Chapter Seventeen: The Hidden Tales of the Sword Cultivators

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Liang Yan followed Zhuo Bufan into the cave residence, passing through medicinal fields and several stone chambers along the way, where maids and servants busied themselves with their duties. In some of these chambers, precious artifacts glittered with jewels and gold, immediately betraying their extraordinary worth.

Liang Yan mused inwardly, "The cave residences of elite disciples from the outer sect are indeed astonishingly spacious. I would never have guessed that Senior Brother Zhuo, who appears so refined and otherworldly, has such a fondness for rare treasures and artifacts."

As he pondered this, Zhuo Bufan led him to a tightly shut stone door. Zhuo took the token from his waist and placed it in a groove on the wall. After a moment, a rumble echoed, and the stone door slowly opened.

Even before the gap widened, a thick fragrance of medicinal herbs wafted out, invigorating the spirit at the first whiff. When the door was fully open, a pill furnace stood at the center of the room, half as tall as a person. Though the alchemical fire had not yet been kindled, wisps of blue smoke curled up from the furnace's top. Around the room, crimson wooden shelves were neatly arranged, stacked with numerous spiritual herbs and materials. Liang Yan could not name most of them, but their abundant spiritual energy revealed their excellence at a glance.

Liang Yan thought, "I've heard that Qi Refining cultivators cannot refine pills with their own alchemical fire and must rely on earth fire. Senior Brother Zhuo's status must be impressive to have the sect divert a vein of earth fire from the Earth Fire Chamber directly to his cave's pill refining room, solely for his use."

While he was thinking, Zhuo Bufan had already entered the pill refining chamber, selecting several spiritual herbs from the shelves and retrieving others from his own storage pouch.

Once everything was ready, Zhuo Bufan turned to Liang Yan and said, "Junior Brother Liang, please set up the formation now. When I reach the critical stage of condensing and gathering Qi in the furnace, I'll signal you. At that moment, I'll rely on you to maintain the formation and secure the spiritual energy within the furnace."

Liang Yan nodded, took out the formation plate and flags given by Senior Brother Zhuo, and began to carve formation patterns and arrange the apparatus on the ground. After nearly half a day, Liang Yan rose wearily and said, "Senior Brother Zhuo, I've finished preparations. The Spirit Gathering Formation can be activated at any moment."

"Excellent!" Zhuo Bufan was equally efficient, adding the prepared materials to the pill furnace in precise proportions. He then raised his hand and cast a spell; a bright red flame surged beneath the furnace, its intensity fluctuating under his command.

Liang Yan knew that pill refinement required utmost concentration and was best left undisturbed. He chose a spot on the floor, sat cross-legged, and quietly began his own cultivation.

Time ticked away, and Zhuo Bufan remained upright and focused, his spells unwavering as he meticulously controlled the earth fire beneath the furnace. Liang Yan, watching from the side, couldn't help but admire him in secret. "The art of pill refinement truly isn't for ordinary people," he thought. His own restless nature would never allow for such delicate control over the furnace's heat; if he tried, nine out of ten furnaces would probably explode, with only dregs left in the last.

He didn't know how much time had passed. Just as Liang Yan guessed it must be night outside, Zhuo Bufan suddenly changed his spell. The furnace fire flared, and he called out, "Junior Brother Liang, now! Activate the formation quickly, secure the spiritual energy, and stabilize the pills!"

Liang Yan was instantly alert, rising to activate the formation. At the same time, a dense medicinal fragrance surged from the furnace, spreading throughout the chamber.

Thanks to Zhuo Bufan's prior instructions, Liang Yan knew this signaled the leakage of spiritual energy from the pills. He focused all his attention on maintaining the formation. The flags and formation plate obeyed his commands, shifting constantly. The scattered spiritual energy, as if encountering an invisible barrier, was guided by the formation, moving in specific paths through the air and eventually gathering back into the furnace like rivers flowing to the sea.

A hint of delight flashed in Zhuo Bufan’s eyes, but he did not relax. Instead, he concentrated even more intently on refining the pills.

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Time passed again, and just as Liang Yan was utterly exhausted, Zhuo Bufan abruptly withdrew his spell. The furnace fire extinguished in an instant. He reached out and struck the void; the pill furnace erupted with a loud bang, its lid shooting skyward. A powerful wave of medicinal fragrance poured out, followed by two yellow pills spinning through the air and landing in Zhuo Bufan's palm.

Liang Yan immediately cupped his hands and smiled, "Congratulations, Senior Brother Zhuo, on successfully refining the pills!"

"Haha! It's done!" Zhuo Bufan could not suppress his joy, his face radiant.

"These pills owe much to your help, Junior Brother Liang. Here is your promised reward—take them." With a wave of his hand, three snow-white pills shot toward Liang Yan, who caught them. They were indeed the promised Spirit Gathering Pills.

Satisfied, Liang Yan then glanced at the two pills in Zhuo Bufan's hand. They were tiny, no larger than a fingernail, and entirely yellow. What was unusual was that they trembled slightly in Zhuo Bufan's palm, emitting a faint, intermittent sound like a sword’s hum!

Zhuo Bufan, in high spirits, noticed Liang Yan's curiosity and said, "Do you know what type of pill I refined in this furnace?"

"Haha, I know nothing of the pill arts. Please enlighten me, Senior Brother!"

Zhuo Bufan nodded, "Actually, these are Sword Nourishing Pills."

"Sword Nourishing Pills?" Liang Yan was startled; he had never heard of such pills.

"It's no surprise you haven't. Though sects are many and varied now, sword cultivators are exceedingly rare. Sword Nourishing Pills are crafted specifically for them."

Liang Yan had already guessed as much from the name, and his interest was piqued. "What exactly do these Sword Nourishing Pills do?" he asked.

Zhuo Bufan smiled, "You seem quite interested in sword cultivation. Very well, I'll explain. Qi Refining sword cultivators are not true sword cultivators; at best, we are cultivators who wield swords."

Liang Yan frowned, puzzled. "Please, elaborate."

"True sword cultivators refine a flying sword into their life-bound treasure. When facing enemies, their will alone can send the sword to strike from a thousand miles away. Qi Refining cultivators merely use spiritual swords as magical implements and learn some sword techniques—they can attack with swords, nothing more."

"So," Liang Yan realized, "to become a sword cultivator, one must refine a life-bound flying sword?"

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"Correct! But a life-bound flying sword is of the highest grade of magical treasures—extremely difficult to refine. To wield such a treasure, one must reach the Qi Consolidation stage. Even Foundation Establishment cultivators can only use top-tier spiritual implements."

Liang Yan exclaimed, "So there are no sword cultivators below Qi Consolidation?"

Zhuo Bufan glanced at him and smiled, "Not exactly. A life-bound flying sword is a special kind of magical treasure, cultivated slowly by one's own effort. Once we reach Foundation Establishment, we can begin to absorb a favored flying sword into our dantian, nurturing it with our spiritual energy until we reach the first stage of sword cultivation—refining the sword into a sword embryo within the body!"

"That's only the first stage..." Liang Yan muttered, then asked, "What stages follow?"

"Haha, sword cultivation is an ancient, extreme path. Since we haven't even reached the first stage, how could we know what comes after? Furthermore, it’s said that once the sword embryo is refined, it cannot be used in combat until the next stage. One must use an ordinary flying sword instead. In fact, a sword cultivator's strength drops upon reaching the sword embryo stage!"

"It seems sword cultivation is truly as difficult as climbing to the heavens," Liang Yan said with a wry smile. "So what use are these Sword Nourishing Pills, Senior Brother?"

"That's simple. Sword cultivators need to absorb their spiritual sword into their bodies to nurture the sword embryo. But the dantian is vital, and the sword’s energy is sharp—if one is careless, the sword can pierce the dantian and ruin all cultivation. Sword Nourishing Pills foster a subtle connection between the owner and the sword, indirectly nurturing the sword’s spiritual nature and ultimately achieving a perfect fusion. When the flying sword enters the body, safety is assured."

"I see," Liang Yan said, enlightened. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Zhuo."

Zhuo Bufan waved and smiled, "No need to thank me. I'll need your help often in the future. I must take a Sword Nourishing Pill every month from now on to gradually strengthen my bond with the Ding Guang Sword. Each month, I'll be refining pills and will need you to set up the protective formation. Your reward will be three Spirit Gathering Pills as before. How does that sound?"

"Haha, with your generosity, Senior Brother, how could I refuse? Call on me whenever you need to refine pills—I’ll do my utmost!"

Liang Yan was secretly delighted. Ordinary servant disciples received only one Spirit Gathering Pill every six months, but he would now receive three each month—a privilege usually reserved for outer sect disciples. Zhuo Bufan truly lived up to his reputation as a favored disciple of the alchemical branch.

"Excellent! You really are straightforward, Junior Brother!" Zhuo Bufan was equally pleased, taking Liang Yan’s hand as they left the pill refining chamber. He instructed the servants to prepare a feast, and that night, he and Liang Yan drank together as if they were old friends.

When Liang Yan left Zhuo Bufan’s cave residence, it was already deep night. Though he was tipsy, his cultivation kept him from getting drunk. That night, he did not go to the Spirit Spring Cave to train, but returned directly to his own quarters. He immediately refined a Spirit Gathering Pill, feeling its energy merge with his own and slightly increase his affinity with spiritual energy. Joy shone in his eyes, and he laughed at himself, "It seems these Spirit Gathering Pills really are suited for someone with mediocre talent like me..."