Chapter 40: The Legendary Spirit Vein

Sword Dynasty

Volume 1: Great Rebel

Chapter 40: The Legendary Spirit Vein

Ding Ning slowly walked out of the library cave and opened the food box placed by the door to take his share. Then he sat on the stone bench near the entrance and slowly ate the warm food while starting to organize the results he got today.

Three Corpses Selfless Consciousness Sutra, which had been hidden within the ordinary method, was a dominant method. It could give him superior senses than ordinary methods, and the vital energy he would form in the future would be extremely powerful.

If the vital energy produced by ordinary methods were described as a mighty wave in a river, then the vital energy in this method would be a mighty wave filled with uncontrollable monsters.

As to the Wildfire Sword, this was one of the sword manuals most underestimated by Changling cultivators over the years.

The true meaning of this sword manual was not a wildfire that burned the plains, but an endless wildfire that would not be extinguished and reborn with the spring breeze.

Because the sword moves were too complex and people rarely cultivated this sword manual, even fewer people had discovered its true meaning.

But for Ding Ning, complicated was not a problem.

He had been incredibly fortunate in this first step of restarting his cultivation. He had done well.

A strange wind blew through his hair.

He raised his head and saw Li Daoji, with a cold expression, leap out from somewhere, causing the rope bridge to sway.

“Follow me.” It was very simple. Li Daoji turned around without waiting for Ding Ning to speak and gestured for Ding Ning to follow him.

“Younger Sect Uncle Li Daoji.” Ding Ning grimaced and looked at his half-eaten food. “I haven't finished eating yet.”

“Some things are more important than eating.”

Li Daoji's sword hilt emitted a faint red light in the dark night like a lantern in front of him. His steps did not stop. Only his cold voice drifted back in the wind.

Ding Ning shook his head helplessly, picked up a rice ball, and quickly followed.

The glowing sword hilt swayed in the night sky and moved upwards.

A narrow rope bridge, absent during the day, appeared amidst the night mist and stretched across a narrow crevice in the mountain not far below the temple at the highest point.

This narrow crevice, usually obscured by clouds, contained a strangely flat patch of land.

There were three identical grass huts on the flat ground.

A mountain vegetable garden had been planted in the ground in front of the thatched huts.

Sensing Ding Ning stepping off the narrow bridge onto solid ground, Li Daoji turned around and, after walking to the three huts and pointing to the leftmost hut, said, “This will be your residence in the future.”

After thinking for a moment, Li Daoji added, “You won't need to listen to classes like the other disciples. If you have any questions during your cultivation, you can ask me or Zhang Yi. Your meals won't be delivered here, but to the library cave.”

Not having to listen to classes like the other disciples, but being able to meet Li Daoji directly… to the other disciples, they would be shocked and envious, because this was equivalent to being taught directly by Li Daoji. Li Daoji, aside from the sect master of the White Goat Cave, who had not shown his cultivation for many years, was publicly recognized as the strongest in the White Goat Cave.

Hearing Li Daoji's words, Ding Ning did not show any expression of joy. He said seriously but gently, “Younger Sect Uncle Li Daoji, I would like to stay at home as usual.”

Li Daoji's thin eyebrows immediately raised. He suddenly turned around, neither refusing nor agreeing. He glanced at Ding Ning coldly and said, “We'll talk after you go inside.”

Ding Ning sensed something from Li Daoji's expression and tone. Surprise flashed across his eyes. He walked towards the hut Li Daoji pointed to without another word.

The roof of the thatched hut was made of ordinary straw and mud. The door was a simple wooden plank door. However, before Ding Ning's fingers touched the wooden door, his body trembled imperceptibly.

The sound of running water came from the thatched hut.

He took a deep breath and reached out to push open the unlocked wooden door.

The layout of the thatched hut was simple: a bed by the window with a simple blanket.

In front of the bed was a meditation mat made of woven grass.

The sound of running water came from beneath the meditation mat.

Feeling an unusually refreshing presence filling the thatched hut, Ding Ning seemed to guess the cause. His heartbeat quickened. He took another breath, walked forward, and pushed aside the thick grass meditation mat.

He saw a fist-sized spring in the center of the rock, just beneath the meditation mat.

The spring water rippled continuously as if boiling, occasionally emitting strands of milky-white spirit energy.

Each strand of spirit energy resembled a small white goat horn.

This was the legendary spirit vein.

In the cultivation world thousands of years ago, wars were mostly fought over the ownership of spirit veins. Over time, the Qin Dynasty, along with other surrounding dynasties, possessed only a few spirit veins.

For those sects that possessed spirit veins, only their most valued disciples could cultivate with their spirit veins.

This spirit vein was very different from the one he had heard about in the White Goat Cave.

Ding Ning turned around, looking at Li Daoji, hoping for an explanation.

Seeing his puzzled look, Li Daoji misunderstood and said expressionlessly, “This is the legendary spirit vein. The spirit energy that emanates from the spirit vein will enter the cultivator's body as they breathe, and it is extremely beneficial. It can increase cultivation speed like pills and medicines, but most importantly, spirit energy is the purest product in the world, free of impurities and without the side effects of other medicinal pills.”

“I know.” Ding Ning looked at him and shook his head. “That's not what I meant… I know spirit veins are powerful, but aren't only disciples who have passed numerous trials qualified to use them for cultivation? Otherwise, what would happen if I betrayed the sect and came back to destroy it?”

Hearing his words, a sinister smile appeared on Li Daoji's lips. “The White Goat Cave is gone, who can you betray?”

His words sounded desperate, but at this moment, they were filled with a kind of rebellious dominance and bravery.

Ding Ning grimaced and stared intently at the small spirit vein and the grass meditation mat that could absorb spirit energy. He asked, “This is a spirit vein… but why isn't this spirit vein like the spirit vein in legends? Why is it so small?”

Li Daoji’s face froze and he did not immediately respond.

“Younger Sect Uncle Li Daoji.”

Ding Ning was silent for a moment, then his expression became more serious. He asked softly, “I heard that the White Goat Cave joined the Green Vine Sword School because we offended the empress. How did the White Goat Cave offend her?”

“Where did you hear that.” Li Daoji's eyes flashed with murderous intent. “If you want to live longer, you'd better not mention these things.”

Ding Ning felt no fear. He calmly stared at Li Daoji's murderous gaze and muttered softly, “If it weren't for offending her, the White Goat Cave has a spirit vein. Even if it lacks powerful cultivators, it wouldn't have been forced to join a cultivation place like the Green Vine Sword School. Even Wang Taixu knows you offended them, but he doesn't know why. Otherwise, I wouldn't have asked you. As for whether I want to live… I won't live long in the first place.”

Initially, Li Daoji's gaze had become sharper, but hearing his final words, Li Daoji's brows furrowed, feeling that his words were logical.

The hatred in his eyes began to disappear.

“You can't live long, but as long as I live, I still want to live longer, so I didn't say anything. Everything you heard was an illusion.”

He said coldly and slowly, “She wants to plant a spirit lotus on the spirit spring of the White Goat Cave. The fruit produced by the spirit lotus can be used to make some useful breakthrough pill medicines. In truth, she just wanted to assess our attitude because she feels that the White Goat Cave was always problematic. Spirit veins are indeed rare, but with her abilities, she has no shortage of them. However, our Eldest Sect Uncle, Du Qingjiao ,and sect master were not happy… that spirit lotus would absorb great amounts of spirit energy from the spirit vein, causing them to wither. So, after detecting her intentionss, Eldest Sect Uncle Du Qingjiao divided our spirit vein into three small branches. This is a form of self-destruction. Each spirit vein is now insufficient to sustain the growth of the spirit lotus.”

Ding Ning was momentarily bewildered.

He had not expected the white-haired old man who had already left the White Goat Cave to make such a decision.

“This isn't dying before losing honor. We don't want to offend anyone.”

Li Daoji looked at the tiny spirit vein and slowly narrowed his eyes. “We're just doing what we believe is just and right. This spirit vein is small, but it can be stored and is useful for the disciples of the White Goat Cave.”

“I want to go back home.” Ding Ning nodded and then said seriously.

Li Daoji subconsciously placed his hand on his sword hilt and nearly drew it. He could not believe that anyone who heard there was a spirit vein here and could learn so much would only talk about going home.

“I know your cultivation is fast, but do you think cultivating in Falling Parasol will be better than on the spirit vein?” he said coldly, his chest heaving as he suppressed his emotions.

Ding Ning was extremely serious and looked at him innocently, saying, “I know, but I can cultivate here during the day. At night, I'll go back and sleep better.”

Li Daoji did not know what he was truly thinking. Looking at Ding Ning’s serious expression, he turned angrily and left.

There was no refusal, but silent agreement. Ding Ning laughed happily and shouted behind him, “Then you must help prepare a carriage for me.”

 

While Li Daoji had the urge to draw his sword again, in the library cave, Nangong Caishu had finished reading, her face pale.

The owners of these ordinary notes were not particularly powerful cultivators, and their notes were disorganized, merely speculations and fleeting insights from their cultivation. But most of what was recorded were descriptions of the primal energies of the universe.

Most importantly, the owners of these two books were very humble about the primal energies of the universe and held similar thoughts.

One compared themselves to an empty bottle praying to the heavens. The process of cultivation involved the empty bottle sincerely praying to the heavens to bless some of the primal energies of the universe to enter the bottle.

The other said that when comprehending the primal energies of the universe, it was raining. They have observed the weather and the rain falling from the surrounding world to gather in their pond.

Compared to the vast world, the pond in his courtyard, and he himself, were all so small.

The water in the pond came from heaven’s blessing, not from his own extraction.

Seeing the similarity in the meanings of the two different books, Nangong Caishu felt increasingly shocked.

She began to feel that her and her father's attitudes toward the primal energies of the universe were wrong.

It was not that they lacked sufficient perception or knowledge and understanding of the primal energies of the universe. Their attitudes were simply too strong.

She wanted to forcibly draw the primal energies of the universe into her body, but she was so small compared to the primal energies of the universe.

So… by acknowledging her own insignificance and opening her body to allow the primal energies of the universe to be attracted to this new vessel, would they try to enter?

Ten thousand streams into the ocean… a pond on a rainy night appeared in Nangong Caishu's mind.

Countless droplets of water fell from the sky, landed on the grass around the pond, on the leaves of the trees, and then gathered into small streams that slowly flowed into the pond that had no ability to absorb water.

Her heart began to beat rapidly, and her eyes lit up like stars.

 

Notes:

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

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