Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy

His gaze wandered hesitantly between the two Dharma Gates. Qi Xiu's eyes revealed a look of contemplation, and he ultimately fixed his attention on the *Formless Sword Qi That Shatters the Body*.

Each Dharma Gate had its benefits.

But the *Formless Sword Qi That Shatters the Body* was a Sword Dao Dharma Gate.

And Sword Cultivator Dharma Gates were hailed as a powerhouse of their era, renowned alongside Thunder Dao Skills as aggressively unmatched methods of attack.

Though the Myriad Soul White Bone Banner was quite handy—not only could it defend against and control enemies, but it also had uses for surveillance, tracking enemies, arranging formations, capturing souls, and more—he already possessed a diverse array of methods. He needed a refined and focused Dharma Gate to confront formidable enemies.

Besides, he was currently in the heartland of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect, deep within the An'ning Holy Nation.

If he had a Sword Dao Dharma Gate at his disposal, paired with his Thunder Magic, his confidence in slaying enemies of a higher cultivation realm would be even greater.

With his decision made, Qi Xiu no longer hesitated.

He immediately chose the *Formless Sword Qi That Shatters the Body* as his target for Extreme Breakthrough!

With a thought, the natal blood essence in Qi Xiu's palm, resembling a golden nugget, was instantly drawn away.

BOOM!

In his Sea of Consciousness, sonorous clanging resounded, vibrating and roaring!

Countless texts, shaped like longswords, flickered and shimmered. They seemingly transformed into innumerable sword forms, swordsmanship, sword arts, and sword sounds, dancing and revolving. Together, they emerged to form an ancient, abstruse golden chapter of a Dharma Gate, its sharpness concealed within.

Qi Xiu's complexion shifted, turning deathly pale, and he furrowed his brows tightly.

Compared to the last time the *Minor Five Elements Water Patrol Escape Skill* was reverse-engineered into the *Black Water True Skill*, the sensation the Extreme Breakthrough of the *Formless Sword Qi That Shatters the Body* gave him this time was completely different.

This ancient True Scripture Dharma Gate was like numerous genuine flying swords, proud and soaring, brimming with killing intent as they chaotically spiraled in his mind, as if about to burst forth from his body.

Luckily, he had completed the Hunyuan Body Refinement and forged the Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body. Otherwise, he would have been pierced by the Sword Intent contained within these texts, resulting in severe injuries!

Seated in meditation underwater, colorful light flowed around Qi Xiu. He gathered his focus, meticulously sorting through the tumultuous, surging, and soaring scripture in his mind, word by word.

This process lasted a full ten days and nights.

It wasn't until the dawn of the eleventh day.

Underwater, Qi Xiu slowly opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, a strand of piercing Sword Intent instantly shot through the water, causing the entire pond to churn with roiling waves.

At that moment, on the Proficiency Panel, the words *Formless Sword Qi That Shatters the Body* gradually dissolved into wisps of Sword Qi and vanished, replaced by a new term—ancient and simple, embodying complexity distilled to its essence: *Gourd Sword Skill*.

Once the Extreme Breakthrough and Dharma derivation were complete, a knowing sense arose within Qi Xiu as streams of information surfaced in his Sea of Consciousness.

*Gourd Sword Skill*: Foremost among the thirty-six top-grade Sword Techniques within *Sword Shocking Heaven*—the primary True Scripture of the ancient great Sword Sect. This Dharma Gate is one of the nine lineages of the Sword Sect and the highest Dharma Gate of Hidden Sword Peak; only direct disciples of the Sword Sect are permitted to cultivate it. Cultivators can, through mystical means, condense a Sword Gourd. Initially, this Sword Gourd is empty and so fragile that even mortals can shatter it. However, as the Sword Cultivator gathers myriad energies, condenses myriad intents, and accumulates myriad forces, they can form a supreme Sword Light within the gourd. As the saying goes: "Heaven and Earth and all things are hidden within my heart; once the sword is drawn, ghosts and gods are startled!"

Contemplating the contents of the *Gourd Sword Skill*, Qi Xiu's eyes flickered.

The *Gourd Sword Skill* ranked first among the Sword Sect's thirty-six top-grade Sword Techniques, demonstrating its immense potential.

Cheng Junie's cultivation of the *Nanming Lihuo Sword Skill* was terrifyingly powerful, was it not? Eight hundred miles of fire clouds billowed, seeming to prop up the sky and cover the earth, stretching endlessly. The Nanming Lihuo Sword Light flashed like a meteor shower, with tens of thousands of swords flying in unison, enough to turn a thousand miles of land into scorched earth. And that was when Cheng Junie had not even refined the Nanming Li Fire Sword, with the Sword Technique's power only at fifty percent of its potential.

Yet, even such a formidable *Nanming Lihuo Sword Skill* only ranked third among the Sword Sect's thirty-six top-grade Sword Techniques.

From this, one could imagine what an overwhelmingly dominant existence the *Gourd Sword Skill* would be once fully mastered.

"The key to cultivating the *Gourd Sword Skill* is to first summon a Sword Gourd," Qi Xiu mused. "Different Sword Gourds will nurture different types of Sword Light. This actually shares a clever similarity with my Supreme Purity Bell. Let me give it a try."

Having witnessed the power of Cheng Junie's *Nanming Lihuo Sword Skill*, Qi Xiu was quite curious about the *Gourd Sword Skill*, which was foremost among the thirty-six top-grade Sword Techniques.

Silently activating the intricacies of the Dharma Gate, colorful light flowed over Qi Xiu's hands.

With his Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body, coupled with the Fifth Realm insights from the Hunyuan Dragon Tiger Scripture Mystery, he could learn any True Scripture Dharma Gate below the Innate realm and within Yin and Yang exceptionally quickly.

After all, the Divine Marvel of Proficiency was not merely about enhancing the power of a Dharma Gate's abilities; it was about gaining understanding and experience at a fundamental level.

Therefore, even though he had stepped into the Cultivation Realm barely over a decade ago, with so many True Scriptures and Dharma Gates he had practiced, his insights and views on the Taoist Skills of the mortal world had already surpassed those of some great cultivators who had been practicing for hundreds of years.

Especially after forging the Innate Mixed Yuan Holy Body, his affinity with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth had reached an entirely new level.

Immersing himself in the cultivation of the *Gourd Sword Skill* without any hindrance, Qi Xiu was completely unaware that while he was engrossed in his practice, countless significant events had already transpired in the outside world.

...

Qi Xiu entered secluded cultivation, and no further news was heard from him.

This drove the higher-ups of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect, who had been given a strict ultimatum by Cao Zhen, to distraction. Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Only two-thirds of the one-month deadline remained.

The leaders of the Golden Flower Maternal Sect exhausted all conceivable means but could not devise a foolproof plan to capture the mysterious cultivator.

Left with no choice, they resorted to the most primitive methods.

They dispatched all their Golden Flower Maternal Sect Disciples to search every inch of land and investigate every foot. Even if it meant turning the entire An'ning Holy Nation upside down, they were determined to find that enigmatic cultivator.