192: Methods of Mind Cultivation

When the massive vortex of Spiritual Qi in the sky finally subsided and the rosy light and celestial music gradually faded, the surging Spiritual Pressure within the Immortal Cave also stabilized.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Lin Feng slowly opened his eyes. A divine light flickered in his pupils before being restrained, returning to a state of calm.

He let out a long breath. Within his Dantian, the longan-sized Golden Core, glowing with a purple-gold halo, was slowly rotating. With every revolution, it swallowed and spat out massive amounts of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, transforming it into incredibly pure Core Essence.

An unprecedented sense of power and control filled his body, as if he could stir the wind and clouds with a mere gesture. This was the Early Core Formation Stage, a completely new Realm distinctly different from the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The joy of successfully reaching Core Formation flowed through his heart like a trickling stream for a moment before being suppressed by his powerful will. The Great Dao was long; Core Formation was not the end, but a much broader starting point.

He knew well that his newly stabilized Realm needed time to be polished. Moreover, after reaching Core Formation, the true mysteries of the Nine Profound Sword Heart Art had only just begun to reveal a corner to him.

With a thought, the Jade Slip containing the Cultivation Technique appeared in his palm. The subsequent chapters, which had previously appeared blurred due to his insufficient cultivation, now became crystal clear under the probe of his Core Formation Stage Divine Sense.

A vast amount of information flooded his mind. The most central part, and the one that attracted his soul the most, was a secret technique called the "Heart Refining Method."

This technique was no ordinary Artifact Refining skill. Its lofty conception and ingenious design made him hold his breath and contemplate it carefully.

Its core lay in using one's own Golden Core as a furnace, one's Innate Core Fire as fuel, and one's Divine Soul as a guide. It involved taking the Sword Essence cultivated through hard work and combining it with compatible Heaven And Earth Treasures to refine a unique Lifebond Sword, one that shared a symbiotic existence with one's own life.

“The interplay of void and reality, the symbiotic cultivation of life and soul...” He silently recited the description in the formula, his heart gradually stirring. A sword refined through this method was not a simple physical Flying Sword; it was closer to an extension of his own Sword Essence and Divine Soul.

Wherever his thoughts went, the sword could transform into formless and substanceless pure Sword Intent, gathering or dispersing at will, making it impossible to guard against. It could also condense at any time into a matchless physical blade to slay demons and monsters.

More importantly, this sword was connected to his own Origin. Even if damaged, as long as the Golden Core was not destroyed and the Sword Essence was not exhausted, he could consume Origin Qi to re-nourish and re-condense it, making it almost impossible to destroy completely.

This had already surpassed the scope of ordinary Magic Treasures, nearing the level of a Divine Ability Incarnation.

“Growth...” Lin Feng noticed another key point in the formula. The power of a Lifebond Sword refined through this method was not fixed. It could continuously grow and transform as the master's cultivation increased, as new spiritual Materials were integrated, or as deeper Sword Intent Profound Truths were realized.

This undoubtedly paved an infinite path for his Sword Dao. What shook his heart even more was that the end of the technique vaguely mentioned that the Lifebond Sword refined this way would serve as the Foundation and hub for a powerful sword array in the future.

Though not explicitly stated, the description of "one begets two, two begets three, three begets all things" had already unfolded a vast picture before him of commanding ten thousand swords and evolving the heavens.

Opportunities often coexisted with risks. The formula also explicitly warned that practicing this Heart Refining Method was exceptionally dangerous. It required minute control over one's Sword Essence, a sufficiently strong Divine Sense, a stable Golden Core, and pure Core Fire.

Once the refining process began, it could not be interrupted and had to be completed in one go. If his mind wavered even slightly, if the Core Fire went out of control, or if the Sword Essence backfired, the consequences would be unimaginable—ranging from a damaged Golden Core and a shaken Dao Foundation to the Sword Essence running wild and his body and soul being extinguished.

This Heart Refining Method was fundamentally different from any Artifact Refining technique he had known before; it was the process of forging his understanding of Sword Essence into a physical form.

He recalled when he was at the Qingyun Sect and had contemplated its sect-protecting Great Array of Stellar Evolution Circulating Heaven. Back then, his cultivation was shallow. Although he was deeply shocked by the profound array that drew upon the Star Power of the heavens to evolve infinite changes, he could only glimpse the surface; many subtleties were like looking at flowers through a fog.

But that grand design, using stars as a Foundation to arrange and evolve formations, had planted a seed in his heart.

Now, with his Golden Core newly formed and his Divine Sense unprecedentedly powerful, the memory fragments of observing the Great Array of Stellar Evolution Circulating Heaven flooded back, faintly creating a wonderful resonance with the principles of Five Elements and Yin and Yang contained within the Nine Profound Sword Heart Art.

“The Great Array of Stellar Evolution Circulating Heaven uses stars as nodes and Star Power as pathways to evolve the changes of the heavens... What if I replace those stellar nodes with Lifebond Swords containing different attributes?

The Azure Dragon of the East belongs to Wood, the White Tiger of the West belongs to Metal, the Vermilion Bird of the South belongs to Fire, and the Black Tortoise of the North belongs to Water... This aligns perfectly with the Five Elements. And the seven mansions under each image can be further subdivided into different attribute variations and Sword Intent focuses...”

The more he thought, the brighter his eyes became. The Profound Truths of Formations that were once difficult to understand now presented a completely new and feasible path from the perspective of the Sword Dao.

“If I can refine twenty-eight Lifebond Swords corresponding to the Twenty-Eight Mansions, govern them with the Five Elements and Yin and Yang, and then use the operating principles of the Great Array of Stellar Evolution Circulating Heaven as a framework to set up a sword array...” Lin Feng's breathing grew slightly rapid, as if he saw a vast scroll unfolding:

Under the night sky, the stars of the heavens shine. Each star is a peerless Flying Sword. Their Sword Intents are linked, evolving infinitely. The power of the stars and the supreme Sword Dao merge into one, with power enough to shake the heavens and the earth.

The Great Array of Stellar Evolution Circulating Heaven borrows the power of the stars in the sky, whereas his conceived Stellar Sword Array of Circulating Heaven would use the swords he refined as the stars, forming its own Sword Dao Universe.

This grand vision made Lin Feng's heart surge with excitement. But he quickly calmed down. Such a sword array could never be achieved overnight.

Its Foundation lay in refining powerful Lifebond Swords with different attributes that could perfectly harmonize. And this first step was precisely the Heart Refining Method before him.

Lin Feng's gaze fell calmly on the autumn water sword floating in front of him. The blade was like a pool of autumn water, its light flowing, emitting a pure and gentle power of Water Spiritual Qi.

This sword, obtained from the Gray-Robed Cultivator, was of excellent quality. Normally, with just a little sacrificial refining, it would be a top-tier Magic Treasure, enough to make many Core Formation Cultivators envious.

But what he had in mind was far beyond that.

“If I use this autumn water sword as a primer, fuse it with the Guishui Sword Essence I've painstakingly cultivated, and then use top-tier water-based spiritual Materials as a guide to reforge it with the Heart Refining Method... I might be able to refine a unique water-attribute Lifebond Sword that belongs entirely to me.”

He thought to himself, “Using this sword as a base, it could eventually correspond to the position of the Northern Black Tortoise Water Mansions in that Stellar Sword Array of Circulating Heaven, becoming an indispensable link in the sword array.”

Lin Feng shifted his gaze from the autumn water sword to the xuanming heavy water bead that had helped him turn danger into safety several times.

A trace of strong reluctance welled up in his heart. Using it as a material was no different from personally destroying an old friend.

He fell silent for a moment, his fingertips rubbing the bead, feeling its familiar weight and coldness.

Then, his eyes sharpened, and he made his decision.

He gently placed the xuanming heavy water bead and the autumn water sword side by side in front of him.