Chapter 6: The True White Goat Hanging Horn

Sword Dynasty

Volume 2

Chapter 6: The True White Goat Hanging Horn

Through the curtain, Ding Ning silently sensed the changes in the sword within Zhangsun Qianxue's body. When a dark blue flame faintly lit up in the center of Zhangsun Qianxue's forehead, he knew that from now on, this sword would no longer cause any harm to her body and she would be much safer in Changling.

However, this also meant that his realm would be even further apart from Zhangsun Qianxue's.

He closed his eyes and began cultivating as well. His cultivation tonight was different from usual.

As countless tiny snowflakes landed on the roof tiles, with a sound so soft that only cultivators could hear them clearly, countless tiny sounds also rang out within his body. All the tiny silkworms hiding within his body seemed to emerge simultaneously and become extremely active.

For cultivators, they usually only had one place to store their physical energy, and that was the energy sea.

But at this moment, the countless silkworms within his body opened their mouths as if they were spitting out silk; A wave of tiny waves of physical energy erupted. Thousands of streams formed an ocean. The entire space in his energy sea was slowly filled with physical energy, yet countless tiny streams of physical energy were still flowing in from within his body. His energy sea swelled and was about to explode. These countless tiny waves of physical energy emanating from his body, incomprehensible to ordinary cultivators, were more powerful than the original physical energy in his energy sea, and they continued to press in.

Sensing that his energy sea was about to explode, Ding Ning shifted his thoughts. The celestial aperture of his energy sea opened, and a wave of physical energy rapidly flowed throughout his body at a speed completely impossible to achieve normally.

The surging physical energy formed a rapid circulation within his body. Under the pressure of the full and swelling energy sea, the tiny waves of physical energy and the physical energy already stored in his energy sea merged completely, becoming even denser.

Every bone in his body emitted countless soft sounds. Countless tiny bursts of physical energy penetrated the deepest layers and began to nourish the marrow river in the deepest part of his bone marrow.

His Nine Death Silkworm Divine Art and Three Corpses Nonself Consciousness Sutra synchronized into perfect harmony. The countless tiny silkworms within his body began to withdraw their physical energy and rapidly disappeared. His energy sea calmed down.

He reached Energy Refinement first-class, Marrow Conversion.

Among the cultivation methods of the various Changling sects, the higher one's cultivation realm, the better one's physical energy or vital energy would nourish the body, and the longer a cultivator would live.

However, when his energy sea calmed down, a new fire seemed to ignite in his five internal organs, and his energies became even stronger and more powerful than before. The stronger the energies in his five organs, the faster his physical energy would transform during cultivation, and the faster his cultivation progress would be.

This meant that the Nine Death Silkworm Divine Art, besides some abilities that were still a mystery and unknown to any cultivator in the world, would allow its user to cultivate and breakthrough faster as their cultivation realm got higher.

This was an incredible matter in itself. All other cultivation methods in the world, the higher one's cultivation realm, the slower one's cultivation progress and breakthroughs would be.

Compared to Ding Ning’s true cultivation at this moment, Ding Ning’s advancement speed was not considered fast. There were many geniuses his age who had likely already reached the Vital Energy Realm and were ahead of him at this moment.

For example, An Baoshi of the Spirit Void Sword Sect and Jing Liuli of the Min Mountain Sword Sect. These two legendary freaks, actually only needed a month to reach realm two; Energy Refinement from realm one. However, according to their records, they took eight months to reach realm three; Vital Energy from realm two.

This kind of speed was already terrifying for an ordinary cultivator, as most cultivators would need at least several years to achieve such a feat. Some other cultivators faced a similar problem to Nangong Caishu, unable to even sense the primal energies of the universe, thus becoming stuck in realm two.

But eight months compared to one month was eight times longer. The next step from the Vital Energy Realm to the Energy Fusing Realm would take an even eightfold longer time for ordinary cultivators. They would need at least six to eight years. The next step after that would require another eightfold longer, at least forty-eight years.

Therefore, some cultivators without special opportunities and exceptional talent would simply waste their lives just trying to reach realm five; the Spirit Thought Realm. This was the true reason that cultivators of realm six and above were so few and far between, and cultivators realm seven and above, grandmasters.

This unique characteristic of the Nine Death Silkworm Divine Art meant Ding Ning could significantly shorten the time he spent in each realm. However, as his five energies grew stronger, if his body would not be able to keep up, then it would mean that he would compensate with his lifespan. This was akin to trading his longevity for his cultivation speed.

Therefore, Zhangsun Qianxue, who had long detected this characteristic, concluded that this Nine Death Silkworm was a cultivation technique that sought his own death.

If someone cultivated like Nangong Caishu and would get stuck at a breakthrough in a certain realm, then the person cultivating this technique would die before they even received any increase in their cultivation speed.

 

At the highest Taoist temple in the White Goat Cave, as the snowflakes made their way down, Xue Wangxu and Li Daoji stood overlooking the valley.

“You certainly didn’t invite me here just to accompany you to gaze at the snow Li Daoji said after a long silence. “Just say what you want to say. Being so sentimental is Zhang Yi’s personality, not yours.”

“I wrote a letter today to Governor Helan of Beidi Commandery. You will depart tomorrow. By the time you arrive, he should have read my letter.” Xue Wangxu spoke quietly, without looking at Li Daoji. He simply continued to gaze at the snowflakes swirling in the mountain breeze.

Li Daoji also did not look at Xue Wangxu and remained silent for a while.

“His Majesty must be angry because of the matter regarding Bai Shanshui. You are not from Wei, but from Han, and you are also in the White Goat Cave. You could be blamed.” Xue Wangxu said warmly.

Li Daoji’s eyebrows rose sharply. He said coldly. “As long as you're in the White Goat Cave, even if Bai Shanshui's matter stirs up some commotion, I won't have to leave Changling and hide in Beidi. We've known each other and been together for so long, so it's time to part ways. Speak plainly, there's no point in using such excuses against me.”

Xue Wangxu smiled sheepishly, like a child who had been caught lying. “It seems there's no point.” The smile on his face immediately disappeared. “Perhaps it's because White Goat Cave is too small. I've never seen a genius with Ding Ning's talent in all my years here. I've also never seen the legendary figures of the Spirit Void Sword Sect and the Min Mountain Sword Sect. I don't know how they compare to Ding Ning. But since Ding Ning won against Su Qin at the Green Vine Sword School, I'm confident that if we give him enough time, his future achievements will surpass mine. I'm too old. No matter how much I cherish my life, even if I use all the time I have left, I can't even surpass a minor class, let alone a realm. It's better for me to guide him a little further,” he said seriously.

Li Daoji fell silent again.

If he were Xue Wangxu, he would have made the same choice. He knew that if he left the Taoist temple this time, he might never see this white-haired old man again.

“In life, when people come together, there comes a time when they must part. Just like me and my eldest sect brother. I have practiced self-restraint my entire life. I only acted rashly once, when I revealed my cultivation on the path outside Changling. I felt that wasn’t enough. Fortunately, Eldest Sect Brother brought Ding Ning to me. Even the most reckless act intentionally has meaning.” Xue Wangxu smiled as he said these few words. He then reached out and grasped the small white jade sword hanging from his waist.

Li Daoji suddenly realized something. He turned around abruptly, wanting to say something.

But Xue Wangxu shook his head. “Look at this sword technique carefully.” He motioned for him not to speak and look.

Then Xue Wangxu swung his sword.

A white sword energy surged off the sword blade and flowed swiftly, gathering at the tip. In the snowy sky before him, an empty space devoid of anything was suddenly created by the powerful primal energies of the universe in the air ahead. Then, a curved, snow-white goat horn appeared in this space.

A simple move; White Goat Hanging Horn.

The most common sword technique in the White Goat Sword Manual.

“You need to remember.”

Xue Wangxu gazed with satisfaction at the snow-white sword energy before speaking solemnly and softly. “The most important part of the White Goat Hanging Horn is not the hanging of the horn, but self-control and counterbalance. I wonder if you still remember that I took you to see a fight between white goats in the mountains the first day you joined the White Goat Cave.”

Li Daoji closed his eyes. He tried hard to try to remember and the long forgotten scene finally came to his mind.

In that scene, two curved-horned white goats were fighting. One of them simply stood firm against its clearly more ferocious opponent, using its thickest and strongest horns to defend against its opponent’s repeated attacks.

It did not even attempt a counterattack.

The opponent’s fierce attacks eventually even broke one of its horns. But it simply continued to defend, and the broken horn pierced its opponent’s head.

Li Daoji took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and finally understood the true meaning of White Goat Hanging Horn.

Xue Wangxu looked at him and knew that he had understood. Xue Wangxu smiled with satisfaction and handed the small white jade sword to Li Daoji.

Li Daoji accepted the sword, knelt before Xue Wangxu, kowtowed three times, and then rose to leave.

He did not say another word. Xue Wangxu watched the red sword hilt in front of Li Daoji's chest move away until it disappeared from his sight.

 

Notes:

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

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