Mind Power Stuns the Crowd! Merging the Nine-Word Mantra, the Mind Sword Formula Transforms!

A tempest of shock surged deep within the hearts of every inner sect disciple who witnessed the scene. A mind index of nearly thirty! It had not merely surpassed ten, nor even twenty—it was nearing thirty! "Lu Changsheng joined the sect barely four months ago. He only just advanced from the outer sect to the inner sect and condensed Divine Gang. He probably hasn't even taken many Dao Comprehension Pills. How on earth did he raise his mind index to twenty-eight?" "Monstrous, truly terrifying! What is real talent? This is real talent! Lu Changsheng is still so young; from the looks of it, he hasn't suffered the trials of the mortal world, nor has he experienced a metamorphosis of the mind. As for life-and-death combat, he has probably seen very little of it. He completely relied on comprehending heaven and earth, grasping martial conceptions, and evolving domains to push his mind index to twenty-eight!" "Now this is a true seed for becoming a true disciple! Divine Gang, domains, martial conceptions—none of that truly matters. In the inner sect, mind power alone reigns supreme. Even if your talent is peerless and your combat prowess overwhelms the entire inner sect, so what? Mind power is the sole standard for measuring the worth of an inner sect disciple. Without strong mind power, you cannot unlock the brain domain, and you can never become a Divine Treasury Realm powerhouse." "Lu Changsheng already possesses a mind index of twenty-eight. His future is boundless! He stands an immense chance of opening his brain domain and stepping into the Divine Treasury Realm." Many disciples were profoundly shaken, and equally envious. As inner sect disciples, they understood all too well what having formidable mind power signified. In the inner sect, even if your combat power was astonishing, even if your brilliance outshone your peers, what did it amount to? Without reaching the Divine Treasury, all was ultimately in vain! Moreover, the Divine Treasury possessed another advantage: increasing lifespan! Increasing lifespan was not merely extending one's remaining years; it meant raising one's natural lifespan ceiling. If one failed to advance to the Divine Treasury, no matter how powerful one was in the Divine Gang Realm, several decades later, one would still turn into a handful of yellow earth. Divine Treasury Realm martial artists were different. They could genuinely increase their lifespan. Essentially, their lifespan could break past a hundred, with some even living to a hundred and fifty! From this perspective, Divine Treasury Realm martial artists were, to some extent, on par with Immortal Masters. In the past, no matter how strong a Divine Gang Realm martial artist was, they had to bow their heads before an Immortal Master. Every measure in a Divine Gang Realm martial artist's repertoire lacked even the qualification to scratch an Immortal Master. The two sides simply did not exist on the same plane. Only by opening the brain domain and achieving the Divine Treasury Realm could a martial artist rival an Immortal Master. "A mind index of twenty-eight... Not bad." Looking at the mind index displayed on the Mind Stele, Lu Changsheng was relatively satisfied. He had already learned that ordinary newly promoted inner sect disciples typically possessed a mind power index around five. Yet his was twenty-eight. That was more than five times higher than that of an ordinary new inner sect disciple. Lu Changsheng pondered the matter. Achieving such a high mind index was undoubtedly linked to his domains. Grasping martial conceptions and evolving domains was equivalent to comprehending heaven and earth. Furthermore, he commanded not four domains, but five. Five domains meant comprehending heaven and earth from five distinct perspectives. Hence, his mind index had reached such a height. "To enhance mind power, the first path is comprehending heaven and earth, the second is life-and-death combat, and the third is tempering the mind through the mortal world." "The path best suited for me is naturally comprehending heaven and earth." "After all, my comprehension is constantly increasing, destined to surpass the vast majority of people—if not everyone. With such absurd comprehension, it would be a crying shame not to use it to comprehend heaven and earth..." Thoughts flashed through Lu Changsheng's mind one after another. He knew his greatest advantage was comprehension! It was his foundation. Lu Changsheng would never lose sight of his foundation. And transcendent comprehension would help him comprehend heaven and earth with far greater ease. Lu Changsheng drew back his hand and turned to leave the Technique Transmission Hall. Before long, he returned to Courtyard No. 83. He brought up his attribute panel to examine his current status. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 3,780 (Praised in All Directions) Qi and Blood Sword Casting Secret Method: Cast sword for 8 years and 1 month. Mind Sword Formula: Progress 26% (Mind Sword) Ocean Wave Domain: Progress 1% Tempest Domain: Progress 6% Perception Domain: Progress 29% Starry Sky Domain: Progress 1% Waterfall Domain: Progress 1% On the attribute panel, aside from the Perception Domain which had made solid progress, the other four domains showed fairly mediocre headway. Once a domain had evolved, advancing it further was indeed extraordinarily difficult. However, Lu Changsheng's focus was not on the domains, but on the Mind Sword Formula. "What exactly is the Mind Sword?" Having just learned about mind power today, his thoughts immediately drifted to the Mind Sword. Yet the Mind Sword did not seem to be mind power. Instead, it was closer to spiritual power. Mind power and spiritual power both appeared ethereal and insubstantial, but in truth, they were completely different. Spiritual power was tied to individual willpower. Typically, the stronger a person's will, the stronger their spiritual power. Mind power, however, bore little relation to will. Moreover, mind power could not enhance combat strength for the time being. Even if one's mind power reached an index of one hundred, it provided zero amplification to one's combat capabilities. Mind power belonged to cultivation. Divine Gang, domains, and spiritual power, on the other hand, were methods to protect the Dao, capable of directly augmenting one's strength. "Advancing my domains in a short time is practically impossible." "As for Divine Gang, I only have four layers for now. The Perception Domain lacks a corresponding Divine Gang Realm cultivation method, so I cannot condense Divine Gang from it." "If there is any means to rapidly boost my strength in the near term, it is probably only the Mind Sword Formula." "Furthermore, once the Mind Sword improves, the results are immediate. Even in battles between Divine Gang Realm martial artists, the Mind Sword Formula strikes silently and formlessly directly into an opponent's spirit—a veritable one-hit-kill trump card." "If it were combined with the Nine-Word Mantra Secret Method..." Lu Changsheng recognized the immense value of the Mind Sword Formula. In fact, he wanted to fuse the Nine-Word Mantra Secret Method with the Mind Sword Formula. That way, every time the Mind Sword slashed out, it would carry the effects of the Nine-Word Mantra Secret Method. If that worked, the destructive power of the Mind Sword would skyrocket, truly transforming it into a terrifying spiritual secret method! With his current comprehension, fusing the two secret methods should not prove difficult. Time flew by, and a month passed in the blink of an eye. During this month, Lu Changsheng poured most of his energy into merging the Nine-Word Mantra Secret Method and the Mind Sword Formula. Even with a comprehension score near four thousand, it took him a full month to finally fuse the two secret arts. The resulting secret method was named the Mind Sword Mantra Formula! Overall, it remained primarily centered on the Mind Sword Formula. It was virtually equivalent to incorporating the Nine-Word Mantra Secret Method directly into the Mind Sword Formula. Both secret methods pertained to the spirit. The Nine-Word Mantra Secret Method shook the spirit. The Mind Sword Formula severed the spirit. With the Mind Sword Formula as the foundation, fusing the two techniques brought about an almost complete metamorphosis of the sword formula. Compared to the original Mind Sword Formula, the Mind Sword Mantra Formula boasted a massive surge in power. Every time the Mind Sword was unleashed to slash into an opponent's spirit, it carried a jarring tremor effect. It was practically unstoppable! From this alone, Lu Changsheng's combat strength surged considerably. The only shortcoming was that cultivating the Mind Sword Formula was exceedingly slow. Over the past month, not only had progress on the Mind Sword Mantra Formula crawled along, but Lu Changsheng's five domains had also progressed at a snail's pace. Lu Changsheng found himself missing the effects of the Dao Comprehension Pill. Even with his absurd comprehension, he still wished to take Dao Comprehension Pills. After all, a single pill could plunge a person into sudden enlightenment; it was truly worthy of being called a divine pill. Yet Lu Changsheng currently possessed only 8,000 contribution points. He was still 2,000 short of the 10,000 points required to exchange for a single Dao Comprehension Pill. "Two thousand contribution points isn't that much." After some thought, Lu Changsheng decided to pay a visit to the Mission Hall. In truth, ever since joining the sect, whether in the outer sect or the inner sect, Lu Changsheng had never formally and proactively accepted a mission. The few times he had earned contribution points had merely been tasks completed along the way. Yet from just those one or two instances, he had reaped a massive bounty of points. Such fortune was rare and impossible to replicate on demand. In reality, the vast majority of Northern Region Heavenly Sect disciples, whether outer or inner, had to take on missions to earn contribution points. Soon, Lu Changsheng arrived at the Mission Hall. People bustled to and fro—outer sect disciples, inner sect disciples, and occasionally even legendary true disciples could be spotted. Of course, true disciples rarely accepted missions, but when they did, they had to come to the Mission Hall as well. Because it was tied so closely to contribution points, the Mission Hall stood as one of the liveliest places in the entire Northern Region Heavenly Sect. Lu Changsheng swept his gaze over the missions. Many of them specified required strength levels. For instance, some required inner sect disciples who had evolved a domain. Others stipulated that only true disciples in the Divine Treasury Realm could accept them. This was not the sect deliberately erecting hurdles. On the contrary, it was meant to protect the disciples. After all, many missions were perilous in the extreme. A single misstep could cause even Northern Region Heavenly Sect disciples to stumble, or even perish during the mission. At that moment, an inner sect disciple spotted Lu Changsheng. His eyes lit up, and he hurried over. "Senior Brother Lu," the inner sect disciple greeted. "And you are...?" Lu Changsheng glanced at him. The man seemed completely unfamiliar, without a trace of recollection in his memory. "Senior Brother Lu, I am inner sect disciple Xiao Zhenyi." "Seeing you here, Senior Brother Lu, you must be looking to take on a mission to earn contribution points, correct?" "What a coincidence! I accepted a mission and am currently recruiting team members. Once completed, the reward is a full twenty thousand contribution points." "I possess some intelligence regarding this mission, but we currently lack a powerful martial artist to anchor our team. With your strength, Senior Brother Lu, you would be the perfect anchor." "Would you be interested, Senior Brother Lu?" Xiao Zhenyi had approached uninvited, clearly drawn by Lu Changsheng's prowess. After all, Lu Changsheng wielded four domains and four layers of Divine Gang. Such a top-tier powerhouse ranked near the very pinnacle among Divine Gang Realm cultivators. Any team looking to tackle a mission together would yearn for an expert like Lu Changsheng to hold down the fort. Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow. He was genuinely intrigued. A reward of twenty thousand contribution points was rare indeed. However, after inquiring further, he lost all interest. The task would take an extensive amount of time. Furthermore, it relied heavily on luck. No matter how high the payoff, Lu Changsheng had no desire to take on such a mission. What he wanted was a task that could be resolved swiftly while offering rich rewards. Xiao Zhenyi's mission did not meet his criteria. "My apologies, but I have no intention of teaming up for the moment." Lu Changsheng declined Xiao Zhenyi. Xiao Zhenyi did not seem surprised; he had simply seized the chance to try his luck after spotting Lu Changsheng. Even if it fell through, he had at least established a connection with Lu Changsheng. Perhaps there would be opportunities to collaborate in the future. After all, befriending a disciple with such boundless prospects came with no downside for Xiao Zhenyi. "No matter. Please, Senior Brother Lu, do as you please." Xiao Zhenyi was sensible enough to know when to advance and retreat. Having been rejected by Lu Changsheng, he did not pester him further, quickly excusing himself. Lu Changsheng continued searching through the missions in the hall. "Eh?" Right then, a new mission appeared on the board. A look of surprise flashed across Lu Changsheng's face. The reason was simple: the mission offered a hefty reward. A full ten thousand contribution points! As a seed disciple, completing it would grant him double—twenty thousand contribution points directly. Even in the inner sect, missions offering ten thousand contribution points were uncommon. Lu Changsheng looked closer; the content suited his requirements perfectly. "Demon martial artists frequently appearing in Qing Prefecture of the Great Moon Dynasty, suspected tier-2 demonization." "Travel to Qing Prefecture and slay the demon martial artists. Reward: 10,000 contribution points." "Note: Demon martial artists possess exceedingly formidable physical bodies. After demonization, their fleshly power far exceeds that of ordinary Divine Gang Realm martial artists." The moment this mission appeared, countless pairs of eyes locked onto it. "Ten thousand contribution points? Fantastic! Though demon martial artists carry a certain degree of danger, a Divine Gang Realm cultivator has condensed Divine Gang. In terms of sheer bodily resilience, a Divine Gang cultivator is not necessarily inferior to a demon martial artist. We only fall slightly short in vitality, explosive power, and the like." "Demon martial artists take shortcuts to boost their strength. While their power grows rapidly, they possess a fatal flaw: their spirits are generally weak. As long as one has a strong martial conception, and ideally an evolved domain, one can suppress their spirit. By then, the demon martial artist is nothing more than a sitting duck." "Every time a demon martial artist mission appears, people scramble for it." While some disciples discussed it, many quick-witted inner sect disciples rushed forward to apply for the mission on the spot. In truth, demon martial artists were not as pathetic as the inner sect disciples made them out to be. At tier-1 demonization, corresponding to the Divine Strength Realm, they actually held a massive advantage. Even upon reaching tier-2 demonization, they still maintained certain edges. For example, their methods were bizarre and unpredictable, catching people off guard. However, a Divine Gang Realm cultivator who had evolved a domain truly had nothing to fear from them. Yet among all the Divine Gang Realm martial artists in the world, how many had actually evolved a domain? It was only the inner sect disciples of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect—who, even if they had not evolved a domain, possessed martial conceptions potent enough to suppress a demon martial artist's spirit—who viewed them as soft targets. Lu Changsheng was equally eager to take the mission. He strode directly toward the deacon elder of the Mission Hall. "Elder, this disciple applies to take the mission regarding the demon martial artists in Qing Prefecture." Lu Changsheng submitted his request. "Oh?" "You are a seed disciple. Although you were not the first to apply, seed disciples enjoy priority when accepting missions." "Since none of the earlier applicants are seed disciples, this mission goes to you." The deacon elder took Lu Changsheng's identity token. He assigned the mission directly to Lu Changsheng. This was another privilege of being a seed disciple. They even received priority in picking missions. "It's Lu Changsheng! He's an inner sect seed disciple. If he applies, we don't stand a chance." "Sigh, seed disciples take priority. Whenever a good mission shows up and a seed disciple steps forward, it's basically out of our hands." "With Lu Changsheng's strength, handling this mission shouldn't be an issue at all. What a shame..." Although Lu Changsheng had only been promoted to the inner sect for a little over a month, he had already become a prominent figure within it. Virtually every inner sect disciple recognized him. "The mission duration is three months. If you fail to capture or slay the demon martial artist within three months, it will be deemed a failure." "Starting today, during your mission window, inner sect disciples cannot challenge you. Should any disciple issue a challenge, it will be postponed until you return to the sect." The deacon elder carefully reminded Lu Changsheng of the relevant rules, his demeanor remarkably genial. Of course, this geniality was likely reserved only for seed disciples like him. In the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, seed disciples received preferential treatment in every regard. No wonder countless disciples fought tooth and nail, sparing no cost, to secure a seed disciple position. The benefits were simply too numerous. "Furthermore, as an inner sect seed disciple of our Northern Region Heavenly Sect, when you travel outside on a mission within the Northern Region, no faction and no individual may obstruct you." "Violators will be executed without mercy!" "In principle, your status as a seed disciple ranks above the royal families of the various Northern Region dynasties. As long as it pertains to the mission, you may mobilize the governmental forces of any dynasty." "Remember: do not tarnish the prestige of our Heavenly Sect!" Lu Changsheng felt a jolt in his heart. This was a privilege granted to seed disciples. And to think it was this immense! Even royal prestige fell beneath that of an inner sect seed disciple of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect. Ever since entering the sect, Lu Changsheng had been preoccupied with competing internally. He had not realized in the slightest what being a seed disciple truly represented in the outside world, nor what terrifying influence and standing it commanded. Princes, princesses, imperial princes—none compared to a seed disciple of the Northern Region Heavenly Sect! "This disciple understands. Thank you for your guidance, Elder." Lu Changsheng cupped his fists in salute to the Mission Hall deacon elder. He knew the elder was deliberately displaying goodwill. Yet for Lu Changsheng, this was by no means a bad thing; on the contrary, it genuinely aided him. "Very well. Take your identity token; you may head down the mountain whenever you are ready." Lu Changsheng took back his token, along with an accompanying map of the Great Moon Dynasty. Returning to his courtyard, he packed his luggage. This trip counted as a long journey. He did not know how long it would take to eliminate the demon martial artist, but the mission deadline was three months. Preparing supplies was always the sensible choice. Once his belongings were packed, Lu Changsheng departed down the mountain alone, moving light and unencumbered. *** Qing City was the provincial capital of Qing Prefecture. It was bustling and prosperous, with teeming crowds and a steady stream of carriages and horses. On the surface, there was not the slightest sign of demon turmoil. Yet this was merely the surface. At that moment, within the governmental manor of Qing Prefecture, Regional Inspector Zhang Wending was hosting a group of martial artists. This group was extraordinary—every single one was in the Divine Gang Realm. Each was a renowned figure in the martial world, either a supreme elder of some sect or the ancestor of a prominent clan. If any one of them were to step outside, the martial world would be shaken. Yet these very figures, holding lofty identities and statuses, wore exceptionally solemn expressions. "Lord Inspector, in this old man's view, there is no need to wait any longer. If the Northern Region Heavenly Sect sends no disciple, are we to wait indefinitely?" "Indeed! That is a tier-2 demon martial artist! He has already slaughtered an entire city for a blood sacrifice. Heaven knows what wicked technique he is cultivating. We must strike swiftly and decisively; we cannot allow the demon to continue growing in power." "Precisely, Lord Inspector. With so many Divine Gang Realm martial artists among us, can we truly fail to handle a single tier-2 demon? Ancestor Yuan's Slaughter Domain is deeply terrifying, and Elder Zhou's sword intent is peerlessly sharp. Even if we cannot match a Northern Region Heavenly Sect disciple individually, our combined might far surpasses that of a single disciple." "That is right. It is not as though we have never crossed paths with Northern Region Heavenly Sect disciples. While their strength is formidable, they are not so overwhelmingly powerful that our combined forces cannot match them. If even we cannot deal with this demon martial artist, a Heavenly Sect disciple arriving will likely be helpless as well." The regional inspector swept his gaze across the room, unmoved. His voice remained calm as he said, "After all, it is a tier-2 demon martial artist. Without a Heavenly Sect disciple anchoring us, this official simply cannot rest easy." "I must trouble you all to wait a little longer." In truth, Zhang Wending naturally saw through these martial artists' intentions. They were not acting out of a desire to relieve the government's plight; rather, a tier-2 demon martial artist held immense value. All demon martial artists possessed demon essence blood. Tier-2 demon martial artists, in particular, carried far more potent essence blood. Though demon martial artists were universally reviled like rats scurrying across the street, demon essence blood was a rare treasure. Its greatest benefit was extending lifespan. For those who wished to ward off death, merely a tiny drop of demon essence blood could grant decades of additional life. Of course, one must never be discovered. Discovery meant certain death. Yet even the direst risk could not stifle the burning desire countless people held for demon essence blood. If these Divine Gang Realm martial artists teamed up to eliminate the demon martial artist, even with Zhang Wending watching, they would surely find a way to surreptitiously spirit away the essence blood. However, if a Northern Region Heavenly Sect disciple arrived, matters would become troublesome. The demon martial artist's essence blood would be taken back to the Northern Region Heavenly Sect, leaving these Divine Gang Realm martial artists with nothing. Naturally, they could choose to hunt the demon martial artist privately. Yet a tier-2 demon martial artist was no weakling. Despite their confident words, if they found themselves outmatched, they would simply turn and flee, caring nothing for the catastrophic devastation the demon martial artist would inflict upon the entire Qing Prefecture. When that happened, the court of the Great Moon Dynasty and the Northern Region Heavenly Sect would surely hold people accountable! They did not dare act in secret, which left them no choice but to instigate and pressure Zhang Wending. As long as Zhang Wending agreed, the operation would count as official government action against the demon martial artist. Should it fail, the responsibility fell on the yamen and on Zhang Wending, completely absolving them. However, Zhang Wending's flat refusal left the martial artists thoroughly disgruntled. Every face turned grim and displeased. For a time, the atmosphere within the regional inspector's manor grew stiflingly tense. Zhang Wending felt completely helpless as well. These were all Divine Gang Realm martial artists; what could he possibly do to coerce them? He had only one wish now: for the disciple from the Northern Region Heavenly Sect to arrive swiftly and bring these unruly martial men to heel. "Report! Lord Inspector, a disciple from the Northern Region Heavenly Sect has arrived!" "Quick, invite him in! No, this official will go welcome him in person!" Zhang Wending felt a rush of joy. At long last, they had arrived. He had longed for this day and night, hoping against hope for a Northern Region Heavenly Sect disciple to descend the mountain. During this period, Zhang Wending had been plagued by worries over the demon martial artist on one hand and forced to match wits with this band of martial men on the other, leaving him utterly exhausted in mind and spirit. His only prayer now was that the one who had come down was no ordinary disciple. Otherwise, bringing this pack of martial men to heel might truly prove difficult. Without hesitation, Zhang Wending hurried out of the manor to greet the Northern Region Heavenly Sect disciple!