The True God's Whetstone

Daofather Shadowless was slightly stronger than the Darklight Swordmaster, but that was due to divine abilities. In terms of pure technique and profundity, the Darklight Swordmaster was actually the superior.

His sword-art was the most powerful sword-art of the Seamless Gate, the pinnacle of assassination.

But he had died beneath the Woodcutter's axe.

Ji Ning carefully pondered over the Darklight Swordmaster's sword-art, each move surfacing in his mind's eye, allowing him to continuously gain insights. As for the palm techniques of Daofather Magic Hand, although Ji Ning could not fully comprehend them, he could still perceive some of their mysteries. As he quietly reflected, more and more of those mysteries were dissected and revealed to him.

...

When Ji Ning opened his eyes, nine days had passed.

The white-robed Ji Ning walked out of the Azure Jade Divine Hall. He condensed a finger, forming a long sword.

Hua, hua, hua. The sword-light was ethereal, at times sharp and ferocious, at times bizarre and unfathomable, at times violent and overbearing.

"I can feel it, just a hair's breadth away. But why can't I break through?" Ji Ning shook his head and muttered to himself. He had thought that by using the insights gained from his life-and-death battle with Daofather Magic Hand and the others, he would be able to step into the fifth layer of Sword Force. After all, Daofather Magic Hand was a leader-level figure who had fully comprehended the four Heavenly Daos of Earth, Fire, Water, and Wind within the Endless Chaosworlds. The chance to engage in a life-and-death struggle with someone like her was incredibly rare.

Ji Ning could feel that he had made considerable progress from this meditative session.

Yet, he still could not step into the fifth layer of Sword Force.

"Breaking through from the fourth layer of Sword Force to the fifth... it really is no ordinary difficulty." A thought came to Ji Ning, and he waved his hand. Boom! Boom! Boom! One enormous Stargold Bead after another crashed down onto the surrounding plains, scattering around the stone steles. As the three thousand six hundred Stargold Beads fell, the Ninefold Chaos Seals upon them began to evolve and transform.

Ji Ning stood there, gazing at the enormous Stargold Beads and the sword-art steles around him.

He observed carefully...

The sword-art steles had been left behind by World God Northrest specifically for his inheritor.

The Ninefold Chaos Seals on the Stargold Beads were even more profound and mysterious.

...

After half a day of studying.

"Enough." Ji Ning shook his head and waved his hand. The Azure Jade Divine Hall, the ninety-eight sword-art steles, and the three thousand six hundred Stargold Beads were all put away.

"Life-and-death combat is far more helpful."

Whoosh.

The white-robed Ji Ning instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning-serpent, streaking across the sky as it rapidly flew into the distance.

A short while later.

"Hm?" In the desert, a gaunt, short man with a single horn on his forehead sat cross-legged. His golden eyes fixed on Ji Ning, and he sneered, "The Warden, here again? Last time you tried to threaten me with a pile of Innate spirit-treasures. So, what tricks do you have up your sleeve this time? Go ahead, use them. Want me, a True God, to submit to a weakling True Immortal like you? Dream on. Huh... why is your aura completely suppressed this time? I can't even sense it. Have you been scolded too much by all those other True Gods and True Immortals, so you decided to just hide your pathetic aura?"

The white-robed Ji Ning looked at the gaunt man.

Earlier, in order to soul-search as many prisoners as possible and obtain their Innate spirit-treasures, Ji Ning had taken some of his spoils of war and threatened every single True God and True Immortal in the entire World Prison. Those True Gods and True Immortals all understood that fighting Ji Ning would only lead to one outcome: death. After seeing that massive pile of Innate spirit-treasures, some of them did indeed bow their heads in the end.

But those who surrendered without a fight numbered only a little over twenty throughout the entire World Prison. The rest would not easily submit. Unless they truly felt the cold hand of death approaching, they would not lower their heads to this 'third-grade Golden Core' True Immortal.

"Weak?" Ji Ning's aura suddenly erupted into the sky. The powerful pressure made the sneering gaunt man's expression change.

"You... you..." The gaunt man stared at Ji Ning in shock.

Ji Ning's current aura was in no way inferior to his own.

"Fight me," Ji Ning said. He held a Northsea Sword in each hand, then transformed into a streak of light, charging straight at the gaunt man.

"You dare to engage in close combat with me?" The gaunt man licked his lips. "Your strength has certainly surged, but that's the aura of your ki. Your divine body definitely isn't stronger than mine. And yet you dare to fight me up close? Fine. Even if I die, killing the Warden before I go will be worth it."

The gaunt man's heart was filled with battle-lust. Two enormous axes appeared in his hands, and his body began to rapidly expand. Originally, he had been so gaunt he was practically skin and bones, but now his muscles quickly took shape. His once-hunched frame grew tall and imposing, and his golden eyes blazed with arrogant ferocity.

Wielding his two massive axes, he let out a wild laugh: "Since you're begging for death, I'll send you on your way!"

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two clashed in an instant.

"Clang!" The True God prisoner stumbled back two steps, clutching his axe and staring in shock at Ji Ning, who had been sent flying backward. He stammered in disbelief, "Transcending the limits of the Heavenly Dao? Your... your sword technique... where did you learn that?"

Techniques that surpassed the limits of the Heavenly Dao were incredibly rare and precious. Even he had never learned one.

He had almost been cleaved in half by Ji Ning's sword just now. Fortunately, his reflexes were fast, and his axes were large enough to serve as shields when turned sideways, allowing him to block that unpredictable and bizarre strike.

"That is not for you to know." Ji Ning squinted at his opponent. Truly formidable. Although the True God's axe technique was mediocre, he was still a True God. Ji Ning was only a half-step True God! He was at a disadvantage in every aspect, from speed to power. It was only by relying on his sword-art, which was number one in the Three Realms, that he could pose a threat.

But that was a good thing!

With sufficient pressure, life-and-death combat was far better at honing one's sword technique. Although fighting these prisoners of the Ninefang Chaos Nation was dangerous, he had mastered the Lightning-Serpent Teleportation technique. Even if he encountered real danger, his chances of escaping were much greater.

Fighting the Seamless Gate out in the wider world was far more dangerous than this.

"Be careful you don't get yourself killed," Ji Ning said.

"Hmph. You? Even if you have a technique that surpasses the Heavenly Dao, you're still no match for me!" The True God prisoner was clearly proud and stubborn. How could he lose to someone who wasn't even a True God yet?

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two clashed again and again, locked in close-quarters combat.

This kind of melee combat was far more dangerous than long-range magic treasure manipulation. After suffering a loss the first time, the True God prisoner became more cautious of Ji Ning's swordplay.

Ji Ning's sword showed no mercy.

The True God prisoner also wanted to take this chance to kill the Warden. Perhaps he could obtain the technique that surpassed the Heavenly Dao from the treasures Ji Ning would leave behind.

This was the kind of battle Ji Ning needed.

"Clang! Swish! Shing!" Sword-light and axe-blades clashed again and again.

The battle dragged on. Half an hour, then an hour. The True God prisoner was shocked to realize that the Warden's sword technique was actually improving before his very eyes! What he didn't know was that Ji Ning had engaged in very few life-and-death battles since emerging from the Moon Underwater Abyss. He had only fought Daofather Magic Hand and the others.

As for capturing the Envoy, that had been a complete slaughter.

This fight with the True God prisoner was Ji Ning's first truly unrestrained and satisfying battle. The insights from his six hundred years of meditation in the Moon Underwater Abyss, along with the epiphanies from his clash with Daofather Magic Hand, were now being continuously absorbed. It even illuminated profound and previously incomprehensible aspects of World God Northrest's sword-art, which he now understood with startling clarity.

"Swish." A streak of sword-light flashed.

The True God prisoner's body was cleaved in two.

Ji Ning sheathed his sword and stood silently to the side, watching as the True God prisoner's divine body merged and healed. The True God prisoner looked at Ji Ning, his expression complex. From his opponent's steadily improving sword technique, he could sense that the man's talent far exceeded his own. In truth, anyone who could master a technique that transcended the limits of the Heavenly Dao was an absolute monstrous genius.

The True God prisoner spoke in a low voice: "I lost."

In his heart, Ji Ning was overjoyed.

Some of the profound mysteries of the sword could not be understood through meditation alone. Only through real, life-or-death combat could one truly grasp how to apply them.

"What a shame. This True God's axe technique isn't strong enough. If only it were a bit stronger," Ji Ning mused. "One life-and-death battle like this is more useful than a whole year of secluded meditation. Time to find the next True God."

Of course, before he went to fight the next one, he had to take this prisoner's treasures. His Violet-Light Qiong Divine Sword was in desperate need of refined Five Elements essence.

In the past, dealing with True Gods and True Immortals meant slowly grinding them down, using Innate spirit-treasures as threats, telling them things like 'So-and-so has already submitted to me; those who didn't are dead.' He used words to intimidate them. Although this method had succeeded, it only worked on a very small number of the prisoners in the World Prison. The stronger they were, the less likely they were to bow their heads.

Using that slow grind method, it would take decades to subdue a single True God or True Immortal.

But now, he could fight them head-on! His efficiency was leagues beyond what it used to be.

"Are you willing to submit?" Ji Ning looked at him.

"I am," the True God prisoner replied, shrinking back into his gaunt form and lowering his head.

A bit of writer's block... embarrassed...

Lastly, begging for recommendation tickets.

Everyone has recommendation tickets every day. If you could vote every day, I would be truly overjoyed.