AI Cultivation: Reborn as a Sword

The first bout of the Conference is a victory for the Galaxy Sword sect over the Seven Killing Swords sect, and it is an interesting match to observe.

The Seven Killing Swords disciples favor the martial arts over the internal development and that is most obvious in the sect’s main martial art [Seven Stars Method] — a collection of moves and ways of channeling inner energy to deliver deadly blows against any opponent. When cultivated to the fourth layer, this method offers a vast array of effective offensive maneuvers, but also great mobility instead of defensive stances.

When it comes to offensive power, the Seven Killing Swords sect, in the period of Core Formation and earlier, is unmatched.

However, the Galaxy Sword disciples rarely, if ever, practice the sect’s entry manuals, because each one of them already possesses a deep understanding of the primary martial art from the sect they originally came from; in this case, the Nine Clouds sect with its famous [Cloud-Flying Sword].

Through the advantages of high mobility, Liang Zihao is able to deliver a blow against his opponent’s protective qi, ending the spar-like bout without inflicting any dangerous injuries.

“Xiong Meng will challenge!” the tenth-ranked disciple from the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion cries out from underneath the raised, brown flag, and jumps onto the stage to challenge Liang Zihao.

Meanwhile, Lan Xiaohui’s eyes scan the ranks of the Seven Killing Swords disciples, searching for faces she might recognize. I do not sense such recognition ever dawn on my owner, at least not intensely; perhaps a few passing acquaintances of her days within the sect, and people she never spoke to before.

More importantly, there is no sign of Grand Elder Zhou or Yu Shun, which seems to leave her disappointed more than anything else.

I also consider my assessment that this Conference will be destiny-changing for my owner, and question whether I miscalculated or not. Without Grand Elder Zhou to steer events, will anything of note transpire here?

“Xiong Meng wins! Who will challenge him next?” one of the tournament organizers calls out after several minutes — that is how long the match took.

It was largely decided in a dozen or so blows. The offensive abilities of the [Cloud-Flying Sword

] are no match for the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion’s focus on defense and counterattacks, even though their strengths lie in group combat, rather than one-on-one duels.

Still, Liang Zihao looks proud that he at least won one point for the sect and returns to his seat exhausted, but with no injuries.

“You fought well, Brother Liang! Your opponent this time was simply a bad match-up for you!” one of the other disciples remarks.

“Thank you,” Liang Zihao replies, smiling. “I am just glad I managed to hold my own against the Seven Killing Swords. Maybe this time, we will have a favorable run in the Conference.”

The ten best and brightest of the four major sects are deserving of their titles. Even Lan Xiaohui would, back when she joined the sect, find it difficult to deal with Liang Zihao, or any of his opponents today.

Their understanding of the Dao and the depth of their talent is rather obvious, emphasized further by access to profound martial arts that allow them to recover stamina quickly, and to strike with devastating power and speed.

However, the Lan Xiaohui of today is vastly different from who she was back then, and her swordsmanship has advanced considerably due to the forced breakthroughs of her martial arts and internal cultivation art.

On the day when Elder Qin said that defeating these individuals was not something she could even dream of, this was true. Even then, just defeating Liang Zihao would’ve been an exhausting ordeal and she was not guaranteed to emerge victorious.

After she returned from the princess incident, not even ten Liang Zihao’s would be able to stop Lan Xiaohui. Such is the power of unlocking the deeper layer of inheritance-class martial arts, like the [Empty Moon Prana].

Still, Liang Zihao is only ranked tenth, and from a minor sect. He is no match for any of the disciples ranked fourth or higher, from any of the other sects. They, too, likely achieved deep and promising comprehension of their sect’s martial arts or even obtained glimpses of the inheritances — like the sword maiden from the Frozen Peak Palace.

“And that’s a third consecutive victory for the Seven Killing Swords, which puts them in the lead!”

With that announcement, the ninth-ranked disciple of the Galaxy Sword sect returns to his seat, unable to achieve a single point, or even break the ninth-ranked Seven Killing Swords disciples’ winning streak.

“You had bad luck,” another disciple tries to console his comrade but only elicits a deeper frown in response.

In the end, the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion manages to stop the winning streak of the rival sect, and in the following bout, the Frozen Peak Palace takes their first point by having their eighth-ranked disciple knock out the last remaining ninth-rank disciple.

A board above the proctors of the match shows the current standing of the sects, with another one showing the individual points earned by the disciples. At this stage, the Seven Killing Swords is in the lead with three victories and five points, followed by the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion with two victories and two points. Tied at the last place are the Frozen Peak Palace and the Galaxy Sword, with one victory and one point each.

In the next match, the Frozen Peak Palace takes another two points when the Seven Killing Swords challenges and loses.

“I will go next. Wish me luck!” Hu Ning, the eighth-ranked disciple of the Galaxy Sword sect announces and then steps forward.

“Brother Hu, I am sure you will bring back a good result! Do not disappoint our former juniors!” Tian Li tells Hu Ning who nods in response.

“Thank you, Brother Tian. I will do my best!” Hu Ning says and then announces his challenge.

Next, turning to Lan Xiaohui, Tian Li says, “Hu Ning was also from the Broken Sword Manor. This year, they won the Ascending tournament, so it would be a shame if he didn’t perform well here.”

When Hu Ning takes the stage, many voices cheer his appearance from disciples in brown and red outfits — members of the Broken Sword Manor.

The eighth-ranked disciple of the Frozen Peak Palace politely bows to Hu Ning and assumes her fighting stance, plunging her immediate surroundings into ice. As their name suggests, the Frozen Peak Palace disciples practice martial arts with the ice attribute, and most of their early development is solely dedicated to the cultivation of their golden core, which has the additional effects — again, according to rumors — of making their bodies cold to the touch, and their appearance remarkably beautiful.

Not that I am able to judge the appearance of these lesser lifeforms, but the part about their bodies being cold is true.

On the other hand, the Broken Sword Manor is well-known for its dedication to the sword in its purest and simplest form. Focusing primarily on the sharpness of their sword intent, the techniques of the sect’s martial art do not possess the same destructive power as those of the [Seven Stars Method], but they are incredibly sharp.

In fact, they are so sharp that Hu Ning is able to effortlessly cut through the walls and spikes of ice that his opponent utilizes in an attempt to gain an advantage over the former Broken Sword Manor disciple, but is ultimately unable to stop his technical advance devoid of any flashy mobility techniques.

Another cheer erupts as the Frozen Peak Palace disciple forfeits, after being so quickly left without defensive options, and just as quickly Hu Ning’s next opponent takes the stage: Heavenly Mountain Pavilion’s eighth-ranked disciple.

Likewise, outside of their banners and large-scale formations, those disciples from the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion have fewer specialties to rely on, however, by way of spear, sword, and saber, they are not completely helpless, and their techniques favor defense and counterattack over offense.

I regard this choice favorably and it indicates why the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion holds so much power over the continent. This type of training emphasizes the disciple’s strength as One of Many. Similar to the Spartans of old, the true strength is not in the individual, but the entire formation, and focusing on defense is to the benefit of all.

Unfortunately, against Hu Ning’s swordsmanship, the disciple from the Heavenly Mountain Pavilion is unable to keep up with the technical demand and is brought to the ground after a few clashes and forced to forfeit.

Exhausted, and with two victories to his name, Hu Ning faces the challenge of the Frozen Peak Palace disciple sent out to take the point back, but is almost immediately forced to forfeit when ice envelops his feet and pins him to the spot, as if to mock the idea that the Frozen Peak Palace disciples are only able to use ice defensively.

A spike of ice threatens to impale Hu Ning, which he understands as a warning, and his opportunity to admit defeat and return to his seat which is flocking with proud sect members waiting to congratulate him on his performance.