Chapter 13

Ji Lie returned to his mansion with a sullen face, followed by the four-legged beast. As they walked through the mansion, the servants and guards either knelt or bowed their heads, not daring to breathe heavily. Everyone could tell that their master, Ji Lie, was in a very bad mood. Angering him would result in a swift and tragic death.

"Father." A voice came from a distance, and a middle-aged man with dozens of braids approached.

Ji Lie glanced at the man, who was his most capable son, Ji Wu Yu, also a transcendent being. He frowned and said, "Wu Yu, is this true? I had just gone out hunting when I received news that Ji Yichuan's little brat has already reached the Sword Mastery level, where the sword and the person are one?"

"Yes, Father." Ji Wu Yu sighed, "Today, Ji Ning competed against nine Nine-Tooth Warriors, and during the competition, his sword technique broke through. This is beyond doubt."

"Ah!" Ji Lie said with hatred, "Truly, the heavens do not help me, Ji Lie. My elder brother Ji Youyang was never as capable as I was. In my youthful arrogance, I let him take the position of Lord of the Manor. His descendants produced a remarkable Ji Yichuan, solidifying his lineage's status. Now, another prodigy, Ji Ning, has emerged, achieving Sword Mastery in just six years of practice!"

"Practicing for six years to achieve Sword Mastery, even the three prodigies we selected from various tribes are still far behind him." Ji Wu Yu shook his head.

To hinder Ji Ning, they had specially chosen three infants with extremely high talent from various tribes, who were about the same age as Ji Ning. They started training them from infancy, but they still fell short of Ji Ning.

"Just a little more, if Pi were a few years younger..." Ji Wu Yu sighed.

"Pi?" Ji Lie was taken aback.

Pi was his adopted son.

Back then, when Ji Lie led his army to punish a large tribe, he encountered a great demon, the Golden-Haired Bear. Itching for a fight, he engaged in a terrifying battle, which the Golden-Haired Bear eventually lost and fled. Ji Lie then raided the demon's lair and found an infant there, who appeared to be less than a year old but possessed innate strength... This made Ji Lie very fond of him: "You, little one, were captured by the Golden-Haired Bear but not killed, instead raised. Hahaha... From today on, you are my adopted son, and I will name you Pi!"

Adopting a child with extraordinary talent was a common practice.

Pi, who was brought back at the age of one, is now thirteen. Ji Lie has trained Pi as the most terrifying monster, making him fight beasts from infancy and later demon beasts, while also teaching him the most suitable cultivation methods...

He honed his saber skills through slaughter and achieved the 'Saber Mastery' realm last year.

"The Golden Sword Ceremony happens every four years, and there is one this year," Ji Wu Yu said with narrowed eyes. "There will be another one in four years. By then, Pi will be seventeen, and only those under sixteen can participate in the Golden Sword Ceremony. Pi won't be able to participate in four years, let alone block Ji Ning!"

"Our last hope now is the three young ones we have been training, hoping that one of them can become a transcendent being within four years," Ji Lie said in a low voice.

"Right!" Ji Wu Yu nodded. "They are the three I personally selected from various tribes as the most suitable for cultivating Qi. They have already reached the peak of the postnatal stage. If just one of them can advance to the transcendent stage, we will win for sure."

Ji Lie nodded. "A transcendent Qi cultivator can use magical treasures and is sure to win. But becoming a transcendent being is extremely difficult..."

"It's all up to fate now," Ji Wu Yu said in a low voice.

Ji Lie also nodded lightly.

Although they were competing for the position of Lord of the Manor, Ji Lie and his people had never thought of killing Ji Ning. In the vast land, for a tribe to survive... unity was essential, and internal strife was absolutely forbidden! Especially since Ji Ning was designated as a candidate, anyone who dared to use underhanded means to kill him would likely be eliminated by the combined forces of the five Ji manors!

******

A thick candle burned, illuminating the hall. Ji Yichuan sat at the head of the table, with Wei Chi Xue and Ji Ning on either side.

The family of three were eating the food on their respective tables.

"Yichuan." Wei Chi Xue looked at her son, who was gnawing on meat with his mouth full of oil, her eyes filled with pride. "Ning has laid the foundation in three years and achieved Sword Mastery in another three! The position of Lord of the Manor seems to be a sure thing."

Ji Yichuan held a ram's horn cup and nodded slightly. "Ji Ning spars with others using only his internal strength, without using the first cultivation method of the Divine Body, the 'Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart.' And when Ji Ning spars with outsiders, he only uses a single sword."

Others might not know Ji Ning's true strength, but Ji Yichuan and his wife were very clear about it.

Winning the Golden Sword?

It would be as easy as taking something from a pocket!

"Even now, if Ji Ning goes all out, he can easily win the Golden Sword. In four years, even a transcendent being won't be able to stop him." Ji Yichuan poured himself more wine.

Ji Ning, meanwhile, was eating and drinking heartily.

Because he was cultivating the first Divine Body method, the 'Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart,' he had a divine-like appetite. He could easily eat dozens of pounds of demon beast meat at each meal. He had already reached the third level two years ago and was now stuck at a bottleneck, just one step away from the fourth level!

The fourth level would make him a transcendent being, and as a transcendent being of the first Divine Body method, his combat power would far surpass that of ordinary transcendent beings by a hundred or a thousand times.

"Gu gu gu~~~" Ji Ning picked up a large water jug, drank the hot water in one breath, and then put down the jug, patting his stomach. "That was refreshing."

"Ning." Wei Chi Xue smiled at her son.

"Mother." Ji Ning was very obedient. He could feel that his father loved him and also valued the tribe, while his mother almost devoted all her thoughts to him. In her eyes, even the rise and fall of the Ji clan were far less important than her son.

Wei Chi Xue looked at her son. "When your father taught you the '108 Heavenly Swords,' it was the most complex sword technique and the best set of techniques for achieving Sword Mastery. But now that you have reached Sword Mastery, the '108 Heavenly Swords' are no longer useful to you."

"Right." Ji Yichuan also looked at his son. "When I had you prepare your body and mind, practicing each thrust, slash, and stab to be as fast as lightning and incredibly precise, it was to ingrain them in your bones. Then, I had you practice the '108 Heavenly Swords,' which is... from simple to complex!"

"The way of the sword first goes from simple to complex, and then from complex to simple, to truly master the sword technique." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "Now that you have achieved Sword Mastery, your every sword movement is as natural as picking something up, which is the process of simplifying the complex."

Ji Ning nodded.

He understood this principle. If he foolishly kept practicing the basic thirteen moves, such as thrusting, slashing, and stabbing, he could still become a sword expert. But without the transformation process of 'from simple to complex and from complex to simple,' it would be very difficult to truly achieve Sword Mastery.

"Next, you need to align your body with the will of heaven, achieving oneness with heaven and man." Ji Yichuan sighed. "This step is also extremely difficult."

"Oneness with heaven and man..." Ji Ning was full of anticipation.

"Your previous sword techniques are no longer useful to you." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "Your realm is now sufficient to cultivate the highest sword technique of our Ji clan."

Ji Ning's eyes lit up. The highest sword technique of the Ji clan?

"Our Ji clan is renowned for our sword techniques." Ji Yichuan sighed. "The capital city of the Ji clan's main manor is named 'Myriad Sword City' because our clan initially established itself and built this foundation with the 'Myriad Sword Melody.'"

"Over thousands of years, our Ji clan has developed five highest sword techniques: the 'Myriad Sword Melody,' the 'Thunderfire Sword Remnant,' the 'Illusion Demon Book,' the 'Dripping Water Scripture,' and the 'Big Dipper Secret Text.' Each is extremely profound, created by beings who have surpassed the realm of oneness with heaven and man. If practiced to some degree, they are immensely powerful." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "I cultivate the 'Dripping Water Scripture.' Generally, even if one reaches Sword Mastery, they can only choose one. Distracting oneself is not good, but since you can multitask, you can choose up to two."

Whoosh!

Five books appeared in Ji Yichuan's hand, and he casually threw them. The five books spun and landed on the edge of the table, one on top of the other, without touching any bowls or jars.

"The highest sword techniques?" Ji Ning looked at the five books in front of him, understanding that these were only simplified versions, and he would only receive the complete versions after making his choice.

"Choose carefully."

Ji Yichuan looked at his son seriously. "Once chosen, it must be recorded for the five Ji manors to verify! If not recorded, it is considered stealing, and stealing will result in the five Ji manors working together to 'silence' the thief."

"Ah!" Ji Ning, though he understood, was still surprised. "Why didn't I have this restriction when I cultivated the 'Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart'?"

"The 'Chi Ming Nine Heavens Chart' is the first Divine Body method, but it is also the most widely spread. Tribes of our Ji clan's level almost all have this set. Whether it is spread outside or not is not important." Ji Yichuan looked at his son. "Generally, cultivation methods for Qi and the body are not considered precious. Techniques that are considered supreme are not easily spread, like these five sword techniques. In the vast land of Yan Mountain, four of them are exclusive to our Ji clan, while only the 'Big Dipper Secret Text' is also possessed by another force, the 'Black Fire Sect.'"

Ji Ning nodded.

He knew that in the vast land of Yan Mountain, besides the garrison of the Great Xia Dynasty, there were five other dominant forces, and the Ji clan was one of them.

The six dominant forces constantly fought each other but would never provoke the garrison of the Great Xia Dynasty!

"Right." Ji Ning immediately lowered his head to browse through the five supreme sword techniques. Even at the level of Sword Mastery, mastering one of these supreme techniques would likely increase his strength several times over.

"The Dripping Water Scripture..." Ji Ning first flipped through the technique that his father had become famous with.

His father's title was the Dripping Water Sword.