The Human Dao Sword was, in a sense, a difficult path to cultivate.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t have been a single Cultivator in the Lingxiao Sword Pavilion’s thousand-year history who reached Core Formation by specializing in it.
It required both an extremely high comprehension of Swordsmanship...
...and a vast amount of Human Dao Fortune to aid in one’s Cultivation.
Which was why... for Du Youqian, this was probably the easiest form of Swordsmanship he had ever cultivated.
It was even simpler than the Evergreen Master’s Immortal Sword Scripture Record.
At the very least, back then he had spent two or three years studying the Evergreen Master’s Immortal Sword Scripture Record and several more years cultivating it before finally grasping its first Sword Intent: Broken Water.
But with the Human Dao Sword, Du Youqian had grasped the initial Sword Intent in just half a year after he began to truly cultivate it.
Of course, part of the reason was his extensive background. He had already comprehended the Evergreen Master’s Immortal Sword Scripture Record and the Blood Slaughter Sword Scripture. Furthermore, in this life, he had sought out and sparred with Innate Martial Arts Grandmasters, allowing him to draw parallels and deepen his knowledge. His understanding of the Sword Dao had reached the level of a Grandmaster.
Now that Tongming Master had passed away...
...if Du Youqian were to be modest and claim his Sword Dao was second in the world...
...who would dare claim to be first?
With a profound foundation in the Sword Dao and a continuous stream of Human Dao Fortune, Du Youqian’s Cultivation of the Human Dao Sword was naturally much easier, allowing him to achieve twice the results with half the effort.
When Xia Chuchu finally finished refining the Demon Artifact, the Wu and Yue War came to a close.
As the victor, the Wu Kingdom had sustained some losses, but Du Youqian had kept the intensity of the war under control, so the damage was not severe.
The Wu Kingdom could have demanded enormous reparations from the Yue Kingdom. In reality, however, the Wu envoy made no such requests during negotiations. Instead, they simply demanded that Du Youqian also be appointed as the National Guardian Celestial Master of the Yue Kingdom and that Yue implement reforms similar to those in Wu.
As the defeated nation, the Yue Kingdom had no say in the matter.
Its Royal Court Officials were entirely at the mercy of the Red Lotus Sect.
With the Red Lotus Sect’s tacit approval, Du Youqian got his wish.
In just a few years, the Yue Kingdom had become a significant source of Human Dao Fortune for him.
The rate at which he acquired Human Dao Fortune was now nearly three times what it had been when he only had a single country.
This rapid growth in Human Dao Fortune, in turn, caused his comprehension of the Human Dao Sword to advance by leaps and bounds.
As his comprehension of the Human Dao Sword deepened, he gained a far greater understanding and control over Human Dao Fortune—a power he previously hadn’t understood at all and could only use for Body Refining.
The highest point in the Imperial City of the Wu Kingdom’s Capital City was the roof of the Moral Hall.
Passing Palace Maids and eunuchs would hear the sound of a whistling wind, and upon looking up, they would see him: the National Guardian Celestial Master, the Qingxu Tongxuan Guanmiao True Monarch, who possessed an ageless, youthful appearance. He stood quietly on the rooftop, his hands clasped behind his back.
Before the Celestial Master, a Treasure Sword glinting with a cold light hovered in the air, carving inscrutably profound patterns.
The whistling sound emanated from the Flying Sword. Soon, dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and rain began to pour.
The Palace Maids and eunuchs scattered to find shelter. Some, however, couldn’t resist looking back at the rooftop. They saw the Celestial Master standing amidst the downpour, yet the raindrops seemed to part around him in reverence, not a single one daring to touch his body.
Then, the Celestial Master extended a finger and traced a complex symbol in the air.
The clouds quickly dispersed and the rain ceased. Sunlight bathed the land, and a brilliant rainbow arched across the sky.
Were it not for the damp ground and the small puddles that had formed in the cracks between the flagstones, one might have suspected the downpour was merely an illusion.
For Du Youqian, who had mastered the Human Dao Sword, using Human Dao Fortune to summon clouds and create rain was no difficult feat.
He could sense that if his comprehension of the Human Dao Sword continued to deepen, it would not be difficult for him to use it to regulate Yin and Yang or adjust the Earth Veins in the future.
Normally, the natural elements of the world were most suitably manipulated by Spiritual Qi.
For an orthodox Cultivator, it was far easier to summon clouds and rain with Magic than with Human Dao Fortune.
A Core Formation Cultivator could casually alter the weather across dozens or even hundreds of miles.
However, Human Dao Fortune could influence the climate and the qi of the earth from a completely different angle.
This undoubtedly presented Du Youqian with an entirely new perspective he had never considered.
Its value to him was immeasurable.
One could say that even if the Taihe Sect hadn’t agreed to his terms—to not hand over the nations controlled by the Profound Sects Orthodox Sect for him to share in their Human Dao Fortune...
...the increased understanding of the Great Dao and of nature that he had gained through cultivating the Human Dao Sword was already worth far more than the time and energy he had invested.
This knowledge was his to keep, forever.
It would be useful no matter how many times he underwent Reincarnation.
According to the records of his predecessors, after reaching Core Formation, while Cultivation, meditation, and improving one’s Magical Power and Physique remained important...
...it was one’s understanding of the Dao that determined a Cultivator’s ultimate limit.
If one simply focused on rote Cultivation without a sufficient understanding of the Dao, they would absolutely be unable to achieve Nascent Soul Formation after reaching Golden Core Perfection.
Therefore, after cultivating the Human Dao Sword to the stage of Great Success, Du Youqian changed his original plan. He decided not to rush into Core Formation, but to continue seeking enlightenment instead.
While he was at it, he would visit the various nations and make his presence known.
In his fiftieth year,
Du Youqian began to travel between the nations.
He used the Human Dao Sword to regulate the wind and rain and adjust the qi of the earth.
Everywhere he went, he brought favorable weather and bountiful harvests.
In truth, it would have been a simple matter for him to improve the constitutions of mortals or even help couples who struggled to conceive.
But Du Youqian had no desire to earn the title of "Child-Giving Guanyin."
What he was doing already was more than enough to earn him worship and admiration.
The name of the Celestial Master spread spontaneously throughout the lands.
As tales of his miraculous deeds became ingrained in the hearts of the people, he even inexplicably gained many fanatical followers. The amount of Human Dao Fortune he could harvest each day continued to grow.
The various Sects were all paying attention to Du Youqian’s actions.
Even though these Sects were normally aloof and couldn’t be bothered with the affairs of the Mortal World,
Du Youqian was, after all, a Cultivator. For him to cause such a commotion in the Mortal World was bound to attract attention.
Soon, while Du Youqian was summoning clouds and rain in the Qi Kingdom, Ling Wei Master—the current True Inheritance Core Formation Cultivator of the Holy Blood Sect—personally traveled south to meet him.
This Ling Wei Master had joined the Holy Blood Sect back when Du Youqian was one of the Living Dead, and he had already obtained the status of a True Inheritor before Du Youqian’s Reincarnation.
Thirty years ago, not long after Du Youqian had become the Celestial Master of the Wu Kingdom, Ling Wei Master had successfully reached Core Formation, becoming one of the giants of the Momenan Cultivation Realm.
This time, however, upon personally coming to the Qi Kingdom, he did not act arrogantly before Du Youqian.
Of course, treating him with genuine courtesy was out of the question. As a member of a Demon Sect, he only understood the meaning of "respect" when facing someone stronger than himself.
And in Ling Wei Master’s eyes, Master Baili was merely a somewhat outstanding Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
The reason for Ling Wei Master’s visit was that the Yan Kingdom had been plagued by frequent disasters in recent years, and its people were suffering greatly.
While the aloof Holy Blood Sect couldn’t be bothered to manage the affairs of the Mortal World, they were willing to support an initiative that would improve the mortal environment without costing them any time or effort.
Thus, Ling Wei Master, on behalf of the Holy Blood Sect, offered to support Du Youqian in becoming the National Guardian Celestial Master of the Yan Kingdom, to regulate its Yin and Yang and summon clouds and rain.
Du Youqian didn’t play hard to get and agreed immediately.
Ling Wei Master was very satisfied with Du Youqian’s attitude and, as a bonus, also handed over the Qin Kingdom for him to manage.
From that day forward, Du Youqian became the Celestial Master of the Nine Countries, an unprecedented achievement that might never be seen again.
After a few more years of this arrangement, the Human Dao Fortune Du Youqian harvested was a staggering five times what he had gained from a single country.
It was estimated that this would be more than enough to support his Cultivation all the way to the Golden Core Late Stage.
In fact, at this point, Du Youqian could have already attempted Core Formation.
He could even use the special Dharma Sect provided by the Lingxiao Sword Pavilion to enhance the power of his Human Dao Sword during the process.
However, Du Youqian was struck by a sudden thought. It was said that the Human Dao Sword was as renowned as the Celestial Dao Sword.
Furthermore, in the future, it would require two Cultivators—one specializing in the Human Dao Sword and the other in the Celestial Dao Sword—to draw their swords in concert to stop the Spiritual Qi from leaking out of Momenan.
Therefore, Du Youqian wanted to see if he could cultivate the Celestial Dao Sword himself.
However, once he actually began, he discovered it was exceedingly difficult.
To cultivate the Celestial Dao Sword to the stage of Great Success, one had to make all the necessary preparations before even reaching Foundation Establishment and then use a special method to establish one’s foundation.
Then, during Core Formation, one had to use the Sword Pill method.
Otherwise, while one could still cultivate the Celestial Dao Sword, it would be impossible to ever master it to the level of Great Success.
After several years, Du Youqian had no choice but to admit that it was beyond his capabilities.
His talent in the Sword Dao was indeed outstanding, but he wasn’t a peerless prodigy who could effortlessly forge a new path and create his own Swordsmanship from scratch.
Du Youqian’s morale wasn’t affected, however. ’I already have a cheat ability like infinite Reincarnation,’ he thought. ’If I also had peerless Sword Dao Talent, what chance would anyone else have?’
’This is good enough.’
And so, Du Youqian once again began to condition his body and mind, preparing to attempt Core Formation.
One day, Du Youqian went to the Marketplace to retrieve his messages and found a Jade Slip from Lin Sha with one corner dyed red.
Du Youqian’s heart skipped a beat. This was their prearranged signal for an emergency.
He extended his Divine Sense and instantly read the contents.
Du Youqian opened his eyes. In the Jade Slip, Lin Sha warned that the leader of her organization was paying close attention to "Master Baili" with extreme hostility. They might take action soon, though not necessarily through her team. She urged Du Youqian to be extremely careful.
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