Dao Seeking Sword Mansion was a very lively place that night. Human and demons gathered under one roof to celebrate the birth of the third swordmaster of their sect.
Sixteen Skyimmortals, Skydemons, and Daoist Blackkill congratulated Qin Yun!
The banquet ended late into the night.
Qin Yun and Daoist Blackkill walked beside each other. Far off, they saw sword mansion disciples who reeked of alcohol walk off in groups. There were human males and tiger demons walking hand over shoulders and there were human-demon couples flying off intimately.
"Humans and demons show signs of rapprochement in Dao Seeking Sword Mansion," thought Qin Yun wistfully. "In the Skywolf world ruled by Yellow-robed Supremacy, humans and demons live together in harmony. In certain places, humans and demons fight, but in other places both species coexist peacefully, with it being common for people to be sworn brothers or couples."
"Brother Qin Yun," said Daoist Blackkill with a smile. "I've seen many powerful Skyimmortals and Skydemons but this is my first time seeing someone like you, with such immense strength despite being mortal. Are you a reincarnated Skyimmortal? Or...?"
"I'm not a reincarnated Skyimmortal," admitted Qin Yun frankly.
Daoist Blackkill was secretly surprised.
This was even more amazing.
It meant that the mortal in front of him had astonishing talent. His strength would probably one day far exceed his current state.
"I'm truly impressed with your talent." Daoist Blackkill spoke as he led Qin Yun to a pavilion tower. A stout tiger-headed man stood there.
The tiger-headed man immediately bowed, "Greetings, Swordmasters."
"This is a divine general that Mansion Lord brought when he first came to the Skywolf world," said Daoist Blackkill. "He is in charge of guarding the Sword Repository."
"Sword Repository." Qin Yun looked at the pavilion tower in front of him.
It looked ordinary, but the pavilion tower completely shielded itself from probes. Clearly, there was something of great power contained inside.
The pavilion tower had an array formation that was extremely powerful.
"Sword Repository is the most important spot in our Dao Seeking Sword Mansion. There are many cultivation Dharmic formulations and Sword Dao manuals in it. It has a total of three floors, with Dharmic formulations and manuals becoming more valuable the higher you go. Ordinary disciples are heavily restricted from reading these manuals since cultivation Dharmic formulations incur the envy of the heavens. Reading through a powerful Dharmic formulation a set number of times will automatically destroy it," explained Daoist Blackkill.
Qin Yun nodded slightly. He was well aware of this.
If one mastered a Dharmic formulation, one could naturally produce another written record but the materials needed for that were very special. Ordinary paper could not hold powerful Dharmic formulations.
"Brother Qin Yun, you are now a swordmaster of our Dao Seeking Sword Mansion. The manuals in it are free for your perusal," said Daoist Blackkill with a smile.
"Okay." Qin Yun nodded. "By the way, Brother Blackkill, is there any detailed information on the Skywolf world's hundred and eight Guardians inside Sword Repository?"
"You wish to challenge them too?" Daoist Blackkill smiled faintly. "That's right, at our level of strength, we all wish to become one of the hundred and eight Guardians and meet Supremacy so as to receive his guidance!"
Qin Yun nodded slightly.
"There is information inside Sword Repository but it is nowhere near detailed enough," said Daoist Blackkill. "As I have always been hoping to challenge them, I have deliberately gathered information on all the Guardians. If you wish to challenge them, make sure to select one carefully… the one that you have the highest confidence in fighting. After all, they definitely do not show mercy when challenged. If they can kill the challenger, they won't hesitate to do so. It's very normal since the moment they get defeated, they lose the position of Guardian. They would also lose all sorts of benefits so they have to be entirely ruthless."
Qin Yun nodded.
"It's good that you understand. Great attention is needed if you wish to challenge Guardians," said Daoist Blackkill. He flipped his hand, revealing a scroll. "This is the most detailed information gathered in the recent ten years. There have not been any changes to the Guardians over the past ten years."
The scroll flew over.
"Thanks." Qin Yun extended his hand to grab it, feeling grateful.
"It's nothing. After all, we are from the same sect from this day forth. We should help each other," said Daoist Blackkill with a smile. After Qin Yun said that he was not a reincarnated Skyimmortal, he was determined to befriend Qin Yun.
"Here, follow me in."
Daoist Blackkill led the way as Qin Yun followed him into the Sword Repository.
It had a total of three floors and many manuals placed on shelves.
"Our Mansion Lord was once a general in the Heavenly Courts. He was a subordinate of Supremacy from the start," whispered Daoist Blackkill. "He followed Supremacy to the Skywolf world and is heavily trusted by Supremacy. He knows that Mansion Lord is fanatical about the Sword Dao… so he gave many amazing Sword Dao manuals to Mansion Lord."
"Oh?" Qin Yun was surprised. Their Mansion Lord actually had such a backstory? This was the first time he was hearing that.
"They are purely Sword Dao manuals, not cultivation Dharmic formulations or divine powers, so they are not considered too valuable," said Daoist Blackkill. "But to us who dedicate ourselves to the Sword Dao, they are very useful."
"Yes." Qin Yun nodded.
"According to Mansion Lord, some of the Sword Dao manuals in here were written by great demons during the era of the Ancient Heavenly Courts. There are also some that Mansion Lord and company gathered when they were generals. Supremacy does not like sword arts so nearly all the Sword Dao manuals were given to Mansion Lord," said Daoist Blackkill. "It is why our Dao Seeking Sword Mansion has the right to call itself the number one Sword Dao sect in the Skywolf world."
Qin Yun's eyes lit up as he looked at the manuals around him.
So many Sword Dao manuals that had been amassed… since the Ancient Heavenly Courts era?
The Dao Seeking Sword Mansion's resources far exceeded his imaginings.
"The most powerful manuals are on the third floor. You have plenty of time to read them," said Daoist Blackkill with a smile.
That night.
Although Daoist Blackkill left early, Qin Yun remained inside Sword Repository, engrossing himself in the manuals.
Pure Sword Dao.
The written records of Sword Dao seniors that went as far back as the Ancient Heavenly Courts era broadened Qin Yun's horizons.
Although the Golden Light Sect's sect master had given him manuals, the three sword art manuals were mainly records from those that spied on the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage. It was not considered a complete Sword Dao manual and so was not very useful to his cultivation. It was not even comparable to the Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma. Yet even though the Blue Clouds Immortal Dharma was complete, it was not of the Sword Dao variety.
Qin Yun was truly immersed in his reading.
"This strike is very similar to my Bright Moon Cold Nights but even more powerful." Qin Yun read fervently. The complete Sword Dao manual taught from a low level to a high level in a systemic manner! It was naturally a lot easier learning that way.
Unknowingly…
Dawn came outside Sword Repository.
Qin Yun gained tremendously from his night of reading. He felt that his Dreamlike Sword could be improved once again.
Qin Yun looked out of the window and mocked himself, "When it comes to cultivation, time really passes fast. It's easy to read through these manuals but it will take quite a while to carefully ponder everything in it. I do not have time to slowly cultivate. I have to quickly choose a Guardian to challenge. As long as I become one of the hundred and eight Guardians, I'll be able to enter the Skywolf continent and save my daughter as soon as possible."
As he held the scroll that Daoist Blackkill had given him, he carefully read it while walking out of Sword Repository.
With his strength, a wisp of his psyche was enough to instantly memorize all the information within.
"These Guardians are all extraordinary. A small few of them are able to fight beyond their levels, fighting as fourth or fifth firmament Skyimmortals," thought Qin Yun. "I have to pick a person I have an advantage over to increase my chances."
He was not training himself.
He was doing it to save his daughter! Naturally, the greater the chances, the better.
Qin Yun began narrowing it down in his mind.
As he pondered, he headed towards his residence in the Dao Seeking Sword Mansion. As swordmaster, he naturally had a cave abode.
"Junior Brother, can you not understand why your sword art has not progressed at all?" Two wolf demons a distance away were wielding dual swords.
The thinner and weaker wolf demon was puzzled. He shook his head gently, "Senior Brother, I've been working very hard but I haven't improved at all. I just can't match you."
"I believe you understand the theory, but you do not have an intuitive comprehension of it." The stout wolf demon shook his head, his voice a deep baritone. "It's not wrong for you to learn from me in the beginning. But since you have built up a deep foundation, you should understand the saying: Learn from me you stand, copy from me you fall! You learned my sword arts to build up a foundation but the breakthroughs that follow should be yours alone. What suits you the most is the best. If you take the same path down an identical Sword Dao, it will lead to a dead end because that is my Sword Dao."
The distant conversation left Qin Yun's head buzzing instantly.
"What suits you the most is the best. Taking the same path will only lead to a dead end," muttered Qin Yun. "I actually forgot the most basic lesson?"
"The condensation of an Essence Soul…"
"Back when I was cultivating, I had figured out three paths. Not one of them was about condensing the Essence Soul as a sword."
"Due to the fact that an Essence Soul is a sword is based on the sword immortal Dharmic formulation created by the Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor, I have been deliberately taking that path?"
"I got it wrong."
"I finally know where I was wrong."
"My Dao heart was influenced by the Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor's status. I believed that his path is the right one but in fact, there are thousands of pathways when it comes to cultivation. I can take a completely different one, one that suits me." Qin Yun instantly felt his confidence blaze.
The Grand Supreme Dao Ancestor's status was too high.
He was one of Daoism's Three Pure Ones.
He was above Golden Immortals or Buddhas, one of the top existences in the Three Realms. He was truly an existence with boundless powers.
With the Grand Supreme sword immortal lineage having produced two Golden Immortals, Qin Yun had innately believed that the Essence Soul as a sword was the right way.
Yet, he forgot the most basic truth: something suited to oneself was the best!
"According to my original theories, an Essence Soul should look like a normal person and not a sword." An inspired impulse appeared in Qin Yun's mind.