Chapter 1958: Grasping

A sect undoubtedly possesses countless cultivation techniques; it would be easy to gather not just a thousand, but several thousand. This wealth of resources is precisely why countless cultivators consider it an honor to join.

Given his talent and understanding of swordsmanship, entering the inner sect of Lingyun Sword Pavilion should not be difficult. However, there is no such thing as a free lunch; joining a sect and benefiting from superior resources would inevitably subject him to its rules and restrictions. While minor matters might be acceptable, any conflict with his goal of finding Luo Ruoxi would undermine his original purpose.

"Perhaps... I could have Dan Xiaotian join the sect, and then enter as his attendant..." His eyes lit up.

The Lingyun Sword Sect was currently recruiting outer and servant disciples. Regular outer disciples were permitted to have several attendants. If Dan Xiaotian were to succeed, Zhang Xuan could easily blend in. Once inside the sect, he could adapt his approach to whatever he needed to find. He could also leverage his disciple to acquire resources, thus operating from behind the scenes without being constrained by the sect's rules.

"This is the way!" After careful consideration, he concluded this was the most appropriate plan. Zhang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief and departed from the Hall of Divinity.

As he made his decision, Elder Lu Yun and the others in their room also reached a conclusion.

"We'll head to Xuanjiang City immediately," Elder Lu Yun instructed. "Even on the fastest flying sacred beasts, we won't arrive until this afternoon. The selection begins today, and we expect to be there by afternoon. Jiang He, don't wait for us. Begin the selection at dawn. You must find this Tianya; we absolutely cannot miss him!"

"Yes, Elder!" Huo Jianghe quickly nodded. Recruiting such a formidable genius into the sect was far more valuable than enlisting dozens, or even hundreds, of ordinary talents. Missing him and allowing another sect to gain such a prize would undoubtedly result in severe punishment upon their return.

"Alright, everyone, let's move quickly!" With that, everyone simultaneously vanished from the Hall of Divinity.

Returning to his room, Zhang Xuan retrieved the newly purchased storage ring and the low-grade Immortal Origin Pill. The pill was entirely silver, imbued with rich and pure mercury spiritual energy. A single intake caused his muscles to twitch and his meridians to tremble immediately. Knowing its immense benefit for his recovery, Zhang Xuan swallowed the pill without hesitation.

The moment the Immortal Origin Pill entered his body, a warm current instantly surged through his limbs. The pure mercury spiritual energy gradually refined itself into an even purer form of true qi. As he cultivated without pause, Zhang Xuan noticed that the true qi, condensed from mercury spiritual energy, was significantly more potent, and the attacks he unleashed were far more formidable. While a complete restoration of the true qi in his dantian didn't increase its total volume—if he had 10,000 strands before, he still had 10,000 now—the power of each individual strand had changed, leading to a substantial increase in his overall combat strength.

It was no wonder that any powerful individual from the Firmament proved to be exceedingly strong, often requiring him to exhaust all his methods just to secure a difficult victory. Mercury spiritual energy not only enhanced their physiques but also had a superior tempering effect on true qi.

He cultivated without cease. After an unknown duration, the Immortal Origin Pill's power was completely exhausted. Only then did Zhang Xuan finally breathe a sigh of relief and slowly open his eyes. Despite the ample spiritual energy contained within the low-grade Immortal Origin Pill, it was still insufficient for a complete recovery.

"It seems I'll need one more to..." He rubbed his forehead, a helpless expression on his face. Merely recovering his strength required two Immortal Origin Pills, costing 200,000 Tongshe Coins. How many would it take to achieve a breakthrough? Cultivation was indeed a bottomless pit; even the highest income would prove insufficient!

He looked outside; dawn had broken. Stepping out of his room, he found Dan Xiaotian still meticulously practicing his sword forms. Despite a night without rest, Dan Xiaotian showed no signs of fatigue. Instead, his rapidly augmented strength had stabilized, his eyes gleamed, and the true qi within his body now flowed completely unhindered and under his control.

"Well done!" A single glance confirmed to Zhang Xuan that Dan Xiaotian had diligently followed his instructions, without a hint of laziness. Having him practice swordsmanship all night was not a punishment. Rather, it was because a sudden breakthrough of six major cultivation levels meant his body and reactions would struggle to keep up. Without a method to consolidate his gains, his combat prowess would not significantly increase. By continuously practicing the same sword move, performing it dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of times, and constantly sensing the circulation of true qi within him, Dan Xiaotian naturally achieved finer control and greater proficiency. Clearly, Zhang Xuan's objective had been achieved. After a night of intense practice, Dan Xiaotian had completely adapted to the Great Sage Three-fold, "Impulsive Inspiration" realm.

"Teacher!" Hearing the door open, Dan Xiaotian swiftly turned, knelt again, and bowed in sincere reverence. Feeling the changes in his body, he fully understood his teacher's intention.

"Hmm?" As he saw Dan Xiaotian kneel and was about to help him up, Zhang Xuan felt a jolt in his mind, and a golden book abruptly materialized. Though he had accepted him as a disciple and imparted cultivation techniques, it was only at this moment that Dan Xiaotian truly submitted with no reservations.

"So, the Library of Heaven's Path can indeed be formed here!" He had thought it impossible after arriving in the Firmament, but unexpectedly, it had still succeeded. With this, he now possessed a vital trump card for survival. Under the Heaven's Path, no one could resist him.

"How is the sword move I taught you progressing? Show it to me!" In a greatly improved mood, he smiled as he watched. The "Throwing Sword" technique, which he had created in the Hall of Divinity, had been passed on to Dan Xiaotian yesterday. He wondered what level of mastery had been achieved overnight.

"Yes, Teacher!" Standing, Dan Xiaotian stepped forward, his longsword shaking before shooting straight out. Though it lacked Zhang Xuan's incredible speed, it moved like a phantom, instantly piercing into a nearby tree trunk. With a thunderous boom, the tree exploded, sending leaves and branches flying, and leaving a massive crater.

"Excellent, you've already grasped the fundamentals!" Zhang Xuan nodded. "To become even stronger, you must study your opponent's weaknesses during combat. Once you can instantly spot the flaws in their techniques, this sword art will be truly perfected, and you'll find it nearly impossible to find an equal at your level!"

Although seemingly simple, this "Throwing Sword" technique aligned with the principles of the Heaven's Path, making it incredibly powerful. As long as one accurately targeted an opponent's weakness, it was virtually unstoppable. This was precisely why even masters like Huo Jianghe and Xue Qian had been powerless against it.

"Yes, Teacher!" Dan Xiaotian was filled with excitement. Through his practice, he now truly understood the immense power of this move. Everything he had cultivated before paled in comparison.

"Alright, I'll teach you some other sword arts," Zhang Xuan continued. "Learning from others can help polish one's own skills. Various sword techniques complement each other, allowing for faster progress..."

Zhang Xuan nodded. Just as he was about to impart some basic sword techniques, he heard a commotion outside the door. Then, with a creak, the door was abruptly pushed open, and over a dozen armored soldiers strode in.

"Which of you is the master of this residence?" The leading guard was a young man of about thirty, his cultivation already at the Ancient Sage First Realm, Bloodline Continuation.

"I am!" Recognizing them as soldiers from the City Lord's Mansion, Dan Xiaotian frowned and stepped forward.

"Men, seize him!" the young leader commanded with an uplifted eyebrow. Two soldiers immediately rushed forth from behind him, their weapons gleaming coldly in their hands, their faces filled with menacing intent as they approached Dan Xiaotian.

"I advise you not to resist," one guard sneered, pulling out iron chains. "Otherwise, we are authorized to execute you on the spot for resisting arrest!"

"What crime have I committed? Why are you arresting me?" Unprepared for this sudden turn of events, Dan Xiaotian demanded.

"Last night, the City Lord's Mansion patrol discovered the notorious bandit Cao Chengli leading mountain bandits into the city to make contact with someone, intending to conspire!" the young leader declared, his expression cold. "Fifty elite soldiers were dispatched to encircle and annihilate them, but to our shock... all were slaughtered by the bandits. After a morning of investigation, we discovered that the City Lord's Mansion elites disappeared in the direction of this residence. Therefore, I suspect you of colluding with the bandits and massacring our soldiers!"

"Colluding with notorious bandits? That's outrageous!" Dan Xiaotian was momentarily stunned, then erupted in fury. Last night, if not for his teacher's intervention, he himself might have been killed by the bandits. Him colluding? What a ridiculous notion! If anyone was truly colluding, it should be them!

"I knew you wouldn't admit it," the young leader said, waving his hand. "Men, bring forth the evidence!" Several guards stepped forward and casually threw the items they were carrying onto the ground. It was a pile of weapons and blood-stained armor.

"These items were excavated near your residence," the young leader stated, his voice cold. "There are both bandit weapons and the City Lord's own armor. It's clear that a battle occurred here, and someone deliberately tried to conceal the evidence. What do you have to say for yourself now?"

"This..." Dan Xiaotian was dumbfounded. His teacher had disposed of all these items yesterday. How could they still be here?

"These are indeed the bandits' weapons, and these clothes are theirs too!" shouted someone from the crowd. "I was robbed by them last time while transporting goods; I couldn't be mistaken!"

"That's right, those belong to the bandits, and the armor is from the City Lord's Mansion. I can recognize it too..."

"Colluding with mountain bandits... this is a heinous crime!"

"He must be severely punished, and their true purpose interrogated. If they were to succeed, who knows how many in the city would suffer..."

"The Dan family was once so heroic; I never imagined they would fall to this state," another voice lamented. "It's bad enough that their only descendant cannot cultivate, but to collude with mountain bandits? This truly disgraces their ancestors' glory!"

Before Dan Xiaotian could even explain, a crowd of prominent city figures, including merchants, restaurant owners, tea house proprietors, and herbalists, surged in from behind the soldiers. The owner of Hongyan Trading Company was notably among them. As business people, they had all been victims of bandit raids to varying degrees and thus felt they had the most right to speak.

"Do you have anything else to say?" Once the crowd had confirmed, the young leader waved his hand again. "Seize him and take him to the City Lord's Mansion for thorough interrogation!" The soldiers holding iron chains advanced.

"This is a fabricated accusation..." Filled with indignation, Dan Xiaotian was about to argue further when his expression abruptly shifted. "Alright," he declared. "I'll go with you to the City Lord's Mansion. I hope you can prove my innocence. What is real cannot be made false, and what is false cannot be made real!"

"Let's go then!" Seeing his lack of resistance, the young leader displayed a hint of disappointment, then scanned the gathered crowd. "Colluding with mountain bandits and disrupting public order is an extremely serious matter, with far-reaching implications," he announced. "All of you here have suffered persecution from Cao Chengli, so I hope you will all accompany us to the City Lord's Mansion to bear witness. This will ensure justice and fairness! Rest assured, the City Lord's Mansion will not show any favoritism, even if there is a marriage engagement involved!"

"Very well!" Everyone nodded in unison.