Chapter 140: Benming Spirit Sword

After successfully planting the Nine-Illusion Sky Orchid, Qin Sang sealed his cave dwelling. He then took out the Five-Element Spell-Breaking Sword, tempered it, and set it aside for the moment. Calming his mind, he began to study the "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter."

The incomplete "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter" cultivation method consists of five layers. The first layer guides cultivators on how to integrate the sword with their spirit, nourish it with their soul, and visualize the kill talismans. The true path of cultivation begins only after the second layer. Layers two through four correspond to the Foundation Establishment stage, while the fifth layer corresponds to the early Golden Core stage. Beyond this, the scripture is incomplete.

The cultivation process described in the first layer alone was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

Qin Sang read through the entire chapter. Though he was protected by the Jade Buddha and immune to the murderous intent eroding his sanity, a shiver of dread still ran through him.

To integrate the sword with one's spirit, the soul must first endure the pain of being cut by the spirit sword. When the spirit sword is nurtured within the soul and begins to merge with it, one must constantly bear the agony of sword qi gnawing at the spirit.

During cultivation, immense willpower is required to achieve deep meditation. Only after the first kill talisman is condensed, allowing the sword qi to be controlled at will, will this situation gradually improve.

Nourishing the sword with the soul is also a process of refining the sword.

For each layer of the cultivation method, practitioners must visualize the kill talismans described in the scripture during practice. They draw the purest murderous intent into their soul, using it as a furnace to temper the spirit sword until a kill talisman is successfully inscribed onto the blade.

Once a kill talisman is successfully inscribed, the spirit sword's qi will inherently possess extreme murderous intent.

When clashing with an opponent, the moment the spirit sword is drawn, its bursting murderous intent has a soul-stirring effect. Individuals with weak mental fortitude might even be directly terrified into submission by the horrifying murderous intent, leading to defeat without a fight.

Furthermore, the kill talismans can help cultivators draw spiritual energy into their bodies, increasing their cultivation speed. This was precisely why Qin Sang ultimately chose this cultivation method without hesitation.

Limited by his innate talent, he had to seize every opportunity to improve his cultivation speed. While one kill talisman might not be enough to compensate for his talent's shortcomings, as his cultivation level increased, condensing two or even three kill talismans could potentially allow his cultivation speed to rival that of true spiritual root cultivators—a possibility he had never dared to imagine before.

No wonder Senior Qingzhu's cultivation speed was so rapid. His talent was not as abysmal as Qin Sang's, and with the boost from the kill talismans, he had surpassed true geniuses in one fell swoop. However, this came at the cost of a fractured soul, leaving him half-mad and half-delirious. His current fate, whether alive or dead, remained unknown.

The "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter" demanded more from cultivators than just that. It also required a spirit sword of superior quality, one that would merge with their soul and become a life-bound spirit sword, cultivated alongside their very being.

A kill talisman is a charm condensed from extreme murderous intent.

Since this talisman is inscribed onto the spirit sword's blade, the requirements for the sword itself are extremely high. If the spirit sword's material and strength are insufficient, it will collapse on its own before the kill talisman can even be fully condensed.

For other cultivators, a suitable top-grade or high-grade magic tool would be required, but Qin Sang could simply use his Ebony Sword.

The Ebony Sword was originally a fragment of a magic treasure, so its strength was beyond doubt. However, it still couldn't fully meet the cultivation method's requirements.

The "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter" stipulated that the spirit sword's material must be of extreme purity. Among the five-element spiritual materials—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—only one type could be chosen, as impure materials would be unable to withstand the pressure of the kill talismans.

The Ebony Sword had later been re-tempered by a master refiner hired by the Song family. While it had become a magic tool usable by Foundation Establishment cultivators, many impurities had been introduced, and its quality was far inferior to that of the original magic treasure. Qin Sang would need to gradually temper these impurities out during the process of nourishing the sword with his soul.

According to Qin Sang's estimation, the Ebony Sword could withstand at least two kill talismans, which would suffice for his breakthrough to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

Once all impurities were tempered out of the Ebony Sword, transforming it into a sword embryo, Qin Sang would then need to collect as much spiritual wood as possible and gradually refine it into the embryo to reinforce the Ebony Sword.

Once the Ebony Sword absorbed enough spiritual wood, and if the spirit sword's material proved strong enough, the cultivation method stated that by the time one reached the fourth layer—the late Foundation Establishment stage—and inscribed the fourth kill talisman, the spirit sword's power would be comparable to a low-grade magic treasure!

This spirit sword would also become one of his life-bound magic treasures after he broke through to the Golden Core stage.

The reason it was "one of" was another marvelous aspect of the "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter": after breaking through to the Golden Core stage, the spirit sword cultivated with the soul would not occupy one of the cultivator's precious life-bound magic treasure slots.

If a cultivator possessed ample resources, they could completely refine another magic treasure and store it in their dantian, nurturing it with dantian fire.

However, the "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter" was an incomplete scripture, with no continuation after breaking through to the mid-Golden Core stage. If one were to switch to another cultivation method, they would have to abandon the life-bound spirit sword, which would then become an ordinary magic treasure.

Of course, these considerations were beyond Qin Sang's immediate concern. For now, the thought of possessing a life-bound spirit sword comparable to a true magic treasure while still in the Foundation Establishment stage was merely a tantalizing dream.

After the impurities were tempered out of the Ebony Sword, only a small fragment of a magic treasure would remain. The gap between it and a true magic treasure was immeasurable. How much wood-element spiritual material would need to be integrated to achieve the quality of a magic treasure?

After obtaining the "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter," Qin Sang took the opportunity to consult the texts on refining magic treasures at Pagoda Peak.

Even Golden Core cultivators, to refine their life-bound magic treasures, had to travel the world, diligently venture into dangerous secret realms, and spend decades, or even tens of years, just to barely gather the necessary spiritual materials.

Some Golden Core cultivators even resorted to using top-grade magic tools and talisman treasures to maintain appearances.

For Qin Sang, who was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, even if he ceased cultivating daily and spent years constantly traveling, with exceptional luck, he might gather enough spiritual wood in his lifetime. However, all his cultivation time would be sacrificed, rendering a magic treasure useless if his progress was stagnant.

Only if Qin Sang could find one of the legendary Ten Divine Woods of the cultivation world might he achieve instant success and possess a spirit sword comparable to a true magic treasure while still in the Foundation Establishment stage.

However, these Ten Divine Woods existed only in ancient texts and legends. Even if they once existed in the mortal realm, it was during ancient times when spiritual energy was abundant and heavenly materials and earthly treasures were readily available. They had long since become extinct.

Qin Sang read through the "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter" from beginning to end, focusing particularly on the five kill talismans described within the method. They were incredibly profound and varied in form, yet all radiated a shocking murderous intent.

While the first two were manageable, Qin Sang didn't even dare to touch the fifth kill talisman with his spiritual sense.

If not for the Jade Buddha helping him maintain his true nature, the moment he made contact, the kill talisman would have dragged him into an illusion of a bloody battlefield, his mind devoured by the terrifying murderous intent, leaving him a mere husk.

Qin Sang sat motionless in his cave dwelling, continuously comprehending the "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter."

Ten days later, Qin Sang suddenly opened his eyes. With a thought, the Ebony Sword flew out from his dantian and hovered before him.

Recalling the requirements of the first layer of the "Soul-Nourishing Sword Chapter," Qin Sang guided spiritual energy with his spiritual sense to engrave runes onto the Ebony Sword.

Soon, the Ebony Sword was covered with dense, profound runes, and the spirit sword's form changed dramatically.

Qin Sang gazed at the Ebony Sword for a long time, his eyes gradually firming. Finally, he took a deep breath and drew the Ebony Sword into his sea of consciousness, positioning it before his soul.