Translator: CinderTL
The courtyard.
Li Chunjun was in no rush to cultivate.
Instead, he took the time to bathe thoroughly and rested for an entire day.
The next morning, he still refrained from cultivation.
He was six progress points away from perfection.
If he truly focused on cultivation, it would take him three to four days at the fastest, or seven to eight days at the slowest.
If he were willing to consume a pill, a single one might suffice to bridge the gap.
However, in order to prolong his stay in the "perfection" phase, Li Chunjun decided to let things take their natural course.
And during this natural progression...
He seized the opportunity to carefully review and digest the Spirit Refinement Chapter of the Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture and the Taixu Sword Scripture.
In addition, he repeatedly examined the Profound Phoenix Sword Wheel, Flame Phoenix Sun Refining, Flaming Phoenix Profound Light, and Void Sword Flash.
He didn't aim for full comprehension but ensured he was familiar with every detail, able to recall any part of them.
Beyond these, the most important aspect was the Sword Intent.
Sword Intent, the true essence of arcane arts.
It was a mystical technique derived from reaching the pinnacle of understanding in swordsmanship and arcane arts.
Often, only those at the Nascent Soul stage could fully master it.
At the Core Formation Realm...
Even among the strongest forms of Core Formation—the Golden Core cultivators—only one or two out of ten could grasp Sword Intent.
Theoretically, those who had cultivated a Golden Core could attempt to break through to the second stage of the Spirit Refinement Realm—the Nascent Soul!
Once Nascent Soul was achieved, not only would arcane arts gain spirit and greater power, but lifespan would also increase again, breaking through to the thousand-year mark.
A thousand years, how long and vast!
This step could be considered the initial attainment of immortality.
Thus, Nascent Soul cultivators were also referred to as True Lords.
Immortal True Lords.
But aside from Nascent Soul, a very few Golden Core cultivators could also earn the title of "True Lord" before reaching Nascent Soul.
That required refining the Golden Core to its utmost, achieving the Indestructible Golden Core.
To forge an Indestructible Golden Core, one must use Sword Intent or the true essence of arcane arts.
Once the true essence of arcane arts was achieved, it could give birth to mystical powers.
Therefore, the Indestructible Golden Core was also known as the Indestructible Sword Core or the Mystical Power Golden Core.
These were the most talented and peerless geniuses of the Core Formation Realm.
...
"For me, the Flame Phoenix Sun Refining, and even the Flaming Phoenix Profound Light and Void Sword Flash, are not as essential as Sword Intent..."
Li Chunjun flipped through the ancient texts before him, making plans: "Once Sword Intent is achieved, it will greatly assist me in refining Taiyi Essence Gold and Black Flame Diamond into the Scarlet Gold Sword. With Sword Intent by my side, the next Essence Blood Sword Sacrifice will likely allow me to fully refine the Taiyi Essence Gold into the Scarlet Gold Sword, transforming this flying sword from a top-tier magical artifact into a spirit artifact, and at least an upper-tier spirit artifact!"
An upper-tier spirit artifact, further refined with Black Flame Diamond!
If successful, the Lifebound Flying Sword would evolve into a treasure-level artifact!
"Sword Intent, theoretically, requires a pinnacle understanding of swordsmanship to condense. I wonder if, in the 'epiphany' state, I can skip this 'swordsmanship' prerequisite."
Li Chunjun pondered, intending to start with Sword Intent when the time came.
If it proved too difficult, he would then study the Profound Phoenix Sword Wheel and Flame Phoenix Sun Refining.
Speaking of which...
Sword Intent and treasure artifacts—which of these was not a standard for Nascent Soul?
Add to that the unparalleled combination of Flaming Phoenix Profound Light and Void Sword Flash within the Core Formation Realm, and dealing with Core Formation cultivators would naturally be as easy as snapping a twig.
"A true Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy who achieves the Five Elements Unification would likely possess Nascent Soul combat power. Once unleashed, they could sweep through Core Formation cultivators and dominate the world with their sword."
Unfortunately, he currently hadn't met a single one of the five criteria.
But...
It wouldn't be long.
...
During the few days Li Chunjun spent adjusting his state, his outstanding performance in the recent mission quickly spread throughout the entire Taixu Sword Sect through the accounts of several dozen core disciples.
Upon hearing this news, the disciples of the Taixu Sword Sect were naturally both shocked and delighted.
They had thought that even if Li Chunjun was being groomed by the sect as a future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy and enjoyed the sect's top resources, it would take at least three to five years for him to achieve anything significant.
As for becoming the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy...
That would certainly be a matter of several decades.
Who could have imagined that in just a few months, Li Chunjun had already given them such a big surprise!
In a single mission, he had slain several Qi Refining Ninth Layer believers, and in a chaotic battle, he had defeated them while outnumbered.
Moreover, during the mission, he had killed a double-digit number of Qi Refining Eighth and Seventh Layer believers.
If even those at Qi Refining Sixth, Fifth, and Fourth Layers were included, the total number of believers killed would likely approach a hundred.
Such a record was truly astonishing!
For a time, everyone felt an unprecedented sense of anticipation.
They looked forward to when this future Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy of their Taixu Sword Sect would once again astonish the world, showcasing his peerless genius.
They looked forward to when he would overcome one of the most difficult hurdles in the Sword Cultivator's Spirit Refinement Realm—Refining the Sword into Core, laying a solid foundation for the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy.
They looked forward to the day he would shed the title of "future" Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy and grow into the true Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy, leading the Taixu Sword Sect to sweep across Blue Star, bringing all of Blue Star's benefits under the control of the Taixu Sword Sect.
Just as everyone's enthusiasm, anticipation, and longing for the Flaming Phoenix Sword Prodigy reached its peak, a piece of news emerged.
In the recent mission to exterminate the Evil God believers, Li Chunjun was not the one who had performed the most exceptionally.
There was another person who had scored even higher than him in the final evaluation.
And not just by a small margin!
They had surpassed him by over a hundred points.
Moreover, this genius was also quite young, not yet twenty-five, making him a true Core Formation seed.
No!
Given his performance in this mission, calling him a Core Formation seed was insufficient—he was a future Nascent Soul seed for the sect!
With sufficient resources, he might even advance further, aiming for the Primordial Spirit!
In other words, this was another "Prodigy"-level genius.
The news of this naturally made the Taixu Sword Sect even more excited and thrilled!
How fortunate the Taixu Sword Sect was.
To have acquired two geniuses like the Sleeping Dragon and the Young Phoenix simultaneously!
For a time, there were loud calls for the sect to invest heavily in his cultivation, even to groom him as a new Sword Prodigy.
The lower-level disciples didn't understand the effort and cost required to cultivate two "Prodigy"-level geniuses. They only knew that if the sect had two Sword Prodigies, it would surely be a sight to behold.
From now on, when they encountered disciples from the other eight sects, who wouldn't look up to their Taixu Sword Sect?
...
The hustle and bustle of the outside world did not affect Li Chunjun.
At this moment, under low-intensity cultivation and study, his life level had reached the critical point of level 20 perfection.
The closer he got to the end, the less he hurried, maintaining a calm mindset.
On the tenth day after his return from Heaven's Rift Mountain to the sect.
Li Chunjun suddenly entered that special state.
An unprecedented feeling.
Everything in the world was changing.
Especially the mysteries of the world's Primal Qi, the essence of the sun and moon, and cosmic energy...
Everything appeared clearly before him.
Clear and turbid qi, Five Elements qi, sun and moon essence, righteous qi, stellar qi, life qi, destruction qi...
There was nothing it did not encompass, nothing it did not contain.
Li Chunjun had not meticulously studied the Condensing Gang Qi of the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, nor had he delved into the Five Elements Unification.
The Flaming Phoenix Sword Cultivator started with Solar Essence Qi.
Other types of qi and energy, no matter what they were, were all refined and purified through the domineering Solar Essence Qi.
But now, this clear and turbid qi, Five Elements qi, and Lunar Essence appeared incredibly clear and transparent before his "eyes," allowing him to perceive them clearly and quickly understand their mysteries.
In just a moment, Li Chunjun had a premonition.
If he were to start Qi Refining from scratch, even without the Flaming Phoenix Power, his proficiency in refining clear and turbid qi and achieving Five Elements Unification would not be inferior to any Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivator.
In fact, as he observed these energies more closely, his ability to manipulate them had already surpassed that of a Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivator.
Next, he turned his attention to other types of energy.
Finally, he swept through Solar Essence Qi, Life Qi, Destruction Qi...
Through his comprehension of Solar Essence Qi, some of the previously skipped over doubts in the Spirit Refinement Chapter of the Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture...
And even some in the Qi Refining Chapter, were now being rapidly understood.
Life Qi gave him a deeper understanding of the intangible sword qi and Lifebound Flying Sword of sword cultivators.
It was as if he had calculated the conversion formula between Life Essence and the Lifebound Flying Sword.
As his mind focused on the Lifebound Flying Sword, it naturally shifted to sword technique cultivation!
In an instant, countless inspirations surged forth, whether for the Profound Phoenix Sword Wheel or the Flame Phoenix Sun Refining.
"The Profound Phoenix Sword Wheel is actually this simple... My previous approach to the Flame Phoenix Sun Refining was completely wrong. Although not entirely off track, continuing with that line of thought might take three to five years to master..."
As the sword techniques and killing moves surfaced, they naturally led to Destruction Qi.
Destruction Qi was connected to the Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture and even to the Void Sword Scripture.
The Spirit Refinement Chapters of these two great techniques, which he hadn't even qualified to comprehend before, were now rapidly understood.
From initial comprehension to familiarity, then to complete mastery, and finally to seeing their essence.
The essence of the Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture pointed to destruction...
What came after destruction!?
It was the void!
Pure nothingness!
Before he entered this epiphany, his first priority was to comprehend Sword Intent!
Now, as he connected Destruction Qi to the Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture and the Void Sword Scripture, he suddenly "saw" something.
"Destruction!"
The sword, the sword techniques, were merely vessels!
The essence of Destruction Sword Intent was destruction!
Pure destruction!
Turning everything into nothingness!
Just like the Taixu Sword Intent in the Void Sword Scripture, integrating sword techniques into the void, then tearing through the void!
Until the void was shattered!
Turning all things in the world into nothingness!
Nothingness?
At this point in his epiphany...
Li Chunjun felt something was off.
But he didn't dwell on it.
In such a mystical state of epiphany, every moment had to be seized; how could he spare time for trivial matters?
Thus, his mind fully settled into the Destruction Sword Intent of the Flaming Phoenix Chaos Scripture and the Taixu Sword Intent of the Taixu Sword Scripture.
In this state of "when the time comes, heaven and earth join forces," the power of the two Sword Intents surged.
Sometimes destruction, sometimes void, and...
What he believed to be a state of compatibility between the two—nothingness.
Finally, after three days in this state, a Destruction Sword Intent that made the heavens and earth desolate and all things wither burst forth from Li Chunjun's courtyard, shooting straight into the sky!
(End of the Chapter)
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