Once in his room, Tyler changed out of his traditional martial arts attire and settled onto the bed, adopting a meditative stance. Almost instantly his presence vanished from Sword King Mountain.
He felt an overwhelming sense of fullness as the abundant Qi coursed through his body.
The tea had proven almost too much to handle, and consecutively striking multiple acupoints had taken its toll.
To put it in perspective, throughout his cultivation journey, Tyler had meticulously examined the energy pathways within his body, discovering that there were, in fact, 12 distinct paths of Qi flow, contrary to the system's and library’s description of only 8.
He truly did not understand how any cultivator hadn’t written anything about this.
Couldn’t everyone else sense that they were somehow missing something? He had no idea and would probably have to ask the Sword King at some point.
He had spent considerable time locating every acupoint in his body over the last month, meticulously counting them to a total of exactly 333.
As Tyler delved into his inner world, he discerned 32 unique clouds, each of different colors, each containing a single sword.
These swords slowly siphoned the Qi from their respective clouds. Each cloud represented an individual acupoint, and after thoroughly scanning his body to verify their count, he found precisely 333 clouds within his inner world, no more and no less.
With every acupoint he opened, Tyler had to gather all of the Qi within those clouds, forging it into a single sword.
With precise and well-practiced movements derived from the Thundering Winds section of his cultivation method, he then launched the sword like a thunderbolt into the clouds, cleaving one in half.
However, the true challenge for anyone cultivating this method would lay in the aftermath, where he had to swiftly contain the dissipating energies, coaxing them back into a cloud.
The sword functioned like a magnetic force, drawing in the wayward Qi. From a different perspective, it was as if the sword represented a star, and the Qi, akin to a dust cloud in the vast expanse of space, swirled around this central gravitational force and if the gas dispersed too much due to the high force, it would escape.
Fortunately, Tyler's godlike presence within his inner world made this process almost trivial. With the aid of his divine sense and his cultivation method, the dissipating Qi couldn't escape his grasp.
In the real world, he remained constrained, using his divine sense sparingly in brief bursts to study external movements, such as those of Master Tanaka.
Extended use while he wasn’t meditating risked causing him to pass out or suffer severe migraines due to sensory overload, but within his inner world, such limitations did not apply.
Gradually, as he focused his thoughts and regained control over his inner turmoil, a profound stillness enveloped him.
The seas, once turbulent, now lay eerily calm, their waves stilled.
The clouds that had previously drifted were suspended motionless in the sky. Even the ceaseless winds had vanished, leaving only an overwhelming sense of stiffness within Tyler.
His body remained rigid from the overwhelming surge of Qi coursing through him. Numerous attempts to channel this restless energy into breaking open the 33rd acupoint proved futile.
It became evident that amidst conversation with Master Tanaka, the Qi was too untamed and unruly, requiring a tranquil mind for effective control.
In a state of serene meditation, Tyler extended his divine sense within his inner world. He immediately discerned the dense Qi saturating the very air, so thick that it could have been swum through had it been the outside world.
Uncertain about the next course of action, Tyler delved into cultivation. His soul avatar executed the intricate movements of the Thundering Winds and Sword Clouds method, a challenging endeavor within the dense Qi.
Despite the arduous nature of each motion, they were achievable.
Slowly, the Qi enveloping Tyler commenced a harmonious dance, swirling and condensing around his avatar. Minutes drifted by, and Tyler's divine sense perceived the world's Qi joining this mesmerizing ballet, converging upon him as the focal point.
At this crucial juncture, Tyler embarked on the next phase of the cultivation method and initiated the formation of a sword. However, he quickly realized that confining all the Qi into a single sword was impossible within this dense environment. Thus, he adopted a different approach: creating multiple swords.
1 Sword,
2 Swords,
4 Swords,
...
20 Swords,
...
In total, Tyler painstakingly crafted 32 swords, each saturated with as much Qi as he could muster before the atmosphere’s Qi returned to normal. Remarkably, this number precisely matched the sword clouds adorning the skies in his immediate vicinity.
Continuing with his cultivation method, Tyler harnessed the power of these swords to pierce through the next acupoint.
An astonishing phenomenon unfolded as he focused on that next step—The Sword Clouds, for the first time when he wasn’t forcing a connection to achieve his finger sword technique, were drawn from their tranquil sanctuary into the rhythmic dance of the Thundering Winds movements.
Each cloud found its counterpart, resulting in 64 swords swirling around Tyler in a mesmerizing, ethereal spectacle.
Simultaneously, his soul avatar reverberated with newfound power, and 32 radiant stars illuminated from within, a breathtaking sight.
From those radiant stars, 32 additional swords manifested one after the other, joining this ethereal dance.
At this moment, enlightenment washed over Tyler, as he realized that the most formidable cultivators throughout history had always achieved unity among Body, Spirit, and Soul—an enlightenment honed through all of his reading prior to the shattering on various fantasy novels and meditation books.
Now, Tyler's soul, the accumulated Qi within his acupoints, and the potent Qi from Master Tanaka's tea merged as one.
Following his intuition, Tyler orchestrated the seamless fusion of these diverse sources of energy.
Strangely, there was no resistance at all. It was as if the other sources of energy acted as a lubricant for their merger. The once-unfusable swords now became one.
Eventually, he was left with only three swords, each distinct in power and essence:
1 Soul Sword: Manifestation of his divine sense and connection to the universe, gleaming with an ethereal gray radiance. Its soft sword hum resonated with Tyler's profound unity of mind, body, and soul.
1 Essence Sword: Culmination of his recent efforts in gathering and refining Qi, it radiated with a blinding purple edge, creating subtle ripples in the fabric of space. A testament to its deep connection to the environment.
1 Primordial Sword: Born from the tea bestowed by Master Tanaka, its core and edges shimmered with a myriad of colors—alternating between green, red, yellow, white and black. Its potent natural energies caused it to cry out like a raging hurricane, announcing its presence to the world. Without it, Tyler's enlightenment would never have occurred.
Driven by a profound connection to the triad of Soul, Body, and Mind, Tyler endeavored to merge them further, but his efforts proved futile. Undeterred, he summoned all three swords into a three-sword-style grip, reminiscent of a technique he had witnessed in a certain anime years ago.
With a swift ascent into the clouds, he honed in on the 33rd acupoint, much like a tsunami surging toward a city.
His movements created ripples across the fabric of his inner world as the power of the three swords seamlessly intertwined. As he struck the 33rd acupoint, it felt like striking a formidable brick wall.
The swords may have slowed down, but their unstoppable force cleaved through the obstacle and like an overfilled bubble, the cloud burst. As they punctured the barrier, a torrent of energy burst forth from the cloud, and Tyler guided the swords into its center.
An extraordinary event then unfolded once more—a transformation akin to a colossal black hole forming at the heart of the dissipating energies. The voracious swords swallowed the world’s energies and in a miraculous union, the three swords merged into one over the course of the next few minutes, unable to withstand the power on their own.
When the fusion was complete, a resounding sword hymn echoed throughout Tyler's inner world, accompanied by an unfathomable release of energy that forced Tyler’s avatar back onto his little island.
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Each energy surge was directed at the newly swordless clouds, and through this process, the clouds autonomously reshaped into new swords, each bearing a striking resemblance.
The resulting sword was a mesmerizing spectacle, resembling a constantly swirling rainbow. Its hilt displayed vibrant streaks of blue, yellow, and green, while its blade comprised a rich palette of red, orange, and purple. The edges radiated with a striking black and white contrast, with the tip illuminated by a brilliant silver point.
Tyler's divine sense allowed him to recognize this profound breakthrough. Since his arrival back in this world, the Qi circulating within him had finally become liberated and unrestrained, with only his tempered skin serving as a boundary. And now, for the first time, he was able to exert his will over the Qi, pushing it outward to open his pores.
Extending his divine sense to the outside world, he could sense approximately 100 meters and to his surprise, the expected backlash from overloading his senses did not come. This recent breakthrough had merged parts of his soul, body and mind into one and with it came qualitative improvements to his entire being.
A harmonious unity had taken root within Tyler's being. His different facets no longer clashed but instead collaborated seamlessly. What Tyler remained unaware of was the intricacy of his energy distribution and how the system and other cultivators would probably perceive his current achievements.
Eight of his meridians held sufficient Qi to fill one entirely, signifying that he had enough Qi to achieve the first level.
However, when he considered the energy coursing through his remaining three meridians, he would find himself holding enough to be recognized as a third level cultivator.
Combining this newfound power with his flesh and skin's complete reformation, Tyler's overall cultivation level seemed to soar, reaching a level akin to that of a sixth level practitioner.
However, these levels and classifications were essentially superficial designations within the system's framework, incapable of accounting for the intricacies of one's true strength, which often depended on various achievements and titles.
Typically, such achievements and titles played a significant role in bolstering or diminishing one's power. In the Qi Transformation stage, such modifiers were exceedingly rare, not to mention in the Qi Gathering stage. This was almost always the case except for the few prodigies like Fang Mo's daughter, Fang Liu.
If Tyler were to channel the entirety of his cultivation’s power into a single Finger Sword strike, his might would ascend to the equivalent of a 14th level cultivator.
This didn’t mean he could directly battle a cultivator of that level since he possessed significantly less Qi than them, but that he could at least exchange a few moves before he exhausted himself and lost.
The amalgamation of the three types of energies constituted a unique title within the system.
However, achieving this title wasn’t seen as possible since one didn't typically possess divine sense until reaching the Soul Shattering Stage. The earliest known cultivator to attain this feat was in the Sea Formation stage, leaving a lasting legend in the world—the Shattering Ancestor, Daoist Calm Water.
With this power, Tyler could effortlessly sever Lo Xin's arm with a single fluid motion, making it seem as effortless as a walk in the park, despite his cultivation being at around the 6th level and with the accompanying soul power would probably kill him outright.
Leaping through cultivation levels in such a manner was exceedingly rare, especially the leap from a Qi Gathering cultivator to a Qi Transformation cultivator, as the disparity in the quality of power was substantial and often insurmountable for 99.9% of cultivators.
Of course, all of this was unknown to Tyler. Eventually, everything returned to normal within Tyler’s inner world and just like this, he fell asleep, completely at peace.
***
Sitting within his cultivation chambers, the Sword King's eyes remained closed in meditation while his divine sense extended across the entire mountain.
He had been closely monitoring Tyler's progress, knowing that the man had consumed Nature's Harmony alongside Ryuji and was likely to experience rapid cultivation gains with the aid of the concoction.
Fortunately, the Sword King had anticipated the aftereffects of Tyler's cultivation and his swift increase in power and to protect Tyler, he had taken precautions when having the library and Tyler's lodgings within rebuilt.
Tyler's room was constructed from Veridian Heartwood, and multiple layers of sealing formations had been meticulously inscribed around the entire living space.
The goal was to prevent any soul or energy fluctuations from escaping the room. As an extension of this security, divine sense couldn't penetrate these formidable defenses unless one had installed the formations themselves or was physically within the room.
The Sword King had employed similar protective measures in his own chambers, leaving no room for unwanted prying eyes on Tyler's progress.
Throughout his cultivation session, Lin Jian focused intently on Tyler, making sure that his own divine sense did not interfere with the man's process.
He witnessed a series of significant changes in Tyler's cultivation, which left the Sword King increasingly restless. As he scrutinized his own title, acquired during his recent breakthrough, he understood the profound implications of what had transpired.
[Ascendance of Trinity] - All attacks contain the power of the Soul, Cultivated Essence, and Primordial energies of the world.
After awakening to this new title and breaking through to the next level, Lin Jian could feel its incredible effects.
Every attack he launched now punished his opponents' souls, fueled by his essence and the very forces of nature itself, enhancing their potency manifold. When dealing a decisive blow, the opponent's souls were unable to escape and were instantly obliterated, rather than being left for the Slaughter Sword to devour.
Overwhelmed by the implications of a mere mortal achieving such an elusive title, the Sword King found himself at a loss for words.
He eagerly looked forward to reading Tyler's journal entry about this remarkable development and hoped to gain insights from the perspective of someone who had achieved what many believed to be unattainable.
***
Waking up the next morning just before sunrise, Tyler stretched and immediately began documenting his experiences in meticulous detail. After an hour of careful recording and summarizing, there was a knock at his door. Extending his divine sense outward, Tyler called out, "Come in, it's unlocked!"
The Sword King entered silently, moving like a ghost without making a sound. He then tossed a ring to Tyler, who caught it with surprise. "I noticed you still don't have one of these. Keep your journal entries secured inside. Do not let just anyone read them. They could lead to unprecedented disaster for you," the Sword King cautioned, his tone grave.
To the Sword King's surprise, the moment Tyler touched the ring, it disappeared.
Tyler, however, had encountered this phenomenon before when he hadn't yet gained full control over his divine sense, preventing him from understanding the storage device functions.
But now, his connection to the storage ring immediately formed upon touching it.
The newly established connection occupied Tyler's thoughts as he casually reached out to the table he had been using for his writing session.
With precision and a minimal amount of Qi, he caused the table to vanish from its original location, then promptly reappear on his expanding island. This effortless feat showcased Tyler's increasing mastery of his cultivation abilities.
This astonishing demonstration left the Sword King in a state of profound shock. He was acutely aware that no one within his knowledge possessed the capability to make spatial treasures disappear and manipulate their abilities without actually owning one.
Such extraordinary abilities had only been described in ancient records from the distant eastern continents, particularly in reference to the Ascendants' level of power.
Ascendants, having achieved oneness with the origin of the world, could create an internal realm that served as both a cultivation sanctuary and a storage space.
Tyler's newfound talents hinted at an ascendant potential that defied conventional understanding, especially considering his current cultivation level.
Fearing the possibility of eavesdropping, the Sword King swiftly retrieved numerous discs engraved with intricate formations from his own storage ring.
He activated each one in rapid succession, erecting layers upon layers of sealing formations that would effectively block out any external attempts at surveillance, ensuring that only those at or above the Ascendant stage would possess the means to penetrate these defenses.
Tyler watched the Sword King with an intensity that mirrored the seriousness of the man's expression. The Sword King's words carried a weight that couldn't be ignored.
"Never, and I mean NEVER," he emphasized, "showcase this power in front of others. NO ONE must know you have this power without wearing a storage device. Am I clear?"
Confused, Tyler nodded in affirmation before asking. “Uhh… I don’t get it, I thought everyone was constantly doing it? Pulling things out of storage bags all the time and what not.”
The Sword King went on to explain in detail the difference, as far as he understood it, between what Tyler had done and what it represented versus what everyone else below the Ascendant stage was doing.
Then, Lin Jian produced another ring, a completely ordinary one without any storage capabilities. He adjusted the new ring for a few minutes, adding a few formations and ensuring it appeared as a regular storage device to everyone, including himself.
Lin Jian explained that every time Tyler used his storage abilities, he should try to channel them through this ring to avoid any suspicions.
Tyler's expression shifted to one of seriousness as the gravity of the Sword King's words sank in. It became clear that this was not a simple ability to be taken lightly.
He felt fortunate that Lin Jian didn't harbor any ill intentions toward him, reaffirming once more Tyler’s trust in the man.
Once again, he retrieved the table and returned it to its original position before donning his new ring. This time, as he sensed the connection between the real world and his inner world, like a bridge linking the two, he directed his divine sense toward the ring on his finger.
Like magic, the journal entries vanished within. Tyler practiced this several times, and the Sword King confirmed that even through his divine sense, he couldn't discern any difference.
He sighed in relief at the successful concealment of Tyler's newfound abilities.
After a few minutes of conversation, Tyler decided to share his most recent journal entries with the Sword King.
However, both Lin Jian and Tyler were saddened when they realized that this was the extent of what he had learned from Tyler's previous journal entry. That first journal entry had led him to unlock the [Ascendance of Trinity] title and this newest one didn't bring anything new to the table.
Finally, they both reached an agreement that Tyler should move to new lodgings. If Tyler's cultivation had already enabled him to achieve a title usually reserved for Soul Shattering cultivators, his future cultivation sessions might inadvertently destroy his surroundings.
Just before they parted ways, Lin Jian informed Tyler that he would send Lo Wang to the Radiant Fist Dojo to guide him to his new lodgings that would be completed before end of day. Without Tyler having to ask, the Sword King conjured a few extremely comfortable chairs, a table, and an empty bookshelf.
"Store your work inside these and secure them within your storage space. You must not let others peek at your journal entries until you are stronger than myself. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee your safety," warned the Sword King.
"Understood... and Lin Jian, thank you," Tyler expressed his gratitude sincerely. "I'm afraid if anyone else but you had been overseeing this mountain so close to my previous home, I would already be long dead. I will not forget this."
Just like that, they parted ways. Tyler grabbed a few outfits from the closet and his two communication crystals, and settled them into his inner world.
The table sat on the enlarged island, with four distinct outfits of various colors and Master Tanaka’s traditional outfit along with the two crystals.
With the sun gradually rising on the horizon, Tyler donned his customary running attire: a bare chest and self-made shorts crafted from the available pants in the library's lodgings.
Energized with newfound speed and power, he ran up to the tiny village where the plaza between Edge City and Permanence City was found. On his way back he didn't make his way to the library but headed straight for the Radiant Fist Dojo, prepared for another productive day of martial arts training.