Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 346 Flawless Sword Heart
The Enforcement Hall's Duel Platform.

The platform is over twenty zhang high and three li long and wide.

At first glance, it appears as if a huge, square stone block stands in the inner courtyard of the hall, with four lifelike stone carvings of xiezhi facing the center of the platform.

"The Spirit Carving Xie Zhi is the work of a third-tier Spirit Carver in my Wanghai City. It can protect homes and ward off evil spirits, and also regulate spiritual pressure and restrain spiritual power."

For thousands of years, whenever there was a dispute among the Golden Core cultivators in Wanghai City, my Law Enforcement Hall would invite them to this dueling platform to fight. Over the past hundred or thousand years, this platform has witnessed countless victories and defeats between Golden Core cultivators, yet it remains as bright and new as ever.

"Fellow Daoist Su, Fellow Daoist Ye, now that you're here on this platform, there's no need to hold back in the sword duel later. Just go all out!"

Hei Qingtian was extremely confident in his ability to control the situation on the dueling platform and prevent the power of the dueling from leaking out.

At this very moment, countless cultivators who had come to watch the battle had gathered inside and outside the Hall of Law Enforcement.

Ying Wushen, the best in the world, arrived and sat at the front of the dueling platform, his eyes fixed intently on the armored puppet on Su Qing's body.

These puppet makers are so hateful! They can't even make enough money by making other kinds of puppets, so they're all going to study armored puppets and try to steal the business from us armored warriors. If they're so capable, they might as well make all the spirit stones in the world!
Duan Tian'ai from the Duan family arrived, sniffing the gossip with a screeching tongue. Her little mouth rattled off a string of words as she pulled Qinghe, who had followed along out of concern, and began to gossip about the seemingly respectable but actually corrupt and rotten-hearted Hei Qingtian.

The Xie Zhi Golden Core is a golden core that only local cultivators of Wanghai City can condense. Currently, only a handful of people, such as Hei Qingtian, Duan Tianai, and Ying Wushen, have achieved it.

Rumor has it that when one of them stands out, he may attract the appearance of the Nascent Soul Spirit, the Dragon-Patterned Xie Zhi Pill, thus gaining the opportunity to achieve Nascent Soul status.

This rumor has been circulating for countless years, and generations of cultivators who have condensed the Xie Zhi Pill have never seen it before their deaths.

Duan Tian'ai and Ying Wushen did not take it seriously, nor did they consider Hei Qingtian an enemy in the struggle for the Dao.

The girl disliked Hei Qingtian not for any personal gain, but simply because she disapproved of his character and conduct. She felt that he used the righteous Daoist mark to do selfish and shameful things, which damaged the image of the Xie Zhi.

Compared to Hei Qingtian, Duan Tianai should hate the Great Evil Blood Emperor of the Twilight Society the most.

Don't be fooled by Da Xie's smiling face in the audience; he is ruthless and cruel, a truly inhuman person.

If it weren't for the Duan family producing the puppet blueprints accumulated over many years and asking Su Qing to intervene so that the Twilight Society could extinguish the Duan family's hopes of continuing the lineage, then the Duan family would have been completely different.

At this moment, not even an ant from the Duan family could survive. They would all be offered as gifts to the evil god Gao Erqiang by the Twilight Society, and made into human head lanterns by the evil god Gao, which would be hung on the branches of the evil tree in the evil kingdom!

Duan Tianai's eyes flashed over the Blood Emperor. Although she hated this vicious and evil person, she dared not be as rude as she had been to Hei Qingtian. She dared not speak out against him, but instead turned her gaze to Master Liaode of the Buddhist Treasure Pavilion.

Master Liaode is truly remarkable. Even in front of such a large crowd, he can embrace a princess puppet on each side, and while moving his hands together, he closes his eyes, opens his mouth, and recites Buddhist scriptures, appearing dignified and majestic.

Duan Tianai smelled it for a long time, but still couldn't detect any inconsistency between the words and actions of this remarkable master.

This person is indeed practicing his own path, intending to emulate the ancient Buddhist ascetic lineage, to become a worldly pleasure-seeking monk, to first enjoy all the worldly pleasures, to understand the wonders within them, and then to transcend them and attain enlightenment.

This lineage of monks was also something that the Nascent Soul monk of Fulong Temple had no choice but to do, because the temptations in the current cultivation world are far greater than in ancient times.

Dream architects who bring joy to people's dreams, spirit binders with superb rope skills, puppeteers like Su Qing who create passionate puppets for people's enjoyment, and even the artists of the Red Sleeve Pavilion—these professionals work together to spread the winds of pleasure throughout the country and overseas.

The lineage of ancient ascetic monks is clearly not doing well in this era, as evidenced by the fact that Buddhist believers in Ksitigarbha's country have turned to the Joyful lineage in recent years.

In order to compete with the Joyful lineage, the Lexing lineage suddenly emerged. As a disciple of that master and a pioneer of the Lexing lineage, whether Master Liaode could achieve something in this path was related to the success or failure of this new Buddhist practice.

Because the master was burdened with heavy responsibilities, he was now engaging in unseemly and indulgent behavior. Duan Tianai respected his virtue, and although it was an eyesore to look at him, he dared not say a word against the master.

If a high-ranking Buddhist monk touches a woman, can that be considered touching?
The gaze fell on Lü Wentian in the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. He was a little old man with his eyes narrowed into slits. His smile was either sinister or malicious!

Duan Tian'ai found this old man disgusting. Back when her Nascent Soul father was at the height of his life, this little old man flattered and fawned over her Duan family in every way, so that her father could support Baibaoge in Wanghai City. That's why Zhao Chun, the True Person of Yuanlai Tower, didn't target Baibaoge too much.

After her father's death, when the Twilight Society sought to harm her Duan family, she went to the old man's door for help. However, the old man refused to see her, showing such meanness and ingratitude that Duan Tian'ai experienced the treacherous nature of the cultivation world for the first time.

She whispered a few words to Qinghe about the old man's faults, and when the old man sensed something and looked over, he hurriedly patted his chest and shut his mouth.

Looking at Rao Tingshan of Yuanlai Tower, he also has a lot of gossip. If it were elsewhere, Duan Tian'ai could have a good talk with Qinghe, but this annoying guy actually brought a burly, strong-looking cultivator and sat down next to her and Qinghe. He said that you have to talk about things behind people's backs. If you talk about things in front of people, then it's not gossiping, but cursing and exposing their shortcomings.

"Fellow Daoist Qinghe, what's going on? Just a while ago, I was exchanging puppets with Fellow Daoist Su at the puppet factory. It's only been half a day, why is Fellow Daoist Su going to duel with this Gale Sword!"

Rao Tingshan had just sent the Titan out to sea when he received the news and rushed to the Law Enforcement Hall in a daze, completely unaware of what had gotten into Su Qing.

A puppeteer, instead of practicing puppetry at home, actually came to duel with a sword cultivator like Gale Sword, who was at the peak of the third rank!

"Is he driven mad by the puppet-making? He wasn't this brave when we were fellow prisoners in the Fire Phoenix Immortal Kingdom!"

Li Kuishan, standing behind her, was also full of questions. His impression of Su Qing was still that of a cowardly figure trembling in the corner of the spirit cage.

Qinghe had no idea what was wrong with Su Qing, who had Hongshang tell them to do business quietly while she herself turned around and started causing trouble.

Trying to outsmart a sword madman is no better than sharpening your spear at the Red Sleeve Pavilion!
Although she didn't understand why Ye Su had to risk fighting for the ailanthus sword that Su Ji Puppet Shop could earn in half a year, she couldn't bear to hear Li Kuishan say that Su Qing was cowardly.

If Su Qing had no guts, they would have died countless times back in Black Tiger Mountain and White Cloud Immortal City!

He glared at Li Kuishan and secretly decided that all the materials for his shop next month would be purchased from Baibaoge, as a lesson to Li Kuishan for his loose tongue.

"Could it be that Fellow Daoist Su has taken a liking to Venerable Ling Ying and wants to demonstrate his bravery through a sword duel to win Ling Ying's heart?"

Rao Tingshan, thinking himself clever, spoke up, believing that only this explanation made sense. After all, with Su Qing's current power in Wanghai City, if it were really for that Great Pine Wood Sword, he could easily use his influence to intimidate others. With just a little manipulation, he could make Ling Ying and Ye Suo obediently deliver the Great Pine Wood Sword to Su's Puppet Shop.

Sword fight? Such a reckless act is not something those in positions of power would do.

Upon hearing this, Qinghe turned her beautiful eyes to Lingying, who was surrounded by admirers in the Langya Fang procession in the distance. She and her best friend Duan Tianai spat out curses in unison, saying that this vixen looked like she was about to cause trouble!
As for whether Su Qing got into this mess because of Ling Ying, Qinghe still had confidence in her.

The owner loves beautiful female cultivators, but he has rarely suffered losses because of women. Ling Ying has sent people to the shop to invite the owner to a chat several times in the past six months, but the owner has refused them all. If he wanted her, he would have taken her long ago. Why wait until today?

Today, is the owner truly only after the large cedarwood sword?
Or perhaps it's for the sake of the peak swordsman, Ye Suo, the Swift Wind Sword?

Qinghe stared intently at Su Qing, who was displaying his sword prowess while holding a tiger egg, on the dueling platform, secretly trying to figure out his intentions!
But she can't figure out a real man!
"Tiger Egg, this person is an inheritor of the ancient sword path, sharing the same lineage as the sword cultivators of the Eastern Wilderness. His ancient sword path, which you comprehended from the Heavenly Sword Diagram, is also the same. Fighting him will definitely benefit your sword path. I'm giving you this opportunity. Watch and learn today, then go back and practice diligently. I'll be waiting for the day you advance to the peak of the third rank—no, the day you become a fourth-rank sword cultivator!"

There's no saving a simp. Su Qing never intended to snatch Ye Suo from Ling Ying's skirt and take him under his wing. He only wanted to use this strongest swordsman in the far west to help Hu Dan fill in the missing ancient sword path in the Heavenly Sword Diagram, broaden his horizons, and then comprehend the true sword path!
He himself doesn't have the talent; whether he can achieve his goal today depends entirely on Tiger Egg himself!

On the dueling platform, all was calm and peaceful.

Only at the moment Ye Suo drew his sword and moved.

The wind howled and thunder roared!
The sword is drawn, and the wind and thunder roar.

The sword moved in front of him and behind him, as if the man and the sword were one, approaching from afar, even faster than the sound of thunder reaching his ears.

Before Su Qing could react, an endless storm arose, descending from the sky and rising from the ground.

From the sky and the ground, from all directions, endless storms are pressing in and surging forth.

It was not a simple storm, but the Guixu Sword Intent, which Ye Suo had cultivated for hundreds and thousands of years in the far west, transforming the wind of Guixu into the sword.

The Western Sea returns to nothingness, the beginning of all things and the end of all things.

The ever-flowing winds of the Western Sea are the source of its spiritual power and the final resting place for the souls of countless dead creatures in the Western Sea.

This wind has the power to cut bones and flesh, and it can ignore the obstruction of spiritual energy. Before it forms, it can be dodged, but after it forms, one may have to withstand the damage from this wind.

With a body cultivated at the third level, it is not difficult to withstand this wind.

At this moment, Su Qing's muscles bulged, and the veins on his arms stood out like dragons. His originally thin back suddenly became so thick that it seemed he could run a horse and walk on mountains.

In an instant, Su Qing unleashed his true physical form, which had never been exposed to the outside world in the past three or four years.

For three or four years, his natal Dao patterns had not yet been formed, which prevented the Quanxing Furnace from being completed.

However, the furnace lid has the Dao patterns of the Nine Li Qiongqi, which have the effect of nourishing the body and indulging in gluttony. There is no shortage of demon cores and spiritual materials. In three or four years, he has consumed tens of thousands of spirit stones.

Putting everything else aside, purely in terms of physical strength, he now considers himself not much weaker than his third uncle, who is at the peak of the third tier. At least he should be able to withstand the Guixu Wind artificially synthesized by Ye Suo without much trouble.

However, he was prepared to tough it out.

Tiger Egg, however, was not happy about it.

What's going on? This is a contest between sword cultivators, how can you use the strength of a body cultivator to fight it head-on!
Tiger Egg, granted some autonomy by Su Qing to better learn from Ye Suo, swung his tail sword across the sky, revealing the power of the Rainbow Sword, which pierced the sun and extinguished the gale above his head.

After the Rainbow Sword, came the Ice Soul Sword, which used sword intent to condense ice and build walls; then came the Thunderclap Sword, which tore through the gale; and finally the Purple Cloud Sword, which swept across the clouds to protect its master and body.

Having many swords doesn't necessarily mean you're powerful.

However, being able to manipulate multiple magic swords with unimpeded thought is extremely powerful.

Ye Suo, who was on the other side, had considered that Su Qing would use puppet magic artifacts and Taoist magic physical body. No matter what means she used to dodge his sword, he would not be surprised. But he never expected that she would actually use a sword to break a sword!

This is going to be a real battle between sword cultivators!

"A flawless sword heart, sword energy forming momentum—are you following the path of nurturing the sword with momentum?"

Ye Suo stared intently and said in a deep voice, for the first time regarding Su Qing as a true opponent worthy of his swordsmanship.

Hearing him speak, Su Qing wished he would say more, so she didn't take the opportunity to attack. She simply stood with her hands behind her back and said:
"My swordsmanship is entirely self-taught, without any lineage to inherit or a master to guide me. I don't even know which path I'm on. If you understand, please don't hesitate to enlighten me and clear up my doubts!"

"I don't need this little beast to answer Fellow Daoist Su's questions. I know how to do this. No, I understand this stuff!"

Below the dueling platform, the sword cultivators of the Sword Arrival Hall were stunned by the scene of Su Qing unleashing four swords simultaneously to neutralize Ye Suo's Guixu sword intent. They never expected that this Daoist Su, who was skilled in puppet making, would also have some skill in swordsmanship.

With just these few skills, it's something that these people couldn't possibly achieve!

They were self-taught!

Those who learn on their own are better at practicing than them.

Where is the logic in this?

Envy and jealousy made them wonder why Heaven treated Su Qing so kindly, while inferiority and self-deprecation led them to question why the Dao of Swords did not open its doors to them.

Leaving aside her mixed feelings, Su Qing wanted to ask what sword intent was.

The sword cultivators of the Sword Arrival Hall were unwilling to let Ye Suo gain this favor, and they started talking back and forth.

After receiving their explanation, Su Qing realized that the ancient sword path was actually divided into two schools.

One is the Sword Intent School, which cultivates one's own sword intent by nurturing one's natal sword.

The second is to transform one's thoughts into a sword, using all things in heaven and earth as a sword. Once the sword's momentum is formed, even a piece of grass or tree can be used as a sword, serving as a divine or immortal sword!
There is no real difference in quality between these two schools of swordsmanship; it all depends on individual cultivation. However, if given a choice, most cultivators who practice the ancient sword path would prefer the Sword Force School.

The reason why so few people practice this school is not because they are unwilling, but because they are unable to.

Only those with a flawless sword heart can master this school of swordsmanship!

Nowadays, the ancient sword cultivators in the far west, Ye Suo and Ji Yongen, do not possess this flawless sword heart.

Humans have five senses and a hundred thoughts. In youth, one admires love; in old age, one cherishes one's parents. Who is born to be a swordsman? That would be even more foolish than a fool!
Is Su Qing an idiot?
Below the dueling platform, there were many cultivators who considered themselves exceptionally intelligent, but none of them dared to look at Su Qing like that.

In just half a year after arriving in Wanghai, he became one of the city's most powerful figures, making Duan Yang of the Duan family admit his inferiority in puppetry and treat him with the respect due to a master. He also won the hearts of all the sword cultivators in the Sword Comes Hall and made them regard him as their holy master. Could such a person be a fool?

He's not stupid. What makes him possess such a flawless sword heart that all the sword cultivators of the Sword Hall envy and cannot obtain?
(End of this chapter)