Chapter 251: Sword Fiends Gather

After Grandmaster Zuo Gong departed, Chen Mobai could finally attend his classes without worry. However, the intense gazes of his junior classmates around him forced him to accelerate his learning progress.

Under Zhai Jianbai's meticulous guidance and aided by the effects of the Sword Forging Ring, Chen Mobai broke all records since the inception of the Imperial Sword Department at the Wuqi Dao Academy. He achieved "Sword Qi into Gang" in one day! "Sword Gang into Qi" in three days! And "Sword Qi like a Rainbow" in ten days!

In just two weeks, he cultivated the first three sword cultivation realms from scratch. Although this was partly due to his prior understanding of "Sword Rainbow Splitting Light," he nevertheless added "First in Sword Cultivation" to his existing titles of "First in Talismans," "First in Puppetry," and "First in Agronomy."

Zhai Jianbai, who was previously ranked first in sword cultivation, had no complaints about this. After all, sword cultivators should always let their swords do the talking. As Chen Mobai's sword cultivation realm was stronger than his, he naturally deserved the top spot.

The Imperial Sword Department had ten classes, from lowest to highest. First-year classes primarily taught "Sword Qi into Gang," while second-year classes taught "Sword Gang into Qi." Since Chen Mobai achieved "Sword Qi into Gang" in a single day, he graduated from the first year after attending only the very first class. His forty-six classmates were astonished but also felt it was only natural, given that he was a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, making such achievements seem reasonable from his elevated perspective.

He then skipped to the second year, graduating in three days. Next was "Sword Qi like a Rainbow," a realm equivalent to Foundation Establishment strength, which Grandmaster Zuo Gong had designated for teaching across the third to sixth years. The instructor for this realm was Wu Shizheng, Zuo Gong's disciple and assistant lecturer. It was precisely at this realm that a clear distinction began to emerge regarding one's talent for sword cultivation. Generally, only a handful of people out of a hundred could pass and successfully earn credits for it. Even those who managed to achieve "Sword Qi like a Rainbow" typically failed some subjects at this stage, succeeding only after a long period of accumulated effort. For this reason, when Zhai Jianbai attained "Sword Qi like a Rainbow" in his fourth year, he was regarded as a sword cultivation genius by everyone in the Imperial Sword Department.

"Sword Rainbow Splitting Light," the subsequent realm, was already part of the seventh-year curriculum, and even Associate Professor Wu Shizheng of the Imperial Sword Department had only reached this level. A sword cultivator at this level, if they wished to advance further, could only be taught by Grandmaster Zuo Gong himself. In other words, Chen Mobai had skipped from the first year to the seventh year of the Imperial Sword Department in just two weeks. Although the first-year students who had personally witnessed Chen Mobai unleashing purple flame sword light were mentally prepared, everyone was still utterly shocked when they heard the news.

Chen Mobai, however, was not entirely pleased about this. If Grandmaster Zuo Gong hadn't promised to count his skipped grades as credits at the end of the semester, he would have genuinely wanted to spend six years loafing around in the Imperial Sword Department. Anyway, as long as he showed up for the final exams, the credits were guaranteed. However, since he could earn six years' worth of credits from the Imperial Sword Department in advance, Chen Mobai agreed not to waste time in the lower grades and skipped directly to the seventh year.

But he didn't even stay two days in the seventh year before Grandmaster Zuo Gong directly expelled him from the Imperial Sword Department. This was because the seventh to tenth years of the Imperial Sword Department primarily taught the "Sword Rainbow Splitting Light" realm. Chen Mobai's comprehension beyond this realm was already no less than Grandmaster Zuo Gong's.

"I have nothing left to teach you. You have graduated." After Grandmaster Zuo Gong examined Chen Mobai's foundation in sword cultivation, he issued the latter's graduation certificate with a sigh.

"That's not right, Teacher Zuo," Chen Mobai said, scratching his head. "Aren't you a Core Formation Sword Cultivator? Your sword cultivation realm is far above mine; surely there's something you can teach me." He looked at the degree certificate from the Wuqi Dao Academy's Imperial Sword Department allowing him to graduate, thinking to himself that he couldn't waste this year's tuition fee, so he remained in the office, staring eagerly at Grandmaster Zuo Gong.

"You've mastered 'Sword Binding and Light Condensation,' 'Sword Light Diversification,' 'Human and Sword as One,' and 'Imperial Sword Flight Immortal.' Your proficiency is still a bit shallow, but all that's left is more practice," Zuo Gong explained. "However, the Immortal Sect hasn't initiated any wars in the past century, so even I have no opportunities to hone my sword skills in these peaceful times. What you've learned is already sufficient. Beyond this is the fifth realm of sword cultivation: 'Sword Light Condensing Fiend Qi.' This depends on the sword art you cultivate and the direction you plan to develop in the future. You'll then need to spend a massive amount of good deeds or join relevant departments within the Immortal Sect to find suitable earthly fiend qi. I cultivate Geng Metal Sword Fiend Qi, which doesn't match your cultivation method or spirit root. At most, I can offer some guidance based on my experience. How about this: add my contact information, and feel free to reach out to me with any questions about sword cultivation."

Grandmaster Zuo Gong also felt that it would be inappropriate not to guide a sword cultivation prodigy like Chen Mobai, so he added him as a friend. He then sent over the insights and experiences he had compiled during his own sword cultivation.

After Chen Mobai received and examined them closely, he realized these were just the textbooks for the first to tenth years of the Imperial Sword Department! "Teacher Zuo," Chen Mobai complained, his face troubled, as he held his graduation certificate, recalling Che Yucheng's advice. "I've technically graduated under your tutelage. If Teacher Che asks what I learned in your class, what should I say?"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Gong's eyebrows twitched. He thought to himself, *Indeed. If this kid goes around the entire academy proclaiming he learned nothing useful in the Imperial Sword Department, wouldn't it make me, Zuo, appear incompetent?*

"Fine, fine. Accept this." Finally, Zuo Gong sent him an electronic book titled "Collection of Sword Fiend Arts," which contained all the sword fiend methods he had gathered from the Immortal Sect.

Chen Mobai glanced at it with a hint of disdain. His Crimson Flame Sword Art's subsequent development was set to be "Azure Flame Sword Fiend Qi!" So, this collection was of little use to him. Moreover, due to resource scarcity, the Immortal Sect could only collect thirteen of the seventy-two types of earthly fiend qi. Among those thirteen types of earthly fiend qi, six were endangered and no longer permitted for extraction or use in cultivating spells or sword fiends. This meant the Immortal Sect only had seven types of fiend qi available for cultivation. Although earthly fiend qi, when combined with different sword lights, could give rise to hundreds or even thousands of sword fiends, only a select few were truly cost-effective and powerful in combat.

"Turn to the last section." Noticing Chen Mobai's undisguised expression, Zuo Gong unhappily told him to directly look at the culmination of his life's research.

Chen Mobai uttered an "Oh" and flipped to the last section: "On the Feasibility of Multiple Fiend Swords Complementing Each Other to Form a Sword Fiend Array." Reading the beginning, Chen Mobai exclaimed in surprise and couldn't help but flip through the pages to read on.

Generally, sword cultivators would only condense one type of sword fiend qi, as it required unique specialization to achieve the sword cultivation pinnacle of "One Sword Breaking Ten Thousand Laws." For many sword cultivators, especially within the Immortal Sect, very few were able to cultivate a sword fiend. Typically, among ten Core Formation sword cultivators, only one or two possessed the financial resources and strength to acquire earthly fiend qi and condense all their sword light into sword fiends. The remaining sword cultivators could only afford to buy and condense one or two strands of sword fiend qi, symbolically marking their entry into the fifth realm of sword cultivation.

In this situation, Zuo Gong wondered if it was possible to use these one or two strands of sword fiend qi to unleash power comparable to a fully formed sword fiend. Besides being a sword cultivator, Zuo Gong was also a Third-Rank Array Master. He had thoroughly researched earth arrays, collected all the sword fiend methods circulating in the Immortal Sect, and finally compiled this "Collection of Sword Fiend Arts."

From Two-Polarity Sword Fiend, Three-Aspect Sword Fiend, Four-Extremes Sword Fiend, Five-Element Sword Fiend, Six-Control Sword Fiend, Seven-Star Sword Fiend, Eight-Desolations Sword Fiend, to Nine-Heavens Sword Fiend, each had corresponding conceptual designs and substantial theoretical foundations. However, Zuo Gong had only completed the simplest Two-Polarity Sword Fiend and Five-Element Sword Fiend. The rest were still in the form of theoretical papers due to the lack of corresponding earthly fiend qi for experimentation.

"Since the compilation of this 'Collection of Sword Fiend Arts,' apart from a few old friends with whom I discussed it, you are the first student to receive it as a gift from me. I hope that in the future, you will be able to complete all the sword fiend arrays I've conceptualized." As he spoke these words, Zuo Gong's face was filled with a sense of wistfulness. If he could, he truly wished to personally complete all the theories in the "Collection of Sword Fiend Arts." Unfortunately, he lacked the financial resources, and the authorities were unwilling to allocate funds. Zuo Gong understood this very well, as there were more important experiments prioritized ahead of his. Perhaps only during an expansion war would the theories in "Collection of Sword Fiend Arts" gain the attention of the Immortal Sect.

"Thank you, Teacher Zuo." After reading it, Chen Mobai left Zuo Gong's office with a satisfied expression, holding his graduation certificate. He then went up one floor to Che Yucheng's office.

"How was it?" Che Yucheng asked.

"Teacher Zuo really did give me his ultimate secret technique," Chen Mobai said, pleased, explaining the "Collection of Sword Fiend Arts" to Che Yucheng.

"Ah, you are still too young," Che Yucheng replied with a sigh. "That 'Collection of Sword Fiend Arts' has no real need for validation in the Immortal Sect. Zuo Gong possesses an image of a stance from the Immortal Sect's Sword Art—that is the most precious item in the Wuqi Dao Academy's Imperial Sword Department. I originally wanted you to see that; perhaps you could have comprehended some of the profundities of 'One Sword Breaking Ten Thousand Laws' from it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mobai showed a remorseful expression, as if he truly regretted being misled by Zuo Gong. In reality, what he was thinking internally was: *Who knows how many types of earthly fiend qi exist in the Heavenly River Realm? I should check the archives later or ask the Transmission Department. After all, he was currently a peerless sword cultivation genius under the Sect Master's attention, so preparing for sword fiends in advance was perfectly normal.*

"Teacher, isn't it said that only the three Hall Masters can cultivate the Immortal Sect's Sword Art?" Chen Mobai asked, changing the subject. Chen Mobai was well-acquainted with "Immortal Sect Sword Art," one of the seven great Transcendent Divinity Arts. It was a symbol of the Immortal Sect Master, representing the most formidable power of creation, combat, and slaughter.

"The third-generation Hall Master Kaiyuan originated from our Wuqi Dao Academy," Che Yucheng explained, "and once demonstrated a stance of the Immortal Sect's Sword Art atop Mount Chicheng when he returned to his alma mater." Chen Mobai uttered an "Oh." However, he felt that viewing the Immortal Sect's Sword Art at his current realm would yield little benefit. The "Collection of Sword Fiend Arts" was actually more valuable, as it might allow him to shine brilliantly in the Heavenly River Realm. If he formed his Core in the future, he could then ask Zuo Gong to see that stance of the Immortal Sect's Sword Art, and the latter surely wouldn't refuse. Even if he did refuse, he could always run for one of the three Hall Master positions himself. After all, wasn't his biggest dream as a child to become the Immortal Sect Master? His current small goal was to complete Foundation Establishment, so he would set this as his grand objective for now.

With these thoughts, Chen Mobai then asked Che Yucheng about entering the Myriad Treasures Cave. "You're lucky," Che Yucheng said, handing Chen Mobai a recommendation form stamped with the official seal of the Wuqi Dao Academy. "The procedures are all complete. Take this; Shaoyang will be waiting for you tomorrow at the entrance to the back mountain."

"Thank you for your trouble, Teacher." Chen Mobai sincerely thanked the old man before him. He knew that without Che Yucheng's intervention, setting aside whether Grandmaster Shaoyang—whom he had never met—would have agreed to recommend him, the related procedures at the academy would likely have been stalled for some time.

"Prepare some change of clothes and toiletries," Che Yucheng advised Chen Mobai on what to note in the Myriad Treasures Cave. "The Myriad Treasures Cave is a Fifth-Tier spirit vein. Although most of its spiritual energy is used to nourish magical artifacts, if you're lucky, you might still find a Fourth-Tier low-grade cave for cultivation." Chen Mobai listened intently, committing the advice to memory.

That evening, after returning home, he placed all his belongings into his storage bag, then put the storage bag inside his backpack, stuffing some clothes around it for concealment before teleporting to the Heavenly River Realm.

Standing atop Xiaonan Mountain, a place he hadn't visited in a long time, and breathing in the pure, fresh air, Chen Mobai felt exceptionally refreshed. He activated the array and arrived halfway up the mountain. Wearing the gold-rimmed glasses he had bought from Danxia City, he looked down at the surrounding spirit fields, which had been tilled and leveled, and nodded in satisfaction.

Zhuo Ming was quite capable; some spirit fields had even been sown already. Others were planted with Gold-Edged Jade Bamboo, which was the only Second-Tier spiritual rice cultivation method of the Divine Wood Sect. First, the jade bamboo is planted. Once it grows, the rice seeds are sealed within it using a special method. After ten years, when the jade bamboo is split open, the mature jade sprout spiritual rice inside, having absorbed the jade bamboo's fragrant spiritual energy, will transform into Second-Tier Jade Bamboo Spiritual Rice. However, after the spiritual rice is harvested, the jade bamboo withers. It was the same principle as picking bamboo fruit. This cultivation method was bought by the Divine Wood Sect for a hefty price at a major trade fair auction, back when it had not yet separated from the Five Elements Sect.

Chen Mobai felt there should be a better method for this. The Second-Tier Water Clear Rice from his hometown, Qingshan Village, only took six years to ripen. This Jade Bamboo Spiritual Rice, on the other hand, was not only complex to cultivate but also took ten years to mature. It definitely needed improvement.

Chen Mobai dared not rashly introduce the Immortal Sect's rice seeds, which had been fully matured and improved over thousands of years. This was because, in the Heavenly River Realm, high-grade spiritual rice was the lifeline of major trade associations. If it suddenly appeared out of nowhere, it would likely attract targeted attention. In the Eastern Desolation, the only Third-Tier spiritual rice seeds were licensed exclusively to Revert Heaven Valley for purchase and cultivation. Revert Heaven Valley spent enormous amounts of spirit stones annually to purchase rice seeds from the Starry Sky Great Trade Association. Even so, the other six major sects in the Eastern Desolation still greatly coveted Revert Heaven Valley's exclusive right to cultivate it. This was because if Core Formation Grand Ancestors wished to maintain their health, vibrant vitality, and extend their lifespan, only consuming Third-Tier spiritual rice would be effective. Furthermore, for many body-tempering cultivators, the best way to advance further was to consume high-grade spiritual rice year after year. This Third-Tier spiritual rice was always in high demand and short supply in the Eastern Desolation. Although Revert Heaven Valley incurred huge expenses annually for purchasing rice seeds, they reaped even greater returns after harvest. Moreover, transactions for this Third-Tier spiritual rice only accepted high-grade spirit stones.