Sword Heart Illumination

“Junior apprentice-brother, to be able to comprehend the sword in the midst of battle—truly, you are a genius of the sword. No wonder the Diancai Immortal accepted you as his disciple,” the black-robed youth said calmly. “Junior apprentice-brother, my methods are a bit more ruthless than Senior Sister Baixue’s. You had best be careful.”

“Senior apprentice-brother, feel free to make your move!” Ji Ning sat down cross-legged.

The black-robed youth also sat down cross-legged.

The two sat opposite each other at a distance.

The surroundings fell utterly silent. The two Wanxiang Adepts who had come before, ‘Senior Bloodshadow’ and ‘Senior Sister Baixue,’ had both been defeated in succession. This ‘Senior Du Xue’ who now stepped forward was naturally even stronger than the previous two in the Dao Debates. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been the next to step up.

“Go! Go! Go!” A cold light flickered in the black-robed youth’s eyes. From behind the puppet he controlled, eighteen gleaming green hooks flew out. They streaked through the void, and at the tips of these eighteen poisonous hooks, a three-colored poisonous light could faintly be seen. The eighteen poisonous hooks, radiating three-colored poisonous light, shot directly toward the Thousand Swords Puppet Ji Ning was controlling.

They appeared to contain no threatening aura at all.

“Oh?” Ji Ning’s expression changed slightly.

Three-colored poisonous light?

The Senior Bloodshadow and Senior Sister Baixue he had previously fought—Senior Bloodshadow had specialized in a single Dao and had mixed in insights from other Daos. He was very similar to Ji Ning, having reached the ‘Domain of the Dao’ in one Dao while the others hadn’t. However, Senior Bloodshadow’s insights into his specialized Dao were far deeper, likely surpassing Ji Ning by a considerable margin. It was only by relying on his powerful ‘divine soul’ that Ji Ning had managed to defeat him.

Senior Sister Baixue, on the other hand, likely had reached the Domain of the Dao in two Daos!

As for this ‘Senior Du Xue’ before him, he had likely reached the Domain of the Dao in three Daos!

The Diancai Immortal had also told Ji Ning… that only when he himself reached the Domain of the Dao in three Daos would he truly be able to unleash the full power of the ‘Three Talents Lotus Sword.’ And this Senior Du Xue before him had already reached that level.

“But so what if he’s at the Domain of the Dao in three Daos?”

“Go!” Sword light flickered in Ji Ning’s eyes, and from behind his Thousand Swords Puppet, eighteen flying swords flew out.

The eighteen flying swords streaked through the air, instantly blossoming into lotus flowers, transforming into eighteen sword lights of the Three Talents Lotus Sword. Although combining three flying swords into a single sword light increased its power… since the opponent had split into eighteen streams, Ji Ning naturally had to split into eighteen streams to match him!

When it came to quantity, Ji Ning had never feared anyone!

“Clang!”

“Crack!”

“Hiss!”

On one side were eighteen lotus sword lights; on the other side were eighteen poisonous hooks emanating three-colored light. It was as if eighteen cultivators were controlling each side, clashing and intertwining in the air.

The power of the eighteen three-colored poisonous hooks was astonishing, completely suppressing Ji Ning’s attacks. However, Ji Ning’s sword light was more inclined toward the aspect of Water, giving it extraordinary resilience.

And under this pressure… Ji Ning once again entered that previous combat state, a state where he cast everything aside and his heart held only the sword!

My heart is only the sword!

“Kill!”

The lotus sword lights danced, growing sharper and sharper. Even the many fellow disciples watching from afar could all clearly see that the power of Ji Ning’s Three Talents Lotus Sword was increasing noticeably. The sword light seemed to be growing ‘sharper,’ as if it were gradually taking on a life of its own.

It kept growing stronger!

The power of the lotus sword light kept increasing!

…

“Still in that state of sword comprehension,” Flamesaint said from a distance, watching. “This little junior apprentice-brother’s potential is truly terrifying. He really is a genius of the sword.”

…

“The power of his sword light keeps rising. Could it be that this little junior apprentice-brother is about to step into the first realm of a ‘Sword Immortal’ today?” The slovenly fat youth watched silently. On the path of Immortal cultivation, there were many subtler schools: the Yin-Yang school, the Taiji school, the Sword Immortal school, and so on.

Sword Immortals walked the Grand Dao of the Sword!

Sword Immortals were renowned for their terrifying combat prowess, considered the most battle-oriented of all cultivators. The Diancai Immortal, and the most famous Immortal in the history of the Black-White College, Immortal Beixing—both were Sword Immortals!

…

“Impressive.” The black-robed girl softly praised. Beside her, Jiujie heard this and looked at Ji Ning in the arena, a strange light shining in her eyes.

…

In a corner of the Dao Debate Palace, the short, wizened old man leisurely took out his wine gourd, took a sip of immortal wine, glanced at the Diancai Immortal who was staring intently at the battle without blinking, and chuckled, “Junior apprentice-brother Diancai, rest assured. Judging by the situation, your disciple is about to succeed. He’ll soon truly comprehend his Sword Heart.”

“Mm.” The Diancai Immortal responded, but his eyes remained fixed on the battle.

After all, this was his first disciple.

The black-robed youth, Senior Du Xue, sat cross-legged, his expression growing uglier and uglier. “How can this be? Even an epiphany has its limits. How is the power of his sword light still increasing… At first he was at a disadvantage, but now he’s gradually gaining the upper hand. Where is the limit of this epiphany?”

“What exactly is he comprehending?” The black-robed youth gritted his teeth.

Those at the very pinnacle, like the slovenly fat youth, could tell at a glance that Ji Ning was walking the path of a Sword Immortal. But Senior Du Xue’s insight was a bit lacking. He only knew Ji Ning was having an epiphany, not that he was entering the Sword Immortal path.

In the air, the eighteen lotus sword lights and the eighteen poisonous hooks fought with increasing intensity. The poisonous hooks struggled with all their might… but they were clearly at a disadvantage.

“Yaah!”

A fierce light flashed in the black-robed youth’s eyes, and madness erupted from within his heart.

The eighteen poisonous lights instantly shifted and transformed, forming a single enormous, multi-colored poisonous hook over ten zhang long, radiating a hazy light. It swept directly toward Ji Ning’s Thousand Swords Puppet.

“Break!”

The eighteen lotus sword lights instantly shifted as well.

Six flying swords formed a single formation base, instantly forming a massive Three Talents Lotus Sword that met it head-on.

“Boom!!!” A single violent collision.

The multi-colored poisonous hook directly collapsed and scattered. The massive sword light of the Three Talents Lotus Sword howled forward and pierced straight through the protective layer of the poisonous hook puppet in the distance.

“Ji Ning wins!” The white-haired old man’s voice rang out, and the sealing formation began to dissipate.

“I lost.”

The black-robed youth’s eyes held a trace of dejection as he struggled for a moment. He glanced at the beast-robed youth sitting on the distant stone pillar, then tapped his foot lightly, transforming into a streak of light as he leaped out of the battle area, directly tossing two jade bottles to the white-haired old man before turning and leaving.

The entire Dao Debate Palace fell silent, then all sorts of discussions erupted.

“He lost.”

“Even Senior Du Xue lost, and he’s already at the Domain of the Dao in three Daos.”

“If even Senior Du Xue lost, what do we do now?”

For a time, the many senior fellow disciples in the Dao Debate Palace were all debating. Even Senior Du Xue had lost—who should step forward next?

“Excellent!”

“Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning! A wonderful victory!” Mu Northson, however, was a firm supporter of Ji Ning, the only one cheering loudly on his behalf. Among the new disciples, there were only the two of them.

The group of senior fellow disciples discussed among themselves, debating who should go next. But none of them noticed anything particularly special about Ji Ning at this moment.

…

Even some Primal Daoists watching through water-scrying techniques couldn’t detect it, as they weren’t witnessing it in person.

Only two people—the Wufeng Immortal and the Diancai Immortal—noticed Ji Ning’s peculiar state.

After defeating the black-robed youth, Senior Du Xue, Ji Ning did not stand up as usual. Instead, he continued sitting cross-legged.

“Can you sense his aura?” The Wufeng Immortal’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. “Ji Ning’s aura… it’s growing sharper, growing stronger.”

“Mm.” The Diancai Immortal’s eyes also blazed as he stared fixedly at Ji Ning sitting cross-legged on the distant stone pillar. As a powerful Sword Immortal, he could even sense that on the distant stone pillar, a sword aura was beginning to surge within Ji Ning. Though weak, it was gradually being born.

“It’s getting stronger and stronger.” The Wufeng Immortal even forgot to drink, staring excitedly at Ji Ning from afar. “I feel like his entire being is turning into a sword.”

“He’s broken through.” A smile appeared on the Diancai Immortal’s face.

As soon as he finished speaking.

Ji Ning, who had been sitting cross-legged in the distance, stood up.

…

During his battle with Senior Sister Baixue, the scene of his master, the Diancai Immortal, giving him guidance had surfaced in Ji Ning’s mind, gradually allowing him to touch upon that realm of ‘Sword Heart Illumination.’ Later, in the battle with Senior Du Xue, his insights grew clearer, and naturally, the power of his sword light increased.

The moment he defeated Senior Du Xue, it was as if a bubble that had been accumulating to its limit finally exploded with a bang.

The lingering doubts from before had all vanished.

Ji Ning’s heart was completely illuminated!

“To become a Sword Immortal, one must have absolute sincerity toward the sword!”

“The sword is the sword in the heart.”

“If the sword exists in the heart, then even using a stone, a flying hammer, or a wooden club—all can be used to execute sword techniques.”

“A Sword Immortal walks the ‘Dao of the Sword’ in all things.”

“Be it the Dao of Rainwater, Wind, Fire, or any other Dao… all can be integrated into the Dao of the Sword.”

“The sword is my body.”

“The sword is my life.”

“The sword is my path.”

Ji Ning opened his eyes. His eyes, his entire being—every part of him exuded a sword aura that was about to burst forth! It was as if Ji Ning himself had become a peerless divine sword!

The sword of a Sword Immortal is the self. The self is the sword; any magic treasure can be used to execute sword techniques.

The sword of a Sword Immortal is the path. This path leads to the peak, to the summit of the Three Realms.

The sword of a Sword Immortal is the reliance. On this journey of Immortal cultivation, it is precisely by relying on this sword… that one can carve out a path to the summit, slaying gods who block the way, slaying buddhas who block the way, slaying all obstacles. The reliance is this very sword!

“I want my father and mother to live forever.”

“I want the people I love to live happily.”

“I want tragedies to never happen around me again.”

“I want to no longer be controlled by this fate!”

Ji Ning’s Sword Heart was completely illuminated. All his desires, all his hopes, were anchored in the sword! His body, his life, and even his future aspirations—all were entrusted to the sword. The sword was his reliance, carving out his own path.

“The first stance of the ‘Three-Foot Sword’—Sword Heart Illumination.” Ji Ning instantly understood his own first stance of the Three-Foot Sword.

This first stance had many ways to be executed.

All he needed to do was to execute it based on the epiphany of his Sword Heart Illumination. That was enough.

…

Ji Ning stood up, standing on the stone pillar. He gazed across the entire Dao Debate Palace at his senior fellow disciples and once again spoke: “Is there any other senior apprentice-brother or senior sister who wishes to offer guidance?”