Slaying Demons: Starting with Upgrading my Calligraphy

The key to summoning the Sword Gourd using the Gourd Sword Skill lay in using essence qi as a guide. Only in this way would the summoned Sword Gourd best suit oneself.

With a slight stirring in his heart, Qi Xiu twisted a strand of essence qi derived from the Black Water True Skill and fed it into the Dharma Gate of the Gourd Sword Skill.

He was different from ordinary Sword Cultivators. His learning was eclectic, as he cultivated both the ways of the Dao and the Demon, lacking what one might call a proper fit for himself.

The essence qi of the Black Water True Skill flowed into the Gourd Sword Skill.

In the unseen depths, Qi Xiu suddenly felt a connection. Before his eyes, a vast and colorful Great World appeared. In this world, a vine stretched across the sky, densely packed with thousands of gourds of different sizes and colors.

At that moment, one of the gourds on the vine seemed to sense Qi Xiu's gaze, detached itself, and fell straight down.

His eyes shifted, a flash of insight crossed Qi Xiu's mind, and as if compelled by some unseen force, he reached out and caught it. Opening his palm, he looked again.

In his hand was a palm-sized, bluish gourd, its surface smooth and faintly veiled by layers of mist that seemed to swirl like water vapor.

Looking at this azure Sword Gourd, Qi Xiu felt a connection.

He immediately sent the azure Sword Gourd into one of the Hunyuan Apertures containing the Black Water True Skill.

A ceaseless flow of essence qi from the Black Water True Skill was absorbed by this Sword Gourd.

The palm-sized Sword Gourd swelled at a rate visible to the naked eye until it reached the height of an adult's forearm, at which point its growth slowed and then ceased.

Extracting the azure Sword Gourd, Qi Xiu broke through the water's surface and emerged, holding the unimpressive-looking gourd, wreathed in layers of water mist, in one hand.

He surveyed his surroundings, locking onto a small mountain in the distance.

Qi Xiu executed a hand seal for his sword technique, and with a POP, the mouth of the Sword Gourd burst open.

A Sword Light, formless and intangible, able to gather and disperse at will, shot up into the sky.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—

Without warning!

The distant mountain suddenly exploded into fragments, as if it had suffered tens of thousands of slashes in an instant.

The terrifying destructive force and the speed of the Sword Light startled even Qi Xiu.

So fast?

Pressing down on the Sword Gourd, Qi Xiu hurriedly formed spell seals to stop the Sword Light. He then swiftly transformed into a water mist and fled into the distance.

The commotion was so great that even a blind person would have noticed it. If he didn't leave now, people from the Golden Flower Maternal Sect would probably arrive in the blink of an eye.

Not daring to pause, he dashed for thousands of miles until he reached a remote and desolate mountain. Only after confirming with the Observing Qi Skill that no one was around did Qi Xiu dare to stop. He took out the Sword Gourd, his face filled with disbelief.

They say Sword Cultivators are unparalleled in slaughter. Today, I, Qi Xiu, have witnessed it firsthand.

He hadn't expected the Sword Gourd's power to be so terrifying. Qi Xiu inwardly marveled. It was no wonder the methods of Sword Cultivators could rival Thunder Magic, which harnessed the power of the heavens. In terms of single-target attack, the way of the Sword Cultivator might even surpass Thunder Magic! But after this trial, I've also figured out the specific effectiveness of this Sword Gourd.

Putting it bluntly, the might of this Sword Gourd lies in its ability to transform the essence qi of the Ten Thousand Laws into Sword Light, adding Sword Light to other Dharma Gates... No, it should be said that it adds the Divine Marvel of other Dharma Gates onto the Sword Light, making the power of the Sword Light even greater.

Just like this Sword Gourd I conjured with the Black Water True Skill. It inherently absorbs the essence qi of water-attribute Daoist Inheritances, producing a Sword Light that is formless and intangible. This Sword Light can gather or disperse at will and can also draw in ambient water vapor to increase its power. Not only is it more powerful, but it's also harder to defend against.

Moreover, this Sword Gourd shares a profound similarity with my Hunyuan Palace. Its internal space abides by unique Divine Marvel rules. One part essence qi goes in, two parts Sword Light come out. Therefore, the longer the Sword Light is nurtured in the Sword Gourd, the more terrifying its accumulated power becomes. If a Dao-Entering Realm cultivator were allowed to nurture a Sword Gourd for a hundred years, they might well be able to strike down a great cultivator of the Blood-Stained Realm with a single sword strike.

However, this Sword Gourd is not without its flaws. Just maintaining its existence consumes a great deal. If one also feeds it essence qi, a Sword Cultivator who practices this Dharma Gate probably wouldn't be able to use any other Dharma Gates in their daily cultivation. Besides, the Sword Light within the Sword Gourd can be unleashed but cannot be retrieved. It's akin to a one-time weapon; once used, it must be nurtured anew. It has its advantages and disadvantages, I suppose.

Having understood the strengths and weaknesses of the Gourd Sword Skill, Qi Xiu began to grasp why it could be considered the foremost among the thirty-six top-grade sword techniques.

The way of the Sword Cultivator emphasizes a force as swift as the wind and killing as decisively as thunder! With murderous intent surging, a single sword strike seals the throat! Objectively speaking, the Gourd Sword Skill might not be as convenient or easy to use as something like the Nanming Lihuo Sword Skill. But subjectively speaking, if a Sword Cultivator practicing the Gourd Sword Skill were to fight one practicing the Nanming Lihuo Sword Skill, drawing swords in battle, who would live and who would die? One seeks the Dao for longevity; no matter how good or convenient a technique is, it's only useful if you're alive to use it.

Moreover, these flaws of the Gourd Sword Skill are practically nonexistent for me. Fiddling with the Sword Gourd in his hand, Qi Xiu's eyes narrowed slightly. He slowly rolled up his sleeves, his gaze lowered, a trace of chilling intent swirling within them.

...

PS: Apologies, I went for a checkup today and got back a bit late, so there's only one chapter. However, it's somewhat longer than a regular chapter. Sorry about that, brothers.