Starry Sky Professional

In a second-tier cave abode, Fang Xing's cultivation avatar sat cross-legged, quietly operating the Golden Transformation Technique to absorb the potent essence of an exceptional pill.

This pill was named the 'Golden Pill,' purchased from the Pill Pavilion in Northern Li Immortal City, and was among the best for refining the skills of early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators with a gold spiritual root.

Most importantly, after being nurtured by the Myriad Transformation Cauldron, the toxicity of the pill had been reduced to almost none.

If sold, its value would increase tenfold!

With the aid of the Golden Pill, Fang Xing felt the mana within his dantian growing at an alarming rate.

The spiritual energy in the cave abode gathered and subtly formed a vortex.

Half an hour slipped by unnoticed.

Then, within his body, at the center of the mana vortex, a rounded 'golden bead' emerged.

This liquid mana was smooth and lustrous, resembling a slightly solidified faint golden relic, quickly integrating into the other liquid mana.

"My mana capacity has increased again. It's now at thirteen drops of liquid mana..." Fang Xing calculated silently as he opened his eyes.

"According to the Golden Transformation Technique, once the liquid mana reaches twenty drops, I'll have reached the peak of early-stage Foundation Establishment, and can attempt to break through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment..."

"At this rate, within two years, I can reach the peak of early-stage Foundation Establishment... As for any bottleneck? With my innate heavenly spiritual root, there are none... So it’s equivalent to breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment?"

"And the mana for mid-stage Foundation Establishment peaks should be around forty to fifty drops."

"Late-stage Foundation Establishment, around eighty to a hundred drops."

"At complete Foundation Establishment, depending on the cultivator's physique, it ranges from one hundred ten to one hundred twenty drops..."

"At this pace of cultivation, I can reach complete Foundation Establishment after thirty to forty years of hard work... Then, at around sixty, I can attempt to form the Golden Core..."

A sixty-year-old Golden Core cultivator!

In the cultivation world, that would definitely be considered a genius.

Yet, for Fang Xing, it seemed a bit slow.

Fang Xing had been cultivating for less than ten years, yet his main body already possessed the combat strength comparable to a Core Formation cultivator.

In a few more years, he would inevitably condense a Martial Dao Golden Core.

"Indeed, while cultivating as an immortal offers comprehensive benefits, it is excruciatingly slow... Martial Dao progresses rapidly, advancing with astonishing speed, yet one misstep can lead to utter destruction..."

"According to my plan, to innovate the path of Immortal Martial Arts, progress in immortal cultivation mustn't lag too far behind martial arts..."

Fang Xing mused to himself, "To accelerate my cultivation speed, the first step is to change to a top-tier sword cultivation technique!"

The Golden Transformation Technique, though a Core Formation method, is quite mediocre in all aspects, with a slow cultivation pace.

Some top-tier techniques offer incredible speed in mana refining.

"Secondly, I need to seek out an abode with more abundant spiritual energy, like a third-grade spiritual vein... which can greatly reduce the time needed to absorb spiritual energy."

"Thirdly, is to pursue higher-tier elixirs... So long as you don't mind the waste, enhancing cultivation madly through elixirs can also be tremendously fast."

…

After some concentration, Fang Xing stepped out of his cave dwelling.

He wore a silver robe, and as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was considered middle-tier within Northern Li Immortal City.

Blending into the crowd, he didn't draw much attention.

After traversing a few streets, he arrived before a pavilion.

"Eight Winds Pavilion?"

Fang Xing looked up at the signboard, nodding to himself.

This Eight Winds Pavilion was an intelligence organization, said to have branches across several nearby countries, even in chaotic areas like the Five Sects and Ten Nations, primarily dealing in all manners of intelligence trading.

Upon arriving at the pavilion, he had naturally altered his appearance, and even his nano-ancient costume automatically changed colors.

"Esteemed guest, please come inside!"

The receiving attendant was a Qi Refinement cultivator who, upon sensing the Foundation Establishment aura from Fang Xing, immediately knew a big deal had come, yet continued with calm, guiding Fang Xing into a private room.

Once the door closed, a barrier appeared, isolating the inside from the outside.

Fang Xing looked at the exquisite tea snacks on the table, nodding slightly, but refraining from indulging.

After a moment, a woman with a charming smile gracefully entered, offering a respectful bow. "My name is Wen Rou," she greeted, "I extend my respects to the senior. What sort of information is the senior looking to purchase?"

"About the Tianjian Sect," Fang Xing spoke coldly, causing a slight change in Wen Rou's demeanor.

"Oh? You don't deal in Tianjian Sect business?"

"You're joking, sir. As long as it's information, our Eight Winds Pavilion will trade it... Do you need intelligence on a specific person from the Tianjian Sect, or are you interested in general information? The prices vary according to the level of detail..."

Wen Rou recovered her alluring expression, offering a jade slip.

Fang Xing scanned it with his spiritual sense, stating expressionlessly, "Give me comprehensive information, at A-grade level…"

Upon hearing this, Wen Rou inwardly relaxed.

Fang Xing's actions suggested a foreign power observing a local ruler rather than someone seeking vengeance.

In simple terms, no trouble! This type of customer, who wouldn't entangle the Eight Winds Pavilion, was their favorite kind.

"Please wait a moment."

On the tray, there were several blue jade slips. "The general information regarding the Tianjian Sect is all here… If you need detailed intelligence on a specific individual, additional spirit stones will be required..."

Fang Xing nodded, waving his hand for a pile of spirit stones to appear on the table.

Seeing this, Wen Rou's face lit up with joy as she formed a spell mark into a blue jade slip. "Please, sir, feel free to check…"

This was Eight Winds Pavilion's unique encryption. If a customer attempted to take information by force without paying, they would gain nothing at all, or possibly even receive false intelligence.

Fang Xing picked up a jade slip, probing it with his spiritual power to see densely packed text and images within.

"The Tianjian Sect, located at 'Sword Peak' in Qiguo, has its gates seated on a fourth-grade spiritual vein..."

"With a long history tracing back to the clearing of familiar lands, it's reputed to be a branch of an external great sword cultivator sect. The founding patriarch was known as 'Carefree Elder', suspected to be in the Nascent Soul middle to later stages, but long since deceased…"

"As a sword cultivation sect, they revel in sword duels, honing their blades against foes' blood... They undergo breakthroughs at the brink of life and death, resulting in a high casualty rate among disciples. Overall, there are not even two thousand members in the sect..."

"However, surrounding these two thousand core sect disciples, tens of thousands of cultivators serve them, providing support through alchemy, formations, talismans, craftsmanship, wine, tea, and other cultivation arts..."

“Beyond tens of thousands of cultivators, countless mortals have settled... building a 'Tianjian City' at the foot of Qunjian Peak!”

“Currently, the sect master of Tianjian Sect is the 'Shattered Sword Immortal', Kong Fengge, a Core Formation cultivator in the late stage... The Grand Elder, 'Heavenly Sword True Monarch' Chu Kuangtu, has just passed his six-hundredth birthday...”

“There are numerous subordinate sects and family powers under Tianjian Sect, totaling thirteen entities above Pseudo-Core...”

Fang Xing remained calm and picked up the second blue jade slip.

The first jade slip gave a general overview of the Tianjian Sect as a whole, but this one delved into specifics.

For instance, he learned that the Shattered Sword Immortal was also a disciple with true sword heritage but suffered a setback in a duel with the demonic path, clouding his Sword Heart...

As for the 'Heavenly Sword True Monarch', he was an extraordinary talent with heavenly spiritual roots and an 'innate sword bone'. His talent in swordsmanship was astonishing; he established his foundation at twenty, advanced to Core Formation at one hundred, later achieving Golden Core, and then smoothly proceeded further. At the age of three hundred, he condensed his Nascent Soul and was acclaimed as a true monarch!

Now, his cultivation is unfathomably profound, faintly the foremost among righteous path cultivators of all nations.

'Only six hundred years old, and never severely injured...’

Due to his own spiritual root aptitude, Fang Xing had always been cautious regarding such Nascent Soul True Monarchs.

'Possession cannot extend one's lifespan; it's merely a reluctant choice when the body is severely damaged... A Nascent Soul has a life span of a millennium, and this True Monarch still has four to five hundred years to live and has not been gravely injured. If I join Tianjian Sect, it shouldn't pose a problem for me...'

'Moreover, I plan to join the sect in the Foundation Establishment stage, so they won't test my aptitude...'

'I may not enter the core circle, but as long as I gain access to superior techniques or higher-level spiritual veins for cultivation, it will suffice...'

Originally, Fang Xing intended to find a Core Formation sect to join.

However, Tianjian Sect was overwhelmingly dominant in the Qi State, and other sects were intricately linked to it, making little practical difference.

Understanding some information about the Tianjian True Monarch, Fang Xing decided the risks were manageable and immediately altered his plan.

...

Tianjian City.

The city was located at the foot of Qunjian Peak, and an array formation drew part of the spiritual energy vein, creating the effect of a third-tier spiritual vein.

If not for the fact that most visiting cultivators were from Tianjian Sect's affiliates, it might become the first immortal city of Qi State.

A flash of white light appeared at the horizon.

Fang Xing gracefully landed on the ground, sheathing his Wind and Snow Sword, and compared the Immortal City of Northern Li to this Heavenly Sword City.

“It's surprising that Heavenly Sword City has no walls!”

“Such confidence... truly remarkable.”

As he entered the city, the sound of clashing swords filled his ears. Those were the sounds emanating from the ten major Sword Duel Stages.

Many Qi Refinement cultivators have sharpened their swords for years, hoping to make a name for themselves on the Sword Duel Stage and subsequently join the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Though the disciples of the Heavenly Sword Sect are few, they value quality over quantity; each one is an elite!

Having gathered information at the Eight Winds Pavilion, Fang Xing naturally came prepared and headed toward a particular building.

“The Outer Hall of the Heavenly Sword…”

“Outsider cultivators, who are not sword cultivators, wishing to join the Heavenly Sword Sect are all placed in the Outer Hall…”

“Even sword cultivators must pass the test of the Sword Duel Stage... I can feel the blatant discrimination sword cultivators hold against other cultivators...”

Fang Xing muttered his complaint as he entered the Outer Hall of the Heavenly Sword.

“Esteemed senior…”

A Qi Refinement disciple noticed Fang Xing and, rather than showing arrogance, appeared respectful: “What brings you to our Outer Hall of the Heavenly Sword?”

“I am Fang Xing, a wandering cultivator. By chance, I successfully reached the Foundation Establishment stage and wish to join the Heavenly Sword Sect.”

Fang Xing candidly stated his intentions.

“I see, allow me to take you to see Steward Xue!”

The Qi Refinement disciple was unfazed. Wandering cultivators eager to join the Heavenly Sword Sect were aplenty, and Qi Refinement cultivators were generally refused unless they had a special skill.

Foundation Establishment cultivators usually passed through, as achieving that stage was notable in itself.

However, compared to how the sects that welcomed Pill Formation cultivators valued them, the Heavenly Sword Sect didn't pay much attention to Foundation Establishment cultivators.

The Heavenly Sword City stood majestically on the horizon, its towering spires piercing the sky. In the bustling streets below, practitioners from various sects mingled, their robes a kaleidoscope of colors. Fang Xing strode through the throng, his eyes set on the Outer Hall of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Meetings with sect leaders were never straightforward, and the enigmatic Steward Xue was no exception. As he approached, the gateway to the sect opened like a maw, revealing secrets known only to those worthy of crossing its threshold. Here, in this place of power, ambition and prowess were tested on the famed Sword Duel Stages, where only the most skilled emerged victorious.

Fang Xing’s heart raced with anticipation. The journey to join the Heavenly Sword Sect was fraught with peril, yet he was ready to face whatever trials lay ahead. Beneath the serene facade of the city, a storm brewed, carrying whispers of destiny and the promise of power.

(End of Chapter)