Desolate Era (Book 6 - Book 10)

Ning instantly felt his blood beginning to pump. Neither Immortal Northwalker nor the even more powerful Immortal Juhua had been able to even come close to mastering the complete Grand Dao of the Sword, despite the fact that they had travelled quite far along that path. And yet, they had already become incredibly powerful figures that had awed the entire Grand Xia Dynasty, and were even comparable to Celestial Immortals, despite only being Loose Immortals. If he were to truly master the complete Dao-Path of the Sword, then he would become a truly formidable figure in the Three Realms.

“My talent is greater than Immortal Juhua, and I have the divine ability, Starseizing Hand…my starting point is much higher than his as well.” Ning mused to himself, “And with the underwater estate assisting me…given all of my advantages, if I’m still unable to become a Sword Immortal who has completely mastered the Grand Dao of the Sword, I’ll have no one to blame but myself.”

Ning felt an incomparably heroic aura surge within his breast. Senior Northwalker? Immortal Juhua? He was going to become an even more powerful Sword Immortal, the most powerful Sword Immortal of the entire Grand Xia Dynasty! A Sword Immortal whose name would be known throughout the Three Realms!

“A nine-story tower is built on a foundation of earth. A journey of a thousand kilometers starts with the first step. I must move forward on my path, one step at a time.” Ning immediately moved towards the thatched hut, then pulled open a book. It was the [Stellar Scroll One], [Stellar Scroll Two], and so on…after placing these books on the stone table within the thatched cottage, Ning sat down on a stone bench. Opening the first scroll, Ning began to read.

“Today, Chang Laijian came to me, asking me for help…” Ning read on, his enunciation of each character seemingly quite simple, but when spoken together, they linked in a way which was filled with the exquisite music of the great Dao. Naturally, this guided Ning’s heart to begin to enter a state where his subconscious beagn to focus even more on comprehending the Dao…

Ning’s eyes grew hooded as he stared towards the stars in the sky. Whoosh. A wind arose. Small winds began to stir in the nearby region. Ning stood up, then took a single step, and as he did, he seemed to become part of the wind, merging into it. He was like the flapping wings of a giant Roc, soaring about through the wind. With each movement, it was as though he was using an evasive, agility technique; he’d disappear in one place, then reappear somewhere else, where the wind had arisen. This…this was the true [Windwing Evasion].

“The Dao of the Gale.” The giant yellow bear nodded slightly. “He has reached the Dao Domain level in yet another Dao. It seems as though in the past four years, Ji Ning has improved considerably.”

During these past few years, Ning had accumulated many experiences and insights. All of them were now being drawn out by the Stellar Hall, and they began to burst forth.

Within the Black-White College in the distant Stillwater City, as Ning was reading the [Stellar Scrolls] and meditating on the Dao in the Stellar Hall.

“Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning and I have both completed our Raindragon Guard missions. Senior apprentice-brother Ji Ning returned to his homeland, the Swallow Mountain region. For me to go there wouldn’t help me much in gaining insights into the Dao of Constructs, so I came back,” Northson said with a laugh. In front of him was senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus, dressed in a sky-blue robe.

Ninelotus laughed, then nodded. “You two junior apprentice-brothers truly are formidable. Both of you became Raindragon Guards in such a short period of time. To this very day, I have not yet joined the Raindragon Guard.”

“Senior apprentice-sister Ninelotus, you have also reached the Wanxiang level. I imagine that you will soon become a Raindragon Guard,” Northson said.

“No rush. When I grow a bit more powerful, I’ll join the Raindragon Guard.” Ninelotus paused for a moment, then asked, “Right…when junior apprentice-brother Ji Ning returned to Swallow Mountain, did he tell you where he was going?”

Northson said, “Serpentwing Lake! Senior apprentice-brother said that in the future, he would be living there!”

“Oh, Serpentwing Lake!” Ninelotus nodded gently, silently memorizing this name, then laughed and rose to her feet. “I won’t bother you any further, junior apprentice-brother. I’ll go back now.” Ninelotus stepped onto a snowy white lotus-shaped magic treasure, then soared into the skies, flying far away.

While soaring through the skies, she had a hint of a smile in her eyes. “Serpentwing Lake of Swallow Mountain? Master also said that I’ve spent too much time in the College, and should go out and do some adventuring and broaden my horizons. Mmm. I’ll first go visit Serpentwing Lake.”

Two days later.

Ninelotus and her junior apprentice-sister departed from the Black-White College, heading out on an adventure. The first destination for the two of them was Serpentwing Lake of Swallow Mountain.





* * *





Book 9, Chapter 17 - The Third Stance of the [Three-Foot Sword]


The underwater estate. The Stellar Hall.

A wild gale howled within the skies of the Stellar Hall. Occasionally, flames would fill the skies, and occasionally, sheets of rain would fall. And Ning…he was the master of the wind and the storm, as though everything was under his command.

“A true genius.” The giant yellow bear stood within the thatched cottage, staring off into the distance. He couldn’t help but sigh, “In four short years, he’s managed to improve this much.”

“He is formidable.” The old black bull’s pair of ox-eyes were completely round as he stared. “As long as this kid doesn’t screw up on his path and die somewhere, he will definitely be able to reach Immortal Juhua’s level with ease.”

The giant yellow bear gave a sidelong glance to the old black bull. “Stop praising your master. Your master, as an Earth Immortal, wasn’t able to overcome the seventh level of the Wargod Hall…despite the assistance of the underwater estate, in the end, he still became a Loose Immortal. How can his talent be compared to Ji Ning’s? Ji Ning, in terms of comprehension or temperament, is significantly superior to your master.”

The old black bull let out an awkward laugh. “Look,” he said hurriedly, “Ji Ning is now beginning to gain insights into the Dao of the Sword.” The giant yellow bear turned to look over…

Ning stood there, amidst the strewn rocks. The wild gale, the torrential rain, the blazing inferno…it had all vanished. In the area around him, one surge of sword-ki after another began to emerge, visible to the naked eye. They began to wantonly swing through the area near Ning, and each stroke of sword-ki contained the profoundities of the Dao of the Sword, as they continuously put on display the insights Ning was gaining.

As for Ning himself, he remained staring at the star-studded skies, focusing on one star in particular. This was the star that contained the complete Grand Dao of the Sword.

Previously, when Ning was comprehending the Dao, he had been like a blind man trying to build a mental image of an elephant by using his hands to feel it. He had advanced at a very slow pace, one step at a time…but now, within the Stellar Hall, which contained an entire, complete Dao-Path, it was as though a lamp had been lit within the darkness, allowing Ning to see where he was going. The accumulated experiences Ning had gained into the Dao of the Sword were beginning to burst forth…

“His ability to comprehend the Dao of the Sword is quite high,” the old black bull breathed in surprise. “Ji Ning’s ability to comprehend the Dao of the Sword has long surpassed the level of ‘comprehending one’s sword-heart’.”

“Right. A bit a higher than I predicted.” The giant yellow bear laughed, then said in praise, “It seems as though Master will finally have a true successor.”

……

Time passed, one minute at a time. The sword-ki around Ning became increasingly intricate and profound, and increasingly pure as well. The old black bull and the giant yellow bear, these two magic treasure spirits who had lived for unfathomably many years, watched leisurely as Ning continued to gain insights into the Dao. They watched for more than half a month.