Chapter 110: Heavenly Sword Sect

“No need for that. Although the Immortal Ping Sect is quite far from here, my elder brother and I have long been accustomed to wandering around, so it’s nothing to worry about. Besides, ordinary cultivators would hardly be able to harm me. In fact, being with you feels somewhat dangerous,” Yu Jing said to Yang Xiao.

“What do you mean by that, Miss Yu Jing? Are you implying that I am a villain? It seems my good intentions have been mistaken for something unpleasant,” Yang Xiao shook his head and replied.

“Yang Xiao, there’s no need to take it so seriously. I was merely joking. I know your character and appreciate your kindness, but I fear that being with you might bring unnecessary trouble, which would be difficult to handle later. It’s better for us to part ways sooner rather than later. I hope we will have the chance to meet again in the future,” Yu Jing said, then turned away with a gentle smile.

Yang Xiao shook his head once more. It was time for him to press on. This place was still quite a distance from the Heavenly Sword Sect. Fortunately, he had previously gathered some information about the sect, so he was quite clear on the route.

Traveling toward the Heavenly Sword Sect, Yang Xiao took out Murong Ba’s storage pouch along the way. Inside were numerous spirit stones and materials, as well as two jade slips containing cultivation techniques: one called the Soul Devouring Divine Art and the other the Thousand Illusions Transformation.

Yang Xiao had already witnessed Murong Ba’s mastery of these two rare skills. The Thousand Illusions Transformation was a technique for creating illusions, and whenever Murong Ba used it, Yang Xiao had found himself trapped and barely escaped. The Soul Devouring Divine Art was even more formidable, capable of directly absorbing the cultivation of other cultivators—a truly extraordinary power.

Yang Xiao examined the two techniques carefully and realized they were not as formidable as he had initially thought. Both had significant limitations. The Thousand Illusions Transformation, while capable of creating illusions, could only trap opponents weaker than oneself. If the adversary’s cultivation was higher, the illusion could easily be dispelled. Even against cultivators of equal strength, its effectiveness was limited unless one’s divine sense could utterly overwhelm the opponent. Otherwise, the technique had little practical value.

The Soul Devouring Divine Art, though more powerful, had even clearer drawbacks. Its cultivation required absorbing the cultivation of other cultivators to convert it into one’s own. But since it was someone else’s cultivation, complete transformation was impossible, leaving behind residual traces. This inevitably planted a hidden danger within oneself. As the foreign cultivation grew inside, it could become uncontrollable during use, possibly causing backlash and leading to demonic deviation.

The Soul Devouring Divine Art also clearly stated that while it could rapidly increase cultivation, it could only raise it by one major realm. For example, a Qi Condensation stage cultivator could only advance to the Perfection Cycle stage, but no further.

From this perspective, cultivating the Soul Devouring Divine Art was tantamount to sacrificing one’s future. It would increase cultivation by one realm but prevent any further advancement—something Yang Xiao did not desire. He aspired to reach even higher realms.

Given these flaws, Yang Xiao decided he would never practice this technique.

Murong Ba had likely chosen this path because he felt his chances of reaching the Perfection Cycle were slim and sought to advance recklessly to stand at the forefront of the Yao Kingdom’s cultivation world and realize his ambitions.

However, with his past life’s experience, Yang Xiao was confident that reaching the Golden Core stage was merely a matter of time, so he would not resort to such a risky and flawed technique.

Having completely ruled out the Soul Devouring Divine Art, Yang Xiao planned to seal it away and never practice it. Yet, the Thousand Illusions Transformation still held some appeal as an auxiliary offensive skill capable of creating illusions. Especially with Yang Xiao’s strong divine sense, he believed it could be effective against opponents of the same rank.

After considering both techniques, Yang Xiao decided that, when time permitted, he would practice the Thousand Illusions Transformation but never the Soul Devouring Divine Art.

With his decisions made, Yang Xiao set off swiftly toward the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Half a month later, Yang Xiao arrived at the sect’s location. Like the Immortal Ping Sect, the Heavenly Sword Sect was situated within a vast mountain range, aptly named the Heavenly Sword Mountains.

Compared to the Wanren Mountain Range, the Heavenly Sword Mountains were no smaller and were entirely owned by the Heavenly Sword Sect. Beneath the mountain range flowed a massive spiritual vein winding tens of thousands of miles, an exceptional place for cultivation.

This spiritual vein was far superior to the one on Giant Spirit Mountain. Because of this, the Heavenly Sword Sect could cultivate a large number of high-level cultivators. If these cultivators were placed in the Wanren Mountain Range where the Giant Spirit Sect was located, each would likely be capable of leveling the three main mountain veins there. However, such experts rarely ventured into remote borderlands like the Yao Kingdom, preferring to remain in more favorable cultivation environments.

At the foot of the Heavenly Sword Mountains, two young boys guarded the path. Though only thirteen or fourteen years old, both had reached the pinnacle of the Spiritual Sense stage.

Aware that the sect would be heavily protected by various restrictions, Yang Xiao refrained from rushing in and instead stopped his flight some distance away, approaching on foot.

Upon seeing him, the two boys respectfully saluted. One said, “Esteemed senior, may I ask the purpose of your visit to the Heavenly Sword Sect?”

As cultivators of the Spiritual Sense stage, they naturally showed deference to Yang Xiao, who was at the Qi Condensation stage, addressing him as a senior—a sign of respect from lower-ranked cultivators to higher-ranked ones.

“I intend to join your Heavenly Sword Sect. I’ve heard the sect warmly welcomes wandering cultivators from the four regions. I am a wandering cultivator myself and hope you might assist by passing along a recommendation,” Yang Xiao replied politely.

“So you wish to join our sect. That requires passing the assessment conducted by Senior Disciple Liu at the Examination Hall. Please wait here briefly; I will report your request. If Senior Disciple Liu approves, you will be allowed to proceed to the Examination Hall for the test. Upon passing, you will become a formal disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect,” the boy said with a bow before entering the mountain to deliver the message.