Cultivation: Start From Simplifying Martial Arts Techniques

Zhou Zixun gave a light cough. He wasn’t injured, but he looked much older than before.

Zhou Zixun’s eyes held a sense of melancholy. What a great opportunity it was, but his body didn’t allow him to assault the Sword Return Tower!

If he were ten years younger, even with the defensive formation of the Sword Return Tower, they might have had a chance to destroy it. But now, all of this was just wishful thinking.

Although the Sword Return Tower had paid a price, Zhou Zixun was not satisfied.

*Sigh.

Zhou Zixun let out a soft sigh, and as he looked up, he happened to see Chen Fei. His somewhat melancholic expression gradually disappeared. He may not have much hope left, but with someone like Chen Fei, the Primordial Sword Sect could undoubtedly go further.

“Let’s go, let’s leave this place,” Qu Qingsheng said in a low voice.

Not leaving Xing Xinzhou completely here was also a bit regrettable for Qu Qingsheng. However, such things couldn’t be forced; when strength couldn’t establish dominance, this was the result.

Previously, the Primordial Sword Sect only had two main combat legacies, the Zhongyuan Sword and the Giant Spirit Sword. Still, they couldn’t be fused, and they only opened up eighty acupoints, which was quite ordinary for the late-stage Aperture tempering realm.

Recently, the Primordial Sword Scripture had recovered two levels, finally allowing the fusion of techniques and raising the number of acupoints to ninety. However, the time spent in cultivation was still too short. It would take at least several years for the results to show.

In just a few years, they could cultivate another technique because these were Primordial Sword Sect’s own techniques and had some compatibility, allowing them to progress so quickly.

Otherwise, even with a late-stage Aperture tempering realm understanding of cultivation techniques, when faced with a completely unfamiliar technique, it would take more than a dozen years before they could see any benefits.

The three of them moved swiftly toward the direction of Immortal Cloud City. With such a long distance, even with their speed and breaks in between, it would still take them at least a day to reach.

Approaching noon on the second day, the three of them had already covered over a thousand miles, leaving West Cloud City far behind. At this moment, they were sitting on a mountaintop, and Qu Qingsheng and Zhou Zixun were holding the jade scrolls in their hands, reluctant to let them go.

During the journey, Chen Fei had imprinted the Blade-Slaying Sword, Water-Jade Sword, Great Thunder Sword, and the Primordial Sword Scripture into the jade scrolls.

Chen Fei had purchased these jade scrolls in the Ruan family’s shop in Qinhai City in advance, foreseeing various possibilities. He had prepared more than a dozen of them just in case, and now they had come in handy.

Zhou Zixun caressed the jade scroll, his eyes filled with emotion. He had always felt that in his lifetime, he might not see these techniques return to the Primordial Sword Sect.

After all, the Primordial Sword Sect had been searching for these techniques for many years. They had even thought about finding the branches that had separated from them in the past. If there were any Primordial Sword Sect techniques left anywhere, it would only be in these branches.

However, over the years, these branches seemed to have disappeared without a trace, as if they had been completely erased. The Primordial Sword Sect, after surviving the disasters of the past, had at least managed to endure.

Those branches, on the other hand, had disappeared as if they had been completely wiped out, making it impossible for the Primordial Sword Sect to even know where to begin searching.

So, although Zhou Zixun sometimes thought about these techniques, he mostly treated them as mere fantasies. Most of the time, Zhou Zixun would self-deprecatingly laugh at himself for thinking too much.

But Zhou Zixun didn’t expect that today he would actually see these techniques. Apart from the Primordial Sword Body, the other six techniques, including the most important Primordial Sword Scripture, had all returned.

In due time, the late-stage Aperture tempering realm cultivators of the Primordial Sword Sect would no longer lag behind other sects in the vicinity. With these additional techniques to choose from, the sect’s cultivators would have more options.

The practice of techniques sometimes depends on fate or compatibility. Whether the characteristics of a technique can align with you sometimes determines the speed of your cultivation.

In the past, with only two main combat techniques to choose from, there was limited flexibility. With more options in the future, the speed of cultivation for the sect’s late-stage Aperture tempering realm cultivators would undoubtedly increase.

In the long run, the Primordial Sword Sect could naturally become even more prosperous.

Thinking about this, Zhou Zixun looked at Chen Fei, his eyes filled with admiration. Sneaking into a sect like the Sword Return Tower alone required great courage and self-confidence, and he had actually succeeded.

What others wouldn’t even dare to think about, Chen Fei had accomplished on his own.

Zhou Zixun couldn’t help but feel the same way, and for Qu Qingsheng standing by his side, the sentiment was even more complex. As the head of the Primordial Sword Sect, Qu Qingsheng’s feelings were more complicated than Zhou Zixun’s.

As the sect’s leader, his responsibility was to guide the entire sect’s legacy forward. On top of that, if he could make it thrive even more, it would undoubtedly be an even better outcome.

When Qu Qingsheng first took over as the sect’s leader, he was full of ambition and optimism. However, after many years had passed, he realized that many things were beyond human control.

Or to put it differently, as a late-stage Aperture tempering realm cultivator, and one of average strength at that, many things were simply impossible to change.

To effect change, one needed greater power, and unfortunately, Qu Qingsheng couldn’t attain such power.

Both Zhou Zixun and Qu Qingsheng felt a sense of nostalgia, while Chen Fei continued to meditate with his eyes closed. The formidable force of the Zhongyuan Force Field pressed down on him, and the insights into the Giant Spirit Sword continued to appear in his sea of consciousness.

After such a long period of cultivation, the Giant Spirit Sword was on the verge of reaching the mastery level. Not only the Giant Spirit Sword, but the Soaring Heaven Technique was also only a step away from mastery.

If all three techniques, the Zhongyuan Sword, the Giant Spirit Sword, and the Soaring Heaven Technique, reached mastery, and if Chen Fei further cultivated the Primordial Sword Scripture to its third level, he could fuse these three techniques together.

By that time, within the sword formation, not only would the power of the sword pearls increase significantly, but their speed would also improve.

Sometimes, a single attack might not be strong enough. In addition to factors like power and sharpness, speed was a crucial element. Once speed was increased, the destructive force it generated would skyrocket to a terrifying degree.

After a moment, Chen Fei finished his cultivation and slowly opened his eyes, only to find both Qu Qingsheng and Zhou Zixun looking at him.

“Sect Master, Elder Zhou, is there something you wish to discuss?” Chen Fei asked, puzzled.

“We’ve just discussed it,” Qu Qingsheng said in a low voice. “We’ve decided not to share the news of these new techniques returning with the other elders for now.”

Chen Fei’s expression shifted slightly, and he nodded without interrupting.

“Our Primordial Sword Sect’s strength in Immortal Cloud City is too weak. Even the recently annihilated Long Rainbow Sect was stronger than us,” Qu Qingsheng continued in a low voice. “Currently, the situation around Immortal Cloud City is unstable. If news of these techniques being retrieved were to spread, it would attract unnecessary attention.”

Zhou Zixun let out a sigh and added to Qu Qingsheng’s words. At times like these, it was better to keep a low profile. Retrieving the techniques should be fine in the short term, but drawing undue attention was clearly not a good thing. Furthermore, if the techniques of the Primordial Sword Sect were fused together, they would become a top-tier Aperture tempering realm technique, putting pressure on neighboring sects.

Human nature was unpredictable, and when your own strength was insufficient, it was best not to arouse suspicion. That was definitely not a good thing.

This situation was fundamentally different from when the first two layers of the Primordial Sword Scripture were retrieved. Those two layers had, at most, raised the number of acupoints from eighty to ninety.

Although having ninety acupoints was undoubtedly better than eighty, it was still within an acceptable range.

However, with the retrieval of these new techniques, if they were all successfully cultivated, the number of acupoints opened could exceed one hundred. A technique with over a hundred acupoints was something only the Immortal Cloud Sword Sect possessed.

“For those who require these techniques, we will inform them individually,” Qu Qingsheng explained. “Furthermore, none of the elders have fully mastered the first two layers of the Primordial Sword Scripture yet. Even if we were to provide them with these new techniques, it wouldn’t significantly increase their power.”

The cultivation of techniques always requires time to accumulate. The difference lies in those with high talent, as their cultivation time will be significantly shorter. For individuals with average talent, their cultivation time is bound to be extended.

Those in the Primordial Sword Sect who can reach the Aperture tempering realm stage naturally possess good talent. However, practicing Aperture tempering realm techniques itself requires a considerable amount of time. For example, Qu Qingsheng and Zhou Zixun, who were simultaneously cultivating another technique at a high level, also needed several years.

The elders in the early and middle stages of Aperture tempering realm would spend even more time. Therefore, not informing them in the short term would not affect their cultivation.

Unless some elders were practicing at an exceptionally slow pace due to the nature of their techniques, Qu Qingsheng and the others would handle such cases accordingly.

“I understand,” Chen Fei nodded.

Not informing all the elders would help keep the news of the techniques’ return hidden to a great extent, while still allowing the sect’s strength to improve. However, it might not be possible to keep it a secret for too long.

Qu Qingsheng and Zhou Zixun informed Chen Fei of this decision because he was the one who had retrieved these techniques, and they respected him. They genuinely admired and appreciated Chen Fei.

As for how long the news could be kept hidden, they could only do their best and leave the rest to fate.

Qu Qingsheng had a smile on his face as he was about to continue speaking, but then his brows suddenly furrowed. A jade-like spiritual item flew out from his embrace.

This translucent jade piece was currently trembling incessantly, with fluctuating radiance.

Upon seeing the appearance of the jade piece, Zhou Zixun’s brows also furrowed slightly.

“It seems there’s something going on in the sect. I’ll return first. Elder Zhou, you and Chen Fei can follow later,” Qu Qingsheng said as he looked at Zhou Zixun and Chen Fei.

This jade-like spiritual item was connected to another one within the main peak of the Primordial Sword Sect. Complex messages couldn’t be transmitted through it; it could only be used for warnings..