Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 175: Chapter 173: Mutation

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Chu Zhiyuan’s mind continuously flashed with these six sets of sword techniques.

Suddenly, he was taken aback, finding himself standing before a lush, green forest.

Soon he understood that he had entered the Mirror World!

The air was fresh, akin to the refreshing air that wafts in when one opens the window in the morning, making his lungs feel expansive and relaxed.

His spirit was invigorated.

Yet, he realized something troubling.

He lost his Super Sense.

This made him extremely uncomfortable.

The presence of the Super Sense endowed him with a divine-like awareness, illuminating all things in the world with clarity.

Now deprived of his divine-like feeling, he felt as if he had fallen from the clouds, from deity to mere mortal.

This feeling had not occurred for a long time, as if it belonged to another lifetime.

He looked around and noticed there were five people with him, precisely the five out of the six he had seen earlier, minus the young man who first displayed a sword technique.

Chu Zhiyuan speculated that this person was himself.

The five began to practice their sword techniques.

He too began practicing, the very sword technique practiced by the first young man.

Unknowingly, he memorized this technique thoroughly, becoming more proficient with each move, as if practicing once equaled ten or even twenty times of usual practice.

After practicing ten times in one go, he had already mastered it.

"Let’s begin." A young girl softly spoke.

Everyone spread out, the first girl stood in front of Chu Zhiyuan.

The girl looked graceful, her demeanor calm and gentle, she raised her sword and lightly said, "Senior Brother Lu, please instruct me—!"

"Please!" Chu Zhiyuan raised his sword and assumed a starting posture.

Chu Zhiyuan only saw a blur before his eyes, all he could see was the clear light, obscuring the sword itself from view.

The sword light resembled a waterfall cascading down.

If the Super Sense were present, he wouldn’t be in such a state.

He tried to suppress the disappointment in his heart, could only rely on his intuition to strike, not knowing if the girl opposite wanted to kill him.

"Ding ding ding ding..."

Amidst countless clear ringing sounds, the light and shadow before him gradually became distinct, enabling him to gradually see the girl’s sword and the reason behind its nature.

Her swordsmanship was extremely ingenious; one move transformed into three variations, making him seem clumsy. Just as he was about to defend against the first move, she had already transitioned to the third move.

During this process, she had completed three transformations.

Yet, her sword posture was evidently not fast, and her sword moves appeared ordinary, gentle and graceful like a dance.

Only as her opponent did one understand how terrifying this sword technique was.

This kind of sword technique truly was unprecedented, exceptionally exquisite.

He felt that it was not about the sword technique itself, but about its philosophy.

The change in moves came first; before the enemy could change, he had already changed. When the enemy intended to change, he had already changed. When the enemy changed once, he had already changed multiple times, always one or two changes ahead, constantly maintaining the initiative.

This was indeed using slow to conquer fast.

Though the moves appeared slow, the thoughts were fast, within the slow sword moves, countless changes were hidden, momentarily suppressing the opponent.

After realizing this, his moves suddenly underwent a transformation, no longer simple and direct, but incorporating changes, incorporating ambiguity.

As one sword thrust out, he exerted only fifty percent of his strength, adding another twenty percent halfway, and when it finally reached its target, the last thirty percent was unleashed.

This sword appeared slow and drifting, looking extremely uncomfortable.

But the girl’s swordsmanship immediately became dim.

She found it much harder to change ahead of Chu Zhiyuan now; Chu Zhiyuan’s sword moves no longer used full force, always maintaining a state of readiness to change at any time.

When she changed, Chu Zhiyuan immediately changed too.

Although he couldn’t match her speed of change and was always constrained by her, he could always respond timely, preventing defeat.

Thus, the two exchanged over a hundred moves.

"Enough." The girl suddenly floated back, sheathed her longsword, and smiled charmingly, "Senior Brother Lu, you passed!"

Chu Zhiyuan was startled, then overjoyed, bowing with cupped fists, "Thank you, Junior Sister!"

The girl smiled at him.

Chu Zhiyuan’s gaze suddenly blurred.

In his daze, he found himself still sitting cross-legged on the Arhat bed, completely motionless while Gang Qi roared within his body.

The Purple Sun Scripture was operating unconsciously.

He carefully sensed his body, noticing discrepancies in Gang Qi’s prior flow, deviating from any mental method he had practiced.

Involuntarily, he thought of that set of sword techniques.

He closed his eyes for a moment, upon opening them again, drifted down from the Arhat bed, withdrew his sword, and began to swing it—it was precisely that set of sword techniques.

This set of sword techniques was eerie and frightening, yet demonstrating it, he felt his blood boiling, as if having drunk too much wine and now appearing on the battlefield, ready to charge.

With blood and energy surging in his chest, an unrelenting fighting spirit was brewing, yearning to break through the Ninth Layer Heaven with a single sword, piercing the icy peak of ten thousand mountains.

With Super Sensing Illumination, his swordsmanship was indistinguishable from that young man’s.

After displaying one set of sword techniques, he stood still with closed eyes, beginning to recall the second set of sword techniques, the ones performed by the second young man.

And then the third set.

After completing the third set of sword techniques, he felt somewhat disappointed.

These three sets of sword techniques were indeed impressive, yet they were only impressive, not necessarily stronger than the Great Snow Mountain Sword Technique, inferior to the Great Snow Avalanche Sword Technique.

Having already mastered the Great Snow Mountain Sword Technique, he found it exquisite, albeit not as potent as the Great Snow Avalanche Sword Technique.

The Great Snow Avalanche Sword Technique comprised only one move, whereas the Great Snow Mountain Sword Technique encompassed a set of intricate moves, merely lacking the fatal flaw of the Great Snow Avalanche Sword Technique.

He felt his greatest gain was the philosophy.

The philosophy of change.

This aligned perfectly with his situation.

Currently infused with the Miao Ling Pearl, his thoughts were complex, insights sparkling, his thinking far excelling that of ordinary people in speed and breadth.

When facing sword moves, he could suppress his opponent with agile and variable thinking, overcoming speed with change, precision with change.

He sat back onto the Arhat bed, closing his eyes.

During this process, the Sword Stele gradually resumed dimming, ultimately its light vanished, all patterns receded into the sword.

Through Super Sensing Illumination, he observed the beam of light retract into the void, the bright copper mirror dimmed down, regaining its hazy gray state.

A quarter of an hour passed, then he opened his eyes again.

His gaze returned to the Sword Stele.

As time progressively ticked away, patterns on the Sword Stele surfaced, glowed, becoming increasingly radiant, eventually morphing into a flux of light covering the Sword Stele, transforming into a bright mirror.

People came into view in the mirror.

It was a valley nestled between mountain ridges, beside a grove, where over thirty men and women were fiercely fighting, all young adults, the scene was brutal and bloody.

Among the thirty-six, there were six women, while the rest were men.

The six women stood back-to-back, employing the same sword technique, withstanding the assault from thirty men without falling behind.

Their simple sword technique, when combined, unleashed astounding power.

The sword techniques of the thirty men were each exquisite, yet under the joint sword technique of the six women, proved useless, unable to penetrate their defense, futile in effort.

Chu Zhiyuan observed the sword techniques of not only the six women but also those of the thirty men.

At this moment, the effect of the Miao Ling Pearl surfaced.

Suddenly, he split into thirty-six thoughts, each focusing on one sword technique in full view, ultimately seeing it in entirety and clarity.

Once fully memorized, he closed his eyes.

His mind began recalling the sword techniques of these thirty-six individuals, in total nine sword techniques, with the sword techniques of more than ten men being identical.

He kept his eyes closed for a quarter of an hour, then opened them again.

Thus, the dim White Jade Sword Stele reignited its light.

...

Sitting in the White Jade Palace, the elder slowly opened his eyes, revealing a puzzled look, stood up and floated outside, looking at Chu Zhiyuan sitting on the Arhat bed.

He stood at the palace entrance, watching Chu Zhiyuan alternately closing and opening his eyes, while the light of the White Jade Sword Stele grew ever brighter.

Originally it was just a nebulous light, resembling a curtain of light hanging over the Sword Stele.

Subsequent occasions had it no longer as a curtain but growing in intensity, ultimately engulfing the entire Sword Stele.

Finally, the White Jade Sword Stele was enveloped in a brilliant white light, growing ever brighter, akin to a miniature sun.

This was a phenomenon never witnessed in his centuries of experience.

Just as he was about to speak, suddenly there was a muffled "boom."

A beam of white light shot from the Sword Stele, striking Chu Zhiyuan’s forehead.

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