23: Chapter 23 Asking the Sword and Drinking Chicken Soup

Shen Moyan crossed several mountain ridges, putting a great distance between himself and Dongshan City.

He found a secluded cave, cleared a patch of open ground beside it, used his Biyang spiritual power to ignite a pile of dry spiritual wood, and then rummaged through his storage ring for the Magical Artifacts he had picked up in Dongshan City.

A pot made of spiritual iron, plus some spiritual ingredients and spices—who would have thought these casually collected items would come in handy now.

After setting up the pot, he poured in clear water drawn from a mountain stream. Once the water boiled, he tossed in large chunks of Mythical Bird meat, then added a few pieces of deodorizing Spiritual Plants and a little spice.

The flame from the spiritual wood burned a pale blue, heating up extremely fast and able to stimulate the Spiritual Qi within the ingredients. Before long, a rich aroma wafted from the pot. The broth gradually turned milky white, its surface covered with a fine layer of oil droplets, Spiritual Qi diffusing along with the fragrance.

Shen Moyan had long since set up a concealment array near the cave; no Yao Beast below the Mortal Transformation Realm could detect him.

He found a flat stone to sit on, waited for the broth to thicken, then directly scooped a large bowl with a wooden ladle.

The scalding broth entered his mouth but did not burn, only a warm current sliding down his throat into his abdomen, instantly transforming into pure Spiritual Qi to nourish his entire body. The fatigue from the previous battle vanished completely.

The Half-Demon Mythical Bird meat melted in the mouth, incredibly tender and fresh, more delicious than any delicacy he had tasted in the lower planes.

"Not bad. The meat is fine and delicate, the broth is refined."

Shen Moyan's expression relaxed. While appreciating his own handiwork, he simultaneously sensed the battle in Dongshan City.

Before leaving, he had left several Six Senses Fireflies outside the city, specifically to observe the fight between the Biyang Sword Sect Disciple and the Two-Tribulation Mythical Bird.

At this moment, Dongshan City was already a sea of fire.

Within the towering flames, a huge bird demon could faintly be seen spreading its wings, clashing with two streaks of light transformed into swords.

Soon, accompanied by a sound that tore through the storm, the Mythical Bird's wing that had blotted out the city wall was severed by a sword strike. The battle was over.

"There's Sword Art of this caliber in this world." Shen Moyan carefully contemplated the essence of that ultimate killing move he had just witnessed.

Based on He Liang's notebook of insights, Shen Moyan could glimpse the Great Dao of the Sword in this world.

The Realm of the sword is divided into four stages: Clumsy, Skill, Concept, and Heart.

These four stages correspond to the levels of the first four Realms of the Twisted Immortal Path.

What is the Clumsy Realm?

Any sword technique that can be comprehended and learned by others as a specific move or form belongs to the Clumsy Realm.

In the Great Qi Martial World, the sword techniques circulating in the Jianghu all belong to the Clumsy Realm. Only the sword techniques created by a few founding ancestors barely reached the threshold of the Skill Realm.

The Skill Realm is the mastery and fusion of myriad swords, where one can respond with nothing, truly transcending the mundane.

In the Skill Realm, the sword is an extension of your limbs. Against the vast ocean of Clumsy Realm sword moves and ingenious formulas, you can counter any move, possessing absolute dominance.

Sword Glimmers, Sword Auras, Sword Qi, and even Sword Momentum are all encompassed within the Domain of Skill.

It's like the grand unified theory in physics, containing all formulas.

Shen Moyan considered that his own Peak Sword Dao should have already reached the Skill Realm. The mechanism was fully developed; it just needed the numerical value of cultivation to fill it in.

As for the Concept, Shen Moyan dared not say more. Without a true comparison, he wasn't sure if his 'Startling Swan Glance' could be considered as having stepped into 'Concept'.

"This He Liang's swordsmanship, within the Skill Realm, can also be considered First-rate."

The Six Senses Fireflies were scattered in various corners outside the city. Shen Moyan took a sip of the delicious broth, savoring its lingering salty-sweet flavor, and continued watching this wonderful live broadcast.

"This Mythical Bird is also strong. Clearly at the second-tribulation cultivation level, yet it managed to survive for so long under two Sword Cultivators."

Mountain and Sea Yao Beasts rely on absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and gathering the essence of the sun and moon. It takes at least a hundred years to begin Undergoing Tribulation and transforming.

One tribulation corresponds to the Peak of Qi Gathering. Two tribulations roughly equate to the Mortal Transformation Realm.

"Alright, the show is about over. Too bad there's no Opportunity for me to take."

Shen Moyan drank the broth in his bowl in one gulp. After eating his fill, he reclined on the stone bed and took out a book from his storage ring.

"records of the mountain and sea official appointments."

This was a damaged book picked up in the city; the first few pages were already torn due to being affected by Spell aftershocks.

Shen Moyan took out this book and began reading it carefully.

The reason for reading it was simple: this book is closely related to the origin dao preaching stele.

The origin dao preaching stele is the foundation of this world's Twisted Immortal Path. After the collapse of the Immortal Dao, it became the guiding light for all Xian practitioners.

What marvelous power does that stele that pierces Heaven and Earth possess? The cultivation Realms it imparts—why do the myriad beings of the Mountain and Sea follow it from the depths of their hearts?

The reason is actually very simple.

Besides writing specific Xian Dao Cultivation Techniques, the stele also depicts various strange stories.

These stories are widely popular and have been recorded by the Mountain and Sea people in storybooks, revered as classics passed down for millennia.

The "records of the mountain and sea official appointments (Part One)" now in Shen Moyan's hand is precisely about the stories of the Qi Gathering Realm and the Mortal Transformation Realm.

It's just a pity that the qi gathering chapter is too damaged to read.

Now, Shen Moyan directly skipped the first chapter and opened the second.

The protagonists of each chapter's story are different, so reading it isn't particularly difficult.

"Chapter Two: The Kunpeng soars to heaven, beating its wings against the azure clouds." As Shen Moyan read, the Spiritual Qi around him spiraled upward, compressing into magic power... As recorded in the origin dao preaching stele, "records of the mountain and sea official appointments," Chapter Two, Section One:

In Ancient Mountain and Sea, the Wilds of Cangwu was a paradise for divine birds.

The Phoenix perched on the Phoenix tree of the Vermilion Cave, its tail feathers sweeping by, turning sunset clouds into brocade. The Kunpeng struck the water of the Northern Abyss, its wings spanning billions of miles, blotting out the sun and moon. The Luan Bird soared atop the clouds, its cry summoning sweet rain and myriad-colored rays.

As the saying goes, where there is light, there is darkness. Yet in a corner of this resplendent Mountain and Sea, hid a flock of drab, ordinary birds.

The Small Bird, a kind of sparrow, with a small head and a stubby tail.

A Fan, an ordinary one among them, wingspan less than a foot, feathers as if covered in a layer of dust, unable to stir even half a fallen leaf when skimming over wormwood.

Every morning, A Fan would squat on a low cliff of the Mythical Tree Mountain, gazing up at the cloud Peaks.

It had seen the Phoenix carrying crimson fire sweep past the azure clouds, the light of its tail feathers dyeing the clouds into flowing gold. It had also seen the Kunpeng leap from the Northern Abyss, its massive wings splitting wind and waves, soaring straight into the Ninth Heaven.

"Clan Chief, what is it like above the sky?" A Fan asked doubtfully.

"Don't think nonsense. Our Small Bird's fate is to peck grass seeds, hide from the Mythical Bird, and live a good little life. As for the azure clouds in the sky, that's the territory of the divine birds."

The old Small Bird patted its head with a wing and pecked down a plump grain to pass over.

"Filling your belly and having offspring are the proper things to do. I've picked out a wife for you, do you want her?"

Facing the old Small Bird's enthusiasm, A Fan was very grateful.

But its heart was never in this patch of wormwood.

Why not think about it?

A Fan insisted on thinking about it.