes—the number one defensive sword art among the five.

In a life-or-death struggle, defense could be even more important than offense!

In his past life, Ji Ning had watched many sports: boxing champions, kickboxing titans—all of them excelled in defense and dodging. Even in soccer and basketball, it was said that 'defense wins championships.' Offense looked flashy… but true victory came from defense.

Different domains, but the same principle applied!

In a life-or-death battle, defense was just as crucial. When facing a stronger opponent, one could only try to hold on; a strong defense offered a chance to survive. But those who relied solely on offense—once they met someone even stronger who could withstand their attacks—were finished.

"Defense means survival. Keep yourself alive first, then you can take the enemy's life. And this is also my father's signature technique; with his guidance, I can progress even further. The Dripping Sutra is a must." Ji Ning thought carefully. "As for the Thunderfire Sword Fragments and Ten Thousand Swords Song…"

"I'll take the Thunderfire Sword Fragments!" Ji Ning made his decision quickly.

If he could only use a single sword like most people, he might have chosen between the Dripping Sutra and Ten Thousand Swords Song. But since he used twin swords, and already had the Dripping Sutra for defense, it made sense to pick the Thunderfire Sword Fragments for the strongest offense. The Thunderfire Sword Fragments lacked defensive stances, but for a twin-sword user, that was hardly a flaw. And having already selected the Dripping Sutra, he very much desired a powerful killing move.

"The Dripping Sutra and the Thunderfire Sword Fragments." Ji Ning confirmed in his mind. "The Dripping Sutra excels at defense, while the Thunderfire Sword Fragments, though only three remnant stances, offer three infinitely powerful killing moves."

"Moreover, with my Crimsonbright Diagram of the Nine Heavens, I have the Taiyin and Sunstar divine patterns. Once I break through to Xiantian, I will be able to control water and fire. Water corresponds to the Dripping Sutra, fire to the Thunderfire Sword Fragments. I believe that will also aid my swordplay."

"Defend flawlessly—leak not a single drop!"

"Attack explosively—like a volcanic eruption!"

"I have twin swords: one for defense, one for offense. Or both for defense. Or both for offense. Everything follows my will!" Ji Ning's mind raced, his future combat path becoming crystal clear. He understood well… having a clear path for his growth would minimize detours and allow him to advance faster!

In war, strategy outweighs tactics.

For personal growth, a clear path outweighs hard work.

With a clear path, even small daily progress would accumulate over ten or twenty years to reach a high point. But without a clear path… blindly working hard might leave one spinning in place, or even regress.

…

Examining the five abridged manuals had taken over an hour. The arm-thick candles had burned down more than half. Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow still waited patiently, occasionally exchanging a few quiet words.

"Father, Mother." Ji Ning suddenly spoke.

"Hm?" Ji Yichuan and Yuchi Snow both turned to look. Ji Yichuan said, "Have you chosen?"

Ji Ning nodded.

"Ning'er, which ones? One or two?" Yuchi Snow asked.

"I've chosen two." Ji Ning picked up the two abridged manuals. "The Dripping Sutra and the Thunderfire Sword Fragments."

"The Dripping Sutra? Thunderfire?" Ji Yichuan nodded slightly. As the number one expert of the Ji Clan's Western Prefecture, he had not achieved any remarkable feats since his son's birth, but his deterrence had only grown. No one knew how powerful Ji Yichuan had become in the present… but there was no denying that ten years ago he had already been the strongest of the Western Prefecture.

His eye was sharp.

"Acceptable." Ji Yichuan nodded.

"Please guide me, Father," Ji Ning said quickly.

"Not yet." Ji Yichuan shook his head. "I have some insights into the Dripping Sutra, but you have never practiced it. Even if I explain it to you now, you wouldn't grasp it. You need real cultivation and life-or-death combat first; only then will my guidance truly move you."

"Tomorrow morning, I will give you the complete texts of the Dripping Sutra and the Thunderfire Sword Fragments. Then you will perform them for me. As long as your stances and key points are correct, that will do." Ji Yichuan nodded. "Three days from now, you will begin true combat. The sparring you've done so far has been too gentle. You need real life-or-death battles."

Ji Ning was puzzled.

"Father, haven't I already experienced killing?" Ji Ning couldn't help asking. "Remember when you deemed my sword technique to have reached the first realm and had me fight those death-row prisoners? I killed quite a few."

He remembered his first kill—his entire body trembled uncontrollably. Though his mind wasn't afraid, his body couldn't stop shaking. According to his father, aside from the few born for slaughter, most people trembled like that on their first kill.

After killing dozens of death-row prisoners, he had calmed down.

"That wasn't killing—it was training your courage." Ji Yichuan shook his head. "Fighting death-row prisoners who were all weaker than you is not life-or-death combat. In three days… I will arrange for you to fight genuine demonic beasts, all of them at the Houtian perfection stage."

"Demonic beasts?" Ji Ning's expression changed.

"Those imprisoned beasts will become frenzied for food and survival, and they certainly won't show any mercy." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "One-on-one with a demonic beast inside a giant cage. This is the 'Cage Battle' that all important members of the Ji Clan must undergo. Among the clan's best-trained youths, about half die in that cage."

Half?

Ji Ning was startled but quickly calmed himself. He knew that in this land, tribal women and slaves bore many children, yet the total population had barely changed over millennia. Why? Because in this cruel environment, countless tribes fought against the heavens, against the earth, against the great demons lurking in mountains, forests, and lakes, and even against other tribes. Those who survived were the minority. Even growing up in the Ji Clan, one had to endure brutal trials. Those who lived must be elites.

It was precisely because the Ji Clan members were so strong that the Ji Clan dominated the surrounding lands, a hegemon of the region.