Setis listened in a daze as Hui continued:
“Some sword cultivators can split heaven and earth and sever the universe with a single strike. If their sword intent is pure enough, even time and space are not beyond their touch, or they can even... sever time and space.”
Setis's pupils dilated slightly.
Splitting heaven and earth, severing the universe?! Is that even something a human can achieve?
If anyone else had said this, she would have found it utterly absurd.
But this was an eight-tailed white fox!
And her tone made it sound as if she were speaking of something she had witnessed with her own eyes.
“Can anyone... really do that?”
Hui nodded without a second thought.
“Yes.”
Her voice grew slightly quieter than before as she continued, as if lost in memory.
“Many sword cultivators have appeared throughout the history of Kyushu, and the strongest among them were headaches in any era. They didn't necessarily know how to refine pills, nor did they necessarily understand formations, and they couldn't even cast the simplest utility spells.”
“But once they got serious, virtually no one could withstand a single blow from them. Everyone had to steer clear of them.”
Speaking up to this point, Hui seemed to recall something and curled her lip in slight disgust.
“Especially a few select freaks—when they actually make a move, even immortals have to stay far away.”
This was no exaggeration, but a historical fact—one particular freak had once cut down three True Immortals from the Upper Realm with a single strike, and he clearly hadn't even exerted much effort, which was incredibly infuriating.
They couldn't beat him—couldn't beat him at all.
Setis listened, spellbound, unable to comprehend what kind of realm that was.
In her previous understanding, the Heroic Spirit rank was already the pinnacle of the world. But the sword cultivators Hui spoke of had completely transcended the vocational system of the Ogu Continent.
That was not combat; it was more like a legend.
What she found even harder to believe was that, according to Hui, even being able to do all this did not make one the strongest.
Just what kind of existences were the sword cultivators of the Kyushu Continent?
The slight disappointment in Setis's heart vanished in an instant.
Her hands resting on her knees slowly tightened, and her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
“Then when can I start cultivating?”
Hui looked at her eager expression and suddenly fell silent.
This time, it was her turn to sigh.
“That's exactly the problem.”
Setis was startled.
“What's wrong?”
Hui sighed softly, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
“I am of the demon race. I excel in spells and understand the cultivation path of the demon race. I can also teach you some other basic things...”
She looked at Setis, changing her tone.
“But when it comes to the path of the sword, I don't know much.”
Setis's expression instantly stiffened.
Seeing her reaction, Hui said testily:
“What's the rush? I didn't say you can't practice it.”
She flicked her tail.
“I can guide you to cross the threshold first, teaching you breathing exercises, drawing qi, and tempering your physical body to help you lay a solid foundation for your Demon Emperor Body. As for the true path of a sword cultivator, you'll still have to let Li Yuan teach you.”
Setis's eyes lit up even more.
“Li Yuan knows the path of the sword?”
Seeing her like this, Hui suddenly bared her teeth, speaking almost through the cracks of her teeth.
“He knows a lot of things. The freak I mentioned is him... This guy's sword path has already reached a realm that even I cannot see through.”
Using a finger as a sword, he could casually sever the entire world... even immortals couldn't necessarily do that, right?
Yet, that was just a casual strike. If he were to truly exert his full power, this world would probably meet its end.
Though the fact that this guy could break the Immortal Gate was already absurd enough...
Setis tried her best to suppress the curve of her lips. She hadn't listened to a single word of what else Hui had said; she only heard that Li Yuan would be teaching her the path of the sword.
Was there really such a good thing? This was simply a double blessing.
Hui saw her expression clearly and couldn't help but snort.
“Don't get ahead of yourself. It's one thing for Li Yuan to know it, but it's another thing how much you can learn. That guy is usually extremely lazy, and his teaching is probably a half-hearted, on-and-off affair.”
Setis immediately said:
“I will definitely study hard.”
Hui glanced at her and said testily:
“Save those words for when you see him.”
She stood up and walked out of the courtyard.
“Follow me.”
Setis quickly got to her feet.
The two of them walked all the way to the shore of the spiritual spring sea.
Up close, this sea looked even vaster than it did from the courtyard. The surface of the water was so calm it didn't seem like a real sea, and the water carried a crisp, cool scent.
Just by getting closer, Setis felt her entire body relax significantly.
Hui found a flat spot on the shore and sat down.
“Sit.”
Setis sat cross-legged on the ground, copying her posture.
But the moment she sat down, Hui raised her paw and tapped her knee.
“Keep your back straight, relax your shoulders, and don't sit like you're being lectured by a teacher.”
Setis silently adjusted her posture.
Hui looked her over a couple of times, barely satisfied.
“The first step of cultivation is breathing.”
Setis nodded.
“When you studied magic before, you relied on mana circuits. Mana enters the body from the outside, gets converted through the circuits, and is finally released in coordination with incantations or magic circles.”
Setis was somewhat surprised.
“You even know about magic?”
Hui rolled her eyes.
“I'm not blind. A simple thing like that, doesn't one understand it in just a glance?”
Setis immediately shut her mouth, and Hui continued:
“Cultivation is different. After spiritual qi enters the body, it's not simply borrowed, but must be refined into your own power. The first step is to sense spiritual qi, and then draw it into your body through breathing exercises.”
She raised her paw and gently tapped Setis between her brows.
“Close your eyes.”
Hui's voice slowly echoed in her ears.
“Don't rush to inhale just yet. Sense your surroundings. Don't use your old method of sensing mana, and don't think about magic circles or incantations. Empty your mind and thoughts, and slow down your breathing.”
Following her instructions, Setis slowly inhaled, then gently exhaled.
At first, she felt nothing at all.
There was only the faint rustling of the grass as Hui's tail occasionally swept over it while she sat nearby.
Only after a long while did she vaguely perceive something highly unique floating in the air.
Unlike mana, which had a clear direction of flow, or elements, which carried different attributes, these things were omnipresent, gentle yet carrying a trace of “rebelliousness.”
Setis's breathing paused unconsciously.
Hui immediately spoke up to remind her:
“Don't stop, keep going.”
Setis stabilized her breathing once more.
She tried to draw those energies toward her using the method Hui taught. Initially, it was very awkward, and those energies were difficult to capture.
But after a few attempts, she seemed to grasp a bit of the knack.
A trace of extremely faint spiritual qi entered her body along with her breath, only to quickly dissipate among her meridians.
Setis opened her eyes, her face filled with clear pleasant surprise.
“I felt it.”
Hui, however, spoke with a look of slight disdain.
“If the Demon Emperor Body can't even do this much, then you might as well not bother learning...”
Setis paid no mind to her tone and closed her eyes to try a few more times.
This time was much smoother than before. Although she still couldn't retain the spiritual qi, her perception had gradually grown clearer.
At this very moment, she could already feel the difference between this place and others.
Rate on N.U.
