Chapter 417: White Light Reincarnation

Chen Mobai's residence was on another thousand-zhang stone sword. For a room in the academy, it was indeed very luxurious, offering single occupancy with a balcony and a living room. Pei Qingshuang left after bringing him there.

Chen Mobai picked up a white stone and thoughtfully began to attempt injecting sword qi into it. This time, he wasn't aiming for the Five Elements Sword Qi; instead, he only injected his most proficient Crimson Flame Sword Qi.

Although he hadn't paid much attention to this Divine Wood Sect's sword talisman technique, thanks to the Dao Tree's empowerment, his inherent sword cultivation realm was already high, allowing him to grasp its essence and master it quickly. Under the control of his Foundation Establishment Seventh Layer spiritual sense, a complete Crimson Flame Sword Qi was soon perfectly injected into the white stone in his palm. The stone, originally as pristine white as jade, now glowed like fire jade, emitting a faint, warm reddish-yellow luster.

Afterward, Chen Mobai picked up four more white stones and injected the remaining four types of sword qi into them, each attempt a success.

Just as he was about to try injecting two streams of sword qi into a white stone, Meng Huang'er sent him a message: "I've settled into the hotel. Are you coming over?"

"You've just mastered the Critical Method and still need to consolidate it properly, so I won't come over and disturb you." Chen Mobai had gone through considerable effort to guide Meng Huang'er to mastery and feared she might relapse if not careful. Therefore, he sensibly declined the invitation.

"Okay, then I'll be cultivating in the hotel these next few days. If you want to come over, just let me know beforehand." Seeing Meng Huang'er's dedication, Chen Mobai felt very gratified, knowing his half-year of meticulous guidance had not been in vain.

After ending the chat, Chen Mobai split his focus, multitasking. While toying with the white stone in his hand and attempting to inject more sword qi, he also logged into the Immortal Gate Network to check for any upcoming auctions of the Foundation Establishment Three Treasures. With his high-level clearance, he easily located the Qi Condensing Liquid and Spirit Ascending Powder that Meng Huang'er needed for her Foundation Establishment. After noting the exact listing times, Chen Mobai set an alarm on his phone.

Once that was done, he focused entirely on manipulating the white stone. However, after numerous failed attempts, Chen Mobai realized his approach seemed incorrect. The key to injecting multiple sword qi types without shattering the white stone wasn't compression. Each white stone could only hold a limited amount of spiritual energy, meaning it could only accommodate one stream of sword qi. So, how had Hao Cao managed to inject nine streams of sword qi without breaking the stone?

Chen Mobai had a good habit: if he couldn't figure something out on his own, he wouldn't stubbornly dwell on it but would instead seek advice or look for answers online. He opened the cultivation assistance app on his phone and began searching for information related to white stones. However, since white stones were a specialty of the Mountain Sea Academy and used as a tool for training sword qi control, there weren't many related posts. After reading through all the available posts, Chen Mobai gained a general understanding.

A standard white stone could indeed only hold one stream of sword qi, but to demonstrate one's swordsmanship, a second stream could be injected to overwrite the first, like formatting a disk. When injecting the second sword qi to cover the first, it gave the white stone the illusion that its interior had been cleared and had room for more. However, in practice, the white stone still only had internal space for one stream of sword qi, so the newly injected qi needed to overwrite and fuse with the previous one. The two streams would then combine into one, yet possess all the characteristics of both. This was also the cultivation method of the Mountain Sea Academy's "Thirteen Swords of Heavenly Ocean."

Chen Mobai recalled his fierce battle with Yan Feng in Danxia City, where Yan Feng's Heavenly Ocean Sword Qi grew stronger with each successive strike because each subsequent stream possessed all the characteristics of the previous one, and was even more formidable and immense. Thinking of Yan Feng, Chen Mobai suddenly remembered that he was a student at the Mountain Sea Academy. Unfortunately, he didn't have Yan Feng's contact information; after all, they had been adversaries, and there was no mutual admiration after their fight. However, contacting him wasn't impossible. Chen Mobai was now considered one of Danxia City's elites, and Yan Feng's grand-uncle was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. He could always find a way to reach him through Qin Baipeng or Shi Qujin. But Chen Mobai was inherently someone who disliked trouble, so he certainly wouldn't go through such complicated channels just for Yan Feng. He thought about it and decided it would be better to ask Pei Qingshuang.

"I didn't expect you to grasp this much in just one night," Pei Qingshuang remarked, slightly surprised, as she arrived the next morning, ready to give Chen Mobai a tour of the Mountain Sea Academy, and heard his question.

"I looked up some information online and combined it with practice; that's roughly how I figured it out," Chen Mobai said truthfully. Pei Qingshuang, however, thought he was being modest, especially since the person before her was an unparalleled sword cultivation genius who had achieved Sword Light Transmogrification.

"I cultivate the Azure Firmament Sword Canon, which is the technique of Elder Qing Jing, the previous wielder of the Azure Frost Sword. My mother slightly revised it to better suit my spiritual root and physique. This sword art is different from the Thirteen Swords of Heavenly Ocean. Let me demonstrate my sword qi for you." As Pei Qingshuang spoke, she picked up a white stone, then with her other hand, formed a sword-finger gesture and gently guided the first stream of sword qi into it.

Chen Mobai activated his Spirit Eyes of the Void and carefully watched the second stream of sword qi being injected. He saw that this sword qi was like a drop of dye; upon entering the white stone, it swiftly permeated and transformed the first stream of sword qi, yet still preserved all of the first stream's characteristics.

When the third Azure Firmament Sword Qi was injected, Chen Mobai saw that the sword qi now contained triple force, and these three forces were like the ever-changing azure sky, starting with cloud currents, then fine rain, and finally ice and snow. "So that's how it is," Chen Mobai realized. "To evolve multiple variations within a single stream of sword qi and integrate all those changes truly tests one's control over sword qi."

After watching Pei Qingshuang's demonstration, Chen Mobai now understood the trick to injecting multiple streams of sword qi into a white stone.

"The Purple Lightning Sword resonance system was developed by our Mountain Sea Academy," Pei Qingshuang explained. "The variations of sword qi within the white stone, from one to ten, account for nearly half of the weighting. Combined with auxiliary conditions like thunder techniques, spiritual roots, and sword cultivation realm, it forms the resonance score from 0 to 100." "True Lord Ruan Zixiu from our Mountain Sea Academy, who cultivates the Ten Thousand Rivers Sword Canon, can inject five streams of sword qi into a white stone. The day before yesterday, he went to the Sword Tower again and measured his resonance with the Purple Lightning Sword, reaching 32." "Another True Lord, Huo Xiqing from the Five Thunder Academy, can only inject three streams of sword qi into a white stone, but because his cultivated Purple Thunder Grand Law perfectly matches other auxiliary conditions, his resonance score is as high as 39."

After listening to Pei Qingshuang, Chen Mobai finally understood why Hao Cao had said that if he wanted to obtain the Purple Lightning Sword, he would at least need to be able to inject five streams of sword qi into a white stone. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to compete with these two Golden Core True Lords in the final round.

"What about True Lord Yan Qiongzhi?" Chen Mobai then remembered this newly advanced Golden Core True Lord, who was as renowned as Lan Haitian but had always remained very low-key, diligently cultivating only within the Nature Academy.

"Her resonance score is 16, which is considered ordinary," Pei Qingshuang replied, not hiding anything and sharing all she knew.

"It seems the Nature Academy has given up on the Purple Lightning Sword," Chen Mobai mused, slightly puzzled. If they were going to give up, why would they switch candidates at the last minute?

"Who told you they gave up?" Pei Qingshuang shook her head, saying something that greatly surprised Chen Mobai. "The resonance system is just a data analysis model created by our Mountain Sea Academy. The ultimate choice is made by the Purple Lightning Sword itself. If Elder Sister Yan is willing to pay a certain price, with the guidance she received from Elder Yunhai, it's very possible she could become the final winner."

"If this resonance score can't determine the final wielder, then why should I waste my time on these white stones?"

"Theoretically, the person with the highest resonance score is the most compatible with the Purple Lightning Sword," Pei Qingshuang gave a seemingly justifiable reason. "Our Mountain Sea Academy's long-standing motto is to find the most suitable wielder for every sword artifact." However, Chen Mobai heard the unspoken meaning in her words.

"What conditions would allow the Purple Lightning Sword to disregard the resonance score and make a direct choice?" "Elder Sister Yan should know," Pei Qingshuang replied. Whether she couldn't say or simply didn't know, she didn't directly answer Chen Mobai's question but hinted at whom he should ask.

Before long, the two arrived at Yan Qiongzhi's residence. It was on the same thousand-zhang stone sword as Chen Mobai's, but due to their different genders, their living quarters were separated on opposite sides of the sword hilt.

"Congratulations, True Lord Yan, on achieving Golden Core," Chen Mobai offered. The Immortal Sect had many etiquettes for newly ascended Golden Core cultivators. Chen Mobai chose the ancient rite of the Martial Artifact Academy, while Yan Qiongzhi rose with a faint smile to return the greeting. "With your talent, you will undoubtedly join our ranks sooner or later."

Although Yan Qiongzhi had already formed her Golden Core, her disposition remained gentle. After gesturing for Chen Mobai and Pei Qingshuang to sit, she waved her hand and conjured a tea set from thin air. *Is this the Golden Core Domain?* Chen Mobai couldn't help but watch her movements, noting how much more convenient it was compared to retrieving items from a storage bag. Moreover, if she were to conjure a magic artifact, it would be impossible to guard against. While Chen Mobai's thoughts wandered, Yan Qiongzhi had already pointed a finger, causing water droplets to condense into fragrant tea, which landed before the three of them.

"I wonder if I can master this Golden Core Domain?" Chen Mobai, who had intended to ask about the Purple Lightning Sword, saw the Golden Core Domain as an excellent entry point and thus inquired about it first.

"I'd say it's difficult; I haven't even mastered it," Pei Qingshuang, who was beside them, spoke first. She had long since reached the peak of Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer, and when she applied to use the Realm Gate, she didn't even need to queue; Elder Taohua personally escorted her. Despite this, Pei Qingshuang still hadn't succeeded in opening a Golden Core Domain during her Foundation Establishment phase.

"I was just lucky," Yan Qiongzhi said modestly. However, she then proceeded to share some of her experiences when opening her Golden Core Domain.

"Sensing the power of the void is the threshold. If you can't even achieve this step, giving you exclusive use of the Realm Gate for a year would be useless." "After the Realm Gate shatters the void, the domain is formed. You need to use powerful spiritual sense to draw upon the void power you perceive and open a faint domain. This step depends on the strength of your spiritual sense." "I was fortunate enough to comprehend the third-tier Freezing Force previously, which aided me in this process."

After listening to Yan Qiongzhi's instruction, Chen Mobai respectfully stood up and thanked her. She merely smiled gracefully and motioned for him to sit down.

"The Golden Core Domain essentially involves three steps: sensing, condensing, and opening," Yan Qiongzhi summarized. "It's difficult yet simple; the key lies in whether one can actually achieve it." Pei Qingshuang, listening beside them, pursed her lips in empathy. She had failed at the step of drawing enough void power. It was the first time she had ever felt truly powerless—she simply couldn't do it.

"Thank you for your guidance, True Lord Yan," Chen Mobai said again before getting to the main topic. "My visit today is also to seek your advice regarding the Purple Lightning Sword." The matter of the Purple Lightning Sword choosing its wielder was strongly promoted by Elder Chengxuan of their Martial Artifact Academy and Elder Yunhai of the Nature Academy after their discussion, so technically, they were allies.

"Because I've just formed my Golden Core and don't yet have a natal magic artifact, True Lord Yu Shiling yielded this opportunity to me," Yan Qiongzhi explained. "However, my Profound Ice Art isn't very compatible with the Purple Lightning Sword. In fact, I originally just intended to bring the Purple Lightning Sword back to be enshrined."

"Oh, what do you mean by that? How can the Purple Lightning Sword be 'brought back'?" Chen Mobai humbly asked again, but Yan Qiongzhi's clear, graceful gaze turned to Pei Qingshuang, who was sipping tea, and asked another question: "Those twelve peerless sword cultivation geniuses who suddenly appeared, they're a diversion, aren't they?"

"Huh, did Elder Yunhai tell you?" Pei Qingshuang, indeed, knew the truth. Hearing Yan Qiongzhi's question, she slightly put down her teacup in surprise.

"The Principal only told me not to force it."

"I see..." Pei Qingshuang murmured after hearing this. Then, she gestured for them to lean closer and quietly revealed the truth: "During the preliminary selection phase, someone injected fourteen streams of sword qi into one of the white stones sent to us, which startled all the teachers responsible for screening at our Mountain Sea Academy. You know, even Teacher Hao Cao can only manage nine streams." "Afterward, Teacher Hao Cao took this white stone to see the True Lord of the Righteous Dharma Hall. Elder Chengxuan, Elder Yunhai, and my mother, Elder Taohua, were also invited." "When Teacher Hao Cao returned, he personally reviewed all the submitted white stones and selected twelve of them to conceal the extraordinary genius who had injected fourteen streams of sword qi."

After hearing this, both Chen Mobai and Yan Qiongzhi couldn't help but exchange glances. "Fourteen streams of sword qi?! What kind of monster is that?" Chen Mobai gasped, taking a sharp breath.

"Monster? Watch your words; that's the reincarnated body of Old Ancestor Baiguang," Pei Qingshuang retorted, rolling her eyes at him as she revealed the truth.