Chapter 128: How Would There Not Be a Reward

The Seventy-Two Swords truly seemed like a paradise for sword cultivators.

Having become familiar with the formation spirit, Wang Sheng no longer required healing pills and wound ointments. After all, the formation spirit, who personally handled the battles, naturally knew how to control his strength.

The cave had sword techniques, cultivation techniques, and an abundance of primal qi. Moreover, it could function as a safe environment where one could avoid disturbance. Sword cultivators could enter the formation and deplete all of their true essence until they couldn't even lift a finger without having to worry about being ambushed.

However, all of that was just a deceptive illusion!

After pushing open the stone door of the eighth floor, Wang Sheng became absolutely certain of one thing: Qing Feng Zhenren, the Shu Mountains' forefather, was definitely a sadist! Otherwise, how could the sword he had left behind only find joy in tormenting others?

As soon as Wang Sheng entered the floor, the formation spirit arranged every intense match for him with meticulous precision. It would beat him into submission without inflicting serious injury, knock him down without crushing his spirit. Each fierce battle completely drained him of every ounce of strength and energy.

Nevertheless, they never dampened his will to fight. It also helped that the formation spirit casually encouraged him every now and then.

"Out of breath already, boy?

"How about I let you initiate three moves?

"If you're aiming to comprehend the true sword of the earth, then your Dao of the Sword is still far from enough."

Wang Sheng could only grit his teeth, sit down right where he had fallen, meditate, and reflect for a while. He would then throw out a harsh remark, slip away in embarrassment to the corridor staircase, and continue cultivating.

No longer pressured to retrieve the Sword-Controlling Art, Wang Sheng was in no hurry to advance further. He had prepared plenty of alchemy pills and Spirit-Nurturing Stones before coming in, and he had decided that once he ran out, he would leave.

Wang Sheng was now truly free of distractions. He couldn't even turn on his phone. Moreover, he was not worried about his parents being unable to reach him and getting anxious. The sword sect had likely already sent word to his master, and his master would surely inform them.

When he had just entered the floor, he battled the formation spirit over a hundred times and only managed to win twice.

Even though he had advanced two levels, Wang Sheng did not try to take inspiration from the Shu Sword Sect techniques that weren't meant to be shared to outsiders. Not only did he feel that it would be improper, but he also truly had no time or energy to let other sword techniques distract him.

The techniques of the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation required constant fine-tuning. He had to address the long duration that the Ziwei Sword required to be unleashed as well.

The formation spirit had given him guidance on the Dual-Polarity Sword Intent. According to the formation spirit, the profound and expansive sword path demanded even more of Wang Sheng's focus and effort to master.

On top of that, Wang Sheng devoted a large portion of his energy to the Sword-Controlling Art. Every time he finished meditating, he would practice sword-controlling techniques using his treasured sword.

Once one reached the Realm of Sword Control, one would naturally be able to command the treasured sword in their hand. However, the Sword-Controlling Art and the Realm of Sword Control pursued entirely different concepts.

The Sword-Controlling Art was a sword art or, more accurately, a spell that contained numerous sword-controlling techniques. The purpose of controlling a flying sword was to fully bring out the cultivator's strength; a good flying sword could greatly enhance the wielder's power in battle.

The Realm of Sword Control, however, referred to a Dao of the Sword realm where the sword cultivator could command tens of thousands of swords. Unless one was a Daoist elder like Yuan Pu Zhenren, whose Daoist realm was extremely profound; someone like Wang Sheng, who cultivated steadily, would have to reach at least the Celestial Embryo Stage before stepping into that realm.

If he could master the Sword-Controlling Art, then once he had perfected his sword momentum and fully developed the form, intent, and momentum of his sword realm, he would naturally be able to enter the Realm of Sword Control. After all, he could use the Sword-Controlling Art as a guide.

He still remembered how Fei Lianzi used two swords during the battle against the corrupt cultivators on the island. He used one to unleash sword techniques and sent the other flying using a superficial Sword-Controlling Art version that didn't require a sword core or any refined sword-controlling techniques.

The third volume of the Sword-Controlling Art contained a total of one hundred moves. Many of the more powerful ones required a sword core as a foundation, which Wang Sheng could not create yet.

In this place, time felt irrelevant to Wang Sheng. The only way to estimate how long he had been here was by counting the number of alchemy pills left in his storage pouch.

By the time he consumed half of his alchemy pills, he had already cleared the sixty-ninth level of the Seventy-Two Swords, and his cultivation had broken through to mid-stage Seed Formation Realm. He had also refined the Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation further through the countless battles. Its sword moves and styles were approaching perfection.

Moreover, his perfected Seven-Star Sword Intent had begun to emit a unique rhythm. It was as if it were the sword of an emperor from the heavens, ruling over the stars and suppressing all that was beneath it. Yet because of Wang Sheng's temperament, it still carried a hint of grace and ease—a sign that he had already touched upon the threshold of sword momentum.

He had also developed a practical set of techniques for the Dual-Polarity Sword Intent. Drawing reference from his senior sister's Yin-Yang Grand Formation, he began spreading sword intent around himself, constantly drawing upon yin-yang qi. Although he could not yet trap or injure enemies invisibly like his senior sister, it was already a formidable sword art.

Thanks to his solid foundation in the Dao of the Sword, Wang Sheng made progress with the Sword-Controlling Art at a remarkable speed. Though he still lacked a sword core, he could already merge two swords into one, allowing him to control two longswords and launch a joint assault.

By the time he had gone through two-thirds of his alchemy pills and whittled his supply of Spirit-Nurturing Stones down to twenty-two, he had passed the seventieth trial of the Seventy-Two Swords.

Wang Sheng estimated that by this point, he had been inside the Seventy-Two Swords trials for about seven to nine months. He resolved that regardless of whether he could witness the Shu Mountain Sword Sect's number one sword, he would bid farewell to the formation spirit once he used up his alchemy pills.

Until then, though, he would give his all in the final two stages. If he could clear them, it would undoubtedly be a form of ascension for his Dao of the Sword.

Who knows? Maybe there's even a reward for clearing the trials

.

Wang Sheng had gone through all ninety-eight of his Meridian-Tempering Pills by the time he barely cleared the seventy-first stage. He then tried a dozen times to clear the final stage, but the formation spirit repeatedly repelled him using his sword intent—the Qing Feng Sun and Moon Transformation Sword Intent.

He had already started to consider leaving.

Wang Sheng had fought, cultivated, comprehended the Dao of the Sword, and chatted idly with the formation spirit about anything and everything. He had certainly lost both the desire to win and his sense of urgency. Hence, he couldn't help but feel that he had already stayed far too long in this blessed land of the Shu Mountains. Who knew what could have changed in the outside world?

Taking stock of everything he had gained on this journey, he had truly reaped a full harvest. Not only had his sword formation advanced by a great margin, but he had also learned the Sword-Controlling Art and advanced his cultivation by a stage. He was now close to reaching the late stage of the Seed Formation Realm. If he stayed any longer in this sacred ground, it would be difficult to justify.

In a corner of the floor, Wang Sheng packed up his belongings and stood up once more. He no longer knew how many times he had fought the formation spirit. Though he still could not fully grasp the patterns of the formation spirit's sword techniques, he had at least faced off against all the profound sword intents of the Shu Sword Sect firsthand.

He formed a sword finger with his left hand. The two broken swords he had picked up in the trial ground slowly hovered in midair, floating and spinning gently around him.

With his right hand holding the treasured sword that Yan Zhengnan had given him, he slowly walked toward the center of the hall.

"You're leaving already?"

The formation spirit flew out from the stone door and stood beneath the small bronze cauldron that was floating at the highest point. In his hand was the final immortal sword that still shone with radiant light.

Wang Sheng smiled. "Whether I win or lose this battle, I'll have to take my leave."

"You youngsters really lack patience. Even if their progress was blocked, the young disciples who entered this place in ancient times still stayed for three to five years to cultivate with painstaking effort."

The formation spirit offered a rebuke, then sighed softly.

"So be it. Come, let us battle. First Shu Sword Technique: Qing Feng Sun and Moon Transformation."

Radiance burst and bloomed from the formation spirit's treasured sword, instantly filling the entire eighth-level grand hall with an intense sword intent. Amid vast waves of mist behind the formation spirit, the sun seemingly rose and the moon set in an endless heaven and earth.

It's the Earth Dao of the Sword—the Qing Feng Sun and Moon Transformation!

Wang Sheng restrained his smile and adopted a solemn expression. With his left hand, he formed a sword finger and raised it in front of him.

This sword has no beginning; this sword has no end!

The two broken swords spinning around him trembled slightly. With two sharp whistles, they shot toward the formation spirit.

Wang Sheng leaped from the ground and followed closely behind. Pure true essence flowed through him. The treasured sword in his right hand unleashed a series of sword phantasms aligned with the Big Dipper, and the vast starlight instantly condensed into a dazzling river of stars.

Reversed Seven-Star Sword Formation!

Sword howls, loud laughter, and blade clashes echoed endlessly on the highest floor of the Seventy-Two Swords.

Over ten minutes later, Wang Sheng walked up the final segment of the suspended stairs of the Seventy-Two Swords. The broad-bladed sword strapped to his back had not been used once, while the treasured sword in his hand now had several nicks and tiny cracks along the edge.

At the top of the stairs, a green light shimmered as the grand formation opened a doorway. The noon sunlight shone onto Wang Sheng's face, causing him to instinctively raise a hand to shield his eyes.

Outside the formation's doorway was a small flat area at the mountain peak. Once he exited, he would no longer be able to return to the Seventy-Two Swords.

A faint reluctance rose in his heart, but Wang Sheng quickly suppressed it. He was not the type to get sentimental, and there was no need to dwell on it. The road ahead was long. On this blue planet, there were still countless wonders waiting for him.

He turned and gave a Daoist salute toward the stone palace below, then straightened up and stepped out, leaving carefreely. It was as if he had walked straight out of the cliffside stone wall. The green light embedded in the stone wall slowly faded away.

Before he could get far, the formation spirit shouted, "Hey, kid! You forgot something!"

A streak of black light flew out from the fading green glow and shot toward Wang Sheng's face. He raised his left hand and caught it steadily.

What's this?

The green light flickered once more before disappearing completely into the stone wall. Looking down at the pitch-black iron ball in his hand, Wang Sheng couldn't help but smile.

A finished sword core, and the quality didn't seem awful.

The formation spirit had truly given him a great parting gift.

Wang Sheng deposited the sword core into the Crane-Spirit Treasure Pouch. He wasn't in a hurry to refine it.

𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Standing atop the Sword Peak, he looked at the sheer cliffs, which stretched thousands of feet down, and found himself facing a very practical problem.

How am I supposed to get down?