Inside a quiet stone cave on Luoding Mountain, a pale-yellow mass of Qi spun like a cocoon. Countless silken threads of Qi were wrapped densely around it, and in the sunlight shining through the cave’s entrance, it reflected the silhouette of a figure sitting cross-legged within.

With a single inhalation, the figure drew in a stream of Qi like a great whale drinking water. The intake lasted for over ten minutes, after which a gurgling sound, as if water were boiling, echoed from his abdomen.

This method of inhaling and boiling Qi within the abdominal cavity was a form of Qi Cultivation known as "Qi Steaming."

Spiritual Qi, as the name suggested, was a special type of Qi that possessed a spiritual nature. To quickly assimilate it, one had to "steam" it, a process that made the Spiritual Qi submit and become one’s own completely.

HAAH!

The gurgling continued for over ten minutes before the figure opened his mouth wide and spat out a Qi Arrow.

The Qi Arrow was brown, a clear sign that it contained impurities. It shot out and splattered onto a small, tender green blade of grass by the cave wall, which immediately yellowed and withered.

CRACK!

With the breath cycle complete, a crisp sound came from the figure’s hand. He slowly absorbed the cocoon of Qi into his body, and a pile of fine white powder scattered to the ground from his palm.

’My Qi Sea has expanded, and with all Ten Great Dantians operating at once, my speed of absorbing Spiritual Qi is truly terrifying! It’s a good thing I obtained some Spirit Stones at Two Realms Mountain. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t have enough for my Cultivation...’

The figure sighed, looking at the pile of white powder nearby and shaking his head in resignation.

This white powder was the residue left from Spirit Stones that had been completely drained of their Spiritual Qi. Spirit Stones were a special type of ore formed naturally by the world, containing incredibly dense Spiritual Qi. Cultivating by absorbing Spiritual Qi from them was at least a hundred times faster than absorbing it from the environment!

He had obtained 32 Spirit Stones back at Two Realms Mountain, and after this period of absorption, they were nearly all gone.

An ordinary person who had absorbed so many Spirit Stones would have reached the Ultimate Venerable Peak long ago. But Nie Yun’s Qi Sea was simply too vast. Even after absorbing for so long, he was still only at the Early-Stage Ultimate Venerable realm. If not for the fact that his power had grown considerably more profound, he would have suspected all that Spiritual Qi had gone to waste.

’Although I’m frustrated, I know there’s nothing to be done about it. Compressing a gourd of water to the density of mercury is difficult, but possible. But what about compressing an entire river to the density of mercury?’

’I always knew that having a larger Qi Sea had its pros and cons, but I never expected it would make advancing so troublesome!’

’I never properly studied my Ten Great Dantians after opening them. I can’t believe they’ve arranged themselves into a special formation that increases both my True Qi circulation and absorption speeds tenfold!’

Shaking the unpleasant thoughts from his mind, Nie Yun looked inward with his Spirit, marveling at the Ten Great Dantians suspended within his Qi Sea.

’The Royal Family’s Top-Grade Bloodline, said to be the purest in the world, only grants a person Nine Great Dantians. The fact that I possess ten is so incredible no one would ever believe it!’

He hadn’t had time to study his Dantians after they opened. Now that he had a moment, he’d made a pleasant discovery: the Ten Great Dantians were arranged in a unique formation within his Qi Sea, increasing his True Qi circulation speed tenfold!

A faster True Qi circulation speed was like having greater power output. In physics terms, it meant more work could be done in the same amount of time, resulting in far greater strength!

In other words, although he hadn’t advanced much beyond the Early-Stage Ultimate Venerable realm, the unique formation of his Ten Great Dantians and his faster True Qi circulation had increased Nie Yun’s strength by more than tenfold compared to when he wiped out the Assassin Union!

’My True Qi is completely consolidated. It’ll be difficult to make much progress in the near future. I might as well use this time to work on my Swordsmanship...’

After obtaining the Profound Jade Sword, Nie Yun had embarked on a journey to create his own Swordsmanship. The first technique, Momentum of Mountains and Rivers, could unleash the force of collapsing mountains, a pure expression of overwhelming power that was impossible to resist. The second technique, Momentum of the Earth, contained the profound weight of the earth itself; a single strike was like the sky falling, making it impossible to guard against.

Both techniques were based on magnificent, unstoppable power, but they fell short when faced with a yielding Array like the one he’d encountered before. As the saying goes, "what is hard, is easily broken." Pure, unyielding force was not the true Sword Dao.

’Hardness is brittle, yet softness lacks power...’

The Profound Jade Sword appeared in his palm. Nie Yun swung it downward again and again, completely lost in thought.

The Profound Jade Sword was renowned for being solid and heavy, yet in his hands, it felt as light as a wooden sword, moving with a nimble, ethereal grace.

’No, that’s not it...’

After practicing for a while, Nie Yun’s brow furrowed. He shook his head, and with a flick of his arm, his style of Swordsmanship changed once more.

This time, his Swordsmanship was heavy and powerful. Each strike felt like it was cutting through thick mud, and every swing was accompanied by the roar of wind and thunder. The violent blasts of Qi made it seem as if the cave might collapse at any moment.

’This isn’t right either. It’s even less powerful than the Momentum of the Earth...’

’Maybe this way... No, that’s wrong too. It’s all wrong...’

Nie Yun swung the Profound Jade Sword in his right hand relentlessly as ideas intermittently flashed through his mind.

Creating a new form of Swordsmanship was like a master carving a sculpture; it relied on a flash of inspiration. Even with a wealth of accumulated knowledge and mastery over countless Sword Techniques, one couldn’t just invent a new one at will.

Thus, even with the experience from his previous life and an extremely strong Sword Dao, it was still incredibly difficult for Nie Yun to create a new sword technique.

’Still not right...’

With each successive swing, Nie Yun seemed to become completely immersed in the Mental Realm of creation, losing all track of time and space.

Time flowed on, from morning to night, and from night to the predawn hours. Nie Yun remained rooted to the spot, the Profound Jade Sword in his hand moving nonstop. He was like a Puppet capable of only a single motion, without the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Qi. At the same time, he resembled a stone sculpture, waiting for the excess rock to crumble away and reveal a creation that would stun the world.

After an unknown amount of time, Nie Yun suddenly stopped.

’A balance of hard and soft... Since the Profound Jade Sword doesn’t require a gentle force, why not use Dark Force? The Profound Jade is so sturdy, it should be able to handle the full brunt of my Dark Force without any problem...’

Nie Yun’s eyes lit up with a frightening intensity.

Dark Force, the opposite of Clear Force, was a special power transmitted through physical matter. Unlike the wide, sweeping movements of Clear Force, this power was insidious, subtle, and vicious, making it impossible to defend against. For example, a Demon Beast’s physical Defense is incredibly strong and difficult to pierce. Dark Force, however, is different. If executed properly, a Demon Beast might show no external injuries, but its internal organs would have already been pulverized. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Injuring internal organs without breaking the skin—hitting a cow on the other side of a mountain, as the saying goes. This was Dark Force.

’Dark Force... Yes, that’s it! Use the Profound Jade Sword to channel the Dark Force! Yes, that’s what I should do...’

Spiritual Qi surged around Nie Yun, who now moved like a man possessed. He began tapping the Profound Jade Sword against the surrounding walls, one touch after another. Each time the sword met the stone, it made no sound, as if there was no power behind the strikes at all.

’This is it... Now, let’s try combining it with the Momentum of the Earth...’

After an unknown amount of time, Nie Yun’s eyes snapped open. With a great shout, he leaped into the air. With a flick of the Profound Jade Sword, he slashed down at the cave wall directly in front of him.

WHOOSH!

The blade’s light flashed, but the wall remained completely still. Nie Yun’s eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"Break!"

With a low grunt, the once-smooth wall instantly disintegrated into fine powder, the effect carving a tunnel several hundred meters deep as dust and smoke filled the air.

PS: Our recommendation votes are looking pretty weak, everyone. Lao Ya is giving it his all over here, so don’t tell me you’ve all gone soft on me? *Ahem*, why does that sound so suggestive...

According to our bonus Chapter goals, you all still owe Lao Ya a lot of recommendation votes! I always pay back the Chapters I owe, so you guys can’t be falling behind on your end...

Thank you to the reader [Never Go Easy] for their generous donation!

There will be an update at midnight, but it won’t be ten Chapters this time. *Sweatdrop*. My stockpile is all used up, so I have to start writing like a madman. If you all still want Lao Ya to have another Chapter burst, keep voting, especially with your monthly passes! Same deal as before: if we break into the top six, I’ll serve up at least fifteen more Chapters... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with your recommendation and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)