You've only been cultivating for a few years, and you're already talking about cultivating

In Qi Fei's eyes, "spiritual energy" was a vast expanse of white, like mist.

He didn't recognize it as spiritual energy at first, and thought that the world was often shrouded in fog.

Now, seeing the inscription on the stone wall, he understands that "spiritual energy" appears in different colors to different people.

The spiritual energy itself hasn't changed; what has changed is the person observing it. Just as the same world appears different to different people.

It turned out to be the case.

That's it!

This suddenly resolved many of his doubts, connecting everything from the Dao Ming Sword to the "spiritual energy" he had never paid attention to before.

But what does the white aura represent?

He still had a problem on his mind, but then something else came to mind:

"Wait... I entered the white pillar of light. According to the 'Seven Illusion Sword Formation' setting, I should have come directly here. Why did I experience that illusion?"

In that illusion, there was a white fox, braised duck, all sorts of chaotic battles, the Jade Bridge Sword Sect, and questions like "Have you ever cultivated immortality?" and "What are you doing?"

Thinking about it now still makes him feel a headache coming on.

"Because..." the light paused, "human, I want to test you."

"I envy you. I envy that you were born as a human, unlike me, who had to go through such a long time. I also envy that you were able to come here and receive the inheritance of a sword immortal."

"So, I want to see what kind of person I admire."

Qi Fei: "..."

You don't even have a brain in the physical sense, yet you're envious of others?

He asked, "Can you control the 'Seven Illusion Sword Formation'?"

"A hundred years ago, after I gained self-awareness, although my physical body slowly deteriorated, I gradually merged with the 'Seven Illusion Sword Formation'," the light said. "Now, I am the 'Seven Illusion Sword Formation'."

Qi Fei: "..."

Alright, alright, I've been tricked by this sword.

The sword truly lives up to its name, being "cheap".

The light then said, "However, human, your illusion... is truly—"

It paused, as if considering its words.

"Incredible. It's amazing and so interesting."

"All of them combined aren't as interesting as you."

"They" naturally refers to the others who broke into the "Seven Illusion Sword Formation" back then. The environment in which those people were together was not as abstract and exaggerated as Qi Fei's.

"Are they still inside the illusion array?" Qi Fei asked.

"Not bad," the light said.

Qi Fei walked back to the earthen slope that was emitting seven-colored light and saw that the people on the mountain peak, who were as small as ants, were still spinning in the same place.

"Do these seven beams of light represent the choices people make in different environments?" Qi Fei asked.

He had already read the inscription on the stone wall about the "Seven Illusion Sword Formation," so he naturally knew what those seven beams of light were all about.

"Yes," "Sword" said. "The original design was to use their 'emotions' and 'choices' to nurture me and make me develop intelligence."

"But their 'emotions' didn't affect me. It wasn't until I gained 'intelligence' and slowly observed them that I understood you humans better."

"Does your way of thinking mimic people? Or even their emotions?" Qi Fei asked.

"I...I don't know," "Sword" said.

Qi Fei understood that although the "sword" was "cheap," it was still unable to answer such a complex question.

"Do you know about the realms of cultivation?" Qi Fei suddenly asked, "What is 'Observing Truth' and 'Experiencing Tribulations'?"

"Of course I know," said "Sword."

Qi Fei's eyes lit up: "Can you tell me?"

"Of course," said "Sword," "but you need to agree to one condition."

Qi Fei asked curiously, "You're a sword, so you can make conditions too?"

"I am a conscious sword, of course I will make conditions."

"What are the conditions?"

"Take me with you when you leave here."

Why?

"The outside world is so big, I want to go and see it," said "Sword".

"..." Qi Fei pointed at the ant-sized figures within the "Seven Illusion Sword Formation," "Why me? Aren't they good enough?"

"Besides, if you wanted to leave all these years, you could have done so long ago, right?"

The sword said, "They are not powerful enough, but you are. You have passed the test and even understood the Dao Ming Sword."

Qi Fei realized what he meant: "You mean, you look down on them?"

"It's a bit hard for me to express this feeling of disgust," "Sword" said.

"..." Qi Fei didn't know whether the "sword" was truly difficult to express or just pretended to be difficult to express.

He discovered that the "sword's" thinking was far more complex than he had imagined.

"Moreover, your Dao Name Sword was left behind by a cultivator a thousand years ago, so it can be considered my predecessor!" the "sword" said. "Isn't it reasonable for me to choose you?"

"Alright then," Qi Fei readily agreed. "I'll take you with me when I leave. Now, can you tell me about your cultivation level?"

This was what Qi Fei most wanted to know. To learn it from something that wasn't even human was somewhat ironic.

"Sword" said, "The first realm of cultivation is called the 'Realm of Observing Truth'."

Qi Fei had heard others mention this realm, but he never expected that it would actually be the first realm of cultivation.

"To see the truth is to realize that the world is not as we see or know it, and that what we see is not the thing itself, but the 'name' of the thing."

"Recognizing this point and observing spiritual energy is the first step into cultivation."

"As spiritual energy accumulates within a cultivator's body through cultivation techniques, the cultivator's perception also undergoes continuous changes."

At this moment, the sound of the "sword" seemed to echo that of a cultivator who perished here a thousand years ago.

"Such a perception is extremely frightening. What you experienced yesterday may be overturned today, and then overturned again tomorrow."

"Constantly having one's understanding, concepts, and practices overturned can easily lead practitioners to doubt themselves, thus questioning everything, resulting in qi deviation, or even being burned to ashes by their own cultivation!"

"This process is called the 'trial period'."

"The calamity is not external, but internal. If one cannot grasp one's own 'truth,' even magical power cannot withstand it."

"The more magical power one has, the more dangerous it becomes."

Qi Fei understands this.

In my past life, there were people who practiced qigong recklessly and developed mental illnesses. Among them was a very famous poet who eventually became mentally unstable and committed suicide by lying on a railway track.

If the people of this world recognized the difference between "fame" and "reflection" and practiced blindly like this, eventually going mad and burning themselves to ashes, it would be quite reasonable.

"And then what?" Qi Fei asked.

"Sword" said, "After that, comes the Three Pure Realms."

"The Three Pure Ones?" Qi Fei asked in surprise. "Which Three Pure Ones?"

No, this is only the third realm of cultivation, which is the Three Pure Realms. If this continues, won't they be able to defy the heavens?

"The Sword" replied, "Of course, it's the Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerable, the Supreme Pure Spiritual Treasure Heavenly Venerable, and the Great Pure Moral Heavenly Venerable!"