Borrowed Sword

Chapter 69: Qi Deviation

Han Shuangjiang's heart skipped a beat the moment she heard the four words “Myriad Swords Converge.”

This was the Dao Ancestor’s ultimate technique, also known by the world as the strongest sword technique of the Mortal World.

In this millennium, those who had mastered 《Myriad Swords Converge》 could be counted on two hands.

In the past hundred years, the only person who had learned 《Myriad Swords Converge》 was none other than the current Sword Sovereign of the Sword Sect.

For this reason, although he was still stuck at the bottleneck of Peak Eighth Realm, the world frequently compared him to the Dao Gate’s Little Martial Uncle before his decline.

In fact, the Sword Sect unilaterally believed: a Sword Sovereign who unleashed Myriad Swords Converge was the strongest of this generation!

Of course, this statement represented the Sword Sect’s stance only.

Every sword cultivator had once dreamed of mastering 《Myriad Swords Converge》—without exception.

At present, Han Shuangjiang did not yet possess her own life-bound artifact, nor had she decided her future cultivation path.

But if she could truly comprehend 《Myriad Swords Converge》, then naturally she would choose the sword!

Moreover, in Chu Huaixu’s memories, Han Shuangjiang was originally a sword cultivator in 《Borrowed Sword》.

“As for me…”

“I’ve already reached 【Sword Heart Clarity】. If I don’t train in the sword, what should I train in—Body Training?” Chu Huaixu quipped inwardly.

After the two exchanged a glance, they saw a trace of eagerness in each other’s eyes.

They took their jade slips to register with the White-robed Scripture Pavilion Manager.

Jade slips could not be taken away. They had their own mysterious properties—one only needed to activate the spiritual imprint within to deeply brand the entire contents into the mind.

Chu Huaixu couldn’t help but sigh, “If only I had this kind of thing back when I was in school.”

The white-robed manager received their jade slips. When he glanced at the names of the cultivation methods, he couldn’t help but lift his head to look at Chu Huaixu.

“Why is it 《Dao Canon》?”

His face practically wrote the words “wanted to speak but held back.”

But in the end, he chose not to act like a senior, nor to meddle.

He was merely the manager of the first floor—he just needed to do his job well.

The Pavilion Master had reiterated many times that the Dao Gate valued karmic fate. Do not interfere too much in others’ affairs. How could one be so sure they were right?

——Don’t take on this karmic burden.

“Close your eyes, steady your minds,” said the white-robed manager.

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang complied.

Soon, the entire content of the cultivation methods surfaced clearly in their minds.

“Thank you, Manager.” The two cupped their hands in gratitude.

The middle-aged man nodded slightly and said, “When you return, cultivate diligently. Once you reach the First Realm, you may use your Registered Disciple Token to exchange for an Outer Sect Disciple Token.”

“Yes.”

The two jade slips were then retrieved and returned to their original positions.

Chu Huaixu looked at the white-robed manager and asked, “Manager, there’s a copy of 《Myriad Swords Converge》 on the fourth floor, right?”

“Yes.” The middle-aged man smiled, not at all surprised.

Who wouldn’t long for 《Myriad Swords Converge》?

Didn’t he feel the same way back in the day?

He smiled kindly and said, “Of course. If you wish to take a look, go ahead. I hope you truly manage to learn it.”

After exchanging a glance and bidding the white-robed manager farewell, Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang began ascending quickly.

Since 《Myriad Swords Converge》 had been made public by the Dao Ancestor, all sects across the Xuanhuang Realm possessed it.

Therefore, it was definitely free of charge, not requiring Sect Contribution Points for redemption.

Unfortunately, though it was free, very few people in the world could truly comprehend it.

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang quickly arrived at the fourth floor.

Here, their Registered Disciple Tokens stood out starkly.

Because those who came here to redeem techniques were all Outer Sect Disciples.

Those who had yet to reach the First Realm were not allowed to learn techniques.

So the senior brothers and sisters could immediately guess—they were most likely here to observe 《Myriad Swords Converge》.

Quite a few even recognized them and began whispering among themselves.

At the center of the fourth floor of the Scripture Pavilion stood a main pillar.

The content of 《Myriad Swords Converge》 was carved into the pillar.

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang stood before it, heads raised in awe.

Upon seeing this, the surrounding seniors all showed kind smiles.

Many even fell into nostalgia, as if they were seeing their past selves.

Everyone present could recite 《Myriad Swords Converge》 by heart.

Since this wasn’t a spiritual imprint jade slip, one had to memorize it manually by standing here.

This pillar was like a mandatory scenic checkpoint for every Dao Gate disciple.

Everyone had to make this trip.

Whether one could comprehend it in the future was another matter. For now, one must memorize it.

Chu Huaixu glanced at Han Shuangjiang, and in her beautiful eyes, he saw a glimmer of reverence.

People of the Xuanhuang Realm mostly revered the Dao Ancestor.

Even those not from the Dao Gate would often refer to themselves as disciples when speaking of the Dao Ancestor.

Because of the Qi-Opening Pill, and because of 《Myriad Swords Converge》!

Whether pill recipe or technique, the Dao Ancestor had a grand vision and had made both public to the world.

And so, the young man and woman began to memorize word for word.

In fact, Chu Huaixu didn’t even need to memorize. He had the system.

After scanning through the entire text, a system prompt sounded in his ears.

“【Ding! You have obtained a Heaven-rank Technique——《Myriad Swords Converge》!】”

Book Mountain, Diligence is the Path.

Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang walked down the mountain with visibly lighter steps than when they went up.

The entire 《Myriad Swords Converge》 was now second nature to them.

It was just that they hadn’t yet entered the First Realm, so memorization was meaningless. They didn’t even have Spiritual Energy in their bodies yet.

On the way down, they stopped by the Treasure Pavilion and exchanged the Spirit Plate for 2000 Sect Contribution Points, splitting it evenly.

“A thousand points should be enough to get a technique suited to your current level,” said Chu Huaixu to Han Shuangjiang.

“Mm, thank you,” Big Ice Block replied softly.

“No need to thank me. We conquered the secret realm together. We agreed to split the Spirit Plate,” he replied casually.

“Our top priority now is to quickly master a cultivation method and enter the First Realm,” he reiterated.

“So that’s why you bought so many pills?” Han Shuangjiang looked at him in confusion.

Moments earlier, after selling the Spirit Plate at the Treasure Pavilion, Chu Huaixu had immediately spent over four hundred Sect Contribution Points on a few bottles of Spiritual Pills.

“Exactly. You’re a Top-grade Spirit Embryo; I’m a Low-grade Spirit Embryo. Of course I need pill support for my cultivation,” he said matter-of-factly.

Chu Huaixu knew what she was worried about. “Don’t worry. It’s just for auxiliary cultivation. Breaking through with just pills is ultimately a lesser path.”

The pills he just bought were indeed the type that could accelerate cultivation.

For players, these pills would directly convert into Experience Points.

Using pills to gain EXP was no different from sparring to gain EXP—each Realm had a cap.

Chu Huaixu planned to use up that cap early.

Time was tight. For certain reasons, he needed to seize every second.

After returning to the bamboo hut, Xu Ziqing still hadn’t come home.

This drove Chu Huaixu, who had just bought several bottles of Spiritual Pills, a little mad.

“Can’t someone keep him in check? If I had that kind of innate pill-devouring physique, I’d just focus on making money and buying pills—or better yet, just learn alchemy myself!”

Han Shuangjiang looked at him and took her leave. “Then I’ll go back to cultivate.”

“Alright, best of luck with your breakthrough,” he replied politely.

In truth, Chu Huaixu knew very well that with this World Protagonist’s monstrous talent, she might master 《Six Sovereigns Canon》 tonight and step into the First Realm.

By tomorrow morning, she could go exchange for her Outer Sect Disciple Token.

“For her, the speed of breaking into the First Realm probably won’t be much slower than reaching the Qi-Opening Stage,” he sighed.

Pushing open the door, Chu Huaixu sat on his meditation cushion.

He was actually quite excited.

This wasn’t a game anymore. He had truly transmigrated.

A vivid and magnificent cultivation world was about to unfold before him.

“More importantly, when players reach the First Realm, the system grants 1 point of 【Random Attribute Points】.”

Chu Huaixu had been craving this for a long time.

Aside from 【Physique】 being 2, both 【Spiritual Gathering】 and 【Comprehension】 were still 1.

Moreover, there was a small chance of boosting the 【Spirit Embryo Attribute】.

Chu Huaixu took out a bottle of Realm-Enhancing Pills and began to pop them.

With such a badass name, you’d think one pill could make you break through—but each only gave 200 EXP.

Ten pills per bottle, Chu Huaixu downed them all in one go.

They tasted awful—bitter and hard to swallow due to their size.

Compared to the Xuantian Embryo Breathing Pill’s smooth melt-in-your-mouth taste, the difference was stark.

“Low-grade Spiritual Pills are just that—low-grade!”

The system notification chimed in his ears—he got 2000 EXP.

Chu Huaixu checked the total, then opened the second bottle—keep popping, don’t stop!

Two bottles of Spiritual Pills converted to 4000 EXP.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, and sat cross-legged on the cushion.

To upgrade 《Dao Canon》, the system required 3497 EXP—always so oddly precise.

Chu Huaixu’s compatibility with 《Dao Canon》 was only 33%. If it were higher, he could save a lot more EXP.

But compatibility depended solely on his current state—his best trait now? A healthy body?

Regardless, both 【Comprehension】 and 【Spirit Embryo Attribute】 could improve in the future. Compatibility would only keep rising.

“Upgrades are cheap early on anyway. Unlike the late stages where it jumps to tens of thousands, the difference isn’t huge,” thought Chu Huaixu.

He was determined to eat this “forced melon.”

It might not be sweet at first—but it quenched thirst!

  And it’d get sweeter in the future.

“System, upgrade!”

Chu Huaixu was ready.

Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi surged toward him. His 【Spirit Embryo Secret Store】 had already opened, all Nine Apertures fully cleared. Spiritual Qi passed through each of them, transforming into Spiritual Energy, and stored within the 【Spirit Embryo Secret Store】.

As the Spiritual Qi entered his body, it felt warm and comforting.

He could feel it pass through one aperture after another, then flow into the mysterious 【Spirit Embryo Secret Store】.

But in the next instant, something strange happened.

The Qi already transformed into Spiritual Energy split at the entrance to the 【Spirit Embryo Secret Store】?

Part of it entered the Secret Store, but the other part flowed elsewhere—

To Chu Huaixu’s limbs and bones, to his entire physical body!

Then came a new kind of pain across his body.

“This isn’t right! This isn’t right! This isn’t right!” he panicked.

He knew this basic cultivation knowledge.

Chu Huaixu instantly realized—

Today, in the Scripture Pavilion, he had broken four array barriers with brute force using a single finger.

When the senior brothers and sisters gave him strange looks, he had raised his hand and explained: “Dual cultivation—both internal and external.”

And now, that offhand remark had come true!