Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Jiang Prefecture"s Grand Dominance. Qin Manor.

Ancestral Master Zhang had left, so it was just Qin Yun and Yi Xiao sitting in the yard. The manuals were placed on the stone table.

"The Dao is not something readily instructed." Qin Yun looked at the manuals on the stone table, especially the thick Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma. The cover and pages appeared to him as an unfathomably deep sea. Qin Yun sighed, "And now, this Golden Light Sect"s sect master has given me an orthodox Daoist Dharmic formulation that allows one to cultivate straight to the ninth Firmament Skyimmortal realm. I"m heavily indebted to him."

"Is it that useful to you, Brother Yun?" asked Yi Xiao.

"Very." Qin Yun nodded. "Xiaoxiao, you know that I"m an itinerant cultivator, with only the world and nature as my teacher! However, how quickly does knowledge come when the world and nature is your teacher? Truly superior Dharmic formulations will guide disciples into constantly improving. The Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma is one such Dharmic formulation. I gained a few bits of inspiration just from casually flipping through it just now. Going forward, I plan on cultivating seriously. We have been separated for nineteen years and we should spend much time together, but in the following days I have to focus my mind on studying the Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma and the three sword immortal manuals."

"Brother Yun, ignore me. Right now, the only thing I look forward to with every moment of my life is finding our daughter, and reuniting our family." Yi Xiao said with eyes red.

"Yes." Qin Yun nodded.

...

In the following days, Qin Yun focused on cultivation.

The Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma was broad and profound, encompa.s.sing all sorts of myriad phenomena including Dharma spells, array formations, and the refinement of artifacts.

Every bit of it was extremely detailed, allowing a mortal to go to the ninth firmament of the Skyimmortal realm! It broadened the perspectives of an itinerant cultivator like Qin Yun, allowing him to draw on it to further improve his understandings.

"The condensation of an Essence Soul..."

In his cultivation chamber, a Thousand Calamity Mind Focusing Bead was embedded in the ceiling. Fragrance permeated the chamber, allowing Qin Yun to fully immerse himself in the manuals.

"Dharmic powers contained in a sword immortal"s Golden Core are made up of countless sharp Sword Qi! To fuse it with the soul, so as to condense an Essence Soul... that is extremely difficult." Qin Yun pondered, "In the vast Three Realms, several mighty figures have probably attempted to infer one. However, it stops at inference without them actually cultivating in it. The Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor did not cultivate in the sword immortal lineage either. He relied merely on inferring to create it."

"My only advantage is that I cultivate in the sword immortal lineage and have cultivated a sword immortal Golden Core."

Alone in the chamber, Qin Yun continued flipping through the Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma as he pondered over the sword immortal Dharmic formulation needed to condense an Essence Soul.

"All these years, I have occasionally thought about how an Essence Soul is condensed."

"Having read the Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma, it seems I have three paths I can take."

...

Sitting cross-legged in the chamber, Qin Yun"s body was covered in a faint mist that enshrouded him like a robe. He appeared even more otherworldly.

"Cultivation one step at a time, each step being taught in great detail. I have only cultivated for three days and have already gained a basic mastery of the All Heavens Cloud Shroud." Qin Yun did not cultivate in the Dharmic powers, refine Dharma treasures or studied array formations... He mainly pondered over the detailed introduction of every cultivation step in the Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma as well as the various Dharma spells included in it.

He could also cultivate in the Dharma spells.

These included escape arts, body protection arts, as well as decimation arts.

Dharma spells were the practical use of the Dao. As he engaged in cultivating in the Dharma spells, Qin Yun"s insights gradually deepened his realm.

Another half a month pa.s.sed.

Only then did Qin Yun begin to flip through the three sword immortal cultivation manuals.

"These have to be fragmentary records or information gained from spying on the Grand Supreme"s sword immortal lineage." Qin Yun flipped through them and his eyes instantly lit up. "Oh? This is a sword move from the Grand Supreme sword immortals? It"s truly sharp."

The records were very incomplete.

The records of some sword arts were forcibly memorized by those of a high realm when sword immortals cast their sword arts. Some could even discern the charm behind the sword art. However, others did not have an Intrinsic Flying Sword or sword immortal Dharmic powers... The potency of the same move would only be much weaker when used by them.

"Oh?"

Qin Yun quickly reached the second manual. When he flipped to one of its pages, he could not help but be taken aback. "A sword immortal"s condensation of an Essence Soul is different from ordinary Daoist cultivators. Their Essence Soul... is a sword?"

"Sword?"

"The Essence Soul is a sword?"

Qin Yun"s head buzzed as many ideas flooded his mind.

All three paths he had inferred were ones he independently figured out. However, none of them came with the idea that the Essence Soul was a sword.

After all, most Daoist cultivators would end up with a tiny person once their Essence Soul was condensed.

The sword immortal lineage was different from nearly all the other Daoist schools of thought. Its Essence Soul is a sword?

"It"s a sword?"

"If it"s a sword, how should the Golden Core and soul overlap?" Qin Yun began thinking over the matter.

...

Cultivation knew no time.

As Qin Yun was skilled in the Cyclic Sword Flash, the All Heavens Cloud Shroud was the most suitable Dharma spell for him among all the Dharma spells of the Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma. He had also cultivated in some of the fragmentary sword art records from the three manuals, allowing him to deepen his understanding.

In a blink of an eye, half a year had pa.s.sed.

"Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+ Whoos.h.!.+"

Cold winds blew as snowflakes the size of goose feathers scattered across the world.

The door creaked open.

Qin Yun finally came out of seclusion.

"Brother Yun." Yi Xiao came to receive him.

"Xiaoxiao." Qin Yun smiled. "I have some confidence that I can condense an Essence Soul."

"Have you created a sword immortal Essence Soul Dharmic formulation by yourself?" asked Yi Xiao.

"Condensing an Essence Soul would naturally be easy if I were an ordinary Golden Core Daoist. With my present realm, I can easily create an ordinary cultivation Dharmic formulation. However, sword immortal Dharmic powers are too sharp and overbearing. It"s hundreds if not thousands of times harder for us to condense an Essence Soul," said Qin Yun. "Over the past half year, I have come up with several possibilities. I perfected each one and selected the best, finally deciding on a particular path. I also have a Dharmic formulation that can condense an Essence Soul."

"You will definitely succeed." Yi Xiao looked forward to it as well.

"I have to try to truly succeed," said Qin Yun wistfully. "You will know how difficult it is only when you attempt to do it. I learned that the Grand Supreme sword cultivators condense an Essence Soul in the form of a sword. From that, I know that the Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor must have gone down a different path, different from ordinary Daoist cultivation paths."

"A sword?" Yi Xiao was perplexed.

"An Essence Soul in the form of a sword truly makes one deserving to be called a sword immortal," said Qin Yun. "Xiaoxiao, I plan on going out on a trip to the West Sea"s Ancient Skydragon Palace."

"The Ancient Skydragon Palace?" Yi Xiao understood immediately. "You plan on exploring the Ancient Skydragon Palace thoroughly?"

"With my strength, I"m fully capable of visiting the entirety of the Ancient Skydragon Palace. I"m also doing it to distract myself," said Qin Yun. "While distracted, I can relax my mind. It will also allow me to consider the Dharmic formulation that condenses the Essence Soul. My projection at the moment is to attempt to condense the Essence Soul after the new year."

Yi Xiao nodded.

If he condensed a sword immortal Essence Soul, he would be the only person in all of the Three Realm to create an Essence Soul sword immortal Dharmic formulation apart from the Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor.

It would definitely cause a stir all over the Three Realms!

It was even possible that the Heavenly Lord of Numinous Treasure would take him in as a disciple just as Ancestral Master Zhang said. When that happened, he could save his daughter.

"It"s good to go out and distract your mind. After all, you have been cultivating arduously for months. Stillness and motion coincide with the way the Heavenly Dao and nature work," said Yi Xiao with a smile.

"Yes." Qin Yun nodded.

However, he felt pressure.

What should he do... if he failed to condense an Essence Soul?

...

On the twenty-seventh day of the last month of the year, Qin Yun left Grand Dominance, heading for the West Sea"s Ancient Skydragon Palace.