Starting My Cultivation With Time Management

Chapter 239: Chapter 31 Where is the Tai Yin Sword Master
 

Another day had passed.

Ling Yunpo’s figure once again flew backward, as the opponent’s claw struck his chest.

But the moment he was hit, his Green Duckweed Sword and Thunder Punishment Sword crossed and slashed, leaving several deep wounds on the body of the large cat.

The large cat awkwardly leaped and rolled backwards, slowly getting up, thinking to itself that this fellow was just too unbelievable.

In merely a day’s time, he had already developed the ability to defend and counterattack, striking back in the direction of the attack the moment he was hit… Even for someone with Innate Sword Bone, this rate of progress was outrageous!

“No more fighting!” it suddenly growled, leaping back several steps, “This time, I’ll consider you to have passed!”

“Thank you, senior.” Ling Yunpo bowed with his hands clasped and asked, “May I ask, senior, what is the content of the next test?”

The large cat gazed at him steadily, then suddenly revealed a sly smile:

“You should have discerned the purpose of the first three trials by now. They are all in a successive sequence.”

“The first trial is called ‘Adversity’, the second ‘Hardship’, and the third, which is my trial, is called ‘Peril’.”

“As someone blessed with Innate Sword Bone, resilient and brave, faced with adversity you should rise up to struggle, faced with hardship you should persist, faced with peril you should remain calm in the face of danger.”

“I see.” Ling Yunpo nodded and said, “Then the fourth trial is…”

“The fourth trial is also the last test of Mount Fajue’s trial, called ‘Desperation’.” The large cat chuckled mischievously, its form suddenly dissolving like falling water, collapsing downward.

Ling Yunpo: ……

So it’s “face adversity and become trapped,” “trapped for long then in peril,” “extreme peril leads to desperation,” right? It indeed progresses step by step.

Considering the abnormal difficulty of the first three trials, the final ‘Desperation’ is likely to be incredibly challenging.

But having come this far, of course, I cannot shrink back before the final trial.

Moreover, there’s no option to quit here anyway.

Thus, Ling Yunpo took a short rest, and then, rallying his spirits, prepared to step into the very last trial.

……

On the eleventh floor of White Jade Capital.

An Zhisu was seated cross-legged in the center of the floor, silently recovering from her injuries.

From the fourth to the eleventh floor, the Realm of the Sword Foes she faced continued to rise.

By the tenth floor, the foggy figures had already reached the Obscure Weave Rank of the Golden Core Realm, terrifyingly close to the Nascent Soul Realm.

As soon as An Zhisu entered the arena, she was almost killed by the Flying Sword in an instant, with no chance to retaliate.

Fortunately, though these Sword Foes were of the Golden Core Realm, they were all castrated versions—possessing Cultivation Realms but unable to use Daoist Magic or activate Spells on the swords, relying solely on the basic attributes (such as Physical Strength, speed, agility, etc.) of the Flying Sword and the refinement of Sword Control Technique.

Due to the vast difference in Realms, An Zhisu couldn’t even cross swords with the foggy figures.

To say nothing of a direct clash—if even grazed during the Sword Control process, her Flying Smoke Sword or Harsh Cold Sword would immediately be sent flying, as ineffectual as a mantis attempting to block a chariot wheel, without any room for resistance.

An Zhisu had no choice but to abandon all tactics, pushing her assassin-style technique to the extreme.

First off, upon entering, she had to unleash the Shushan Sword Immortal’s ultimate move “Unity of Body and Sword”.

Because only the speed of Unity of Body and Sword could barely dodge the ordinary attacks of an Obscure Weave Rank Sword Foe.

Second, because the interior of the tower was not spacious, the speed of Unity of Body and Sword was simply too fast for An Zhisu to control to roam the entire area.

In other words, she could only charge towards the Sword Foe, seeking the quickest one-hit kill.

The Obscure Weave Sword Foe’s Sword Control speed was so fast that it was almost infuriating. An Zhisu managed to dodge the first attack with Unity of Body and Sword, and even had the leisure to call back the Flying Sword to rescue.

After avoiding the attack, An Zhisu aimed to break through the opponent’s defensive rescue and directly assassinate the main body while still in Unity of Body and Sword.

If the strike failed, it would mean death on the spot.

The tenth floor took two days, the eleventh floor took three days, dying tens of thousands of times, until finally, there was only the last pavilion of White Jade Capital left.

Considering the progression of strength, it was estimated that the Sword Foe there would have the Cultivation Level of the Nascent Soul Realm.

An Zhisu circulated her Grand Circulation a few times, feeling as if all the bones in her body were about to fall apart, with a faint sense of dizziness that was hard to contain, probably due to excessive blood loss.

Her mood was like a volcano about to erupt, which could explode violently at any moment.

However, there was some kind of wonderful power that suppressed all her restlessness and impatience, keeping her mind cold and efficient.

A Sword Foe of the Nascent Soul Realm, even if they entered Unity of Body and Sword from the outset, there was probably no chance of fighting and winning.

No matter what, she could only try to probe first.

After healing her injuries, An Zhisu slowly got up, took up her sword, and walked toward the twelfth pavilion.

Pushing open the grand doors of the pavilion, she stepped across the threshold and saw a figure made of condensed mist rising before her, seemingly a slim and graceful female Cultivator.

The other party drew a black long sword, looking over with a charming demeanor—although the features were formed of mist, An Zhisu somehow made out the coquettishness on the face.

“So you are an Innate Sword Hearted One,” sighed the figure somberly, “I haven’t seen someone from outside in a long time. Before the trial, let’s have a chat first.”

“What do you want to talk about?” An Zhisu asked impatiently.

Without confirmation that her junior brother was safe, she had no interest in communicating with this figure.

“Who is the Tai Yin Sword Master of this generation?” the other voice asked melodiously.

“There is none,” An Zhisu shook her head and said. “The Tai Yin Suming’s Sword has been missing for a long time.”

“But why?” the figure asked in surprise.

“The last Tai Yin Sword Master was actually a demon in disguise,” An Zhisu replied impatiently. “Her identity was later revealed, and she was hunted by the Human Race. During this process, the Tai Yin Suming also went missing.”

“Is that so?” the figure sighed again, murmuring, “Suming… even she could misjudge?”

She stood still for a moment, then suddenly laughed:

“If Suming were to be reborn, a Sword Immortal as straightforward as you would probably be to her liking.”

“Are you a projection of the Tai Yin Sword Master?” An Zhisu asked, alert.

“Just one of the generations,” the figure laughed. “White Jade Capital, the place of trial, was the sacred place for Cultivators of the Human Race Sword Immortals in our era.”

“Sadly, I don’t know when, but gradually, there have been fewer and fewer visitors.”

“There will be more visitors in the future,” An Zhisu stated flatly.

“I hope so. Please promote this place when you leave, so it does not continue to be buried in dust,” the figure smiled beautifully. “The sword in my hand, though a projection, has sealed a trace of the real aura of Tai Yin Suming.”

“Since you are an Innate Sword Hearted One… if you can catch my sword, then you shall have passed the trial of White Jade Capital.”

“Of course, even if you can’t catch it there’s no worry, you won’t die. You can think it over outside and come back again.”

“Come!” An Zhisu’s wrist flicked, as she propelled the Flying Smoke Sword with her Sword Control Technique, and in a flash, unified with the sword, she charged directly at the Cultivator!

Facing the wielder of Tai Yin Suming, to be defensively passive was the most foolish choice!