This Too Is a Flying Sword

"Guns?!" An Jing was momentarily dazed, finding it hard to believe. But in the next instant, he warily scanned his surroundings. "Even people with guns died here? Just how dangerous is this ruin?!" "And what world is this? Sword Spirit... how should I address you? My Lord, or Exalted One?" "Ours is a relationship of mutual aid; there is no need to call me 'My Lord,'" the Sword Spirit said. "I do not know what world this is either, but my fragments are here. "However, I recognize this ruin... It feels somewhat familiar. It should have some connection to my era." After inspecting it for a moment, the Sword Spirit could not be certain either, admitting quite candidly, "Yet I was shattered, and I have forgotten many things. "The strength of most of these skeletons was Inner Breath Like Silk. Only the leading group was likely at or above Inner Breath Like River during life. What killed them appears to have been some sort of soul-snatching spell. "This place is indeed somewhat perilous. Break through into Inner Breath as soon as possible, and let us return." An Jing nodded slightly. For so many gun-wielding cultivators in the Inner Breath realm to die here, the danger of this ruin likely surpassed even Suspended Fate Manor. Furthermore, aside from the danger, he had to return to the manor as quickly as possible to feign sleep. This was an unspoken understanding between Manor Lord Yao and him: he had to act as though nothing had happened, without exposing the slightest flaw. He had to score full marks on this test. Manor Lord Yao would never imagine that once An Jing returned, he would already be in the Inner Breath realm! As for whether breaking through to Inner Breath might reveal any flaws... with the Sword Spirit and the Tranquil Sword Contemplation, An Jing was confident that ordinary people would never see through his true strength—at least not Manor Lord Yao. However... An Jing thought of Manor Lord Yao's own strength again. The man was in the Inner Strengthening realm, having already 'generated divine marvels within,' possessing numerous extraordinary abilities and miraculous arts impossible for ordinary mortals. Even if the man was exceedingly aged with withered essence and blood, he remained a formidable foe. Unless... An Jing lowered his head and looked at the guns in the corpses' hands. Since they had died of soul-snatching spells, there shouldn't be any poison, right? After inquiring with the Sword Spirit and receiving confirmation that there was none, An Jing cast aside all qualms and began rummaging through the corpses. The corpses had little else on them, carrying mostly bullets and firearms. The leading group had more gear—things like broken communication terminals and medicinal pills—but everything had been completely destroyed. For skeletons to reach such a state, they had been dead for at least seven or eight years. And seven or eight years was more than enough time for many resilient objects to turn brittle and decay. Setting aside the visibly rotted firearms and clothing, the oddly shaped daggers hanging at the corpses' waists were also thoroughly degraded and encrusted in rust. However, the gun held by the leader's corpse differed from those in the hands of the others. It was the size of an ordinary rifle, looking like two metal rails with a white crystal resembling jade at the center. This bizarre gun had not decayed; though far from pristine, it was merely covered in dust. "This is a dharma implement." The Sword Spirit glanced at it and said in slight surprise, "Dharma implements, spirit implements; dharma treasures, spirit treasures. "Although a dharma implement is merely a lower-grade tool and can only carry 'Daoist arts,' it already possesses wondrous utility. It should be an implement used to unleash some form of offensive spell. "This dharma implement requires at least Inner Breath to use, and its spirit core is nearly depleted, so it cannot be fired... Hm, there is another one on the left that still works." An Jing looked toward the undamaged dharma implement indicated by the Sword Spirit. Picking it up to inspect it, he saw that the white jade stone in the center still emanated a faint glow. "Then it's perfect to take along." After scouring the corpses, An Jing had reaped quite a haul—not only acquiring a dharma implement gun, but also two undamaged gunpowder firearms. Both gunpowder weapons were kept inside cases, likely someone's spares. They possessed large calibers and ferocious firepower, and they still functioned normally. An Jing gathered a good number of bullets that seemed undamaged, then took a tentative test shot—the power was extraordinarily great. Following a thunderous crack, a crater nearly a palm deep was blasted into the stone ground. These guns packed massive powder charges, and the muzzles even appeared to be augmented with Daoist glyphs; their destructive power was considerably higher than anything in his memories from his previous life. "A flying sword?" Upon seeing the weapon's power, the Sword Spirit marveled, "Could this actually be a sword scabbard for flying swords? Still, this is truly my first time seeing such fragile, single-use flying swords." "This isn't a flying sword; it's a firearm." An Jing started to explain, but the Sword Spirit sounded quite perplexed: "Forged from metals, high power, blindingly fast, injuring foes through piercing and armor penetration, and capable of easily slaying cultivators weaker than oneself—you see, how is this not a flying sword?" An Jing blinked, pondered for a moment, and suddenly came around. "Right, this is a flying sword." "This path of flying swords has developed quite maturely; even ordinary mortals without Inner Breath or spiritual energy can wield them." The Sword Spirit actually grew enthusiastic on the topic: "It seems the craft of implement cultivators in this realm is highly developed." An Jing did not reply, not knowing what to say. In any case, he gathered many bullets, carried some with him, and stashed the majority where they were. "I don't need too many either; they're impossible to conceal." Two handguns and one dharma implement gun. Of them, he lacked the cultivation for the dharma implement gun, so he couldn't use it for now. Two handguns were enough; after all, he only had two hands. Moreover, for some reason, An Jing found that he was quite proficient with guns—what in the world had he done in his previous life? How could he know everything from astronomy above to geography below, and now even know how to use firearms? Suppressing this doubt, An Jing, having gained an unexpected bounty, did not forget his original purpose in coming to this other world. To break through to Inner Breath. "To be honest, I know little about the path of martial cultivators in the Huaixu Realm. In my era, everyone walked the orthodox path of Qi Refinement." In response to An Jing's inquiry, the Sword Spirit got straight to the point: "Yet I think that in the same world, even if tens of thousands of years or multiple epochs have passed, so long as it is the same kind of people, the fundamentals will never alter drastically. "At its root, it is all about grasping the Innate Primordial Qi, taking it as a foundation, and nurturing it from faint strands until it fills the entire body. "The question now is, which method do you wish to use to advance? The Yang method, or the Yin method?" "The Yang method, the Yin method?" Hearing this, An Jing immediately understood that this was another phrasing for the dynamic and static methods. He could not help asking, "I am more familiar with the dynamic method... Didn't we cross into an otherworldly realm precisely to advance away from the eyes and ears of the Demon Sect? Or does the static method possess something peculiar?" "The dynamic method allows for a breakthrough amidst combat, while the static method is somewhat safer." The Sword Spirit also swiftly grasped the concepts of movement and stillness, Yin and Yang. After pondering for a moment, it said, "However, it is best to have both movement and stillness, uniting Yin and Yang into one." Now An Jing was intrigued. "What do you mean by that?" An Jing actually knew of the static method as well; the An Clan Martial Classic contained a record: in the country of Xibo in the South Sea, there was an extraordinary sect known as the White Colt Sect. The members of this sect were adept at entering the Dao through dreams; its disciples slept all day, circulating heavenly cycles in their slumber. If the martial classic had only said that much, it would be nothing more than a collection of folktales. What mattered most in the classic were the annotations. According to those annotations, the White Colt Sect possessed a special visualization method that could vastly bolster the spirit, allowing one to capture 'inactive yet stable Innate Primordial Qi' and subsequently master Inner Breath. All roads lead to the Divine Capital; both dynamic and static paths were orthodox ways, each simply a different path. The so-called sleeping all day was merely meditation conducted to maintain a state of 'stillness.' Disciples of the White Colt Sect might not excel at martial techniques, but their Inner Breath was exceedingly formidable.