CHAPTER 379: CHAPTER 6: STARTING MEANS ONBOARDING

"That’s the Three Suns."

Upon receiving the Charcoal Sword Cultivator’s transmitted thought, Li Mo instinctively looked up.

Among the countless stars, a Glazed Sword Tomb glimmered faintly—its size inconspicuous amid the myriad Sword Tombs.

Li Mo frowned slightly.

The radiance of the Three Suns Sword Tomb surged, seemingly drawing him closer.

Confirming the Fake Buddha’s presence behind the Sword Tomb, Li Mo let the light envelop him, and with that, he crossed tens of thousands of meters in an instant.

When he regained his senses, he had already arrived at the Three Suns Sword Tomb.

The moment he set foot in the Sword Tomb, he immediately felt his spirit suppressed by ninety percent. Of his four Nascent Souls, only the Sunlight Bodhisattva remained conscious, while the other three sank into slumber.

His primary method of combat, the Tattooed Beast, would only retain fifty percent of its external power here.

The Mountain Protection Array suppressed spirit with terrifying force, rendering cultivation nearly impossible. On the other hand, the Flying Sword thrived in the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Was the Heavenly Sword Sect truly a sect for humans, or was it a sect for swords?

And what on earth were those indescribable Sword Tombs?

Not only was the Sword Intent they emanated chaotic, but their forms were grotesque and terrifying—like malignant tumors growing amidst flesh and bone—making one’s skin crawl.

"Truly troublesome. The Heavenly Sword Sect is far less peaceful than imagined."

Li Mo’s expression darkened, and his right hand gripped the Illusion Fish Sword tightly.

Yet he did not regret his choice, as his vision and options for larger sects were limited; going to the Ten Thousand Demon Dao was simply not viable.

Li Mo’s senses gradually recovered, realizing he was now inside a closed chamber.

He discovered he hadn’t landed randomly in the Sword Tomb but was about to face the trial of the Cocoon Sword Meeting—which seemed to have skipped over its earlier stages.

Judging by the décor, the room resembled a blacksmith’s forge.

A man stood with his back to Li Mo, hammering away at the embryonic sword in front of him.

The strong, burnt odor pervading the air was enough for Li Mo to immediately recognize the man’s identity without observing his mutated skin.

Evidently, the Charcoal Sword Cultivator ignored Cocoon Sword Meeting protocols, directly warping the Three Suns Sword Tomb here with a spell—his power was undeniable.

Clang.

Sparks burst forth.

With each strike of his hammer, the Charcoal Sword Cultivator exuded a blazing Sword Intent.

From outside the room, Li Mo could hear the continuous sound of hammering from next door—the Three Sun Sword Tomb seemed to truly nurture swords through smithing.

It appeared that habits varied greatly across different Dao inheritances within the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Li Mo scrutinized the Charcoal Sword Cultivator but couldn’t sense any Spiritual Power from him, as though he were an ordinary blacksmith in a mundane forge.

As he forged the sword, the Charcoal Sword Cultivator muttered explanations to himself.

"Sword Intent has its grades, much like the conception of streams in mountains cannot compare to the vastness of the starry sea."

"Universal Illumination? Some call it Radiant Sword Intent, but it’s merely the most inferior Sword Intent—not even capturing three-tenths of the Dao Rhythm of the Sun Star."

The muscles in the Charcoal Sword Cultivator’s arms swelled as his force grew fiercer.

Li Mo sensed the Sword Intent washing over him change abruptly.

From mere scorching heat to blazing sunlight—the quantity of Sword Intent released by the Charcoal Sword Cultivator remained constant, but its potency skyrocketed by more than tenfold.

"I wield the Superior Sword Intent, Three Flavors, to incinerate all evil spirits of this world."

Clang!!!

Invisible flames surged forth.

Li Mo opened his mouth, only for his flesh and bones to wither instantly. Fortunately, the Charcoal Sword Cultivator maintained the Three Flavors Sword Intent for less than a single breath.

He halted his movements and raised his head with a half-smile.

"Sword Cultivators gain their Sword Intent through enlightenment from their Lifebound Flying Sword. Your True Word Sect Flying Sword has decent potential, but its Sword Intent is far too shallow."

"If your Flying Sword’s Universal Illumination Sword Intent were to advance to the Middle Grade level, it might take a thousand years."

The Charcoal Sword Cultivator stopped at that, yet he found Li Mo entirely unmoved, merely deep in thought.

"Senior, is it truly impossible for Sword Cultivators to independently elevate their Sword Intent?"

"You... your Universal Illumination Sword Intent has indeed reached perfection. Advancing further is to comprehend the Middle Grade level, but achieving that is hardly worth the effort."

Li Mo suddenly understood that his earlier stage of Universal Illumination Sword Intent had broken through to perfection.

The Charcoal Sword Cultivator patiently advised, "Ordinary Sword Cultivators who replace their Lifebound Flying Sword often anger the Sword Tomb, but with your talent, you’d likely cause a battle for contention among the Sword Tombs."

"That won’t be necessary."

"Senior, if I comprehend Middle Grade Sword Intent, shouldn’t it also feed back into my Lifebound Flying Sword?"

"Fine..."

The Charcoal Sword Cultivator, angered to the point of laughter, ignored Li Mo and resumed hammering.

After a long while.

He finally paused his work and turned to Li Mo.

"Enough, enough. In a few hundred years, you’ll understand my concerns once you can freely replace your Lifebound Flying Sword—then you can reconsider."

"Your entrance caused too much commotion, so I’ve temporarily suppressed it for you, lest the old fogeys of the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs set their eyes on you."

"Senior, what are the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs?"

"The Inner Sect’s classification. Alas..."

"The Three Suns Sword Tomb is merely a Middle Grade Dao inheritance within the Heavenly Sword Sect, unqualified for the Inner Sect. My Dao title, Luo Yang, comes from the Inner Sect inheritance, Great Sun."

Luo Yang assumed that Li Mo would actively express his desire to join the Great Sun Sword Tomb, but the latter remained indifferent, seemingly quite satisfied with the Three Suns.

His heart burned with inexplicable anger, as dense smoke emerged from his nostrils and mouth.

"You... your mental realm is indeed rare."

Luo Yang took a deep breath.

It seemed Li Mo’s refusal to approach the Twenty-Eight Sword Tombs wasn’t due to ignorance of their advantages but simply because—he didn’t want to?

"Junior Qing Tian greets Senior Luo Yang."

Li Mo respectfully bowed, aware that Luo Yang’s might was likely one of the finest among Void Refining cultivators. The invisible oppressive aura felt nearly tangible.

He opted not to use his Dao title, Taiyi, as there was no need to deliberately conceal his identity within the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Qing Tian?

Luo Yang found the name familiar.

The Thirteen Immortals of No-Life Sect bore the name Qing Tian, if he recalled correctly.

Gasping slightly in shock, Luo Yang pieced together the context.

With such talent, it wasn’t surprising that Li Mo reached the Nascent Soul Stage only now, likely having cultivated previously in the True Void Hometown of the No-Life Sect.

"This person’s unacceptable nature—could it have been spoiled by the Twelve Immortals?"

Luo Yang quickly made sense of the details.

The Twelve Immortals’ transformed palace chambers numbered thirteen in total, with the additional chamber likely occupied by Qing Tian, which the latter used for nurturing swords instead.

A senseless waste, though it seemed fitting.

Displaying a complex expression, Luo Yang spoke: "When I return to the Great Sun Sword Tomb, you’ll join me in the Inner Sect. For now, stay in the Three Suns Sword Tomb."

"Thank you, Senior Luo Yang."

Li Mo didn’t mind in the least. Realizing the hidden dangers within the Heavenly Sword Sect, even staying temporarily in the Outer Sect provided time for advancing the Sunlight Bodhisattva.

Once the Sunlight Bodhisattva reached the Divine Separation Stage, security and freedom of action would improve notably.

If possible, he would also aim for the other three Nascent Souls to consecutively achieve the Divine Separation Stage while dual-cultivating the Heavenly Sword Sect’s magic.

A trace of resignation flickered in Li Mo’s eyes.

Whether the Three Suns Sword Tomb or the Great Sun Sword Tomb, both likely belonged to Yang Attribute sword inheritances.

His Sunlight Bodhisattva was already of Yang Attribute; for the Sword Cultivation Method, he would need to choose another spirit attribute to avoid wasting his multi-Dantian potential.

"Senior Luo Yang, I wish to inquire about Senior Sister Yu Xiao’s current situation."

"Her?"

Luo Yang hesitated momentarily before shaking his head: "Yu Xiao’s Sword Tomb involves Inner Sect secrecy—you’re not yet qualified to know."

Li Mo chose not to press further, his gaze briefly lingering on the Corpse Immortal Finger within the Corpse Mountain Mini World.

He would deal with it later by refining the Corpse Immortal Finger into the Ground Lying Demon Infant’s Foundation Spiritual Object. His Twelfth Senior Sister likely wouldn’t object.

Besides, the Corpse Dissolution Immortal Body lacked Spiritual Wisdom altogether.

Luo Yang observed Li Mo, and for reasons unknown, seeing his calm and collected demeanor kindled an uncontrollable fury.

"Qing Tian, remember this: don’t overestimate yourself—talent doesn’t guarantee smooth progress in swordsmanship."

Luo Yang recalled how Li Mo, even without the True Word Sect Flying Sword, had comprehended perfected Universal Illumination Sword Intent, involuntarily twitching at the thought.

"Comprehension isn’t everything; many prodigies consumed by deviation fall from grace."

"The Ten Thousand Demon Dao had a Thousand-Headed Demon Body cultivation that, upon advancing to the Divine Separation Stage, suffered rebellion from its thousand heads—resulting in death and Dao obliteration."

Li Mo nodded in acknowledgment, wisely refraining from informing Luo Yang of his innate saintly nature.

An Innate Saint could meditate into an empty and clear state, complemented by the protection of a Mayfly Dream, rendering deviation inconsequential.

Li Mo suddenly realized an advantage within the Heavenly Sword Sect.

In the Ten Thousand Demon Dao, Superior Dao Bodies were preyed upon by Demon Cultivators; within the Heavenly Sword Sect, Superior Dao Bodies became targets for swords instead—a somewhat more disciplined scenario.

"Senior Luo Yang, my True Word Sect Flying Sword...?"

Luo Yang cast an intense glance at Li Mo, throwing him the crafted sword: "I’ve incorporated three sword brains into your True Word Sect Flying Sword—it may help the Universal Illumination Sword Intent advance further."

The sword eagerly broke free, transforming into a human-headed lotus lamp.

"Return."

Li Mo reconnected with the Fake Buddha instantly, channeling his thought.

The Fake Buddha agilely entered his Mud Pill Palace, merging once again with the Sunlight Bodhisattva—Li Mo’s body readily radiated seven-colored Sword Qi.

With the Fake Buddha enhanced, the Sunlight Bodhisattva allowed Li Mo to regain peak levels of Great Sun Spiritual Power—recovering roughly fifty percent.

"Once I progress to the Divine Separation Stage, fully integrate the Foundation Spiritual Object into my Externalized Dharma Body, Great Sun Spiritual Power should stabilize at seventy to eighty percent—that will suffice."

Luo Yang noted the seamless connection between Li Mo and his Flying Sword.

He understood Li Mo’s persistence regarding the True Word Sect Flying Sword; when man and sword were in harmony, root-destroying backlash was unlikely.

"Qing Tian, after leaving the forging room, head right for one hundred meters to the fifth chamber—there you’ll find the Three Suns Sword Tomb’s Sword Dao texts. Feel free to peruse at your leisure."

"Thank you, Senior."

Elated, Li Mo prepared to leave the narrow forging room immediately.

Sharing space with Luo Yang felt stifling, and he couldn’t proceed with advancing the Sunlight Bodhisattva.

"Wait."

As Li Mo approached the wooden door, Luo Yang’s expression turned cryptic as he added, "Let me get this out of the way—be extremely cautious outside the forging room."

"What?"

Luo Yang, noting Li Mo’s surprise, seemed even more amused.

"The Three Suns Sword Tomb has twelve thousand disciples, but the Heavenly Sword Sect only recruits a handful of individuals every millennia. How could it possibly populate its countless Sword Tombs?"

"Among the twelve thousand disciples, only seven are true Sword Cultivators—the rest are all Flying Swords in human form."

"Heh heh heh. At the sect’s pinnacle level, Flying Swords can develop taboos. Next, if the Sword Intent is pure, they ascend to [Pupa]; if taboos worsen, they escalate into [Cocoon]."

"I came to the Three Suns Sword Tomb solely to deal with a rogue [Cocoon Sword]."

"The Cocoon Sword is concealed among the twelve thousand disciples. After fifty years of searching, I’ve yet to uncover it—meanwhile, it has silently destroyed seven hundred and eighty Flying Swords. Qing Tian, lend your uncle a hand in identifying clues when you can."

"Huh?"

"The Heavenly Sword Sect is a sect for Sword Holders, Sword Forgers, Sword Attendants, and most importantly—Sword Guardians."