Chapter 39: A True Freak

Sword Dynasty

Volume 1: Great Rebel

Chapter 39: A True Freak

Xue Wangxu looked at Li Daoji's trembling lips and could not believe this news was true.

“Freak…”

After a few breaths, he calmed down and uttered these two words.

In the library cave, Nangong Caishu and the other Green Vine Sword School disciples trembled as they stared at Ding Ning strangely.

How could this be possible!

Profound Understanding in half a day. According to their knowledge of the rumors, from the first year of Yuanwu until now, only An Baoshi of the Spirit Void Sword Sect and Jing Liuli of the Min Mountain Sword Sect had achieved this. Even Fang Xiumu, a sword fanatic, needed several decades to achieve Profound Understanding.

They knew that what was happening before them was real and not an illusion to their senses. Nangong Caishu, filled with intense shock and disbelief, looked at Ding Ning, who had opened his eyes, and asked in a trembling voice, “You've opened your energy sea?”

Ding Ning did not answer immediately.

He frowned as he felt the flow of his energy flowing through his energy sea. He faintly sensed that this supreme method of the Selfless Palace was an aggressive path.

Then he noticed a ray of light landing in front of him.

The light was still gentle and bright, but it had changed slightly. The previous light was like pure, refined sunlight, but the current light clearly had the luster of gemstones.

He realized that night had fallen.

“It took this long,” he muttered to himself.

His words were truly based on sentiment. This was because his energy paths were different from most methods. Otherwise, since his energy sea already existed, he would not have needed so long to draw his energy into his energy sea.

His limbs felt weak after just half a day of cultivation. His energy had just entered his energy sea. He felt weak at this moment. This kind of expenditure made him understand that this method had its uniqueness. The vital energy it would form in the future would be more ferocious than ordinary methods.

If this was an ordinary method, he would have reached Profound Understanding in half an hour.

But his words had a different meaning in the ears of Nangong Caishu and the others.

“Took this long?”

Nangong Caishu’s body trembled. She could not help but point at Ding Ning. “If you're truly at Profound Understanding, and has opened your energy sea… do you know how long it takes ordinary cultivators to reach this step?”

Ding Ning looked at her trembling finger and did not know what to say.

Am I an ordinary cultivator?

The words were truth, but if she heard them, she would have thought he was too proud and pretentious.

Nangong Caishu began to regain her clarity of mind when she saw him frown.

“Are you the same as those people from the Min Mountain Sword Sect and the Spirit Void Sword Sect, a complete freak?”

She took deep breaths as she stopped pointing. She said with complicated emotions, “Did you choose a method like the Explanation of the Spirit Source Way because it’s easier for you to understand and allows you to achieve breakthroughs faster?”

Ding Ning smiled apologetically. He felt he could not explain this matter. After all, every cultivator had to guard their secrets closely.

However, Nangong Caishu saw his apologetic smile and thought he was apologizing because his talent far surpassed theirs. She found an explanation for why Ding Ning chose the ordinary method. Due to Ding Ning's health issues, he would not live as long as others. Therefore, he needed to choose this relatively simple method that would allow for faster progress.

“It seems you are a complete freak.”

She was slightly offended and lowered her head dejectedly. “It seems I shouldn't have doubted your abilities and interfered.”

Among the pale-faced Green Vine Sword School disciples behind Nangong Caishu, a young man who appeared the most composed could barely control himself as he moved forward.

“Lu Molong, if you want to get on the good side of this person… I urge you not to come forward.” At this moment, the shortest young man with flowing black hair said in a voice that only the two of them could hear. “It is too late for you to show friendliness.”

Hearing the words, the young man named Lu Molong suddenly froze, filled with regret.

He knew that the other person was right.

The young man from the wine shop was still young, but he seemed to possess eyes that could see through everything. At the mountain gate, when Nangong Caishu had stood up for him, they had not placed much importance on him. Now, if they wanted to build a relationship because of the extraordinary talent he displayed, they would most likely not accept friendship from him.

For them, the courteous words were meaningless. It was better not to embarrass themselves.

The numerous disciples of the Green Vine Sword School continued to seek knowledge and experience for their own cultivation. To dispel their shock, disappointment, and regret, they deliberately distanced themselves from Nangong Caishu and Ding Ning.

Ding Ning felt extremely hungry.

He could even smell the fragrance of the food outside the library cave.

He paused, then immediately smelled Nangong Caishu's natural fragrance.

A sense of shock flashed through his mind. He immediately reacted. This must be another change.

This top-tier method from the past Han Dynasty had caused his sense of smell to become even more acute after attaining Profound Understanding.

He did not resist this change in his senses. He took a deep breath and prepared to stand up and leave the cave to eat. For him, today's cultivation was over.

If the White Goat Cave had no other plans, he would have chosen to return to the wine shop in Falling Parasol.

However, at this moment, he noticed the open book in Nangong Caishu's hands.

He hesitated slightly and looked at Nangong Caishu's bowed head. He asked softly, “What problems are you facing in your cultivation?”

Nangong Caishu, whose emotions were a little turbulent, trembled slightly. She looked up and met Ding Ning's eyes. She asked suspiciously, “You want to help me?”

“Everyone's cultivation is different.” Ding Ning looked at her and said seriously. “At most, I'll discuss it with you, but I don't know if it will help you.”

“It's fine even if you can't help me.” Sensing Ding Ning's sincere goodwill, Nangong Caishu felt a sudden surge of happiness, for no apparent reason. Young women her age usually had the most optimistic outlook on friendship. Her previous despair was most likely due to the difference in their talents. Faced with her goodwill, Ding Ning maintained a respectful distance.

Thinking of how extraordinary the person in front of her was, achieving Profound Understanding in half a day, and how he chose his own method, she became even more excited and added, “There's something wrong with my comprehension.”

“Your comprehension of the primal energies of the universe?” Ding Ning looked into her bright eyes and asked seriously.

“Yes.” Nangong Caishu nodded solemnly. “My cultivation has reached realm two first class, Marrow Conversion. At this level, I can try senseing the primal energies of the universe. I’ve attempted this. Since the key to breaking through realm two Energy Refinement to realm three Vital Energy Realm is finding the parts of the primal energies of the universe that can blend with one's inner energy, it's crucial to draw the primal energies of the universe into my body. If I can draw the primal energies of the universe into my body, it shouldn't be a problem to fuse it with my own energies.”

Ding Ning looked at the open books before her. “Are you unable to detect the presence of the primal energies of the universe or distinguish between the primal energies of the universe?”

Nangong Caishu shook her head and said softly, “If that were the case, my teacher and I wouldn't be so panicked. I can sense the existence of the primal energies of the universe, and each burst is distinct. However, in my perception, every wave of the primal energies of the universe seems to be repelled from me, and they don't approach me.”

“Perhaps it's because of my physical characteristics. When my father was cultivating, he encountered the same problem as me. He was stuck for seven years, moving from realm two to realm three.” After a pause, Nangong Caishu said worriedly. “Because of this concern, he didn't let me cultivate the Thousand Wave True Water Art he mastered, but instead, he allowed me to cultivate the Green Vine Art from the Green Wood Sword School. However, I encountered the same problem as him. I was the fastest disciple of the Green Vine Sword School, reaching realm two first class from realm one. But if I were stuck at this stage for seven years, I would be slower than most people.”

Ding Ning nodded and reached out to close the book in front of Nangong Caishu. “Energy Type Compendium.” He stated the name of the book and then asked seriously, frowning, “So you came to the Library Cave of the White Goat Cave because you wanted to see if the records and archives here could provide you with inspiration?”

Nangong Caishu nodded. “My father didn't have any special insights during his breakthrough. He simply felt the primal energies of the universe enter his body during a dangerous moment in battle. If I can't find some reason, the fate awaiting me might be worse than seven years.”

It would be tragic to be trapped in realm two for seven years.

Especially when she saw the people around her surpassing him. She would probably fall into despair.

Ding Ning thought carefully. He said after quickly standing up, flipping through a dozen scrolls, and finally selecting two books to place in front of Nangong Caishu, “These two books seem to contain unique insights. Why don’t you read them carefully? I’m going to eat, maybe I’ll go home after that.”

Nangong Caishu stared in surprise at the two books that seemed to contain only ordinary observations and opened them.

 

Notes:

This novel is not my work... I just translated it from a Chinese web novel written by Wu Zui

Previously

Next