Chapter 154: The Heavenly Sword Lord? Not Enough!

Teaching Xiao Zi the Immortal-Slaying Ghost-God Sword was primarily a way for Fang Wang to release his pent-up boredom. Of course, should she wish to continue learning it in the future, he would not begrudge her his guidance.

However, given Xiao Zi's level of comprehension, heaven only knows how many years it would take her to master it.

For the entire following year, Fang Wang focused on guiding Xiao Zi and the other demons. Even Zhao Zhen and Zhu Yan received his instruction, plunging the entire Netherglow Island into a fervent atmosphere of cultivation.

A year later, Fang Wang began to sleep.

Everything on the island could no longer arouse his interest; he needed to dream, to weave interesting scenarios to amuse himself.

With the Heavenly Dao True Scripture at work anyway, even without active cultivation, his magical power grew unceasingly, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

Time flew swiftly.

Five years later, a young Daoist priest came to visit Fang Wang, calling out "Master" from beyond the thick fog.

It was precisely Chu Yin!

When Fang Wang first arrived at the ocean, he had a fleeting encounter with him and established a master-disciple pact. Decades had passed, and he had ultimately sought him out.

This genius, blessed with the Heavenly Origin Precious Spirit, had already reached the Spirit Dan realm, not far from the Profound Heart realm. When they had last met, he had just stepped onto the path of cultivation. His advancement speed was considered fast, yet in Fang Wang's eyes, it appeared somewhat slow.

And yet, this was the Heavenly Origin Precious Spirit!

Fang Wang immediately opened the array, allowing him onto the island.

Xiao Zi and Zhao Zhen went out to welcome him, quite curious about this prodigy of the Heavenly Origin. They wanted to see what changes he had undergone after all these years.

When Chu Yin reached Fang Wang's presence, he fell directly to his knees, overwhelmed with emotion.

Fang Wang was currently lying on a large boulder basking in the sun, his face covered by the fox mask previously gifted by Qing Wan'er of the Mountain God clan.

Zhu Yan scrutinized Chu Yin critically, wondering why on earth this brat deserved to be a disciple.

"Master, are you still willing to acknowledge me?"

Chu Yin looked up, asking cautiously. Upon leaving seclusion and hearing that the True Sword Lord of the Yellow Rank was named Fang Wang, he had immediately packed his bags and rushed over, terrified that Fang Wang might have moved away.

Without removing the fox mask, Fang Wang asked indifferently, "Chu Yin, how old are you this year?"

Chu Yin hurriedly replied, "I am approaching sixty-five..."

"What is your realm?"

"Eighth layer of the Spirit Dan realm..."

Chu Yin lowered his head in shame.

Zhu Yan scoffed, "Only at this cultivation level at sixty-five? How dare you even ask to become a disciple? When I was your age, I had already reached the Profound Heart realm, unmatched across the entire realm!"

Xiao Zi and Zhao Zhen were similarly disappointed, sharing a mutual confusion in their hearts: did he truly possess the Heavenly Origin Precious Spirit?

Looking thoroughly ashamed, Chu Yin said, "I do not understand why either... My breakthrough speed is simply not fast..."

Fang Wang raised a hand and shifted the mask slightly, revealing a single eye to appraise Chu Yin.

Faced with his gaze, Chu Yin immediately lowered his head, not daring to meet his eyes.

Oh?

There is something unusual about this kid!

Fang Wang discovered that although Chu Yin's realm was low, his spiritual power was exceptionally abundant. Earlier, he had judged him by comparing him to Zhu Yan, which made Chu Yin's spiritual power seem ordinary. Yet upon careful comparison, this kid's spiritual power was almost catching up to Xiao Zi's demonic power.

One must remember that Xiao Zi was already equivalent to the sixth or seventh layer of the Spirit Focusing realm. Its cultivation had been steadily rising, and it frequently ventured out to sea to hunt fierce beasts—cultivation was not its only path to growing stronger.

In other words, Chu Yin's cultivation while in the Spirit Dan realm was comparable to the Spirit Focusing realm?

Could it be that his cultivation speed was slow because each realm required far more spiritual power than others to break through?

As Fang Wang carefully observed Chu Yin, Zhu Yan and Xiao Zi did the same. Soon, they too perceived the special nature of Chu Yin's physique, and the gazes of the two demons turned peculiar.

Fang Wang spoke up, "Circulate your energy and let me see your technique."

Hearing this, Chu Yin quickly crossed his legs and began to circulate his energy, causing the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth to surge into his body.

A fierce gale immediately swept up!

Zhu Yan, Xiao Zi, and Zhao Zhen were shocked once more. What an astonishing speed of devouring spiritual Qi!

Fang Wang fell into deep thought.

Could it be that the might of the Heavenly Origin Precious Spirit extends beyond merely being a powerful spiritual treasure—that it can also bestow a unique physique upon its master?

Or perhaps, it was precisely because his physical body was special and sufficiently strong that it was able to give birth to the Heavenly Origin Precious Spirit?

Fang Wang felt his guess was likely true. He could tell that Chu Yin's technique was not particularly profound, at least unworthy of his Heavenly Origin Precious Spirit.

"Enough."

When Fang Wang spoke again, Chu Yin instantly stopped, looking at him with trembling anxiety.

"I shall impart a technique to you. If you manage to master it, I will accept you as my disciple. Are you willing?"

Fang Wang asked calmly. How could Chu Yin dare to refuse? He immediately bowed in gratitude to Fang Wang.

Taking advantage of the moment he raised his head, Fang Wang pointed his right index finger at the space between Chu Yin's brows. In an instant, a powerful divine sense forcibly intruded into his mind, causing his entire body to stiffen.

Imparting a technique!

Xiao Zi felt inwardly puzzled. When the young master taught me swordplay, why didn't he impart it this way?

Could it be...

Does he want to spend more time with me?

Xiao Zi felt this was entirely possible. It believed its attempts to curry favor had been effective, and upon careful thought, when had the young master ever truly been angry with it?

Indeed, men were all the same; some simply hid it better.

Xiao Zi grew even more eager to shed its human form. Perhaps the young master was waiting for that day as well.

Zhu Yan opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. He wanted to learn as well, but thinking of his own Combat True Scripture, he lacked the face to ask.

Before meeting Fang Wang, he truly believed he was a genius who could learn any technique. But the Combat True Scripture had genuinely stumped him.

However, difficult though it was, he was continuously making progress. He believed that given time, he would eventually master the Combat True Scripture.

After a moment, Fang Wang withdrew his right hand and pulled the mask back down to cover his entire face, saying, "Take him to cultivate by the Spiritual Eye Lake. Until he masters it, do not disturb my cultivation."

Xiao Zi and Zhu Yan immediately acknowledged the command. Zhao Zhen hovered in the air, deep in thought regarding the mysteries of the Heavenly Origin Precious Spirit.

Fang Wang gave it little more thought. No matter how strong a disciple became, they could only ever act as an assistant; they could never surpass him anyway.

He continued indulging in his grandiose dreams.

His previous dream was about returning to Earth. As the sole cultivator on the planet, he lived the life of a savior until he suddenly grew weary of it and wished to try a different way of living.

However.

Six months later, Chu Yin came to visit Fang Wang, announcing that he had already mastered the first layer of the Profound Yang Divine Scripture.

Fang Wang was somewhat surprised by his speed and immediately imparted the second layer of the technique to him.

Half a year later, once again, Chu Yin had learned it.

Fang Wang's interest was piqued, so he proceeded to teach him the cultivation method for the first six swords of the Startling Swan Divine Sword Technique.

Two years later, even though Fang Wang had broken through to the second layer of the Golden Body realm, Chu Yin had still not mastered the first layer of the Startling Swan Divine Sword Technique; he could not even find the opportunity for entry.

On this day, Fang Wang summoned them all, preparing to head to the Longevity Pavilion. Calculating the dates, there were four months remaining, and the journey was distant, so they had to set off in advance.

Qu Xunhun had already arrived outside the thick fog, waiting with an ornate red-wood vessel.

"Master, might you take me along?" Chu Yin asked with curiosity.

Fang Wang smiled and said, "Then come along."

Chu Yin instantly beamed with joy, mostly because he had called Fang Wang master, and Fang Wang had not rejected it.

With that, after a brief tidying up, the group stepped out of Netherglow Island and boarded Qu Xunhun's vessel.

Fang Wang landed on the deck and stretched lazily. Sunlight shone upon his white robes; though his posture was languid, every movement still carried an ethereal and transcendent aura.

Qu Xunhun approached him, secretly startled.

Every time he saw Fang Wang, he felt the young man had undergone massive changes. At the very least, his aura grew increasingly unfathomable, beyond what one dared to imagine.

"Sword Lord, for this internal trial, are there any particular individuals you wish to learn about?" Qu Xunhun asked softly.

The red-wood vessel had already begun to sail, moving at extreme speed without kicking up massive waves, as though it were flying through the air. It was quite miraculous, prompting Xiao Zi, Zhao Zhen, and Chu Yin to murmur in discussion by the railing.

Fang Wang glanced at Qu Xunhun and asked with a smile, "What do you suppose my goal is?"

Qu Xunhun respectfully replied, "With your abilities, claiming the title of Heavenly Sword Lord should not be difficult. Coincidentally, the current Heavenly Sword Lord is also participating in this trial."

The Longevity Pavilion's internal trials had always served two purposes: first, to seek out opportunities, and second, to vie for status. Every internal trial saw Sword Lords killing one another.

In Qu Xunhun's view, Fang Wang did not seem to lack cultivation resources, so he must have come for the sake of striving for a higher position.

"Heavenly Sword Lord? Not enough," Fang Wang said with the corners of his mouth curving upward.

Qu Xunhun's expression shifted slightly, and he immediately said, "Shall I introduce the Twenty-Four Immortals to you then?"

Fang Wang nodded, then laid flat upon the deck, using his left arm as a pillow.

Qu Xunhun sat cross-legged beside him. Seeing Fang Wang lying down, he certainly did not dare to stand, and he began to recount intelligence concerning the Twenty-Four Immortals.

Among the Twenty-Four Immortals, True Lord Extreme Sun, one of the Four Masters of Nanqiong, was the strongest. The only one capable of contending with him on equal footing was True Lord Vast Ocean.

True Lord Vast Ocean possessed the Heavenly Origin Precious Spirit, possessing extraordinary comprehension regarding water-attribute techniques and spells. Rumor had it that he could borrow the power of the vast ocean itself.

Though Qu Xunhun did not name it outright, from the implication of his words, Fang Wang heard four distinct characters:

*Do not provoke him!*

He continued introducing the other Immortals.

Only after introducing a full nine individuals did he finally mention True Lord Nine Nether, indicating that True Lord Nine Nether held a fairly high ranking among the Twenty-Four Immortals.

When mentioning True Lord Nine Nether, Qu Xunhun possessed limited intelligence, stating only that this person was viciously cruel, excelled in ghost arts, and required caution in any dealings. Having repeatedly murdered friends, his reputation was exceedingly poor.

Beyond that, Fang Wang simply listened for amusement. His primary target was True Lord Nine Nether.

Half an hour later, Qu Xunhun took his leave.

Fang Wang closed his eyes. He was not sleeping; since they were now on a journey, he simply wished to feel the sea breeze and ponder his future path of cultivation.

The numerous supreme arts he currently mastered were more than enough for his needs. Any single one of them would take other geniuses a lifetime to delve into, yet he had cultivated them all to the Realm of Great Perfection. These were the very reasons he could consistently defeat enemies above his own realm.

The sea breeze carried a hint of saltiness, and from time to time, demonic birds swept across the sky, letting out piercing cries.

During the subsequent voyage, they occasionally encountered other cultivators, but none dared to disturb them, as the speed of their vessel alone made it clear they were no ordinary practitioners.

Fang Wang did not remain lying down the entire time; he began to guide Chu Yin in his cultivation.

He passed several other simple spells to Chu Yin, only to discover that the youth's comprehension regarding them was mediocre, whereas his comprehension of Qi-absorption techniques was astonishing.

He immediately imparted the remaining mental formulas of the Profound Yang Divine Scripture to Chu Yin, wishing to see how many years it would take the boy to fully master them.