Born with immortal seed

Chapter 76 The realm of swordsmanship
"These peach wood swords, originally priced at four hundred spirit stones each, are now available at a minimum 20% discount based on my authority."

With a casual remark, Lang Zhongping further reduced the price.

"However, it has been hanging in the shop for three months without any customers. I was originally planning to ask the elders for a price reduction tomorrow. But since Junior Brother Bai is here, of course I have to sell it to my own people."

"The price is planned to be reduced to 300 spirit stones per sword, with an additional 20% discount, making the total price of these peach wood swords 480 spirit stones."

After all that, the two peach wood flying swords weren't even as tall as the ink bamboo sword.

Bai Zichen knew perfectly well that this was Lang Zhongping's way of showing him goodwill.

Although the Ghost-Slaying and Demon-Suppressing flying swords, both made of century-old peach wood, have poor attributes, they are still easy to sell if you are willing to offer a slight discount.

In any case, they all belong to the category of flying swords.

The current price probably doesn't even cover the cost of refining the weapon.

This also shows how much power Lang Zhongping wielded as the market steward. He could easily gain a considerable share of the mountain of spiritual stones he handled.

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Lang. I, your junior brother, got a good deal."

Bai Zichen pointed out the spirit stones, and two more flying swords were added to his storage bag.

With four flying swords in hand, it seemed that he was not far from having the twelve flying swords needed to set up the Star River Sword Formation.

"Junior Brother Bai, are you planning to register for the True Inheritance Trial next year or the year after? If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to ask. I am a few years older than you, and I also planned to do it back then, but I knew my limitations and gave up when the time came."

Lang Zhongping became increasingly friendly after seeing Bai Zichen buy the peach wood flying sword.

"Junior Brother Bai easily passed the first two trials. As long as you are careful of the last one, the inner disciples can challenge you one after another. If you can't deal with them in advance, and it becomes a battle of attrition, even if Junior Brother is strong, there is a risk that your magic power will run out."

"Fortunately, Xiong Baishan will be challenging the true disciple this year. Whether he succeeds or not, it will be his last year. At that time, my junior brother will have a great enemy."

Xiong Baishan, relying on his companion spirit beast, was already one of the strongest among the inner disciples, and there was a strong call for him to be promoted to a true disciple.

Last year, Chen Wei enrolled in the true teachings, and he dared not compete with the disciple favored by the Core Formation Ancestor, so he endured it for a year.

But this is the fifth year of the inner sect, and no matter what, Xiong Baishan will not let go of this last chance to fight for a place as a true disciple.

"Senior Brother Lang, there are still some things I don't understand about the details of the True Inheritance Trial, and I'd like to ask you about them."

Upon hearing that Xiong Baishan was vying for a spot as a true disciple this year, Bai Zichen's heart stirred.

Lang Zhongping deliberately befriended him, and naturally told him everything he knew.

It turns out that the True Disciple Trial actually has four stages. Inner disciples who pass three stages still need to challenge an existing True Disciple and only after winning can they take the place of the other party.

However, in recent years, Qingfeng Sect has not even been able to gather enough ten true disciples, so the fourth trial is naturally just a formality.

There's also the first stage of the assessment, where the tasks assigned vary in difficulty. Whether a peak-level first-tier demon beast can be countered by your techniques and magical artifacts, and the strength of the demon beast's talent, there's a lot of room for maneuver in this.

"The first stage of the True Inheritance Trial has always been handled by the Transmission Hall... If Junior Brother Bai has any connections in this area, you can make arrangements in advance."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Lang. I understand now."

Bai Zichen cupped his hands in greeting. He couldn't bring himself to investigate these matters, and the Bai family couldn't offer any assistance. He would indeed have to do Lang Zhongping a favor.

White Jade Tower.

Bai Zichen summoned Su Lie and Peng Jinhu to the hall and gave them instructions.

He personally wrote a letter and asked Peng Jinhu to pass it on to Elder Peng Chong, asking him to inquire when would be a convenient time for him to visit.

He then instructed Su Lie to focus all his attention on Xiong Baishan, closely monitoring his movements, collecting information on who he met with, what new magical artifacts he purchased, and so on.

From the moment Xiong Baishan decided to enroll in the true lineage, he became the focus of all inner disciples, and countless people were concerned about information about him.

Su Lie could obtain a considerable amount of information by communicating more with the other attendants and servants.

He then tossed out two bottles of Qi-boosting pills, giving one to each person.

“In previous years, the True Disciple Trials were held in late autumn, and there are still six months left... This position is something that everyone is vying for, so why wait another year?”

On the way back, Bai Zichen figured it out: he would sign up for the True Inheritance Trial this year.

"You haven't avenged the frame-up yet. If you want to become a true disciple, you'll have to ask the sword in my hand for permission first!"

Xiong Baishan wanted to become a true disciple, and the final challenge was a duel. How could Bai Zichen just watch his opponent pass the challenge smoothly? He would definitely go on stage and test his sword skills.

In that case, it would be more straightforward to directly participate in the True Inheritance Trial.

The jade slip left behind by Meng Zhaode before his death, with its angry roar of resentment, greatly shocked him.

"Who wouldn't want to see what it's like after the Core Formation stage... I want to climb up and see even the Nascent Soul and Deity Transformation stages!"

Bai Zichen felt a sense of urgency because of Meng Zhaode's experience.

A year's difference may seem insignificant, but in many cases, the difference in opportunities and chance can be as small as a day.

Having made up his mind, Bai Zichen felt much lighter. Xiong Baishan had a companion spirit beast, and he had a flying sword, so he wasn't afraid of him.

He immediately took out those thin, cicada-wing-like sword manuals and began to study them carefully.

According to Xinghe Sword Master, the realm of swordsmanship is divided into five levels.

One is the transformation of sword energy into form, where the body and sword become one. Nine out of ten sword cultivators in the world spend their entire lives stuck in the first level of cultivation.

The competition is nothing more than who is more skilled at wielding a sword and who can react faster in a sword fight. No matter how deeply one studies, it is only an improvement in technique, not the way of the sword.

"Nine out of ten sword cultivators spend their entire lives honing their skills, but in the eyes of the Taibai Sword Sect, they are only circling around the first level of swordsmanship... With my current swordsmanship, I am still a long way from perfecting my skills."

On each page of the true explanation, there is a figure holding a sword. As long as you inject magic power, the figure will practice a sword move.

Bai Zichen, upon comparing the two, immediately felt ashamed and embarrassed.

Both were at the first level of cultivation. The figure wielding the sword on the scroll moved with the speed and agility of a gazelle, leaving no trace and devoid of any trace of human presence.

It's unbelievable that he's only at the beginner level in swordsmanship.

The next level is called Sword Qi Thunder Sound in the Taibai Sword Sect.

Each sword strike was accompanied by rolling thunder, stirring up wind and thunder; every strike carried its full power.

This level of mastery is not simply about the speed of the flying sword producing thunderous sounds; it involves drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

In short, using only 30% of one's strength is enough to make the flying sword achieve the effect of being fully activated.

Bai Zichen infused his magic power, and a sword-wielding boy with his hair tied up jumped out, his hand wielding a crimson sword light that darted back and forth, shaving the two opposite mountain peaks down by several feet.

"Huh, why do I feel that the sword apprentice at the second level is not as impressive as the swordsman at the first level..."

The swordsman with his hair tied up, wielding the red sword, moved straight and unchanging, revealing no hidden secrets.

"Could this be the difference between skill and Dao that Star River Sword Lord spoke of?"

Bai Zichen seemed to understand something.

The Taibai Sword Sect's lineage is truly remarkable. I wonder what methods they used; their ability to leave images on thin metal tablets is even better than that of jade slips.

It was as if a swordsman was truly present before me, demonstrating the various levels of swordsmanship through the accompanying text.

Bai Zichen composed himself and looked toward the third level of the realm.

(End of this chapter)