Chapter 428: Chapter 287 Seems True But False
In the following days, as Tie Dan went through the list and made his visits, he basically came to a conclusion. In these times, there wasn’t a single good one among those who became Gate Valve landlords. Skipping one or two in the killing would be a mistake, it was best to kill them all.
Previously, some might have criticized Tie Dan for being too excessive, but now that most of Genzhou had defected to the rebels and pledged allegiance to Ye Capital, even the Immortal Palace Xuan Sect would no longer protect them, making it easier for Tie Dan to kill them.
This is what you call ’where you stand determines what you think.’
So by the end of it, Tie Dan couldn’t be bothered to distinguish right from wrong. Typically, upon arriving at a place, he would first call out the so-called patriarchs, family heads, and landlords, and then use his flying sword to behead them. He would then demand half of their tribute. Anyway, the manors, mines, and lands weren’t going anywhere. If they didn’t offer enough, he’d come back to kill another leader. After all, if you don’t do it, someone else will.
Tie Dan looked at the blood seeping from his sleeve,
"I’ve counted, and I’ve killed three to five hundred people. How come I haven’t collected a hundred of these yet?"
Hui Ming,
"You’re still short of half, my lord. Many are only considered gentlemen and wealthy locals, poor families, or commoners. Their family status isn’t high enough to catch the sect’s Dharma Eye, and they’re simply not worthy of making the list."
Tie Dan sighed,
"With so many people sucking blood and eating marrow, it’s no wonder people are still burning wood and paying tribute even after so many millennia."
Zhan Tie laughed and said,
"People just want to live like this. You don’t need to temper your heart in the mundane world, so don’t worry about it.
Hey, there’s a Spiritual Spring in the mountains, my lord, let’s go down and bathe."
"Bathe... Why do you guys always want to bathe?"
Tie Dan was displeased; he usually bathed when it rained, allowing for an impromptu rinse.
After all, he was no longer mortal. All his Qi acupoints were refined. If he had any filth, he could simply scrape it off with sword energy and expel it. There was no need for a dedicated wash. Perhaps they just wanted an excuse to change clothes, as he noticed they had taken quite a few robes and jewelry from others...
"Report to the lord, even though this Dao Body is suppressed by the Primordial Spirit, our treasure sword is now damaged, its divine edge dulled, and daily activities are affected on both sides."
"This Shen Family really can’t stand the blood filth. It’s unbearably itchy, they absolutely must bathe. Please, my lord."
"Tsk, so annoying. Hurry up and go, don’t dawdle."
With that, Tie Dan casually set up a Yao Guang Sword Formation to protect them.
"Thank you, my lord!"
With the chatter of the two fading away, Tie Dan could finally sit atop a cloud and ponder his cultivation pursuits.
Merely completing the list of tasks and killings was not enough; accomplishing them would only fatten up Honzan. Plus, he still had a hundred Soldier Repelling Coins to collect.
The Cloud Platform Competition, Beichen Sword Inheritance, indeed posed no great difficulty for the current Tie Dan. Yet, wanting to reach Divinity Transformation within sixty years meant time was tight and pressures were immense.
Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, Divinity Transformation, Enlightenment
Whether it’s the True Inheritor from the Three Great Sects or Mixed Cultivators of sideline streams, they all adhere to these standard stages, precisely because they each exist for a reason. If everyone in the world could form a sword infant in three years like Tie Dan, there would’ve been no need to meticulously divide the realms.
In other words, each realm marks a threshold, indeed filtering out a huge number of cultivators, leaving many trapped in that realm due to a myriad of reasons, thus necessitating distinct naming for each.
Firstly, there’s natural talent, root bone, and spirit vein — the basic constitution of a cultivator. Without the ability to effectively perform breathing and breathing control, completing the fundamental cycle of Qi Refining, one isn’t qualified to cross the first threshold of the Great Dao, highlighting the harsh disparity between immortal and mortal.
Next is the state of mind. Breaking through to the inner core in the Foundation Establishment Realm often involves tribulations, the most common being the ordeal of killing. Ability is secondary, but the key lies in daring and resolve. Cultivation is about defying the heavens and changing fate; without the resolve to dominate others’ destinies and control one’s own, how could one claim to defy fate?
Then there’s the matter of Immortal Fate, Magic Couple Materials and Land, which need no further explanation. The era of treasure falling from the sky is long gone. Forming a Nascent Soul from a Golden Core is as difficult as ascending to the heavens. Without a bit of luck, there’s almost no choice but to find shelter under the Three Great Sects’ boughs to survive.
Even someone as determined as Tie Dan had to gain the Sword Sect’s inheritance, benefit from the Mystic Sect’s protection, and obtain the Nine Luminaries Sword Scripture to defy fate; otherwise, without any resources, no amount of talent would suffice.
Due to exceptional prowess in terms of talent, Daoist Heart, and Immortal Fate, Tie Dan reached the pinnacle, forming a Nascent Soul in three years, moving forward without hindrance. However, the next challenge lies in competing for resources.
Resources are what those in the Nascent Soul Realm most need to accumulate. By this realm, ’quality’ alone is no longer sufficient; absolute ’quantity’ is necessary.
The act of Refining Qi and Transforming God, in itself, isn’t difficult. Simply put, it’s about integrating essence, qi, and spirit into one, forging the Dao Body into a flawless whole. It just takes enough time and abundant Qi to repeat the tempering process.
For instance, to transform oneself into a sword, Tie Dan needs to use various Heavenly Materials Treasures along with Heavenly Breath and Earthly Evil, following the Nine Luminaries Sword Scripture, to thoroughly refine and temper himself into a Divine Sword.
But there are no vast resources dropping from the heavens. If there were, they would be split among the Three Great Sects, leaving the Nascent Soul True Man to work for the sect for years, exchanging for huge amounts of Heavenly Materials Treasures to supplement the needed Spiritual Qi, and then sitting in the mountains to refine and temper their Divinity Transformation Dao Body.
So, strictly speaking, Divinity Transformation is not difficult; what is challenging is the strength of the transformation.