Senior Brother Ma paused at this point, a look of regret appearing on his face before he continued, “But unfortunately, as one progresses to deeper levels of this sword art, there is an unbearable flaw. Starting from the fourth layer, when cultivating the Azure Origin Sword Art to absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, a strange phenomenon of power dissipation occurs every few days. The spiritual power refined through this method in the previous days inexplicably dissipates on its own. It’s truly baffling!”
“For the fourth layer, the rate of dissipation isn’t too alarming—only about one-tenth of the newly cultivated spiritual power is lost. With a bit of extra effort, an average cultivator can still make up for it. However, if one advances to the fifth or sixth layer, the loss of spiritual power becomes terrifying. With each layer, an additional one-tenth of the painstakingly refined spiritual power is lost. In other words, the fifth layer loses two-tenths of the newly refined spiritual power, and the sixth layer loses three-tenths. Under such circumstances, who would dare to continue cultivating the Azure Origin Sword Art?”
“Moreover, the highest level any disciple of our sect has ever reached with the Azure Origin Sword Art is the sixth layer. Beyond the sixth layer, one must be at the Core Formation stage to cultivate it. But given that by the sixth layer, nearly one-third of the spiritual power is lost, how would these high-level cultivators dare to take such a risk? What if the Azure Origin Sword Art beyond the seventh layer continues to increase the rate of spiritual power loss? Wouldn’t that make their efforts utterly in vain?”
“After all, advancing each layer of cultivation after reaching the Core Formation stage is incredibly difficult. The Azure Origin Sword Art is especially arduous to cultivate. To spend a decade or even several decades taking such a risk for a foolish endeavor—no one would do it! Besides, the Azure Origin Sword Art is not only incomplete but also not some supreme immortal technique. There simply isn’t enough motivation for them to undertake such a perilous endeavor.”
“However, the sword radiance ability of this sword art is indeed very practical, so giving it up entirely would be a pity. As a result, some people only cultivate the first three layers of the Azure Origin Sword Art, treating it purely as an auxiliary method. This way, they avoid the fear of power dissipation while still being able to use the sword radiance ability. Of course, even just mastering the sword radiance ability requires disciples to spend four or five years solely cultivating this sword art.”
After listening to the old man’s lengthy explanation, Han Li was utterly stunned. When he finally collected himself, he felt a deep sense of frustration.
No way—he had already reached the fourth layer of the sword art! According to this, if he continued cultivating the Azure Origin Sword Art, one-tenth of the spiritual power he refined would inexplicably vanish. And as he advanced to higher layers, the loss would only increase!
How was he supposed to cultivate under such conditions?
But since things had been laid out so clearly, there was no way he would foolishly continue cultivating this sword art. His practice of the Azure Origin Sword Art would end here.
Shortly after Han Li made this resolution, the old man’s next words caught him off guard and piqued his interest.
“Despite its major flaws, the Azure Origin Sword Art still has its unique strengths. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have become a sect’s foundational art in the past,” the old man said, pursing his lips and suddenly sounding nostalgic.
“I’ve heard that although this sword art is incredibly slow to cultivate, each layer mastered expands the meridians and deepens the dantian. This allows cultivators who practice the sword art to possess deeper spiritual power compared to others of the same level.”
“As for how much deeper, it depends on the level of the sword art one has cultivated.”
According to the only senior disciple who ever reached the sixth layer of the Azure Origin Sword Art, by the time he mastered the sixth layer at late Foundation Establishment, his spiritual power was nearly one-third greater than that of other cultivators. This extra spiritual power恰好 matched the rate of dissipation at his current level. Such a coincidence suggests that this sword art truly holds some mystery!
The old man seemed quite knowledgeable about the Azure Origin Sword Art, growing more enthusiastic as he spoke. By the end, he was practically gesturing wildly and speaking animatedly, forcing Han Li to quickly change the subject and steer the conversation away from the sword art. Only then did Senior Brother Ma return to his usual demeanor.
As far as Han Li was concerned, no matter how miraculous the sword art might be, he wouldn’t cultivate it. Given his poor innate talent, deliberately practicing such an extremely slow and incomplete technique would be sheer folly—unless he had no intention of forming a Golden Core at all.
Even with normal cultivation techniques, Han Li estimated that if he could find some pill formulas, there might still be a sliver of hope for him to form a Golden Core in this lifetime.
After chatting with the old man for a while longer, Han Li took his leave.
Now that he had achieved Foundation Establishment, he could no longer tend the medicine garden for the old man. So, he returned to his old hut, packed up his belongings, and left quietly.
It was already bright outside—the perfect time to head to the Assembly Hall to take care of business.
Fresh from his breakthrough, Han Li was still buzzing with excitement. All he could think about was handling his affairs and immediately securing a cave residence of his own.
He had been looking forward to this for a long time! After all, with his own territory, he wouldn’t have to sneak around anymore. He could do whatever he wanted openly and without restraint.
Lost in his excitement, Han Li unconsciously flew on his artifact until he arrived at the Assembly Hall.
The two young disciples guarding the entrance clearly didn’t recognize Han Li, but they immediately sensed his Foundation Establishment cultivation. Naturally, they didn’t dare slight him due to his youth.
They both stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Uncle-Master, is there anything we can assist you with?”
“Uncle-Master?” Han Li found the address somewhat amusing. A year ago, he would have had to call these two “Senior Brothers.” Now, after reaching Foundation Establishment, his status had skyrocketed, and he was suddenly the elder. It felt a bit unfamiliar.
Still, being greeted and bowed to by people around his age felt rather satisfying.
“Is Sect Leader Zhong in? I need to see him,” Han Li said with an air of authority.
The two Qi Condensation disciples exchanged glances before the one on the right replied, “The Sect Leader has gone to the Hundred Duties Hall on business, but he should be back soon. Would you like to wait in the hall for a moment, Uncle-Master?”
Han Li frowned slightly but quickly regained his composure. “Very well. I’ll wait, then.”
“Right this way, Uncle-Master!” the other disciple said cleverly, stepping back to guide Han Li.
Following him through the main hall, Han Li was led into a moderately sized room. The space was tidy and well-kept, with calligraphy and paintings adorning the walls, giving it an elegant and scholarly atmosphere.
“Please rest here for a moment, Uncle-Master. As soon as the Sect Leader returns, I will inform him immediately,” the young disciple said skillfully, preparing a pot of fragrant tea for Han Li before withdrawing.
Han Li watched the disciple leave, nodding slightly before shaking his head.
He nodded in approval because the young man’s attentiveness and demeanor were impeccable—clearly the result of rigorous training.
He shook his head out of pity for low-level disciples like him.
A cultivator should be focusing on secluded cultivation, yet here they were, forced to perform menial tasks like servants—standing guard, serving tea—just like mortals. It was truly lamentable.
Come to think of it, if he hadn’t bribed Elder Ye with a Foundation Establishment Pill back then, his situation might not have been any better. He, too, would have had to bow and scrape, perhaps even worse off.
As Han Li sipped his tea, lost in thought, Sect Leader Zhong soon returned.
When he heard from the gatekeepers that a young Foundation Establishment cultivator was looking for him, he was slightly surprised. Based on their description, the person sounded unfamiliar—he couldn’t match the description to any of the hundreds of Foundation Establishment disciples.
“Mid-twenties, somewhat dark skin, average looks—who could that be?” Zhong Lingdao wondered with a mix of curiosity and puzzlement as he hurried toward the reception hall.
Entering the room, he saw a young man of medium height wearing the Yellow Maple Valley uniform, his back turned as he admired a painting of flowers on the wall.
Hearing the Sect Leader enter, the young man turned around and bowed respectfully. “Sect Leader Brother! Junior Brother Han Li pays his respects.”
“Han Li?” The name sounded familiar to Sect Leader Zhong, as if he’d heard it before. But after a closer look, aside from a faint sense of recognition, he couldn’t quite place him. Feeling slightly embarrassed, a hint of awkwardness flashed across his face.
“Ah, Junior Brother Han! Please, have a seat. No need for formalities! As Sect Leader, I’ve been quite busy and am running a bit late. I hope you don’t mind.”
Zhong Lingdao, a seasoned old fox who had weathered countless storms, smoothly deflected the awkwardness of not recognizing Han Li with a few vague pleasantries.
Han Li wasn’t surprised that the Sect Leader didn’t recognize him.
After all, the last time they had met was five years ago. Back then, Han Li was just a low-tier Qi Condensation disciple with poor aptitude—hardly someone worth remembering. If the Sect Leader had recognized him immediately, Han Li would have been shocked.
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