Seeking the Flying Sword Path

The sword intent of the area had formed a body due to their mutual interactions over time. It also repulsed all other energy, making the void of the land become a world of pure sword intent.

"After reading the Covetous Wolf sword art in the Skywolf world, my Sword Dao broke through to the mid-stages of the Skyimmortal realm giving my Dao domain a span of a hundred and fifty kilometers," thought Qin Yun. "Later, I created the Essence Soul Dharmic formulation and Master even preached the Dao to me personally. These past few years, I have been cultivating in the Hundred Great White Yang Metal Sword Art and the other sword manuals. I have accumulated a lot but I’m still stuck in the bottleneck of the Skyimmortal realm’s mid-stages. I have no idea as to when I can break through."

"It gets much harder to break through the further one gets into the three major Skyimmortal realms. According to Senior Brother Zhang, his Lightning Dao was only able to break through to the late-stages of the Skyimmortal realm because he entered the Myriad Dharma Pool."

"How do I break through to the late-stages of the Skyimmortal realm?"

Qin Yun pondered.

Breaking through a bottleneck was indeed difficult.

Even among the many Green Touring Palace disciples, many of them were trapped at the sixth firmament Skyimmortal realm! It was equivalent to the middle-stages of the Skyimmortal realm.

Qin Yun was considered someone with monstrous talent. As an itinerant cultivator, he had reached the mid-stages of the Skyimmortal realm and created his own sword immortal Dharmic formulation. But later, after having the Dao Ancestor preach the Dao to him, studying the five Golden Immortal level sword manuals, and cultivating two Heavenly Cycle great divine powers, he still remained stuck within the mid-stage Skyimmortal bottleneck.

"Breakthroughs are truly difficult."

"Senior Sister Lan mentioned that Junior Brother Yu Gui previously. He had not cultivated before, but after looking at a monument when he was fifteen, he reached the Skyimmortal realm after three days. He is suspected to be the reincarnation of a mighty figure. Master has been painstakingly teaching him for a year, and although he has improved by leaps and bounds, he has also temporarily come to a stop at the sixth firmament Skyimmortal realm," sighed Qin Yun.

Being a sixth firmament Skyimmortal meant that one was an expert in the vast Three Realms but they were also commonly seen.

As for eighth or ninth firmament Skyimmortals... they were truly rare.

In situations where Golden Immortals, Buddhas, or Ancestral Fiends did not appear, those Skyimmortals stood atop all. To use the top sects in the Effulgent Great World as an example, those sects typically only had one or two eighth or ninth firmament Skyimmortals.

As for Green Touring Palace, ever since Pangu split the heaven and earth apart, it had seen tens of thousands of disciples from all over the Three Realms over the ages. They had been guided by the Dao Ancestor and had the chance to step into the Myriad Dharma Pool but... the number that reached the eighth or ninth firmament Skyimmortal realm remained tiny in proportion.

"The breakthrough at this step is so difficult. It only means it will be more difficult to achieve the Golden Immortal Dao fruit," sighed Qin Yun.

"I should just calm my mind and slowly accumulate as much as I can."

"Once I accumulate to a certain extent, I believe things will come naturally with ripe conditions."

Qin Yun calmed his mind and began carefully experiencing the sword intent.

Broken Sword Valley was a world of sword intent.

A large amount of sword intent belonged to pinnacle Skyimmortals. There was even sword intent at the Golden Immortal level.

...

Days passed and, in a blink of an eye, Qin Yun had been cultivating for three months.

"Go."

Qin Yun sat cross-legged by the mountainside. His Dao domain enveloped his surroundings as he released a wisp of whitish-gold Sword Qi that sliced through the void.

Although he was practicing his sword moves, he was doing it within his Dao domain and that prevented him from disturbing others. After all, Broken Sword Valley was a place where many disciples cultivated.

"No, it still doesn’t work."

"Although my accumulations are turning more robust, I keep feeling like there’s no qualitative change." Qin Yun stopped and took a rest to relax his mind. He flipped his hand and took out an alcohol flask. He then drank as he looked at his surroundings.

There were Green Touring Palace disciples sitting cross-legged on the mountaintop, mountainside, and the cliffs while they cultivated.

"They are all cultivating."

"These are all disciples that the Dao Ancestor took in. All of them are highly perceptive and talented."

"The cultivation path is just like this. Regardless of how talented one is, one has to have the patience and forge forward bravely. If one allows themselves to drift along... how is it possible to become a true mighty figure?" Qin Yun took another swig of his alcohol before putting it away. He planned to continue cultivating.

But suddenly—

Qin Yun’s eyes swept across the countless sword intent in the valley and he was left stunned.

"Oh?"

Qin Yun had been in the Broken Sword Valley for three months. He was long familiar with the sight of it.

But at that moment, Qin Yun had discovered something. It was something he did not pay too much attention to despite constantly seeing it for three months.

"Whoosh~" Although Broken Sword Valley had a lot of sword intent, it gradually formed a sword intent world revolving around the sword intent at the Golden Immortal levels over time.

"Trends?" Qin Yun muttered.

Sword arts moves from the five sword manuals he learned surfaced in his mind as he suddenly seemed to see the light.

"There are limits to what books can offer! Despite having learned all of that, all I have seen is the tip of the iceberg. I did not see it for what it really is," muttered Qin Yun. "Master was right. Only something I figure out myself belongs to me!"

Qin Yun looked at the valley in front of him.

"Countless sword intent influencing itself over time, naturally forming such a general trend."

"Everything has a trend."

"A raging river follows the trend of the river flow. Even if there are distributaries that flow in the opposite direction, the general trend is in one direction."

"Even in a country formed by countless people, the society develops according to a general trend. Even across the long span of history, events occur in a general trends! By following this general trend, everything can be done harmoniously. Going against it makes every step difficult."

"The Three Realms’ Great Dao has Great Dao trends as well."

"As for my Sword Dao... it lacks such a general trend!"

Qin Yun waved his hand.

A wisp of Sword Qi flew out. It was ordinary and lacked the dominance of the Sword Qi that was produced by Qin Yun’s casting of the Hundred Great White Yang Metal Sword Art but it had an indescribable charm.

However, as he released one Sword Qi after another, the might of these Sword Qi became stronger and stronger! Like a rolling snowball, that power grew in size as time passed. It was like a tidal wave that would become more turbulent with time! And these Sword Qi were the same. As the Sword Qi were unleashed, the might constantly increased.

Eventually, the might turned extremely horrifying.

"Dao begets One, One begets Two, Two begets Three, Three begets all things."

"It is deemed as a general trend."

There was a dazzling glint in Qin Yun’s eyes. While he took in the might of the terrifying Sword Qi which appeared as tempestuous as an avalanche, his mind stirred as the Sword Qi dissipated.

Qin Yun closed his eyes and sat cross-legged.

In his heart, his Sword Dao was metamorphosing...

...

Just three days after he sat to contemplate what he figured out, there was a rumble. When he opened his eyes again, Qin Yun felt that his Dao domain had undergone a qualitative change. Having reached the late-stages of the Skyimmortal realm, his Dao domain spanned three hundred kilometers!

"Following this, there’s only clear skies ahead. As long as I slowly accumulate, I will reach another bottleneck." Qin Yun smiled. "This breakthrough was really difficult but the next one will be hundreds of times more difficult. After all, breaking through to attain a Golden Immortal Dao fruit is the dream of countless immortals."

There were bound to be greater obstacles in the future. Qin Yun did not think too much about it.

It was still very early for him.

His becoming the Dao Ancestor’s disciple, the cultivation of the five sword manuals, and the epiphany in Broken Sword Valley, all these allowed him to break through the bottleneck to reach the late-stages of the Skyimmortal realm.

He was now truly at the level of one of the experts of the Three Realms.

"Next, I will nurture my Intrinsic Flying Sword. With my breakthrough in Sword Dao, my Intrinsic Flying Sword can be nurtured to the superior-grade Numinous treasure level." Qin Yun was filled with anticipation but he also turned troubled. "However, I no longer have enough treasures to nurture my Intrinsic Flying Sword. To cultivate the two great divine powers, I even had to sell that superior-grade Minor Empyrean Seal from before."

The two divine powers that Qin Yun chose were great divine powers back in the Ancient Heavenly Courts era!

Thankfully, simply grasping it only required external objects, but even so it had drained Qin Yun of all his treasures. He had even sought the help of his senior brothers and sisters to gather the materials.

"It’s time to leave." Qin Yun smiled as he got up.

As he looked at the other disciples that were continuing their cultivation in Broken Sword Valley, Qin Yun felt rather happy. He immediately departed the mountainside and left through the tiny path he took when he came.