The Transmigrator's Cultivation - Chapter 420

When it came to discussing the Dao of the Sword, Yun Lie was not stingy. He immediately recounted everything he had encountered inside the Sword Pagoda, from the mirror-like illusions and the separation of his sword soul to the process of tempering his sword soul and gaining profound insights. Although his words were few, he was detailed in his explanation.

The other three sword cultivators listened intently, their expressions subtly changing as they pondered over Yun Lie’s words as if contemplating and reflecting.

Not long after Yun Lie finished speaking, they fell into deeper contemplation, but at the same time, they were all inwardly pleased.

After all, Yun Lie had successfully broken through, reaching the second refinement of the sword soul.

Yun Lie then said, “You may discuss among yourselves who will go next.” After saying this, he no longer spoke to the three sword cultivators and turned to Xu Ziqing. “I intend to go to the Sword Spirit Wall for further enlightenment. What about you?”

Xu Ziqing smiled softly, “I will naturally go with Shixiong.”

With that, the two bid farewell to the three sword cultivators and headed toward the Sword Spirit Wall together.

Tu Jin glanced at Yin Xiu and Xun Liang and said, “I’ll go next.” With those words, he leaped forward like a flash of blood-red light, rushing straight toward the Sword Pagoda.

Meanwhile, Yin Xiu and Xun Liang remained in place, not moving forward, but instead watching the lights on the tower.

Xu Ziqing and Yun Lie arrived at the Sword Spirit Wall and found a spot next to each other.

The Sword Spirit Wall had four sides, and since it encircled the entire Sword Pagoda, even though many sword cultivators were already seated in meditation, there were still plenty of empty spots.

There was no need for latecomers to compete for positions.

The two found a place not too far from the Sword Pagoda and sat down cross-legged together.

Yun Lie glanced at Xu Ziqing.

Xu Ziqing’s gaze was gentle, and he nodded slightly.

There was an unspoken understanding between them.

After this brief exchange, they both faced the mountain wall in front of them, calmed their minds, and began to cultivate.

Xu Ziqing saw his own reflection slowly appear on the Sword Spirit Wall. His face was clear, distinctly recognizable as his own.

However, that face seemed like the reflection of the moon on water or a flower in a mirror. After appearing briefly, it smiled faintly and then dissolved into ripples, spreading outward in all directions.

Within those ripples, a faint and hazy scene began to emerge.

The scene was deeply familiar, and in an instant, it captivated Xu Ziqing’s mind! In a trance, he felt a strand of his primordial spirit drift into the Sword Spirit Wall.

Before him, on the mountain wall, a gentle breeze appeared.

The breeze passed by slowly, and as it disappeared, a fine drizzle began to fall, as delicate as silk, like a curtain of rain…

On the vast earth, all trees began to sprout, breaking through the soil. In an instant, spring returned to the land, moisture permeated everything, and life stretched endlessly. After the fine rain passed, the plants grew strong—some trees towering into the sky with great strength, others soft and flexible, intertwined and covering the world. Suddenly, a clap of thunder struck, followed by flashes of lightning, which abruptly struck a part of the forest! Instantly, countless trees turned to ash, becoming smoke and dust. Yet, life persisted, and before long, the forest regrew in abundance. Gradually, a cold wind swept in, causing the vegetation to wither, leaves to fall, and everything to turn bleak and desolate. As the wind grew colder, all the trees perished, and white snow covered the land like a blanket, leaving everything pure and white.

Then, a gentle breeze stirred, reviving all the trees, and returning them to the cycle once more.

And so, this endless cycle of death and rebirth continued year after year.

At that moment, Xu Ziqing understood. This was the very “Four Seasons Sword Technique” he had once learned, and the profound insights of the sword technique were now vividly manifesting before him as a living scene, bringing the concept of seasonal cycles to life.

Although he had diligently practiced the sword technique daily under his Shixiong’s guidance, Xu Ziqing was not a sword cultivator. After finding his own path, he no longer honed the technique in the same way. Instead, he integrated the sword techniques he had learned into the sharpness of the Qingyun Needle, giving it a chilling, unyielding edge, much like a sword’s resilience. While not a sword cultivator, the sword technique remained one of the foundations of his Dao comprehension.

Had it not been for the deep insights he gained while practicing the sword technique, and understanding the cycle of the seasons, he would likely have needed more time to grasp the concept of life and death cycles, and from that, deduce the Dao of Reincarnation.

The Sword Spirit Wall was clearly designed for sword cultivators to gain enlightenment. When one first faced it, it brought forth all their understanding of the Way of the Sword, manifesting it in a clear and direct way, allowing them to examine their insights, find mistakes, and correct them. Alternatively, it could guide them to repeatedly experience the process, until their understanding became more precise and profound. For Xu Ziqing, however, what he saw was not the Way of the Sword.

Instead, he used the scenes before him to continuously refine his Dao heart, integrating his insights into his own cultivation, and merging them into his understanding of the Dao of Life and Death.

With his heart now settled, Xu Ziqing focused his attention on the Sword Spirit Wall, watching the endless cycles of the trees’ rebirth and death.

Unknowingly, he became deeply absorbed.

Just like the many sword cultivators around him… each was engrossed, reluctant to leave.

Time passed unnoticed as Xu Ziqing’s primordial spirit drifted within the Sword Spirit Wall.

With each cycle of the trees, he gained new insights into the principles of life and death, gradually perfecting his Small Universe.

Thanks to the aid of the Xi Soil and the inherent laws of the Sumeru Mustard Seed, his Zifu Small Universe was constantly evolving, expanding. The countless trees within had gone through numerous cycles of rebirth, their life force pulsating, while the Tai Chi diagram revolved. The Green Wood Dragon roared in the air, swirling endlessly.

As the trees within the Sword Spirit Wall cycled through their rebirth, the trees in his Small Universe seemed to resonate, echoing their life and death cycles. There was a faint rhythm to it. With each completed cycle, the Green Wood Dragon grew larger, and before long, it spat out a beam of azure light, which fell into the myriad trees.

At that moment, the tree that absorbed the azure light seemed to truly begin breathing. Faintly, scales began to form on its surface, but in the next moment, they vanished, like an illusion…

This process repeated several times, and finally, the scales became clearer. They resembled dragon scales, perhaps even eagle claws. As the tree absorbed more of the azure light, its transformations became more pronounced. Its aura grew more powerful, and it seemed as if a sound of wind and thunder was stirring deep within.

Soon after, dragon whiskers emerged, its tail extended, and its head took shape… finally forming a true dragon!

In the next instant, the dragon’s eyes twitched, about to open—

It was as if the thunder of spring roared across the sky, shaking the heavens. Xu Ziqing suddenly opened his eyes, his primordial spirit returning to his body, and he awoke with startling clarity!

The profound and mysterious vision from before had now dissipated.

After Xu Ziqing awoke, he found that he could no longer immerse himself in the Sword Spirit Wall.

Since he couldn’t, he decided not to dwell on it. He turned to his left and saw that his Shixiong still had his eyes closed, deep in contemplation.

There was a faint aura of killing intent surrounding his Shixiong, enveloping him like an invisible shield that isolated him from everything around him.

…Perhaps it was because they were dual cultivation partners that when Xu Ziqing stood behind his Shixiong, he could see a faint, blurry image on the Sword Spirit Wall. It seemed to be a mass of pure killing intent, transforming into countless sharp swords that soared into the sky. However, he couldn’t make out the finer details.

Knowing that his Shixiong wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, Xu Ziqing calmed himself and turned to walk toward the Sword Pagoda. When he looked, he saw that Yin Xiu was still standing in front of the tower.

After a brief hesitation, Xu Ziqing walked over and asked, “Daoist Yin, how is it?”

Yin Xiu, with his gloomy demeanor, still managed to show Xu Ziqing a somewhat pleasant expression. “Daoist Xun is inside the tower, while Daoist Tu has gone to contemplate the Way of the Sword.”

Xu Ziqing followed Yin Xiu’s gaze and indeed saw Tu Jin enveloped in a rolling blood-red aura in front of another Sword Spirit Wall. He stood there, cold and emotionless.

After a few more words of conversation with Yin Xiu, Xu Ziqing learned quite a bit.

It turned out that since Xu Ziqing and his Shixiong had entered meditation, seven or eight hours had passed. During that time, Tu Jin had attempted to challenge the Sword Pagoda, but was defeated at the twelfth level. Yin Xiu had experienced the same. Despite their defeat, both had reached the first refinement stage of the Sword Soul.

Xun Liang, steady and generous in nature, had been expelled from his sect early on and suffered greatly, yet he had not been discouraged. His nature remained unchanged. Yin Xiu, however, was different. After the destruction of his family, he had nearly turned bitter and resentful. In the end, after avenging them, his temperament became somewhat eccentric. As fellow Daoist cultivators, Xun Liang was tolerant of him and voluntarily allowed Yin Xiu to enter the Sword Pagoda first. Thus, Xun Liang was the last to enter.

Xu Ziqing nodded and looked up at the levels of the Sword Pagoda.

It was no surprise to him that both Tu Jin and Yin Xiu had reached the first refinement of the Sword Soul. After all, they had honed their swordsmanship for many years, and their sword intent had long been perfected. They were only missing one final opportunity to break through. Now, with a bit of tempering, their success was only natural.

At that moment, Xun Liang was battling on the eleventh level, and he should be no exception.

As expected, about half an hour later, the light of the eleventh level flickered, and in an instant, it jumped to the twelfth level.

Like the others, Xun Liang managed to last over an hour on the twelfth level before being forcefully ejected from the tower, his body flying backward.

Breathing heavily, he steadied himself and, upon seeing Xu Ziqing, clasped his hands in greeting. “Daoist Xu, did you gain any insights?”

Xu Ziqing smiled. “I’m not a sword cultivator. Though I’ve trained in some sword techniques, the insights I gained from the Sword Spirit Wall are naturally far less profound than yours.”

This was indeed true. For a Daoist cultivator like Xu Ziqing, who hadn’t fully trained in swordsmanship, he wouldn’t be able to use the Sword Spirit Wall to gain insight at all. Even those who had practiced sword techniques could usually only use it to correct flaws in their swordsmanship. However, Xu Ziqing’s situation was unique. The sword techniques he practiced and the sword formulas he understood aligned with his own Dao. Furthermore, having dual cultivated with Yun Lie many times, his primordial spirit, nascent soul, and even his Dao had intertwined with Yun Lie’s, allowing him to absorb much of Yun Lie’s aura. Additionally, the sword-shaped trees in Xu Ziqing’s Small Universe had grown due to Yun Lie’s sword domain, sprouting countless sword-shaped leaves. This allowed Xu Ziqing to make use of the Sword Spirit Wall. In truth, it was a fortunate coincidence.

Because of this, once Xu Ziqing’s insights veered away from the Way of the Sword, his primordial spirit quickly rebounded, making it impossible for him to fully perfect his divine abilities through the Sword Spirit Wall—unlike Yun Lie, who was entirely different.

Given Yun Lie’s comprehension and sword cultivation, he could likely stay in meditation for several more days and nights without issue.

With a sigh, Xu Ziqing wasn’t disheartened. He had gained significant benefits from his earlier insights.

For instance… the “Ten Thousand Woods Dragon Transformation Technique,” which he had struggled to master for a long time.

He was certain he hadn’t been mistaken. Earlier, in his Small Universe, many of the plants that had absorbed the azure light exhaled by the Green Wood Dragon had shown faint signs of transforming into dragons. Some had even gradually taken on a true dragon’s form. Now, he just needed to find a quiet place to manifest the dragon’s eyes and fully master this technique!

Translator: Lynn

Translations are not 100% correct. Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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