Chapter 77: Later Heaven Sword胎

The young man in green had sharp, well-defined features. His complexion was ghastly pale, a result of prolonged absence from sunlight, and his long, flowing hair was as dry and withered as wild grass in late autumn.

Perhaps from staring at the stone wall for too long, his pupils had taken on a steely blue hue.

His eyes were half-closed, but his gaze gleamed with a wolf-like intensity.

He stared at Ning Changjiu cautiously, his voice still dry and hoarse. Several iron swords around him rose spontaneously, imbued with subtle hostility. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

Ning Changjiu looked at him, making no superfluous movements. He said directly, "You intend to use your body as a sword embryo, refining your flesh and apertures with sword intent and sword fire. This method isn't inherently wrong, but your physical body isn't strong enough. Doing this will only lead to more harm than good."

The young man in green glared at him and asked, "My talent and will are unmatched among my peers. What right do you have to say I'm wrong?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "Because I've seen someone cultivate using this method, and she advanced very far on the Grand Dao. But your body is growing weaker; if you continue like this, you will die."

The person he spoke of was his Fourth Senior Sister. His Fourth Senior Sister favored short skirts and short hair, possessed sharp, formidable eyes, and always carried a weapon case on her back, filled with a dozen or so different weapons, fanned out behind her like a peacock's tail. Most importantly, she had cultivated her body and refined her soul for many years, engaging in countless close-quarters battles against great demons. She had long since forged herself into an unparalleled weapon.

She and Fifth Senior Brother were originally siblings, but legend had it that when they became disciples, Fourth Senior Sister was faster in her initiation, so the siblings suddenly became senior and junior disciples.

The young man in green slowly regulated his breathing, trying to calm his uneasy sword heart. He said, "It's against sect rules to disturb someone in secluded cultivation. Are you looking for death?"

Ning Changjiu thought, 'Didn't you leave the door open?' Then he said, "If you wish to continue falling in cultivation, then I won't disturb you."

The young man in green's expression flickered. Just as the other man was about to turn and leave, he asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Ning Changjiu shook his head. "No, I don't."

The young man in green assumed he was lying and said, "Regardless, once you leave, don't tell anyone else about my cultivation status! Especially not Master..."

"Alright."

Ning Changjiu nodded gently, understanding his predicament.

He likely was a talented disciple of this peak, who had intended to enter seclusion to seek a breakthrough. Unexpectedly, he took a wrong path in his cultivation, causing his realm to fall instead of rise. More critically, it had harmed his body.

This half-realm drop represented the gap between an excellent disciple and a true genius among disciples of similar age.

Having always been a true genius, who could possibly accept mediocrity?

The young man in green stared at him, puzzled. "Your attire... are you an outer disciple?"

Ning Changjiu disliked wasting words with unfamiliar people, so he simply nodded and said, "Yes."

Doubt arose in the young man in green's mind. According to sect rules, how could an outer disciple possibly have the chance to enter Hidden Peak? Even inner disciples needed approval from their Master and the bestowal of a cultivation method before they could practice in this most spiritually abundant place.

He suddenly understood, realizing this person was certainly no ordinary outer disciple. Perhaps it was an elder from the peak who had achieved great success in cultivation and transformed back into a child-like state. At this thought, an involuntary sense of respect grew within him.

The young man in green's tone softened. He asked, "Then, what are your thoughts on my cultivation?"

Ning Changjiu thought for a moment, then earnestly offered his advice. "Stop practicing."

"Are you joking with me?" The young man in green frowned deeply.

Ning Changjiu said, "You should know your body better than I do."

A hint of stubborn resolve and ferocity appeared in the young man in green's eyes. He said, "Master cultivated this way. Why can't I?"

Ning Changjiu thought for a moment, then explained, "Lu Jiajia possesses the rare Sword-Spirit Unity, allowing her not only to cultivate her body into a sword but even to cultivate all things into swords. Even if your talent and will are comparable to hers, your physical constitution is too different."

"Sword-Spirit Unity..." The young man in green looked lost. He said, "Does that mean I can never catch up to Master's progress in my entire life?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "Everyone has their own path."

The young man in green suddenly realized something. The man had just called his Master by her full name. Could he truly be an elder who had reverted to a child-like state? But to cultivate to such a state, he would at least be a great cultivator of the Longevity realm...

His gaze towards Ning Changjiu became even more complex.

The young man in green asked, "Then, what should I do now? I will never give up on the path of cultivation..."

Ning Changjiu said, "You have two options: one is to temporarily give up for a year or so to re-nourish your spiritual meridians. The other is to become a true sword body."

The young man in green's eyebrows twitched. His voice trembled slightly as he said, "A true sword body?"

Ning Changjiu nodded. "Yes, by forming a Post-natal Sword Embryo."

The young man in green said, puzzled, "What I'm doing now is precisely forming a Post-natal Sword Embryo..."

Ning Changjiu interrupted, "Your method is wrong, so the result is naturally wrong."

The young man in green asked, "Then what should I do?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Do you have an innate spirit?"

The young man in green was slightly stunned. He thought, 'Does he really not know who I am? Then again, I also didn't know there was someone like him in the inner peak. He must be an elder or senior uncle who was also in secluded cultivation in Hidden Peak and just emerged.'

"Yes." He nodded.

The young man in green not only possessed an innate spirit, but it was also of extremely high grade. It manifested as a spirit form with a cloud-like body and ram-like horns on its head.

Ning Changjiu's heart stirred slightly. He thought, 'Here comes my test subject?'

He said earnestly, "Then let's make a deal. You help me with something, and I'll tell you the cultivation method to form a Post-natal Sword Embryo."

The young man in green asked, "Do you yourself possess a Post-natal Sword Embryo?"

Ning Changjiu replied, "No."

The young man in green said, looking distrustful, "You don't even have one yourself. How can you convince me?"

Ning Changjiu said, "Forming a Post-natal Sword Embryo carries risks. I have no need or desire to bear such risks. You, however, are different; you don't have many other options."

The young man in green's expression was conflicted.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Ning Changjiu said, "Let me see your innate spirit. I want to... confirm something."

"Innate spirit?" The young man in green's expression changed slightly. He said, "Why do you want to see that?"

Ning Changjiu said, "The texts say innate spirits have no innate consciousness. I want to know if that's true."

The young man in green immediately said, "Isn't that a universally accepted fact? Does it need extra confirmation?"

Ning Changjiu said, "I only believe what I see."

The young man in green said, "Who exactly are you? Why should I trust you..."

He couldn't discern the other man's cultivation realm. From his perspective, the man seemed like an ordinary person who hadn't even entered the Profound realm. But given his demeanor and bearing, who would believe he was just an ordinary person? He must have used some method to conceal his true realm, but what was his purpose in doing so?

Ning Changjiu couldn't immediately come up with a convincing identity. He simply said, "I have a deep connection with Lu Jiajia, but it's not convenient to discuss it now. Believe it or not, that's up to you."

The young man in green said, "Then how can you prove that you can help me form a Post-natal Sword Embryo?"

Ning Changjiu thought for a moment, and said, "I can give you the latter part first, and you can judge for yourself."

The young man in green watched him warily. His sword heart seemed to be struggling, and the iron swords beside him continuously hummed and vibrated.

"Alright!" He hesitated for a long time, before finally uttering a single syllable.

Ning Changjiu walked into the space where the young man in green was in secluded cultivation. Due to the young man's prolonged practice there, every stalagmite resembled a sword, emitting a faint, piercing sword intent.

Ning Changjiu paid no heed to the sword intent. He walked directly in front of the young man in green, sat down cross-legged, and with a flick of his finger, an iron sword stuck in the ground flew out, landing in his grasp.

He wiped clean the bluestone slab in front of him, and using the sword as a brush, began to write.

"Your calligraphy is excellent. You must have practiced for many years," the young man in green said, looking at the characters on the bluestone slab and praising sincerely.

Ning Changjiu roughly calculated the days he spent teaching Ning Xiaoling to write, and replied, "Thirteen days."

The young man in green was momentarily stunned. He felt that the man before him was either truly a master, or extremely insincere.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the bluestone slab was covered with dense writing. He moved aside and closed his eyes to rest.

The young man in green glanced at him. As if nervous, his teeth gently grated together. He took a deep breath, looked down, and began to read intently.

"Using the body as an embryo, the spirit as the essence, generating small suns and moons within the heart to mark the cycle of the heavens, and tempering the sword heart in three stages..."

Initially, the young man in green paid little mind, but the more he read, the more astonished he became. He recalled his own process of cultivating the sword embryo, and many difficulties and problems he encountered seemed to find their answers here.

"So, the dates for body tempering aren't calculated by normal hours, but by the cycles of the body's circulation..."

"So, it's not the physical body that undergoes the tempering of the sword body, but the innate spirit..."

"And it turns out that medicinal herbs are needed to aid the tempering of the physical body. Which ones, though..."

The young man in green pondered various thoughts. As many characters met his eyes, his thoughts broadened and became suddenly clear. However, some paragraphs, lacking preceding context, remained obscure to him.

A long time passed. He slowly lifted his head, wiping the sweat from his brow. His steely blue pupils were like unrefined cast iron.

He looked at Ning Changjiu, his voice now tinged with respect. He said, "Senior, are you of the same generation as my Master?"

Ning Changjiu opened his eyes. After a brief thought, too lazy to fabricate an identity, he simply shook his head.

The young man in green was startled. He thought, 'Could he be a generation even higher than Master?'

However, the other party seemed unwilling to reveal his identity, so as a junior, he decided not to press further.

He thought to himself that he was still grappling with the cultivation method to break through to the Immortal Longevity realm, while the other person was already exploring fundamental questions about the innate spirit. The gap between them was indeed vast. He wondered if this senior grand-uncle had already entered the legendary Purple Palace realm.

Ning Changjiu glanced at him.

The young man in green no longer hesitated. He immediately summoned his innate spirit.

Spiritual energy gathered before him like a cloud, gradually forming a snow-white, snowball-like body. Two round eyes appeared on its body, and two gray horns sprouted from its forehead, resembling a small lamb with its legs removed, its head adorned with two grey horns.

Although convinced that the other man was a significant figure, the young man in green was still nervous as he presented his innate spirit to him.

An innate spirit was an innate aid to cultivation. Its prosperity was intertwined with its owner's, and its damage reflected on the owner. Thus, it was only brought out in moments of dire peril to resist opponents, achieving an unexpected effect.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, an innate spirit would not be easily summoned from the body. Many even chose to conceal the fact that they possessed an innate spirit.

"Do not attempt to control it with your soul. My test requires it to be independent," Ning Changjiu said.

"Understood." The young man in green nodded.

Ning Changjiu looked at the small, spiritual goat, then extended his hand towards its eyes, and began the three tests he had envisioned.

First, he probed its body with a faint stream of spiritual energy, searching for physiological features similar to flesh, meridians, or spiritual apertures. He observed whether it would absorb other substances and react physically, beyond merely taking in spiritual energy.

Next, Ning Changjiu extended his hand to its pupils. Spiritual energy condensed at his fingertips, suddenly emitting a bright glow, to test if its pupils would constrict.

After repeating these actions several times, he then enveloped the innate spirit with a trace of Dao essence for the final test.

The young man in green's eyebrows twitched. He pressed his lips together, appearing to be in some pain, but he endured it without speaking.

Ning Changjiu carefully permeated its body with his Dao essence. The innate spirit's internal structure was magnified many times in his sea of consciousness. He carefully sought and investigated whether it possessed the faint electrical currents generated by brain activity.

A quarter of an hour later, Ning Changjiu withdrew his hand, shaking his head imperceptibly.

"Done." Ning Changjiu opened his eyes, and took one last look at the little lamb.

The young man in green's back was completely drenched in sweat. Upon hearing Ning Changjiu's words, he felt as if he had received a great pardon and let out a long sigh of relief.

He stared earnestly at Ning Changjiu, recalled his innate spirit back into his body, performed a sword salute, and said, "I humbly request Senior to fulfill your promise."

Ning Changjiu casually picked up a sword, began carving characters, and asked offhandedly, "What's your name?"

The young man in green promptly replied respectfully, "This junior is Nan Cheng. 'Nan' as in south, and 'Cheng' as in inheritance."

Ning Changjiu nodded. That name... seemed somewhat familiar.

Next, he asked a question that greatly puzzled Nan Cheng.

"Do you know how to get out of here...?"

"What?" Nan Cheng was startled, and slowly came back to himself. He asked, bewildered, "Thorn Peak has hundreds of caves that connect to the outside mountainside. With Senior's cultivation, you could easily leave by flying sword."

Ning Changjiu asked, "Are there any other ways?"

Nan Cheng understood. Heavenly Cavern Peak was surrounded by a mountain-guarding array. Leaving by flying sword might be too conspicuous. Perhaps this senior grand-uncle wished to conceal something...

Ning Changjiu pointed upwards. He said, "I came down from the library pavilion."

Nan Cheng was slightly surprised. He said, "The library pavilion has a secret passage to this place?"

Ning Changjiu asked, "Didn't your Master tell you?"

Nan Cheng shook his head. "No, she didn't. We all came here for seclusion by flying sword."

Ning Changjiu asked, "How many people are in seclusion here?"

Nan Cheng shook his head again. "I'm not sure, but this Hidden Peak is very large. There are at least ten people in seclusion here."

Ning Changjiu nodded. This number was not far from his expectation.

Ning Changjiu asked, "How do they all leave?"

Nan Cheng smiled wryly. "Of course, also by flying sword... but..."

"But what?"

"It's said that beneath the Coiling Dragon Pillar, there's a path connecting to the outer peak, but before I entered seclusion, Master repeatedly warned me never to go down to the lower peak..."