Sword Cleansing Pool

The Invincible Nascent Soul ran like lightning. Lu Yang asked himself and knew full well that were it him, he could never fly this fast. Yet no matter how fast it was, escaping Eldest Senior Sister's grasp was impossible. Eldest Senior Sister made a grasping motion at empty air, dragging back the Invincible Nascent Soul, which had fled so far it had nearly flown right out of the sect. Even after being caught by Eldest Senior Sister, the Invincible Nascent Soul still refused to give up, exhausting every means to break free from its restraints: Shrinking the Earth, Drawing a Prison, Inches to the Ends of the Earth, Lu-Style Arhat Fist... Had its opponent been at the Nascent Soul stage, they would have been beaten to death long ago. Unfortunately, its opponent was not at the Nascent Soul stage, so all of this was naturally useless. Whether fleeing or attacking, every trick the Invincible Nascent Soul employed, exhausted to its very limits, was no match for Eldest Senior Sister. The Invincible Nascent Soul bared its fangs and brandished its claws, still wanting to attack Eldest Senior Sister, only for her to flick it on the forehead with a finger. Only then did it dizzily settle down. Pinching the Invincible Nascent Soul's little feet, Eldest Senior Sister dangled it back and forth with a contemplative look. "Such offensive power is indeed extraordinary. It's quite a decent means of attack." With that, she tossed the Invincible Nascent Soul back to Lu Yang. "However, this is not the orthodox path. You still need to hone your techniques and strive to defeat your Nascent Soul." "Understood." Having learned the cultivation technique for this stage, Lu Yang settled down to prepare to practice his sword formation. The Seven Stars Sword Set he had obtained from the Ancient Realm of Good Fortune had been sitting in his identity jade medallion all along; he had only ever taken out a single sword back when he acted as Young Cult Master Lu on the Altar of Heaven. This had not been Lu Yang's original intention; his initial plan had been to use the Seven Stars Sword Set to assemble a sword formation. Sword cultivators had two paths of cultivation: one was One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Arts, devoting heart and soul to honing the sword and striving to achieve Man and Sword as One; the other was sword formations, which could unleash power far beyond that of the swords alone, an utterly miraculous feat. Unfortunately, Lu Yang's master had 'died young,' and neither Eldest Senior Sister nor Jiang Lianyi was skilled in sword formations, leaving him with no one to guide him. If Jiang Lianyi understood swords, she wouldn't have been fooled by the sword formation Immortal Kirin had knelt on. There was good news as well: after being intimidated by the Immortal Fairy, the unruly Seven Stars Sword Set had obediently submitted to Lu Yang, not daring to offer the slightest resistance, saving him the time needed to refine and tame them. "Junior Brother, if you wish to practice sword arts, you might as well try going to the Sword Cleansing Pool. Once you gain something from the Sword Cleansing Pool, I have a sword formation here that you can practice." Eldest Senior Sister thought about the spoils she had seized; they happened to be suitable for her junior brother. "The Sword Cleansing Pool?" How did Lu Yang not know there was a Sword Cleansing Pool in the sect? "That was where Master practiced the sword in his early years. Later, when Master achieved great mastery in the Sword Dao and no longer needed to cleanse his sword, nobody bothered with it anymore." Among the disciples of the Dao Seeking Sect, many used swords as weapons, but Lu Yang was the only one who could truly be called a sword cultivator. Sword Spiritual Roots were rare; Lu Yang was the second cultivator in the Dao Seeking Sect to possess a Sword Spiritual Root after Daoist Buyu. "After you head down the mountain, keep going east for about eight hundred li, and you will find the Sword Cleansing Pool." Eldest Senior Sister pointed out the direction for Lu Yang. "Right now, your control over the Seven Stars Sword Set is passive, and you haven't established a connection with them. In the Sword Cleansing Pool, you can improve communication with each other, allowing you to thoroughly master the Seven Stars Sword Set. That is the foundation of practicing sword formations. "The Sword Cleansing Pool can wash away the hostility of both cultivator and sword, improving harmony and synchronization. "Not only Master, but Grandmaster also used to cultivate often at the Sword Cleansing Pool." "Ah? Grandmaster is a sword cultivator too?" Lu Yang recalled the little fellow guarding Prison Peak; he couldn't connect him with sword cultivators no matter how he tried. "No, he did it to wash away his murderous rage toward Master, lest he strike too heavily and beat Master to death." "..." Lu Yang sometimes felt that Master truly hadn't had it easy surviving to this day. Jiang Lianyi had little interest in the Sword Cleansing Pool and proposed taking a visit to Prison Peak instead. Eldest Senior Sister readily agreed, offering to take Jiang Lianyi there herself. ... Following the direction Eldest Senior Sister pointed out, Lu Yang descended the mountain, crossed through the Dao Seeking Sect's core area, and arrived at the vast grassland on the outer perimeter. Once, the grassland had been extremely dangerous for Lu Yang. All kinds of demon beasts were free-ranged here, and the farm established by the Cult Master and the Immortal Celestial was located on the edge of the grassland. Now, Lu Yang was no longer who he once was. These terrifying demon beasts were nothing to speak of; as long as he wanted to run, they couldn't catch him! Across the grassland, Lu Yang flew on his sword, hovering just over three feet above the ground at rapid speed. Behind him was a teeming horde of demon beasts, each exuding the aura of the Nascent Soul stage, occasionally interspersed with several Soul Formation stage demon beasts. Howling and roaring, they shook the very ground—utterly terrifying. "What's there to fear from Soul Formation stage demon beasts? There are Void Refining and Body Integration stage demon beasts here too," the Immortal Fairy kindly reminded him. You're getting scared way too early, Lu Yang. "Still, you don't need to be too scared. Those Void Refining and Body Integration stage demon beasts can't be bothered to chase you. "These demon beasts should have been domesticated. They proactively attack any disciple who makes them feel threatened." As for whether this was meant for training or pure malicious amusement, nobody knew. Finally, in the nick of time, Lu Yang successfully flew beyond the boundaries of the grassland, and the demon beasts' pursuit came to an abrupt halt, refusing to advance a single inch further. "Junior Brother, are you practicing flying?" To his surprise, Third Senior Sister was right at the edge of the grassland. Still blindfolded, she deduced from the aura, the sound of the wind, and other sensory details that her junior brother had just staged a grand life-or-death pursuit on the grassland. "Third Senior Sister, don't those demon beasts chase after you when you pass through the grassland?" "Didn't you know? As long as you display your identity jade medallion, those demon beasts won't attack you. Didn't Eldest Senior Sister tell you?" Third Senior Sister gave her identity jade medallion a wave. "No." "Then she probably didn't think those demon beasts posed any threat." "Senior Sister, what are you doing here?" Third Senior Sister pointed toward a pitch-black mountain range farther away. "That's Mount Tangting. I was missing a raw material for crafting a magic treasure, so I went to Mount Tangting to dig some up and was just heading back. What about you? Are you heading off to take part in a grotto-heaven trial?" "I'm heading to the Sword Cleansing Pool." "The Sword Cleansing Pool... Oh, right, you're a sword cultivator, so that place suits you perfectly. Do you know the way? Want me to lead you there?" Eldest Senior Sister had only pointed out a rough direction; if someone could lead the way, nothing could be better. "Thank you, Senior Sister." "We're fellow disciples from the same sect, no need for thanks." Led by Third Senior Sister, Lu Yang soon reached the Sword Cleansing Pool. The Sword Cleansing Pool lay nestled in a mountain hollow, cradled between two ancient millennial trees. Leaves from the ancient trees floated quietly upon the Sword Cleansing Pool, the scene looking almost frozen in time. No cultivator had visited the Sword Cleansing Pool for two hundred years; now, a touch of life had finally returned to the place. "This is the Sword Cleansing Pool." Lu Yang scooped the leaves from the pool, revealing crystal-clear water. The pool water held a wondrous power, cleansing one's mind just by looking at it. "What a wonderful place!" Lu Yang's eyes shone. Just gazing at the Sword Cleansing Pool, he could envision how Master had cultivated here over a century ago. "According to Master, using the Sword Cleansing Pool requires placing the swords into the water to wash away all worldly impurities." Lu Yang took out the Seven Stars Sword Set. The moment the seven divine swords appeared, they nuzzled up close to Lu Yang affectionately, scaring him so much that he hurriedly shoved them all down into the pool. Once submerged in the pool water, the Seven Stars Sword Set truly ceased their restless trembling. Lu Yang could even sense the feelings they transmitted to him: comfortable, cool, and refreshing. If things went on like this, Lu Yang was certain that in the Sword Cleansing Pool, he could genuinely gain complete control over the Seven Stars Sword Set. He also sat cross-legged beside the pool with proper decorum, calming his mind to attempt communicating and exchanging thoughts with the Seven Stars Sword Set, meeting heart with heart. Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Lu Yang sat there motionless while Third Senior Sister stood guard beside him. Observing the changes in Lu Yang, she was secretly astonished by her junior brother's talent in the Sword Dao. She felt as if he had practically vanished—this was maintaining communication with the swords and entering the state of Unity of Heaven and Man. To achieve such gains in just three short days! Lu Yang had entered an indescribable, profound state. Over these three days, he had maintained a hazy, impressionistic communion with the Seven Stars Sword Set, effectively deepening their connection. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze calm and unruffled, like an ancient well. It was done! He had thoroughly mastered the Seven Stars Sword Set! Lu Yang raised his right hand and hooked two fingers upward. The Sword Cleansing Pool took to the air, dancing through the sky in accordance with his will, splashing pool water and the Seven Stars Sword Set all over the ground. "Huh?" Wasn't it the Seven Stars Sword Set I was supposed to master? How did it turn into the Sword Cleansing Pool?!