Chapter 143: Chapter 128: 18 Dao Sword Patterns!

Earth Flame Island, Stone Cave.

On a cyan meditation mat, a handsome young Daoist sat cross-legged. In his palm, a Seven-Layer Exquisite Jade Tower flickered, wrapped in thick mana, continuously being refined.

After a long while, the Seven-Layer Jade Tower trembled slightly, seemingly with a cry of joy. The tower gleamed brightly as if forming a mystical connection with the young man.

"Go!"

The young Daoist opened his eyes and softly murmured, and the jade tower suddenly expanded with the wind, transforming into several zhang in size, gleaming with spiritual light, floating restlessly in the air.

"Roar!" 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

With a wave of his hand, a red flame Flood Dragon phantom roared as it surged towards the jade tower.

Yet the tower merely shuddered lightly, and the spiritual energy of the area seemed to shatter. The dragon phantom instantly dissolved into streams of light and vanished.

Afterward, the young Daoist employed all his methods, the mana roared continuously, but the jade tower only flashed with spiritual light, suppressing all techniques completely.

Seeing this, the young Daoist couldn’t help but reveal a smile of satisfaction.

"As expected, with an Upper-class Spiritual Artifact like this, ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators can do nothing to me at all..."

Today marked the seventh day since Gu Yuan returned from Jade Pot Peak.

In these seven days, he tirelessly refined the Seven-Phase Exquisite Tower without rest.

The tower, made of Forbidden Spirit Jade, is specifically effective against spiritual techniques, produced only by Tier Three Spiritual Veins, strongly constraining mana. Even during refining, mana gets naturally suppressed, requiring considerable effort.

But fortunately, it’s all worth it.

With just a preliminary test, Gu Yuan felt the immense power of this treasure, and this was only the defensive capability. If he could capture an Earth Demon Essence, the treasure’s power would further rise.

"The only downside is that the mana required for a High-grade Spiritual Artifact is immense. Even though my mana far exceeds my peers, wielding this treasure is strenuous and can’t be sustained long."

Yet, feeling the endless drain of mana from his Dantian, Gu Yuan couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

But everything has its pros and cons; ultimately, it significantly enhances his strength.

"Having this treasure does indeed increase the odds of conquering the Red Moon River Valley, but the most crucial is the connection with the Ascendant..."

Storing the tower away, Gu Yuan couldn’t help but reminisce about the events seven days ago.

The journey to Jade Pot Peak was a monumental gain.

Not only did he acquire a High-grade Spiritual Artifact and top-tier Sword Seal, but most importantly, the bond with the Ascendant deepened.

During the last two encounters, he had seen the Ascendant but only received a side glance due to serendipitous circumstances with Stone Liquid.

But this time was different; being at the Foundation Establishment stage, and with six Foundation Establishment disciples under him, he finally earned the Ascendant’s recognition and could act as his proxy.

Having nothing to do is not as dreadful as having no recognition and support.

With a Golden Core Ascendant backing him, he finally feels grounded and can act confidently.

This is something Gu Yuan has relentlessly pursued.

After all, the Cyan Peak Daoist School isn’t a minor sect: a Foundation Establishment Cultivator can’t command absolute authority. Without strong backing, many matters become fraught with constraints and worries.

But this time, he finally gained some confidence.

"Heart-breaking Island..."

However, all this came with a price.

Gu Yuan must seize Heart-breaking Island during the conquest of the Red Moon River Valley.

Gu Yuan has gone through the records and knows the origins of Heart-breaking Island.

Heart-breaking Island, within the Red Moon River, is a Spirit Island with a Tier Two Spiritual Vein, rich in resources and numerous spirit fields. But most crucially, it’s abundant in a peculiar spirit grass named Heart-breaking Grass.

This grass severs dust and abstains nature, eliminating distractions and desires, hence named ’Heart-breaking.’

The Ascendant didn’t elaborate, but Gu Yuan knows it’s why he covets the island.

And Gu Yuan understands; it’s his knowledge of secrets unknown to others that gained him favor, allowing him this task.

"Back then, the opportunity from the Bluestone Book on Silverfish Island is still yielding benefits..."

Gu Yuan chuckled softly, feeling somewhat nostalgic.

This was a secret between him and the Ascendant.

However, to maintain the relationship with the Ascendant, he needed to keep this secret and endeavor to complete the task.

But from the Ascendant’s hints, Gu Yuan realized that the conquest of the Red Moon River Valley isn’t as simple as he thought; the mission isn’t easily accomplished.

He must strive to enhance his strength.

Closing his eyes to settle his mind, he cleared away distractions, taking out the "Boundless Sword Seal" to begin his comprehension.

...

...

"Boundless means infinite!"

"The heavens and earth are boundless, likewise the sword light is boundless..."

"A single split of sword light is mundane; ten splits make the outstanding; a hundred splits dominate the world; a thousand splits cleave mountains and rivers; endless sword light, thus the Dao is boundless..."

The swordsman is the embodiment of sharpness.

The Boundless Sword Seal is as sharp and brilliant, cutting anything without exception, but its most mysterious aspect lies in the division of the sword light.

It can split the sharp sword light, multiplying its power.

The more divisions of sword light, the stronger the sword technique, with nearly no upper limit, being a sword seal usable even beyond the Golden Core stage.

The reason this seal transcends different realms lies in its profound crafting method.

The power of this seal does not rest in the object but in the person.

For those of mediocre insight, engraving one sword pattern allows for its crafting.

For those of extraordinary insight, engraving ten sword patterns can craft the seal.

The number of sword patterns directly determines the power of the seal.

However, once the sword seal is crafted, understanding more sword patterns can allow for re-crafting, enhancing the seal’s power.

"Insight..."

Gu Yuan smiled slightly, his mana flowing entirely into a golden, bright Dharma Seal in his Dantian.

The Golden Seal radiated brilliance, elevating Gu Yuan’s already exceptional insight further.

The elegant characters on the Golden Register transformed into radiant sword patterns in Gu Yuan’s eyes, dazzling and eye-catching, making the profound mysteries of the Sword Dao as clear to him as lines in his palm.

One, two, three... seven.

The sword patterns etched into his heart, each word like a blade, emitting a radiant sharpness from his body, blinding to the eyes.

Eight, nine, ten...

Time passed unnoticed, and his understanding of the sword patterns deepened further.

Eleven, twelve... seventeen, eighteen.

"Boom!"

Countless radiant golden lights shimmered brilliantly, as if numerous streams of light moved in Gu Yuan’s eyes, like swimming fish, like Cyan Cranes, exhibiting a myriad of wonders, each unique.

But after a long while, all anomalies gradually faded away.

Gu Yuan’s eyes returned to normal.

"Even with the Golden Seal, secluded training in the cave only allowed me to comprehend eighteen sword patterns. To advance further requires enhanced cultivation or competing in the Sword Dao..."

Eighteen sword patterns marked his current limit.

Any further progress is beyond the reach of mere cultivation at his current realm.

Ten sword patterns already signal exceptional talent, and eighteen suffice to compete at the same level.

"Time is running short, better to forge the sword seal first; the rest can be inscribed later on."

Gu Yuan exhaled deeply, taking out the Golden Bamboo Sword and Golden Yi Star Grass.

The power of the sword seal lies not only in the law but also in the artifact.

The better the quality of the sword artifact, the greater its slaughter power—an inviolable truth.

The Golden Bamboo Sword, as a Lower-class Spiritual Artifact, can cut through spirits and metal, with formidable power. However, after visiting Jade Pot Peak, Gu Yuan’s vision instantly widened, making the sword seem slightly lacking.

But fortunately, he had the Golden Yi Star Grass.

With this grass, it could invoke Golden Yi Qi and Star Power, significantly enhancing the sword’s quality.

There might be an opportunity to elevate it to a Middle-grade Spiritual Sword.

A sword seal differs from a regular spiritual artifact; if its quality exceeds the cultivator’s realm too much, it becomes harder to control, and the sword technique’s power greatly diminishes. A Middle-grade Spiritual Sword is Gu Yuan’s limit for forging a sword seal.

If not for Gu Yuan cultivating Three Qi Refining, having mana vastly exceeding his peers, even forging a Middle-grade Spiritual Sword would be out of reach.