Chapter 58

Qin Sang flipped to the last page of the family genealogy but found no trace of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. The highest realm achieved was by an ancestor named Song Yi, who only reached the seventh level of the Qi Condensation stage and went missing after an outing, never to be heard from again.

The Sword Intent Decree of Shaohua Mountain might still be lying in the tomb of the Song family’s ancestor!

Qin Sang’s fingers clutched the Song family genealogy, his eyes flickering with uncertainty. Although his understanding of the cultivation world was still limited, the benefits of joining a sect were obvious.

Just like the shopkeeper next to the Divine Artifact Pavilion, the envy of the scattered cultivators towards sect disciples could be heard in their words.

But Song Hua had saved his life, whether intentionally or not, Qin Sang had to be grateful. He never claimed to be a good person and would not actively harm his savior.

Moreover, Shaohua Mountain was a major orthodox sect. If he really lacked spiritual roots, the Sword Intent Decree would be useless to him.

Qin Sang sighed lightly, put down the Song family genealogy, and picked up another unnamed book, while also taking out the blackwood sword hidden in his chest.

The unnamed book was actually the "Song Family Sword Technique," the very technique needed to activate the blackwood sword!

The so-called "Song Family Sword Technique" was actually a modified version of the sword control technique from Shaohua Mountain, adapted by the Song family’s ancestor.

After cultivating the sword technique, one could control the sword with their divine sense, soaring through the sky, and with a single thought, the sword would fly across the sky, graceful as a startled swan and agile as a dragon, swiftly departing and returning, capable of slaying enemies from a thousand miles away.

When the sword control technique was cultivated to a certain realm, one could transform sword qi into a rainbow and fly with the sword, displaying great divine might, evoking awe and admiration.

Qin Sang had long been eager to fly with a sword. The basic spells in the "Netherworld Scripture" only enhanced movement speed, and the levitation technique could only allow one to stand in the air for a short time, not fly at will.

The reason Qin Sang couldn’t activate the blackwood sword was due to the lack of this sword technique.

According to the Song family genealogy, a fourth-generation ancestor once discovered a fragment of a flying sword treasure while exploring the remains of an ancient cultivator’s cave.

Although it was a fragment, it still possessed the quality of a treasure.

Only cultivators at the Core Formation stage or above could refine treasures, each one made from extremely precious materials, refined day and night by Core Formation cultivators, with terrifying power that even the finest magical weapons could not match.

The Song family ancestor was overjoyed upon obtaining the flying sword fragment and spared no expense to hire a renowned refining master from the market to refine the fragment into the blackwood sword.

As a result, the blackwood sword was neither a treasure nor a magical weapon, but distinctly different from both. Due to its essence being a fragment of a treasure, it was far harder and sharper than ordinary spirit swords and could only be activated with the sword technique.

However, the blackwood sword had a significant drawback: it consumed a lot of energy. Only cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage could sustain its use, while those at the tenth level of Qi Condensation could barely activate it.

Cultivators below the tenth level had too little spiritual energy and needed to hold spirit stones to accumulate sufficient energy to release a single strike.

With Qin Sang’s current wealth, he could release up to eight strikes.

Of course, the blackwood sword’s power was formidable, making it difficult for opponents of the same realm to resist.

Qin Sang held the "Netherworld Scripture" in one hand and the "Song Family Sword Technique" in the other, lost in thought.

Whether cultivating the sword technique or the spells, it couldn’t be achieved overnight. It required a long time and was a gradual process.

If cultivating the spells affected his cultivation, it would be counterproductive.

How to balance this was a decision he had to make.

Qin Sang had never fought other cultivators and didn’t know which of the five spells to choose, but focusing all his energy on the "Song Family Sword Technique" was also unwise.

Even if he found yin sha qi and his soul pill continued to grow, as his realm advanced, his cultivation speed would slow down, and the occasional bottlenecks would make it impossible to break through the tenth level of Qi Condensation within a few years.

Without reaching the tenth level of Qi Condensation, he would need to absorb spirit stones and prepare in advance each time he used the blackwood sword. In a crisis, his opponent wouldn’t give him the time to prepare.

He still had to rely on spells and magical weapons like the Purple Soul Bell to fight, using the blackwood sword as a last resort.

Of course, he still needed to practice the "Song Family Sword Technique."

After throwing away Song Hua’s miscellaneous items and replacing them with his own, Qin Sang felt much lighter. After all, carrying all that gold and silver was quite a burden.

The Purple Soul Bell and the Heavenly Silkworm Treasure Armor were still outside, ready to handle any crisis. Qin Sang then lost all interest in cultivating the "Netherworld Scripture" and immersed himself in the "Song Family Sword Technique."

For an entire day, Qin Sang didn’t step out of the courtyard, completely engrossed in the "Song Family Sword Technique."

The first step in sword control was to nurture the sword. Only by fully understanding the characteristics of one’s spirit sword and merging one’s mind with the sword could one control it freely and unleash the true power of the sword technique.

Qin Sang used his divine sense to communicate with the blackwood sword, following the instructions in the sword technique. He first refined it with his blood to gain the sword’s recognition. After a whole day, he finally managed to store the blackwood sword in his dantian, nurturing it there.

This method of nurturing a spirit sword was the most basic technique from Shaohua Mountain.

The "Song Family Sword Technique" stated that when nurturing the sword was complete and the realm of man and sword as one was achieved, one would truly enter the path of the sword. This was too distant for Qin Sang.

Even when not in cultivation mode, Qin Sang could still feel the blackwood sword in his dantian.

Qin Sang spread his palm, and with a thought, a black glow appeared in his hand. The small blackwood sword floated above his palm, the previously unremarkable wooden sword now shining with a faint light, looking extraordinary.

Qin Sang’s face was slightly pale, but his eyes were filled with excitement. He couldn’t resist pointing forward and softly saying, “Go!”

The blackwood sword trembled and then wobbled forward, moving very slowly. After flying less than a few feet, Qin Sang’s face turned deathly pale, and he quickly recalled the blackwood sword into his body, taking a deep breath, his face still showing lingering fear.

In his excitement, he had forgotten the significant amount of spiritual energy he had expended while nurturing the sword.

Moreover, the blackwood sword consumed an astonishing amount of spiritual energy. Just flying that short distance nearly depleted his energy.

After sitting in meditation for a while, Qin Sang recovered. Realizing that nurturing the sword couldn’t be rushed, he took out the "Netherworld Scripture" and began practicing the spells.

These basic auxiliary spells were very simple. With his experience with the object control technique, Qin Sang learned them all in a few hours.

Of course, to use them proficiently required diligent practice.

Qin Sang tried each spell on a piece of sheepskin, but the results were disappointing.

In the end, Qin Sang chose the Cloud Escape and Ten Thousand Miles of Ice, one for escaping and the other for combat, both of which he urgently needed.

He already had the Purple Soul Bell and the Ice Silkworm Treasure Armor, which had similar effects to the Fog Lock and Water Barrier, so he didn’t need to cultivate those first.

As for the Shape Shifting technique, Qin Sang felt that even if he created an illusionary clone to confuse the enemy, once the enemy saw through it, he still couldn’t escape.