Chapter 74

Last time, Qi Feng couldn't understand the *Nine Yang Manual*, and this time he couldn't learn the sword technique. This made him fall into deep self-doubt.

"…I might as well go down the mountain and be an ordinary martial artist…" The light remark from the Sword Saint Dugu Jian sheng echoed in Qi Feng's ears, leaving him feeling as if a thunderbolt had struck.

A high-achieving student of a national 211 key university, who had excelled in over a dozen subjects from primary school to high school, and had passed countless exams with flying colors, had just awakened his superpower at the age of twenty-one. He was on the verge of getting a promotion, a raise, becoming a superhero, a savior, marrying a rich and beautiful woman, and reaching the pinnacle of life. Suddenly, he found himself in a crisis of self-awareness regarding his learning ability.

"Wait a moment, I need some quiet…" Qi Feng weakly waved his hand, found a stone step to sit on, took out his phone, opened the notes he had just taken, and put on his headphones to listen to the class recording.

If this were in the dormitory, a few guys would definitely ask, "Who is Jingjing?"

However, the Sword Saint Dugu Jian sheng clearly didn't know this joke. Seeing Qi Feng as if he were about to comprehend something, he didn't interfere, standing on the street with his long sword floating in front of him, emitting a faint glow. The sword's aura repelled the surrounding evil qi, creating a hemisphere of fresh air in the thick, syrup-like evil qi. Although the Sword Saint had profound cultivation, staying in such an environment for a long time was still uncomfortable. The zombies, though lacking intelligence, instinctively feared the sword's aura and dared not approach.

Qi Feng carefully studied each word of the sword technique. Actually, the technique itself wasn't too difficult. Unlike the *Nine Yang Manual*, which he found incomprehensible, after the Sword Saint's explanation, he could understand almost every sentence. However, he felt that something was missing. The step between theory and practice was not mentioned in the technique. For example, the circulation route the Sword Saint had demonstrated himself was not mentioned in the technique, and he said he never demonstrated it to his disciples. Could one really understand it without a demonstration?

"Of course, one must understand it on their own," the Sword Saint answered Qi Feng's question matter-of-factly. "When each person recites the technique, their divine consciousness naturally moves, interacting with true qi. The circulation routes vary, and one's aptitude is determined by this. The best can immediately learn to control the sword, transform it into a spirit, and use it to defeat enemies. Oh, my junior disciple Li Xiaoyao is of this caliber. The middle level can only control the sword, and the transformations must be gradually learned. The lower level has a weak interaction between qi and consciousness, making it impossible to control the sword, thus having no hope in this life."

"Wait, wait, wait… divine consciousness? What is that?" Qi Feng suddenly found an unfamiliar term.

"Hmm? Didn't you feel anything when you recited the technique?" The Sword Saint seemed very surprised. "All living beings have divine consciousness. Reciting the technique of our Shu Mountain Sword Sect naturally triggers it…"

Without waiting for Qi Feng's answer, the Sword Saint pointed at his forehead, "Ah!" He let out a startled cry and quickly withdrew his hand. "No trace of divine consciousness?! What is this…?"

Qi Feng scratched his head. Could it be that humans in this world are different from those in the real world? They look the same but are not the same species? Well, it's possible. In our world, humans evolved from monkeys, but in this world, humans seem to be created by Nüwa.

The Sword Saint stared at Qi Feng as if he were an alien, frowning, making Qi Feng feel uneasy, fearing that the old man might suddenly decide to lock him up in the Demon Locking Tower with the spider spirits.

"Oh… I understand!" As Qi Feng was considering whether he should find a dilapidated house and use his superpower to escape, the old man suddenly realized, "You are using the Soul Returning Dream, so your divine consciousness must still be in your original body… In this world, whether it's sword techniques or magic, they all rely on divine consciousness…"

Uh… Qi Feng didn't know if the Soul Returning Dream in this world had such a requirement, but it was clear that his superpower had nothing to do with this so-called "divine consciousness." Otherwise, he should have felt something. Since he was in the world of *Sword and Fairy* but lacked the "divine consciousness" that everyone in this world had, it followed that if he went to the *Naruto* world, he might not have chakra, or if he went to the *Saint Seiya* world, he might not have the cosmos, or if he went to Azeroth, he might not suddenly have a talent tree in his head.

Sigh. What a pity.

Qi Feng had even fantasized about one day bursting with chakra, creating hundreds of shadow clones, and using the calm and composed Seventh Sense to unleash hundreds of Mount Lu Dragon Dominance and Pegasus Comet Fist and Dawn Goddess's Mercy simultaneously to defeat the Reapers and save the galaxy.

Well, from the current situation, it seemed that all of this was just a fantasy.

While Qi Feng's mind was still wandering, the Sword Saint comforted him, "It's fine. You've memorized the technique. Once you return to your world, you can practice it. Remember, don't spread it after you return."

Sigh, even if I spread it, someone would have to be able to learn it. At most, it would just become material for a fantasy novel. Sigh, with the *Nine Yang Manual*, I now have two powerful techniques that can shake two worlds but are useless to me.

Speaking of the *Nine Yang Manual*, Qi Feng suddenly had an idea. He took it out from his chest and handed it to the Sword Saint, "Sword Saint, this is an internal cultivation technique I obtained from a friend (Zhang Wuji does consider me a friend). It's said to be a powerful technique, but I am dull and can't understand it. Please help me take a look."

The Sword Saint took it and asked, "An internal cultivation technique?"

He casually flipped through a few pages and shook his head with a smile, "It seems to be a fraud, pretending to be profound, just a trick to deceive people." As he continued reading, he almost couldn't help but laugh, "He may be strong, but the wind blows over the mountain; he may be fierce, but the moon shines on the river? Is it suggesting to let others hit you? Hmph, if I were to use my full strength, I am confident that no demon or ghost in this world could withstand my sword!"

The Sword Saint closed the manual and returned it to Qi Feng, shaking his head and sighing, "Your friend must be playing a trick on you. Just laugh it off, don't take it seriously."

Would Zhang Wuji, that honest person, play such a trick on me? Qi Feng didn't believe it. He showed the *Nine Yang Manual* to the Sword Saint to confirm his suspicion: "The power systems of different worlds might be completely incompatible." Otherwise, with the Sword Saint's knowledge and cultivation, he would have recognized the extraordinary nature of the Nine Yang Technique even if he had never seen it before. It seems that the internal cultivation techniques in the *Sword and Fairy* world and those in the *Jianghu* world are fundamentally different.

"Alright, let's not talk about this. Since these zombies can't help you practice, there's no need to kill them all!" As the Sword Saint spoke, a layer of golden light gradually enveloped him, even more brilliant and powerful than when he fought the Poison Lady. Qi Feng involuntarily stepped back, watching as the Sword Saint slowly rose into the air, his long sword transforming into a giant sword at least several dozen zhang tall.

"Roar!" The Sword Saint roared, and the giant sword, with its sharp golden light, split the endless black clouds above Blackwater Town, leaving a golden line of sky through which sunlight shone, illuminating the decaying land that had not seen the sun for a long time.

"Lonely ghosts, daring to claim kingship? Come out and surrender, and I will spare your lives!" The Sword Saint's voice did not come from his throat but seemed to be the resonance of the giant sword, echoing through the universe.

Qi Feng jumped onto a higher rooftop and watched the Sword Saint in the air, inwardly mocking the old man for being devious. "Sparing your life" just means throwing you into the Demon Locking Tower. Which demon or ghost would come out to surrender?

Seeing no response from the Red Ghost King, the Sword Saint waved his hand, "Go!" The giant sword transformed into countless light points, like a river of stars, and the boundless sword qi poured into the General's Tomb at the edge of the town.

Wow… the same Thousand Sword Technique… the difference in level is truly incomparable… Qi Feng watched the dazzling scene, recalling the Thousand Sword Technique he used to control Li Xiaoyao in the game, which couldn't even kill a frog, and couldn't help but shake his head.