The Ethereal Sword Dance

Ji Ning and Xiamang Zishan both walked out of the main hall.

In the main hall of the Skylight Palace, the nine Pure Yang True Immortals and nearly a thousand Celestial Immortals watched these two young men. Three spots for the top three had already been decided, with Wood Child and Blackstone taking two of them. Now, only the final spot remained…

“Who will win between those two?” Lu Dongbin murmured softly.

The Grand Xia Emperor and the others were all silent.

After a moment, Crimson Polaris True Lord spoke slowly. “Their power is evenly matched, and both excel in close combat. I fear that when this battle reaches its end, the outcome will be determined by one side’s divine power being exhausted, forcing them to concede.”

“Yes.” Lu Dongbin nodded gently.

“Zishan has a greater chance.” The Grand Xia Emperor spoke.

Yu Wei silently watched Ji Ning. She understood clearly that Ji Ning wanted to use this opportunity to enter the tutelage of a Daofather and soar to the heavens. She hoped he would succeed, but she also hoped he would be safe.

“Ji Ning, be careful.” Yu Wei’s heart was filled with anxiety.

“Just one step away from the top three.” Nine Lotos was seated behind the Dong Yan Patriarch. At this moment, she too was silently hoping. “Ji Ning, I hope you succeed.”

Although they had parted ways, in the depths of her heart, he would always be that unparalleled genius. She did not want to see Ji Ning fail and fall into obscurity.

“Master.” Little Qing looked up at the scene on the massive water screen high in the sky.

“Ning, child…” The Whitewater Hound was uneasy.

“Senior apprentice-brother, you must win!” Mu Northson shouted loudly.

On the clouds, within the sealing formation.

Ji Ning and Xiamang Zishan stared at each other from afar. They both stood there, seemingly calm. But beneath that calm was a surging belief—they had to win! Both of them desperately yearned to enter the top three, and to do so, they had to defeat their opponent before them.

One was a violet-robed youth, the other a youth dressed in animal hide.

Their auras were completely different. The violet-robed youth possessed a natural dominance and the nobility cultivated by the imperial clan. Ji Ning, due to the experiences of his past and present lives, was like the most simple of native youths. However, because of the influence of his peaceful past life, he carried an air of neither servility nor arrogance.

“We meet again.” Xiamang Zishan’s voice was deep and resonant. “You lost to me last time, and you will lose again this time.”

“I have been cultivating for merely thirty years and change.” Ji Ning said calmly. “I only truly became a Zifu Disciple a little over a decade ago. In that short time, I have reached this level. And the countless life-and-death battles within the Brightmoon Diagram of Water and Mountains in one year was enough to equal a decade of bitter training before. It has been over half a year since we last fought… and in half a year, my strength has already far surpassed what you can imagine.”

Xiamang Zishan’s pupils contracted.

Indeed.

The briefness of Ji Ning’s cultivation journey was truly startling.

“You have improved in half a year, but so have I.” Xiamang Zishan’s innate pride caused him to let out a laugh of defiance. “If you have any tricks, use them now. Otherwise, don’t complain about losing.”

“Come.” Ji Ning stared at Xiamang Zishan calmly.

Behind that calmness was an even more frenzied battle intent!

Xiamang Zishan immediately shook his body, transforming into a thirty-zhang tall giant. He also grew three heads and six arms.

Ji Ning did the same, transforming into an eighteen-zhang tall giant, also with three heads and six arms.

In terms of ‘Heavenly Transformation’, Ji Ning’s comprehension was indeed a bit less than Xiamang Zishan, who had cultivated for centuries. However, in the early stages of cultivation, the ‘Heavenly Transformation’ technique actually didn’t increase one’s combat power as much as other divine abilities. For example, divine abilities like the ‘Ten Thousand Venoms Stinger’ were far better than Heavenly Transformation in the early stages.

But when Heavenly Transformation reached the later stages, especially after becoming a Celestial Deity, it became truly terrifying.

As for now?

When Ji Ning used the Starseizing Hand, the Heavenly Transformation divine ability did not increase the power of his hands at all.

“Take this rod!” Xiamang Zishan roared, wild and frenzied.

Three pitch-black iron rods simultaneously swept through the air, smashing down towards Ji Ning with an unstoppable momentum.

A rod, by its nature, is a weapon of weight.

Only those with truly immense strength could bring out the advantages of a rod. Compared to sabers and swords, a rod was inferior in terms of flexibility. When compared to a longspear, a spear was also a long weapon, but it had a sharp tip. In terms of penetrating power, a rod was inferior to a spear.

However, a rod had a tremendous advantage.

You could use it to ‘smash’ without reservation. In the Three Realms, among Celestial Deities who were known for their strength, many wielded long rods! A single rod strike, with a thrust, could pierce the heavens. With a smash, it could shatter the earth!

If two people were equal in strength, realm, and divine abilities, the one using a rod would naturally be far more fierce and overbearing than one using a sword. This was the unique nature of different weapons. Choosing the weapon best suited for oneself was the best choice. Clearly, Xiamang Zishan was most suited for a rod.

“Boom~~”

The rods smashed down, causing heaven and earth to change color.

Ji Ning wielded six Immortal-ranked flying swords. Although using Immortal-ranked flying swords for a barbaric head-on clash wasn’t the most ideal, Ji Ning relied on his divine abilities to give it a try, directly meeting the attack head-on!

Three torrents of rod strikes!

Six dazzling beams of sword light!

They directly collided, the surrounding space trembling from the impact, the unleashed power terrifying in its intensity. In this head-on clash, the two were actually evenly matched!

“We are nearly the same.” Ji Ning was startled. “Last time, I was at an absolute disadvantage. I have made breakthrough after breakthrough. But this Xiamang Zishan has also made some breakthroughs. There’s no hope of defeating him in a direct clash. Furthermore, my ‘Starseizing Hand’ divine ability consumes an astonishing amount of divine power; I simply cannot sustain a prolonged battle like this!”

Ji Ning was very aware of his own weakness. He was extremely strong in the ‘Dao of the Sword’, but in terms of ordinary Daos, he had only mastered two.

Xiamang Zishan, on the other hand, while his ‘Grand Dao of Thunder and Lightning’ was slightly weaker than Ji Ning’s Dao of the Sword, had grasped a full four ordinary Daos! Over the past half year, he had been continuously integrating them, and his rod arts were becoming increasingly powerful.

Ji Ning’s stronger divine abilities compensated for his shortcomings.

But the stronger the divine ability, the more divine power it consumed… In a protracted battle, he would probably be the first to exhaust his divine power.

“I am a Sword Immortal. Why should I stubbornly clash head-on with him?” Ji Ning changed his sword technique.

The six dazzling beams of sword light, which had been straightforward, instantly changed. Ji Ning’s sword light became like an unending current of water, continuously surging towards Xiamang Zishan. Xiamang Zishan, on the other hand, stuck to his own style, his rod arts grand and imposing, sometimes violently smashing, sometimes whipping, and sometimes thrusting fiercely.

Ji Ning’s sword technique was like water, unending and ceaseless. Xiamang Zishan’s rod arts were all repelled without success, yet Ji Ning also failed to leave a single wound on Xiamang Zishan’s body.

“There is no chance to unleash that unrefined sword technique.” Ji Ning thought secretly.

Hua!

Ji Ning’s sword technique changed again.

Previously, Ji Ning’s six Immortal-ranked flying swords… some were as violent and explosive as fire, possessing the sharpness of the Dao of the Sword itself. Some were as lingering and gentle as water, repeatedly affecting the opponent, entangling them. Others were ethereal and unpredictable, swift and fast.

Different styles of sword techniques, yet Ji Ning was executing them all simultaneously, which placed a great burden on his mind and heart.

This method of fighting was an idea Ji Ning had after witnessing his ‘Unkempt True Immortal’s’ combat art of stacking waves. The stacking wave secret art involved four hands defending and two hands attacking, forming a cyclic overlay… Although Ji Ning hadn’t fully understood it, the Unkempt True Immortal’s fighting style had inspired him.

“A sword can serve as a spear, but its penetrating power is inferior to a spear’s. It can serve as a warblade, but its ferocity is inferior to a warblade’s. It can serve as a rod, but its weight is inferior to a rod’s… A sword has two edges, making it extremely flexible and versatile in combat style. After using the Three Heads, Six Arms divine ability, if these six arms execute different styles… it might interfere with each other, reducing combat power. Yet, it might also be like the Unkempt True Immortal, where they instead support each other, greatly increasing power.”

Ji Ning had been mentally deducing this before the fight.

He had remained silent while spectating earlier, partly because his mind was occupied with this. He had previously trained in the ‘Lesser Five Elements Sword Manual’ at the Black-White College, which contained some techniques for coordinating the Five Elements. After careful consideration, a rudimentary form of an idea had taken shape in his mind, and now he was executing it.

“Hua hua hua~~”

Some of the sword lights were like water, some were like fire, and others were ethereal and unpredictable.

Ji Ning’s entire figure became ethereal, advancing and retreating at will. His sword techniques were also constantly shifting and changing, a torrent of sword light howling through the air. For a time, the different sword lights in Ji Ning’s battle… were like a musical piece, now soft, now loud, now a continuous flowing stream, now an explosive and mighty outpouring…

Water, fire, wind, space, and the ‘Dao of the Sword’ itself.

All of his insights were fused into the Dao of the Sword, everything at his fingertips. Ji Ning was experiencing a wonderful sensation, as if the various sword techniques were coordinating with each other, complementing each other, everything flowing naturally. He didn’t need to deliberately think about what sword technique to use. He just followed this wonderful feeling.

Don’t break this feeling. Just go along with it and execute everything!

“Beautiful.”

“Truly beautiful.”

“Sword techniques can actually be performed this beautifully!” In the main hall of the Skylight Palace, the nearly a thousand Celestial Immortal patriarchs were all captivated. The different sword techniques Ji Ning was executing with his three heads and six arms were like a beautiful ink painting, splashing ink, possessing a soul-stirring beauty.

At this moment, Ji Ning’s figure was like the wind, his six Immortal-ranked flying swords ethereal, fully displaying the essence of his sword art.

A sword was inherently extremely complex.

Simply the basic sword forms could be divided into thirteen types, far more complex than a rod, a spear, or a saber. This complexity… if one was a true master, it was like having many ingredients, allowing one to create a supreme delicacy. If one was a weak hand, the complexity would cause them to be unable to do anything right.

“A genius!” Lu Dongbin in the main hall couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. “To actually enter such a deep level of focus during such a crucial battle. If I am not mistaken, he is currently in a state of ‘no-thought’, where everything flows from the heart. Under this state, the sword techniques he executes naturally surpass his normal limits. And these extraordinary sword techniques will be firmly etched into his memory. After this battle is over, his realm of the ‘Dao’ and his sword arts will both increase greatly.”

“He is indeed a rare talent in the Dao of the Sword.” Mahasthamaprapta couldn’t help but say, “Our Buddhist school would be willing to accept such a genius.”

“He has only comprehended two other Daos. But his attainments in the Dao of the Sword are the absolute highest among all the Sword Immortals in this Immortal Fortunes Assembly.” Lu Dongbin couldn’t help but say, “He truly is a born Sword Immortal, with an inconceivable talent in the Dao of the Sword. Grand Xia… this Ji Ning, if you don’t take him, what about me taking him as my disciple?”

“Donghua, your heart is itching?” the Buddha’s disciple, Lu Dongbin, looked towards the Grand Xia Emperor.

The Grand Xia Emperor shook his head. “The top six of this Immortal Fortunes Assembly must first be reserved for my master and his many martial brothers and sisters to choose from. If no one chooses this Ji Ning, then we can let you, Lu Dongbin, be his master. How about that?”

“Nonsense! Such a natural-born, peerless Sword Immortal seed—do you think you people won’t choose him?” Lu Dongbin immediately shook his head.

(End of chapter)