The third realm of the Sword Dao: Refining Sword into Silk.
Within the Tianhe Sword Sect, it was a technique only a handful of Core Formation True Men could master.
Its sword light was so sharp, its destructive power so immense, it could be called truly unstoppable.
The ultimate expression of Refining Sword into Silk was the source of the world’s greatest misunderstanding about Sword Cultivators: the concept of "One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws."
Many who were unfamiliar with Sword Cultivators believed that any Cultivator who picked up a Flying Sword could achieve One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws.
In reality, One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws represented an extremely high realm of the Sword Dao.
Even someone like Yann Yuanzai, who had touched upon the realm of Refining Sword into Silk during his Foundation Establishment Era...
...now at Core Formation Perfection, still wouldn’t dare claim he could truly master One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws before reaching the Nascent Soul realm.
The three Sword Sect disciples flushed with embarrassment. Feeling the strange looks from all around, they hastily pulled brand-new Daoist Robes from their storage bags and threw them on.
’Weren’t we told he was only at the Sword Qi Thunder Sound realm? His Refining Sword into Silk is so masterful, there’s no way he just broke through!’
As the three of them flew back to Sword Mountain in a sorry state, the disciple with the pockmarked face complained.
’If I’d known Bai Zichen had already mastered Refining Sword into Silk, why would I have come here just to be humiliated...’
’But the information that came from the True Men clearly wasn’t anything like this...’
The tall, thin disciple was just as shaken. He was still completely dazed from the encounter.
The memory of that cold sword light gliding across his skin—piercing his Daoist Robe without leaving so much as a scratch—sent a fresh wave of goosebumps over him. The control it demonstrated was terrifying.
’Forget it. I can accept someone like him getting the Moon Xuan Sword... I just hope Junior Martial Uncle Yann wasn’t exaggerating too much. If I have to reach Bai Zichen’s level before a Tier Four Flying Sword will acknowledge me as its master, then there’s no hope for me in this lifetime.’
The pockmarked disciple thought for a moment, then added.
’If Bai Zichen really has the greatest Sword Dao Talent since the Near Ancient era, then it’s not so shameful for the three of us to lose to him... With his level of talent, maybe even a Tier Five Flying Sword would acknowledge him as its master.’
’Junior Brother Ma, get a grip... Where in the Sect are you going to find a spare Tier Four Flying Sword to try and bond with?’
The tall, thin disciple sighed. He realized that he, too, couldn’t muster even a shred of a will to fight back.
He had defeated the three of them, all Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivators, with a single sword strike. They were utterly powerless to resist, like toddlers facing a grown man.
The gap in their abilities was so vast that he had lost even the courage to state his name as Bai Zichen left, to perhaps seek a rematch in the future.
...
"Junior Brother Bai, you’ve actually mastered Refining Sword into Silk..."
Qi Yue was almost numb to it by now. At this point, he felt it would be perfectly natural if Bai Zichen successfully achieved Core Formation tomorrow.
"I’m not quite there yet. I just borrowed the power of the Moon Xuan Sword to barely achieve a similar effect."
Bai Zichen took advantage of Qi Yue’s ignorance of the Sword Dao, knowing he could get away with spouting some nonsense.
In truth, he wasn’t just "a little bit" away from Refining Sword into Silk; he was still a long way off.
But with the Moon Xuan Sword’s full and eager cooperation, producing the effect of Refining Sword into Silk wasn’t difficult at all.
After its display, the Moon Xuan Sword swam joyfully in his Dantian Qi Sea, conveying its delight and exhilaration.
Having been cooped up in the Sword Tomb Secret Realm for countless years, the Moon Xuan Sword was just as eager to see some action.
It was just that ordinary Cultivators weren’t worthy of its notice. If it chose a master who couldn’t reach the Nascent Soul realm, it would have been better off staying hidden in the Sword Tomb Secret Realm to preserve its Spiritual nature.
A Spiritual Treasure could not guarantee its Spiritual nature would last forever. If wielded by a Cultivator below the Nascent Soul realm, there was a high chance its very essence would be drained and its Spirit would be tarnished.
One step further, and its Spirit could be annihilated completely.
Although the Moon Xuan Sword hadn’t sensed an exceptionally high Sword Dao Talent from Bai Zichen, its "big brother," the immeasurably more powerful Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo, had already acknowledged him as master. Naturally, it would obediently follow suit.
Just as it had followed its big brother back in the Ancient Times.
’Only when a Sword Cultivator reaches this stage can they be considered worthy of the title ’strongest of their rank’... The first two realms provide too little of a boost to combat power.’
Having experienced the realm of Refining Sword into Silk ahead of time was a tremendous help for Bai Zichen’s future entry into the Third Realm of the Sword Dao.
Once he achieved Core Formation, breaking through in his Sword Dao Realm as well should not be difficult.
"But Junior Brother Bai, why did you walk so far off just now? It made us take a detour to meet up with Master."
Faced with Qi Yue’s question, Bai Zichen remained silent. He couldn’t very well admit that he had been trying to leave them with the image of an invincible, towering figure and had accidentally run too far, could he?
They boarded Master Ge Cang’s Spirit Ship and flew through the Ten Thousand Feet Gang Wind Layer, their journey smooth and unimpeded.
Through this trip, Bai Zichen came to appreciate the benefits of the Gang Wind Layer.
It offered the most direct route, saving time by eliminating the need to navigate around towering mountain peaks or the Grand Arrays of various sects.
Furthermore, the Ten Thousand Feet Gang Wind Layer itself filtered out ninety-nine percent of Cultivators. The vast majority of those who could fly here were Nascent Soul True Monarchs, making the chances of a random encounter minuscule.
At long last, the familiar Black Mountain Range came into view. Bai Zichen bid farewell to Master Ge Cang and returned to Feiyue Lake, only to find that nothing of great importance had happened in the Sect during his months-long absence.
In fact, due to the disappearance of Blood God True Man, the Ghost Spirit Sect had actually pulled back its defensive lines. The border between the two commanderies was now swarming with their patrol teams, giving them the appearance of facing a formidable enemy.
His own Inner Chamber Disciple, Tong Huan, was still out training in the Black Mountain Range and had yet to return.
He played for a while with Genggeng, who had clearly gained another twenty or thirty pounds but whose physical size had barely changed.
’Relying on this lazy fellow to advance on its own will probably take another twenty or thirty years... Just hang in there a little longer, little guy. Once your master reaches Core Formation, I’ll go to the Ten Thousand Beasts Pavilion and buy you some Elixirs for Spirit Beast breakthroughs.’
Bai Zichen vigorously ruffled Genggeng’s fur, which felt exceptionally pleasant to the touch.
He didn’t expect much from it in terms of combat power, but Genggeng had demonstrated its talent for Spiritual Sense on several occasions, proving its worth time and again.
Compared to those powerful Demon Beasts bred for battle, Genggeng was actually the most suitable type of Spirit Beast for him at the moment.
After resting and recuperating for two days, Bai Zichen entered his Quiet Chamber and began the final sprint of preparations before attempting Core Formation.
He didn’t immediately take out the Top-Grade Spirit Stone to refine his Magical Power and advance his Cultivation. Instead, he reviewed the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique.
This Secret Technique had been directly transmitted into his mind and had long since become a mandatory auxiliary Secret Technique for the Elders of the Qingfeng Sect.
This, however, was the first time he had ever seriously studied it himself.
Previously, his Cultivation had been insufficient, and he was still young, so the two main effects of the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique had been useless to him.
’Absorb a wisp of Purple Qi at sunrise each day. Refine a hundred of them to complete the first layer... This Secret Technique doesn’t seem very difficult to practice. No wonder I’ve never heard of an Elder in the Sect who failed to master it.’
The lower the difficulty of Cultivation, the wider the applicability of such an auxiliary Secret Technique, and thus the higher the value of the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique.
Starting the next day, Bai Zichen began refining Purple Qi at dawn and spent the rest of his time cultivating his Magical Power.
After repeating this cycle for three months, he finally completed the first layer of the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique.
Within his Qi Sea, a jade-like belt wreathed in Purple Qi had formed.
Bai Zichen didn’t stop, pushing his own Cultivation forward alongside his progress in the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique.
Fifteen months later, he completed the third layer of the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique.
In his Dantian Qi Sea, three jade-like belts now overlapped and interconnected, the Purple Qi so dense it was almost tangible.
On that very day, a red glow flushed his face as three-foot-tall crimson flames erupted from his body, turning the entire Quiet Chamber to scorched earth.
His inner world was reflecting outward. The meditation cushion, the incense burner, the golden silk-nanmu table and chairs—all were burned to charcoal.
The aura around him surged. He had reached the Foundation Establishment Perfect Realm.
At this peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage, his Magical Power could increase no further.
As long as he had sufficient confidence, he could attempt to break through to Core Formation at any time.
’Everything is ready. There are no external threats to worry about, and my internal preparations are complete... The time to attempt Core Formation is now.’
Bai Zichen gazed at the ruins of his Quiet Chamber, which he had inadvertently destroyed when he broke through to the fourth layer of the Fire Dragon Returning Essence Scripture and momentarily lost control.
With a wave of his hand, a light rain fell and washed over the room. Without bothering to clean up, he simply moved to a different Quiet Chamber.
Other Cultivators, at this stage, would probably have to conduct repeated checks, polish their Magical Power, hone their Divine Sense, and accumulate more resources for Core Formation.
But he had no such worries. A single drop of Clear Spirit Jade Marrow, plus the boosted lifespan from the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique that he would ignite during the process—this double insurance was more than enough for Bai Zichen.
With the Ziwei Dazzling Thunder Sword Embryo in his Dantian Qi Sea, his Magical Power was buffeted by arcs of lightning day after day. Needless to say, it was exceptionally pure.
As for his Divine Sense, advancing from Late-Stage Foundation Establishment to Foundation Establishment Perfection had added another hundred zhang to its range.
’It’s a pity that the increase in Divine Sense for this final realm of the Foundation Establishment Stage is a fixed amount, not a multiplier... For someone like me, who gained such powerful Divine Sense through Acquired training, it feels quite unfair!’
If it had doubled again, Bai Zichen’s Divine Sense range would be approaching that of an Early-Stage Core Formation Cultivator.
Still, with his current Divine Sense strength, combined with the bit of effort he had put into the Soaring Dragon Thought Method...
...it was enough to face the most perilous trial of Divine Sense during the breakthrough to Core Formation, as well as the crucial step of entrusting his consciousness.
As for the external situation, with Blood God True Man’s disappearance, the Demon Path Alliance Army was left without a leader.
The Ghost Spirit Sect was guarding its gates closely, more worried about the Qingfeng Sect and its other enemies coming to settle scores than even thinking about launching an attack of its own.
The area around the Qingfeng Sect had suddenly become extremely safe.
He wouldn’t have to worry about any external interference while attempting his breakthrough to Core Formation.
Bai Zichen inspected himself one last time, reflecting on his journey of Cultivation, from a young child of the Bai Family all the way to this point.
Before he knew it, he had arrived at the threshold of Core Formation.
Once, Foundation Establishment Cultivators had seemed like insurmountable mountains in his eyes.
Core Formation True Men were figures who existed only in legends passed down by word of mouth.
He remembered the scene from his childhood: Master Ge Cang flying over Hanxiu Peak, striking down a Ghost Spirit Sect Cultivator with Divine Thunder. Back then, he had seen him as a Celestial God.
Now, it was his turn to attempt to step into that very realm.
Without hesitation, he began the first step of breaking through to Core Formation.
The first step was to convert his body of Liquid Magical Power into True Essence. Ideally, this process was accelerated by consuming a Spirit Wine or Spirit Pill containing immense Spiritual Power, such as the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine.
Otherwise, one could only rely on a slow, patient effort—a Water Grinding Skill—that could take anywhere from several years to several decades.
Bai Zichen had long since used up treasures like the Ice-Fire Dragon Blood Wine, but that didn’t mean he lacked a substitute.
He had been using that Fire Element Top-Grade Spirit Stone to this day, yet it had lost less than a third of its Spiritual Power.
And he had no intention of being frugal with it. He decided to rely on this Top-Grade Spirit Stone to accelerate the conversion of his True Essence.
He would not hesitate even if it meant completely exhausting all the Spiritual Power contained within the Fire Element Top-Grade Spirit Stone.
He wondered if any Foundation Establishment Perfection Cultivator in history had ever been so extravagant as to use a Top-Grade Spirit Stone to aid in the conversion of Liquid Magical Power to True Essence.
But in the future, Bai Zichen would be able to clearly inform his juniors that absorbing Spiritual Power from a Top-Grade Spirit Stone to convert True Essence was far, far more effective than one might imagine.