Yang Jing was clad in a Daoist Robe, a Command Banner clutched in his hand.

He stood upon the Dharma Platform, the Celestial Waterfall Sword enshrined on the table before him. He performed the ritual of Stepping on Gang and Fighting while reciting a loud chant.

"Heaven and Earth are the gateway to change, the parents of all hexagrams. Kan and Li are the outer walls, turning the hub and trueing the axle. The four trigrams of yin and yang are the bellows, encompassing the Dao of Yin and Yang. Be as a skilled driver who grasps the bit and reins, holds to the marked line, and follows the ruts in the road!"

As he recited the prayer from the Sword Qi Canon, Yang Jing could sense a profound and mysterious connection forming between himself and the Celestial Waterfall Sword.

The destinies of man and sword slowly began to intertwine.

Under this faint connection, the Spiritual Essence within the Celestial Waterfall Sword was slowly drawn out from the blade.

Yang Jing formed a hand seal, casting a Taixu Talisman and imprinting it upon the Spiritual Essence of the Celestial Waterfall Sword.

With this talisman, he could seize the dominant position in the interweaving of destinies between him and the sword. If he found a better Sword Artifact in the future, he could also use this talisman to sever the connection to his Lifebound Flying Sword.

Since the Celestial Waterfall Sword had been refined by Yang Jing himself, it was exceptionally docile during the process of having the Taixu Talisman embedded within it, offering no resistance whatsoever.

Many a Sword Cultivator had failed at this very step.

As weapons of slaughter, the Spiritual Essence born within Flying Swords is almost always wild and untamable, unwilling to be subjugated by another. Thus, they would always struggle and resist when a Taixu Talisman was being embedded.

There was once a Foundation Establishment Sword Cultivator who attempted to refine a Magical Treasure-tier Sword Artifact into his Lifebound Flying Sword, only to be slain by the enraged blade.

Once the talisman was in place, the Spiritual Essence of the Celestial Waterfall Sword returned to the blade.

The instant the Celestial Waterfall Sword became his Lifebound Flying Sword, Yang Jing felt an intense thirst emanate from the blade.

Yang Jing’s foundation and reserves were immeasurably greater than the Celestial Waterfall Sword’s. Therefore, upon successfully completing the initial ritual of the Sword Qi Canon, it was naturally his role to nourish the Flying Sword.

He did not hold back and released all restrictions.

Instantly, a torrential flood of Magical Power surged into the Celestial Waterfall Sword.

The body of the Celestial Waterfall Sword trembled as it absorbed the torrent of Magical Power and Essence Qi. Its glow intensified, and a beam of Sword Qi as brilliant as a star shot toward the heavens.

Faintly, a Five-Colored light of the Five Elements could be seen, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the sky-piercing Sword Qi finally, slowly dissipated.

The Celestial Waterfall Sword’s aura was now profound, its Spiritual Light brilliant. It was now only a hair’s breadth away from becoming a Magical Treasure. Like a fledgling swallow returning to its nest, it flew toward Yang Jing.

With a flash of Profound Light, Yang Jing absorbed the Flying Sword into his Dantian.

After refining it into his Lifebound Flying Sword, Yang Jing no longer needed to carry the Celestial Waterfall Sword with him. Like a true Sword Cultivator, he could now summon it with but a single Sword Mantra.

The process was not without its benefits for Yang Jing. After refining his Lifebound Flying Sword, he gained a sharp intuition, much like a Sword Heart.

His Magical Power now possessed the unique sharpness of a Sword Artifact; with a flick of his finger, he could launch an incomparably keen strand of Sword Qi. Even the Magic Sword he condensed using the Five Elements Magical Sword technique had become much sharper.

Furthermore, because of the Celestial Waterfall Sword’s Seven Star Treasure Prohibition, he gained a vague perception of the stars in the firmament.

Yang Jing took a deep breath and sat cross-legged upon the Magic Altar to recover his Magical Power.

Once he had recovered his Magical Power, four disciples respectfully approached him.

"Congratulations, Master, on your great advancement in the Sword Dao."

In ancient times, only those who had refined a Lifebound Flying Sword could truly call themselves a Sword Cultivator.

However, in the present day, the path of the Artifact Cultivator has waned, and even Sword Cultivators no longer insist on refining a Lifebound Flying Sword. After all, the current Nine Heavens World is a far cry from the Upper Realm. The additional burden of a Lifebound Flying Sword might be the very thing that prevents a cultivator from achieving Core Formation.

Even among the Sword Cultivators of the Taixu Sword Sect, most only begin to refine their Lifebound Flying Sword after reaching the Core Formation realm.

If the Celestial Waterfall Sword had not been so special, Yang Jing would not have chosen to use the Sword Qi Canon to make it his Lifebound Flying Sword before reaching Core Formation.

He formed a Sword Mantra with his hand, and the Celestial Waterfall Sword instantly shot out from his Dantian, soaring into the sky.

The Celestial Waterfall Sword ascended several thousand feet into the air, drawing in the Celestial Spirits Star Force that rained down from beyond the heavens. Through the Spirit Contract forged by the Sword Qi Canon, threads of this Celestial Spirits Star Force began to surge into Yang Jing’s Dantian.

As the Celestial Spirits Star Force entered his body, Yang Jing felt a cool sensation spread throughout him, as if a layer of dust had been wiped clean.

Celestial Spirits Star Force was a profound and mystical energy. It could be used to cleanse and enhance one’s Magical Power, but most Cultivators were limited by their Spirit Roots and were unable to refine this Star Power.

The Alchemy Cauldron Sect possessed a Wondrous Technique capable of refining Sun Divine Light, Taiyin Divine Light, and Star Divine Light into Three Lights Divine Water, which was the only form Cultivators could use.

However, this divine water was exceptionally precious; only Nascent Soul True Monarchs could afford to use it.

Had Yang Jing used an ordinary method for refining a Lifebound Flying Sword, he would have been unable to refine the Celestial Spirits Star Force. It was only thanks to the profundity of the Sword Qi Canon that he could refine even a small amount.

’It’s like I’ve gained a Celestial Star Spirit Root.’

This was the ultimate goal of the Artifact Cultivator path: to use a Lifebound Magical Treasure as a de facto Spirit Root to absorb and refine Magical Power. With a high-level Magical Treasure, a cultivator’s progress could even surpass that of someone with a Celestial Spirit Root.

Unfortunately, after the Central Continent fell from the Upper Realm, the quality of Spiritual Qi degraded, and all sorts of precious Spiritual Materials began to vanish. The path of the Artifact Cultivator devolved from a prominent school of thought into a minor side branch, losing all of its ancient glory.

After clearing away the various implements required for the ritual and storing them in his Storage Bag, Yang Jing did not recall the Celestial Waterfall Sword. He left it high in the sky to endlessly absorb Celestial Spirits Star Force, day and night.

Far away, a Nascent Soul Cultivator sat upon a throne, watching Yang Jing’s successful refinement of his Flying Sword through a Water Mirror. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the mirror.

"Truly one of Heaven’s chosen. No wonder Peng’er lost to him." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He was Sima Hong, a Nascent Soul elder of the Sima Family. After receiving a message from Canyuan True Monarch, he had traveled day and night, spending nearly a month to rush to the Northern Domain.

If it had merely been an accident befalling a talented clansman like Sima Peng, there would have been no need for a Nascent Soul elder to act with such urgency. What truly made the Sima Family so cautious was the part of the message stating that Sima Peng’s Divine Soul had been insidiously assaulted.

Within the Sima Family, there were quite a few disciples who also cultivated the Mingfei Joyful Method. If every single one of them had been secretly attacked, then even a family as large and powerful as the Sima would suffer a devastating blow to its vitality.

Canyuan True Monarch and several other Nascent Soul True Monarchs from the Six Sects were by his side.

Profound Vermilion True Monarch was among them. He stroked his long beard and said,

"If Sima Peng hadn’t been aided by that Abnormal Power within his Divine Soul, he would have likely been cut down in fewer than thirty exchanges."

Sima Hong said nothing more.

He had already gone to check on Sima Peng. This, the Sima Family’s most outstanding disciple in thirty years, did indeed have the residual traces of a foreign power in his Divine Soul. After waking up from the battle, he had fallen into a stupor, his intellect reduced to that of a young child. Moreover, he had become completely numb, devoid of all emotion.

"Sima Qiu, you know Sima Peng best. Did his temperament truly change so drastically after he came to the Western Continent?"

A handsome Sima Family disciple in a brocade robe immediately stepped forward.

"If that man, Li Xishan, isn’t lying, then Sima Peng’s temperament did indeed change drastically. Back in the clan, he was completely devoted to his cultivation and never did anything out of line. It’s inconceivable that he would kill several Maids just for refusing a drink," he said, glancing at Li Xishan, who stood cowering nearby.

Li Xishan looked much older than before. Wrinkles had begun to line his once-smooth skin, and his once-black hair was now streaked with white.

Hearing Sima Qiu mention him, he immediately began to nod his head repeatedly.

Because of his misstep, he had been reprimanded by the Celestial Treasure Tower. Even his position as General Manager for the Seven Kingdoms had been stripped from him. The moment he lost his power, he seemed to age instantly.

"Fellow Daoist Canxuan, I have brought seven disciples from my clan who cultivate the Mingfei Joyful Method. I must ask you to please check if there is anything abnormal within their Divine Souls," Sima Hong said with a grave expression.

As a Cultivator from the Central Continent, he had heard rumors of Evil Gods and Fur Gods existing in the Western Continent, but he had never encountered one himself. After receiving the message, he had immediately inspected the Divine Souls of his clan’s disciples but had found nothing.

His only recourse was to bring a few disciples here to the Western Continent.

Canyuan True Monarch looked at the seven anxious Cultivators from the Noble Family and nodded.

"Of course. But the origin of this Mingfei Joyful Method is simply too strange. I refuse to believe it came from a mere Small Realm."

When he learned that the Mingfei Joyful Method came not from the Western Continent but the Central Continent, even someone with Canyuan True Monarch’s profound composure had turned pale with shock.

The Central Continent was the ancestral home of the Human Race, the very continent that fell from the Upper Realm. It was utterly impossible for any Evil God or Fur God to arise there. ’For the Mingfei Joyful Method to appear in the Central Continent... Could an Evil God have escaped the great purge of the past and fled to the Central Continent?’

To this day, Sima Hong was still reluctant to believe that the Mingfei Joyful Method was the technique of an Evil God. After the technique appeared in the Central Continent, countless cultivators among the Noble Families had practiced it, yet not one had ever shown symptoms like Sima Peng.

Canyuan True Monarch took out a Treasure Mirror.

This was a Magical Treasure he had spent many years refining. It was called the Celestial Mirror, a Top Tier, Tier Four Magical Treasure, exceptionally skilled at perceiving all manner of Demons. Inspecting a person’s Divine Soul was a simple matter for it.

Under the light of the Treasure Mirror, the Divine Souls of the seven Cultivators were all reflected in its surface.

Canyuan True Monarch observed them carefully for a moment before letting out a soft sound of surprise.

"Well?"

Sima Hong asked with concern, glancing at the seven anxious disciples.

"Their Divine Souls are all completely normal," Canyuan True Monarch said, completely bewildered.

"Perhaps some sort of trigger is needed for the foreign entity in their Divine Souls to manifest."

Sima Hong shook his head.

"True Monarch, since arriving in the Western Continent, I have been closely observing the temperaments of these seven and have discovered no changes whatsoever. It’s possible that the attack on Peng’er has nothing to do with the Mingfei Joyful Method."

The Mingfei Joyful Method allowed the younger generation of the clan to advance their cultivation with incredible speed, and it had none of the negative repercussions of other Absorption and Replenishment techniques. If the Sima Family forbade its disciples from practicing it, they would fall far behind the other Noble Families within a few generations.

’That was something Sima Hong absolutely could not allow to happen.’

Canyuan True Monarch sighed to himself. Though the Central Continent was more prosperous than the Western Continent, its lack of external enemies like Demons and Demon Cultivators had allowed it to become far more stagnant and decadent, and it was now rife with corruption.