Born with immortal seed

Chapter 776 Two Paths to Innate Sword Bones

The holy son of Heavenly Punishment Peak has already reached the peak of Core Formation.

Song Ding believed he had a chance of defeating other Core Formation cultivators.

However, the other party's talent was no less than his own. He came from the Moral Sect, and his cultivation techniques and supernatural powers were all top-notch. His personal magical treasures were also quite impressive.

Such an opponent, with a difference in cultivation level, would be fatal, becoming an insurmountable chasm.

Later that evening, Song Ding worried that the other party would be about to reach the Nascent Soul stage, and their duel would be a long time from now.

If you want to determine who is superior in the Core Formation stage, now is the only chance.

Along the way, deliberately choosing opponents stronger than the last and defeating them is a way of building one's own belief.

Once they reach the foot of Heavenly Punishment Peak, riding the wave of their undefeated prowess and seizing the initiative, they will have a chance to compete with the Holy Son of Heavenly Punishment Peak.

"What source of chaos! We are pursuing the bright world in our hearts, but we hate that people are ignorant and cannot recognize the oppression of sects and families, which led to our failure."

A voice filled with hatred interrupted, refuting Song Ding's words.

The monks were so numerous that every spot was filled with people, and the two of them overlooked the fact that someone had overheard their conversation.

The man's robes were tattered, so much so that people would believe he was dressed as a beggar. He also appeared to have an injury on his leg and walked with a limp.

His eyes were sunken, filled with a biased and extreme look, and his hatred was deeply hidden.

"That was not my intention, and I have offended you greatly."

Song Ding bowed and apologized. This person was also at the early stage of Core Formation, yet he was in such a sorry state.

It is estimated that he was once a soldier in the Datong army, and suffered an incurable injury. The key issue is that he is still stuck in the past and cannot get over it.

Otherwise, even if a Core Formation cultivator did any kind of work, they wouldn't end up in such a miserable state.

It was unexpected that, apart from opportunists, there were actually cultivators in the Datong army who were attracted by the ideal of universal harmony and have not changed their original intentions to this day.

The man spat and dragged his crippled leg away into the distance.

Before they had gone a hundred feet, they were surrounded by four Core Formation cultivators.

"Commander Yuan, come with us. Left Envoy Li wishes to see you."

The leading monk wore a bamboo hat, obscuring his face.

"We've been colleagues, and I don't want to resort to violence. Please don't put us in a difficult position."

"You, surnamed Li, betrayed your comrades to get the position of Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, and you still have the nerve to see me? Get out of my way!"

The lame monk was filled with hatred. A chill swept by, and the four of them felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, watching helplessly as he staggered away.

"Autumn Frost Sword Bone!"

Song Ding's eyes twitched; as a fellow sword bone user, he was most sensitive to this.

What rendered the four Core Formation cultivators powerless to resist in that instant was the Autumn Frost Sword Intent.

It's an overwhelming advantage against ordinary Core Formation cultivators.

In comparison, the Chongxu Sword Bone is more suitable for one-on-one combat, and its area-of-effect damage is much weaker.

"This person was born with a sword bone, yet he has fallen to this state... Talent is one aspect, but everyone's circumstances are different, and the paths they take are completely opposite."

Song Ding sighed. Even if someone born with a sword-like bone couldn't become a disciple of a master like him, at least the major sword sects in the world would be eager to have such a person.

However, once he joined the Datong Army, his body was crippled, and his path to enlightenment was severed.

With his exceptional eyesight, he could already tell that most of the man's meridians were damaged, and his true essence could not circulate normally.

It's just that Qiu Shuang's sword bones are extraordinary, allowing him to injure people with sword intent.

Unless there are miraculous elixirs or divine medicines that can repair his meridians, he can forget about advancing another step in his cultivation level in this lifetime.

……

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye. Song Ding, a disciple of the Sword Lord of Time, and Ye Douyi, the Holy Son of the Moral Sect, have agreed to a duel at the foot of Heavenly Punishment Peak.

Several True Lords of the Daode Sect were present to observe the battle, strictly prohibiting unauthorized personnel from approaching, and also intending to maintain order and rescue people at critical moments.

Regardless of how high the Moral Sect's expectations were for Ye Douyi, it would be difficult to explain why Song Ding had an accident at Heavenly Punishment Peak.

The Holy Lord of Propagation has fully recovered from his injuries and has even made further progress.

After hearing about the deeds of the Sword Lord of Time in slaying the ancient demon Asura, he remained silent for a long time, admitting that he was far inferior to the Sword Lord of Time.

The original plan was for the two of them to work together after recovering from their injuries, risking their lives to reseal the ancient demon Asura.

As a result, Bai Zichen accomplished this on his own, without paying too much price except for the loss of his lifespan.

The Sword Lord of Time is extremely protective of his own. The Nine Yuan Sect, one of the four hidden sects, had plotted against Rotten Axe Mountain when he disappeared, which forced the Crimson Demon Sect to take action and make the Nine Yuan Sect disappear.

The black market merely provided logistical support to a few robbery gangs, and the original leading underground force disintegrated.

No one wanted to be enemies with the Sword Lord of Time, and no one was willing to hand over a large sum of profits every year to join an organization that could no longer protect its subordinates.

The black market is a loose alliance formed by shared interests, unlike sects.

Once they encounter setbacks, they scatter like birds and beasts, and there is no centripetal force among the disciples of the sect. Even after the sect is destroyed, there will be disciples who run to restore it.

This Song Ding is the most favored disciple of the Sword Lord of Time, and according to news from within the Qingfeng Sect, he is regarded as the successor to his mantle.

If the foundation of the Great Dao is damaged by a single battle, the relatively harmonious relationship between the two sides will certainly be affected.

The two entered at dawn and left when the stars were sparse.

Song Ding used his sword to support himself and staggered away from the battlefield, his face deathly pale.

Only his eyes grew ever brighter, his fighting spirit almost solidifying into reality.

"Dou Yi, is there any serious problem?"

A great sage descended and asked with concern.

"It's alright, we're just exhausted. If we continue fighting, we'll end up fighting like Qi Refining cultivators in close combat, or we'll be depleting our life force."

Ye Douyi had a soft voice, a graceful figure, and a beautiful face like a woman.

"I have solidified my alchemical theories. If it weren't for the need for a perfect foundation, I could transform into a Nascent Soul at any time... In this battle, I have lost."

"Fighting techniques are external skills; the path to immortality is the fundamental one... Sword cultivators are known for their combat prowess, and there may be many twists and turns on their path to Nascent Soul."

The Great True Lord offered words of comfort, for he had clearly seen from his vantage point that Ye Douyi's realm was suppressed, making his attacks far more lethal.

However, Song Ding's swordsmanship was so exquisite that it could turn the impossible into the possible, and even the Nascent Soul cultivators watching could not fathom the changes in his swordsmanship.

If you weren't on the opposing side, you'd want to clap and cheer for him.

They stubbornly withstood a seemingly inevitable defeat, and with their swords, they forged a ray of dawn in the darkness.

This was before Song Ding even used the Azure Emperor Longevity Sword, the most famous sword of the Time Sword Lord. Even his two fellow disciples had been taught it, so it was impossible for him to skip it.

"Uncle Xue, I'm not that fragile. There's no need to deceive myself. How could a Nascent Soul cultivator like Song Ding possibly stop him? But the path to the Great Dao is long. I'd like to compete with him and see who can reach the Divine Transformation realm first!"

Ye Douyi was not deterred at all; instead, he set his sights on a higher level.

For their talents, only reaching the Nascent Soul stage would indeed be considered somewhat challenging.

Moreover, he possesses the Heartless Holy Body, which gives him a natural advantage during tribulations. He is confident that he can catch up on his current lag when he attempts to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

Song Ding's talent in swordsmanship is similar to that of Guangyin Sword Master, but I don't believe that his talent in cultivation is also close to that of his master.

In fact, in terms of talent in swordsmanship, there are several comparable individuals in history.

Like the Taibai Sword Master, and those geniuses who died halfway through their journeys before they could fully display their talents.

Such as the junior brother of the Taibai Sword Master, such as the Wen surname cultivator who possesses three sword bones and a natural sword heart, such as the ancient sword cultivator who founded the Yuan Shen Sword Control lineage...

These people may not have achieved the same level of accomplishment as Guangyin Jianjun, but they have room for imagination in their swordsmanship.

There are always cultivators who disagree with the Sword Lord of Time and will search through the vast historical records to find a few figures to compare with him.

But when it comes to talent for cultivation, no one dares to object.

The level of attainment of godhood in less than four hundred years is something only those born gods before ancient times could achieve.

Even among the so-called reincarnations of immortals in ancient times, none of them, after consuming divine objects exceeding the fifth rank, clearly surpassed the Time Sword Lord in terms of their Nascent Soul transformation time.

Compared to talent in swordsmanship, it is this speed of progress in cultivation that truly terrifies the cultivation world.

To this day, no one doubts whether the Sword Lord of Time can cultivate to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and challenge ascension.

"If you have this confidence, that's for the best... The Patriarch Hongfa instructed that once your magic contest is over, he will let you ascend to the summit."

Xue Da Zhenjun nodded and said with satisfaction.

"It is the Ancestor who wants to see me!"

Ye Douyi stood up excitedly, stumbled but steadied himself, and looked up at the peak that was not shrouded in darkness and thunder.

……

Shaohua Cave Heaven.

The lake surface around the island is covered with *Shaohua grass*, most of which are about a foot tall, with only a few reaching more than two feet.

There are also two spiritual plants that have produced flower buds, covered with dozens of black and white circular patterns.

It is the annual flower that grows one petal every sixty years and adds one scripture every ten years.

Outside the stone chamber on the island, a female cultivator was kneeling, her eyes filled with confusion.

"You dare to attempt the Nascent Soul stage in this state?"

A clear, ethereal voice drifted from the stone chamber, high above, lofty and majestic.

“Master, I cannot find the opportunity to transform into a Nascent Soul. The more I cultivate over the years, the more chaotic it becomes. I don’t know where to begin… But I’m getting old, and if I don’t take this risk now, I may not even have my last chance.”

Ma Ruoxi looked dejected; as the personal disciple of the Sword Master of Time, she was under considerable pressure.

Outsiders are mocking him, saying that his mediocre talent was only due to his early advantage, which allowed him to successfully become an apprentice, wasting an opportunity that everyone in the cultivation world envies.

Especially after Li Guizhen successfully transformed into a Nascent Soul, she felt an even greater sense of urgency.

The more anxious they became, the more mistakes they made, and their initial 30% confidence level dropped to less than 10%.

"That was so fast..."

The voice in the stone chamber paused, realizing that his disciple was no longer the young lady from a noble family in Hejian County, but a Core Formation expert who had been famous for hundreds of years.

"Use this fruit in combination with the Nascent Soul Pill to prepare for the Heavenly Tribulation. Although the path to the Great Dao will be more difficult in the future, at least the Nascent Soul stage will not be a problem for you."

A spiritual fruit flew out and landed steadily in Ma Ruoxi's hand.

The fruit has five senses, and it cries incessantly when it encounters strangers, just like an infant.

"This is... the legendary ginseng fruit? Thank you, Master, for bestowing upon me this divine fruit!"

Ma Ruoxi's eyes lit up, and all the gloom in her heart vanished, as she had always respected and trusted her master the most.

Ginseng fruit is a legendary celestial fruit, said to have allowed ancient cultivators to directly reach the Nascent Soul stage after consuming it.

Even if ancient books exaggerate its effects, its remarkable efficacy is still evident.

If Master says there's nothing to worry about, then there's no problem.

As for not being able to grow in the future, it's better than dying in the Core Formation stage now, with no future to speak of.

In addition, Ma Ruoxi had all the other conditions for Nascent Soul Transformation, and she already enjoyed the best conditions for Tribulation Transcending in the cultivation world, so her confidence returned immediately.

(End of this chapter)