The Goal To Aim For

“I see. It may be better to wait until my growth ends before reaching the Spirit Formation Stage.”

“If you remain in a small body, it will be inconvenient, so that would be wise.”

The reason I had chosen a broadsword as my weapon was also because my body was small. Otherwise, I would probably have chosen the sword, which had the most users in Gyorei Cave. Since it had many users, I thought it was the most studied and advanced martial art.

“Elder Mon, do you know a sword art called Spiritual Cherry-Orchid Sword?”

When Elder Mon heard those words, her expression changed.

“Why do you know about the Spiritual Cherry-Orchid Sword?”

“Those words were carved in the cave that had become the Green King Snake’s nest.”

As for the rock where the key principles were carved, I had struck it with a stone to make it unreadable. The name of the first sword art had been carved in large characters, so it might still be readable even now, but the key principles section would be impossible.

“I see. ……Spiritual Cherry-Orchid Sword was a sword art that Bai Youjun, a friend of Gyorei Cave’s Founder Weiru, excelled at.”

“What kind of person was that Taoist practitioner, Master Youjun?”

“Apparently, the founder and Master Youjun were close enough to sharpen each other as they both tried to become Immortals. But Master Youjun went alone to Mount Tenmou in order to create an immortal art called Heavenly Talisman Art, and never returned.”

Mount Tenmou was a mountain located by proceeding north through the deep layer of the demon realm. It was said that ancient ruins existed on that mountain, and that the secrets of ancient divine humans slept there. However, going to Mount Tenmou was difficult. That was because Mount Tenmou was located in a place where many powerful yōma lived, the kind that would treat even the Black Wind Tiger I had struggled to defeat as small fry.

“Were the immortal arts of the founder and Master Youjun different?”

“Yes, it seems they were different. I heard that the founder was skilled in immortal arts that applied martial arts, while Master Youjun specialized in talisman-type immortal arts.”

Talisman arts…… that was a new term. What kind of immortal art was it?

“Come to think of it, I heard Elder Min gave you an assignment. Do you think you can pass?”

When I heard that, a smile appeared on my face.

“I passed safely.”

“What kind of treasure tool did you make?”

“A weapon called a qi bullet gun.”

Elder Mon said she wanted to see it, so when I showed it to her, she seemed interested in the fact that I had used white steel.

“I see. I had thought white steel could not be used, but there are ways to use it like this too.”

Because I also had knowledge from my previous life, that was a use I had thought of. After that, Elder Mon taught me how to make Qi Star Pills, and I returned to my room.

Today, I had obtained important information from Elder Mon. The first was that once one reached the Spirit Formation Stage, growth slowed down. Considering this, I probably should not rush to reach the Spirit Formation Stage. I judged that it would be best to reach the Spirit Formation Stage after I was around eighteen to twenty years old, when my body’s growth stopped.

Next was that the secrets of ancient Immortals slept on Mount Tenmou. Someday, I wanted to go to Mount Tenmou and search for the secrets of the ancient divine humans. For that, I needed enough ability to defeat powerful yōma. It was not something I could do right away.

Finally, Spiritual Cherry-Orchid Sword was a sword art that a Taoist practitioner named Youjun, a friend of the founder, had excelled at. Were the key principles of Spiritual Cherry-Orchid Sword that had been in that Green King Snake’s nest something Youjun had left behind?

“Why did he do something like leave the key principles of Spiritual Cherry-Orchid Sword in a cave?”

Youjun had been trying to go to Mount Tenmou. There were many powerful yōma there. He must have thought he might die. At a time like that, what would I do?

“A will?”

If it were me, I would leave a will, but I did not have many assets. I only had several dozen gold coins, an alchemy furnace, and things I had made myself, like my poncho, tarp, and qi bullet gun. ……No, I had forgotten the most valuable things. My knowledge of martial arts and qi cultivation methods.

“Wait. Did Master Youjun also think of leaving behind the martial arts and immortal arts he had learned?”

If that was correct, there might be things that could be called Youjun’s legacy hidden in the demon realm. I wanted to search them out, but I had no idea where they might be hidden.

“Without some kind of hint, finding a legacy in the vast demon realm would be impossible. First, I should make Qi Star Pills.”

Starting the next day, I began making Qi Star Pills in the Old Immortal Cave. I crushed the ingredients, Celtan Grass, Twin-Spear Deer antlers, and Bewitching King Mushrooms, measured the amounts of each, and placed them in the alchemy furnace. Once the preparations were complete, I began refining. I poured qi into the alchemy furnace and controlled the swirling flow of qi. The temperature inside the furnace rose, the medicinal components were extracted from the ingredients, the residue sank to the bottom of the furnace, and only the components were caught up in the qi vortex and refined.

Through this refinement, four Qi Star Pills were completed. Then I placed ingredients into the alchemy furnace one after another and completed more Qi Star Pills, and in the end, twenty-four Qi Star Pills were finished.

“That is a sufficient amount.”

It was probably enough for me to reach the Fifteenth Tier. At that moment, Haoxuen and Seiran entered the Old Immortal Cave.

“Senior Brother Kou, now that you became Elder Min’s direct disciple, are you leaving the Old Refinement Fellowship?”

“No, I want to keep using the Old Immortal Cave, so I do not intend to leave the fellowship.”

The fellowship was a loose group, like a study group, so there was no rule saying one had to withdraw from the fellowship just because they had become someone’s direct disciple.

“I’m glad. The two of us were worried about what we would do if you left the Old Refinement Fellowship, Senior Brother Kou.”

“We still want you to keep guiding us, Senior Brother Kou.”

Haoxuen and Seiran said that. Their words made me happy, and I thought I would work hard to guide the two of them.

“Then show me how far you have mastered the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique.”

Haoxuen and the others performed the basic routine of the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique, the Flame-Nurturing Blade. Both of them had become able to use Fox-Flame and Yang Fox-Flame. However, it seemed they still could not use White Flame.

“You both seem to be struggling with White Flame using Heavy Yin Qi.”

Haoxuen and Seiran nodded.

“When I try to flow Heavy Yin Qi into the blade of the broadsword, there is resistance.”

Seiran said that while tilting his head. Those words made something click.

“Those broadswords used ordinary steel, did they not? With that, it may be difficult.”

“What should we do?”

Haoxuen asked.

“There are various methods, but let us hunt Sword-Leg Spiders and obtain sword legs.”

I decided we would make Demon Spider Greatswords from the sword legs, so we went hunting Sword-Leg Spiders. After preparing, the three of us headed to the demon realm. First, we proceeded north, passed west of Crystal North Lake where Blue-Feather Crows were hunted, and entered Demon Riot Grassland.

Since it was Haoxuen and Seiran’s first time there, they looked around the vast grassland restlessly. It was terrain where shrubs grew in the grass, and it was a place where many yōma lived.

“Sword-Leg Spiders live in that forest over there.”

Saying that, I pointed at a forest about one kilometer away. Then I handed the qi bullet gun to Haoxuen. The broadswords the two of them carried would not work against a Sword-Leg Spider, so I told them to protect themselves with the qi bullet gun.

When I searched inside the forest with the Lone Awakening Eye, I sensed a presence that seemed to be a Sword-Leg Spider. As we advanced in that direction, we encountered a Sword-Leg Spider just as it was catching a Fang Rabbit. The Sword-Leg Spider immediately noticed us, threw aside the Fang Rabbit, and attacked.

Haoxuen and Seiran’s faces turned pale. Haoxuen gripped the qi bullet gun, aimed at the Sword-Leg Spider, and pulled the trigger. A qi bullet flew out and opened a hole in the Sword-Leg Spider’s body.

A Sword-Leg Spider was not something that could be finished off with only that much, but it seemed to have hurt, and it began running toward us with tremendous speed. I held my Serpent-Goat Broadsword, met it head-on, and swung down a White Flame slash at the Sword-Leg Spider’s head.

With that one strike, the Sword-Leg Spider’s head was split left and right. It was a fatal wound.

“Huh, in one strike?”

Seiran was surprised. In the past, I would probably have struggled, but now I had gained enough ability to finish off a Sword-Leg Spider in one strike. I had the two of them cut off the Sword-Leg Spider’s sword legs. At that moment, when Haoxuen saw the hole the qi bullet gun had opened, he seemed to realize its power.

“This qi bullet gun has more power than I thought.”

After obtaining the sword legs, we returned to Gyorei Cave. Haoxuen and Seiran made new broadswords. That said, I made the black steel handles that could be divided into two pieces, and it seemed they asked craftsmen in town to attach the sword legs to those handles.

The two of them looked happy after obtaining their new broadswords, the Demon Spider Greatswords.

“Senior Brother Kou, are they Demon Spider Greatswords even though we will use them for the Broadsword Fox-Flame Technique?”

Seiran seemed caught on the name “greatsword.”

“The sword legs are shaped like double-edged swords, so it would be strange to call them broadswords.”

Seiran nodded as if he understood.

I gave the two of them an assignment. It was to hunt Iron-Hard Wolves with their Demon Spider Greatswords and spin Iron-Hard Wolf thread from their fur. Because the two of them had poor qi control, I thought I would train them by having them use an alchemy furnace to refine Iron-Hard Wolf thread.

Their training was progressing smoothly, and my own training would likely progress as well now that the Qi Star Pills were prepared. My current goal was to raise my qi level to the Fourteenth Tier and aim to become a high disciple. However, that was only my immediate goal, and in the end, I would aim to become an immortal.