Chapter 14

Yun'er was initially silent, then countered, "Have you ever heard of the Life-Bound Mystical Art?"

"Life-Bound Mystical Art?"

Zhuang Wudao shook his head, "I've heard of it, but I've never seen it."

According to the classics, it is an extremely powerful spell that requires a martial art to be advanced to the beginner level before the Qi Practitioner stage.

However, very few people can achieve it. For example, his Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist needs to reach the 'Dragon Roar Tiger Cry' stage.

Perhaps to keep it a secret, the books in the martial arts hall are vague, and he has had little contact with cultivators, making it difficult to know the details.

Yun'er thought for a moment, then reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him forcefully.

Zhuang Wudao felt his feet suddenly lose their footing, and his body began to fall. Just as he was startled, he saw that the scenery before him had changed.

It was no longer the space filled with colorful mist, but a vast, boundless sea.

Yun'er stood beside him and pointed forward, "Look carefully over there!"

Zhuang Wudao followed her finger and saw a young man with a clear and refined appearance, standing in the air, performing a strange and relaxed boxing stance, wearing a white robe, with a transcendent and ethereal aura.

However, around this person, there were hundreds of sword lights constantly flickering and weaving back and forth.

He could vaguely see that these sword lights were controlled by people. But these people had transformed into rainbows, making it impossible to see their figures clearly.

At this moment, all the sword lights were pointing at the young man in the white robe, who was standing with his hands behind his back. However, an inexplicable force blocked and shielded him, preventing the sword lights from getting close. The energy surges caused a series of tsunamis below.

Blood began to seep from the corners of the young man's lips, and his face turned pale.

But then, Zhuang Wudao saw the young man suddenly extend his fists, as if encompassing the entire world in an instant. The space around him froze, and the entire sea, spanning countless miles, came to a complete standstill.

Not only did the hundreds of sword lights in the air stop moving, but the massive waves, the fish in the sea, the clouds in the sky, and the birds in the clouds were all frozen in place, as if time itself had stopped.

This absolute stillness lasted for several breaths. Then the young man moved again, embracing his arms and shaking them. The entire world exploded. Whether it was the rainbow-like figures in the sword lights or the massive creatures lurking in the deep sea, all of them burst into pieces, blood splattering everywhere!

When the area around the young man returned to normal, the entire visible sea was devoid of any living creatures!

Only a few sword lights remained, fleeing in a disheveled manner.

Zhuang Wudao was profoundly shocked, unable to recover for a long time.

The legendary immortals could move mountains and overturn seas. But the young man before him was far more than that! The overwhelming momentum when he froze the vast sea could be described as playing and kneading the world in his palm!

Could that person be the legendary immortal?

When he finally regained his senses, he realized that the boundless sea had disappeared, and the white-robed young man who had just slaughtered countless beings was also gone. The surroundings were still filled with colorful mist, and he had returned to the initial space.

Yun'er stood quietly in front of him, waiting patiently.

Zhuang Wudao took a deep breath, trying to suppress his emotions, and then asked curiously, "Who is that person? Has he reached the realm of immortals? What exactly happened just now?"

"This person is named Phoenix Tribulation. He was the first Sword Master of the Light Cloud Sword before you!"

For some reason, Yun'er's eyes were slightly melancholic, "What you saw just now is an image from the Light Cloud Sword's memory. It was Phoenix Tribulation's first battle after advancing to the Immortal King stage. The Four Hundred Sword Immortals of the Bright Sword Sect were almost completely annihilated, with only one person escaping safely. The result of this battle shocked the world, and the once glorious Bright Sword Sect never recovered. The technique Phoenix Tribulation used then was his famous 'Life Unmatched, Yin-Yang Chaos!'"

"Life Unmatched, Yin-Yang Chaos?"

Zhuang Wudao murmured, his eyes gleaming with excitement, "Is this a Life-Bound Mystical Art?"

Such immense power!

"Exactly!"

Yun'er nodded slightly, "The Life-Bound Mystical Art, also known as the Life-Bound Divine Skill or Life Unmatched. You should know that the human body has nine spirit orifices, and only when all are opened can one have their own inner world. Cultivators go through the stages of Qi Practitioner, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Essence Spirit, Void Practice, Dao Union, Reversion, and Great Ascension, plus the Immortal Stage, each stage opening one spirit orifice!"

Zhuang Wudao listened intently, not wanting to miss a single word. After witnessing the power of Phoenix Tribulation's 'Yin-Yang Chaos,' he could not help but pay attention to this so-called 'Life-Bound Mystical Art.'

The scene of the hundreds of sword immortals being completely annihilated, and the countless beings exploding in a burst of blood, was deeply etched in his mind, impossible to forget!

He thought to himself that whether it was the Life-Bound Mystical Art, Life-Bound Divine Skill, or Life Unmatched, they all revolved around one's life essence. It must be closely related to one's life foundation.

Sure enough, Yun'er continued, "Each spirit orifice, when opened, can refine one's bloodline and extract essence energy, forming a Life-Bound Mystical Art. It is a technique that integrates a martial art or spell one has mastered into one's essence soul and bloodline, cultivated with one's life and blood. It far surpasses ordinary spells and martial arts. However, this Life-Bound Mystical Art is not something ordinary cultivators can master, and the conditions are extremely stringent. For example, the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist you practice can also form a Life-Bound Divine Skill. However, it must be mastered before the Qi Practitioner stage, combining the two fist techniques to produce the 'Dragon Roar Tiger Cry' sound, reaching the First Heaven stage. Once the spirit orifice is opened at the Qi Practitioner stage, a Life-Bound Mystical Art called 'Dragon Struggle Tiger Fight' can be formed, with considerable power, even capable of instantly killing a Second Heaven Qi Practitioner. Unless the opponent has a Life-Bound Mystical Art of the same level to counter it."

Zhuang Wudao was taken aback, thinking to himself, "So that's how it is!" He only knew that the sect placed great importance on those who could advance a top-tier martial art to the First Heaven stage before the Qi Practitioner stage, often emphasizing it. But he did not know the underlying reason.

"Dragon Struggle Tiger Fight, surpassing a stage—this means that I can match or even surpass a Second Heaven Qi Practitioner when I am at the First Heaven stage?"

At this moment, he felt incredibly fortunate. If it weren't for this sword spirit girl named Yun'er, and the fortuitous encounter with this broken old sword, he would likely have rushed to the Qi Practitioner stage after just grasping the basics of the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist, missing the opportunity to form his Life-Bound Mystical Art, and eventually becoming just another ordinary cultivator.

"However, even Life-Bound Mystical Arts have different levels! They are roughly divided into nine grades, from the lowest to the highest: Fourth Grade Supreme, Third Grade Extraordinary, Second Grade Holy, and First Grade Heaven-Covering. Above the First Grade, there are the legendary Supreme and Heaven-Opening levels. So, there are actually eleven levels in total."

As Yun'er spoke, she saw Zhuang Wudao looking at her with hopeful eyes. However, she shook her head, completely shattering his hopes and expectations.

"The Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist, although excellent, can form a Life-Bound Mystical Art of at most the Fifth Grade. The Form and Intent Six Harmonies, after mastering the 'Six Harmonies Divine Intent' at the beginner level, can be classified as a Fourth Grade Supreme Life-Bound Mystical Art. The Great Boulder Hand and the Bull Demon Mystic Body are the most supreme techniques, directly pointing to the Immortal Stage. The 'Mountain Splitting Rock Breaking' of the Great Boulder Hand, when initially mastered, is a Third Grade Extraordinary Life-Bound Mystical Art. Once fully mastered at the Immortal Stage, it can form the First Grade Heaven-Covering 'Heaven Overturning Earth Shaking.' As for the Bull Demon Mystic Body, I am not entirely sure, but it should be on par with the Great Boulder Hand. At its peak, it can reach a state where no blade can harm and no spell can affect, making it invincible."

Zhuang Wudao was still puzzled, "But what does this have to do with you wanting me to practice the Form and Intent Six Harmonies and the Great Boulder Hand? According to what you said, one spirit orifice can only accommodate one Life-Bound Mystical Art."

"That's true, but Life-Bound Mystical Arts can also be combined, taking the strengths of each and integrating them. The prerequisite is that you can master multiple martial arts and spells."

Yun'er smiled, "The unity of the Form and Intent Six Harmonies, the Bull Demon Mystic Body's invincible aura, the earth-shattering power of the Great Boulder Hand, and the combined dragon and tiger of the Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist. The Life-Bound Mystical Art formed by integrating these four can be both offensive and defensive, surpassing any single one."

She then added, "Furthermore, the Sword Cultivation Technique I taught you is the most advanced sword cultivation technique in the world! Besides nurturing the strongest and sharpest sword qi, it can also open some pseudo-spirit orifices in the human body!"

"Pseudo-spirit orifices?"

"Exactly! Besides the nine major spirit orifices in the human body, there are also some secondary orifices, which I call pseudo-spirit orifices. There are about three hundred to three hundred and sixty of them, and no one has been able to discover all of them after seven tribulations. Their specific locations are considered secret by the major sects and are never revealed. Therefore, the strength of independent cultivators often falls short of that of sect cultivators. Even I, after twelve generations of Sword Masters, only know the locations of seventy pseudo-spirit orifices. Pseudo-spirit orifices vary in size and can accommodate different levels of mystical arts. However, once a pseudo-mystical art is formed, its power is generally about 20-30% lower than that of a true Life-Bound Mystical Art. The Sword Cultivation Technique you practice can help you open two pseudo-spirit orifices during the Qi Practitioner stage!"

Zhuang Wudao raised his eyebrows, so it seemed that he had to learn the Great Boulder Hand and the Form and Intent Six Harmonies!

He also realized that one Life-Bound Mystical Art and two pseudo-mystical arts. The Dragon Subduing Tiger Taming Fist he practiced was not part of Yun'er's plan, and it was optional.

Then he thought of the white-robed young man named Phoenix Tribulation and the strike that killed countless beings over thousands of miles.

"I also want to know, what level is Phoenix Tribulation's 'Yin-Yang Chaos'?"

Yun'er looked back at Zhuang Wudao with surprise and then said calmly, "It is Supreme! The unparalleled Supreme Mystical Art in the world! Even other Immortal Kings cannot escape from the Yin-Yang Chaos!"

Zhuang Wudao's heart skipped a beat and continued, "Can I practice it?"

"It is possible, but it is extremely difficult, almost impossible to achieve!"

Yun'er explained, "To master the 'Yin-Yang Chaos,' just to reach the beginner level, you need to advance the 'Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Great Sorrow' to the Third Heaven stage. You should know that if I don't help you, it would take you at least twenty years to master the Bull Demon Mystic Body. The same goes for the Great Boulder Hand. Without my guidance, it would take you over thirty years to achieve a small success. The difficulty of practicing the 'Heaven and Earth Yin-Yang Great Sorrow' is a hundred times greater than these two!"