Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends: Starting from the Equipment Slot

Chapter 22 Sword Body

The mutton that Tiger Taoist brought tasted just as good as venison.

Wang Yuan had never seen such prey before, and guessed that it must have been hunted from deep within the Python Mountain.

That place was a forbidden zone for the hunters of Wangjiazhai, extremely dangerous, but it contained many valuable items.

For example, spirit beasts, like yesterday's white deer and today's sheep, are spirit beasts, born with extraordinary bloodlines, but they have not yet reached the point of becoming spirits.

Besides these, there are many other elixirs.

Wang Yuan ate more than half of it in one go. Even with his physique, he was stuffed. His vital energy surged through his body, and the slight fatigue in his body was swept away.

"I'm going to practice my sword!"

Wang Yuan tossed out a sentence and went to the woodshed to continue practicing his sword!

Around noon, the spleen completed its transformation.

Once the spleen is formed, the five internal organs have completely transformed, forming a self-contained cycle, like a furnace, continuously supplying spiritual energy and the essence of blood and flesh to all parts of the body. The transformation of the remaining parts of the limbs and body begins to accelerate.

Name: Wang Yuan

Vitality: 16

Mental Power: 9.4

Comprehension: 4 (Swordsmanship +2)

Equipment: Starfire Sword (Mastery 96%)

Wang Yuan checked the data and found that the Starfire Sword's control level had reached 96%, just a little short of perfection.

"Eat first, no rush!"

Wang Yuan put away his Starfire Sword, went to the front yard to finish the remaining half of the sheep, and without continuing to practice his swordsmanship, returned to the woodshed and went to sleep.

I slept until dark, and when I woke up, all the food in my stomach had disappeared.

After the transformation of his five internal organs was completed, his digestive and absorptive abilities greatly increased. Even while sleeping, Wang Yuan's physical transformation progressed further, with the most obvious change being an increase in strength.

When Wang Yuan woke up, he felt refreshed and invigorated.

The deep-seated fatigue vanished, and he knew it was time to break through.

Completing the mastery of the weapon, which is the third level of weapon crafting as mentioned by Tiger Daoist, allows one to achieve perfect harmony between man and weapon.

In the woodshed, Wang Yuan held the Starfire Sword.

With a single strike, the Starfire Sword unleashed a torrent of sword energy, its crimson glow illuminating the night sky. In an instant, eight sword energies burst forth, resembling a constellation of stars in the night sky, dazzlingly bright.

boom……

Several deep sword marks appeared on the mound of earth in front of him.

At this moment, anyone caught in the sword's glow would only see the dazzling light obscuring everything, and would then be torn to pieces by the chaotic sword strikes.

The third move of the Starfire Sword Technique: Stars Everywhere.

When this sword technique is mastered, it can unleash nine sword strikes simultaneously.

These nine swords were unleashed simultaneously, without any order of precedence. Thus, this sword technique transcended the realm of mere magic and reached the level of divine power. The nine swords could strike nine targets separately, or attack a single target from different directions. Their power was comparable to that of nine people attacking together.

As Wang Yuan practiced swordsmanship and comprehended its techniques, he also guided the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nourish his physical body, and the sharp sword energy tempered his physique, accelerating his physical transformation.

After an hour, his swordsmanship was finally perfected.

When this sword was perfected, Wang Yuan's control over the Starfire Sword reached 100%.

In an instant, the Starfire Sword in Wang Yuan's hand disappeared, and a terrifying power merged into his body.

This force is omnipresent; its traces are found in every inch of your flesh and blood, and even in every single hair on your body.

Wang Yuan had never felt that he was so powerful.

The next moment, Wang Yuan pointed his fingers like a sword, and a crimson sword aura surged from his fingertips.

With a flick of his finger, a sword aura shot out like a star, instantly disappearing into the wooden stake two zhang away.

The wooden stake remained unchanged, as if everything was just an illusion. A gust of cold wind blew by, and the wooden stake scattered, the fine wood chips disappearing into the cold wind like flour.

"Wow, that's powerful! Compared to the second realm, there's been a substantial change!"

Wang Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. When he thrust out that sword, the lines of law on the wooden stake in his eyes became more numerous, and he seemed to be able to see through the structure of the wooden stake.

When thrusting out with a sword, one can control the sword energy to split the wooden stake, which is more energy-efficient and more lethal.

Wang Yuan kicked out, and a layer of sword light appeared on his leg.

With a deafening boom, a thunderous roar echoed through the void where the sword had passed.

Sword energy and thunderous sound!

He plucked a hair, flung it out, and the wooden stake ten meters away snapped in two.

"I am the sword, and the sword is me!"

Wang Yuan muttered to himself, a look of excitement in his eyes.

He remembered that Tiger Daoist had said that before his physical body was fully transformed, even if he reached the third level of weapon refining, he would not be able to achieve true unity between man and sword.

In retrospect, the existence of the equipment slots allowed him to possess some of the ability to become one with his sword before his physical body underwent a transformation.

The reason it is said to be partial is because Wang Yuan did not truly achieve oneness with his sword.

For example, he cannot transform into a Starfire Sword to kill enemies.

At this point, he was more like someone who had initially integrated the Starfire Sword into his body, allowing any part of his body to utilize its power. This meant that his explosive power and defensive capabilities were actually somewhat inferior to those of a true master of swordsmanship.

Even so, his strength is still significantly greater than that of the second level.

This initial integration of man and sword has another advantage: Wang Yuan's cultivation speed is faster, his physical body transforms more quickly, and he can use the power of the Starfire Sword to slowly transform his physical body into a sword body.

The Foundation Establishment Realm primarily involves the transformation of the physical body.

Transforming the physical body from a mortal form into a primordial spiritual body allows one to be born through the absorption of vital energy.

The spirit body transformed from a cultivator is just an ordinary spirit body, without any attributes.

The sword body is a physical form that is more powerful than an ordinary spiritual body.

This physique can only be achieved after fully refining the Starfire Sword. Only by transforming the physical body into the sword body can one truly achieve the unity of man and sword.

"I'm hungry, so hungry!"

Wang Yuan's eyes gleamed with a green light; this hunger seemed to be deep-seated.

Wang Yuan looked at the world and saw a dramatic change in his vision. The spiritual energy flowing between heaven and earth became visible and tangible.

I've never felt this way before.

After initially integrating with the Starfire Sword, Wang Yuan felt a mysterious connection between himself and the world. He instinctively inhaled, and sword light appeared on his body. The primordial energy between heaven and earth was drawn in and swallowed into his body, then transformed into surging primordial energy that flowed into his limbs and bones.

"I feel like I'm becoming less and less human!"

The thought flashed through Wang Yuan's mind, and he began to devour spiritual energy. However, his hunger was only slightly relieved, so Wang Yuan took out a bottle of Dragon Tiger Pills.

These pills were a gift from Tiger Taoist; each bottle contains only six pills.

Wang Yuan took out a pill and looked at it closely. Under his special divine eyes, he saw two phantom images, a dragon and a tiger, coiled around the pill, like two enlightened demonic beasts, their bodies filled with a massive amount of spiritual energy.

Wang Yuan opened his mouth and swallowed it, the sword intent within his body enveloping the medicinal power and merging into his flesh and blood.

The physical body began to transform, with every inch of flesh and blood containing a wisp of sword intent, as if every cell had turned into a small sword.

…………

On Baima Mountain, Hu Xiao stood on a huge rock on the cliff.

He was boxing, but at a very slow pace.

However, the force of his punch was extremely heavy. Where his fist passed, the air trembled slightly, as if he were swinging a boulder rather than a fist. With each punch, his dark yellow armor flickered, as if it were breathing.

"Boss."

With a flash, Feng Bao appeared on the cliff.

"Has the message been delivered?"

"Delivered!"

Feng Bao nodded and said, "When I returned, Madam Chun had already sent a challenge, agreeing to a decisive battle in three days, otherwise she proposed to cancel it."

"Well done!"

"Boss, won't doing this offend Tiger Taoist?"

"If we don't do this, do you think Tiger Taoist will treat us differently?"

Hu Xiao stopped practicing his fist techniques, turned around, and said with a cold smile, "The deal we made with the demon race couldn't be hidden from Tiger Daoist. He only refrained from attacking me because he was wary of the Golden Light Cave behind me. Otherwise, do you think he really cared about his reputation or was afraid of being accused of bullying the weak?"

"I'm not afraid that if he loses, he'll get angry and take it out on us."

"A few years ago, perhaps that would have been possible. But not now. That old man doesn't have much time left. He's already offended too many of his fellow practitioners; he doesn't have the energy to care about us anymore."

"I'm relieved to hear that, boss."

Feng Bao breathed a sigh of relief, then said with some regret, "Madam Chun has gone to great lengths; that little beast Wang Yuan is doomed. It's just a pity that the Starfire Sword will ultimately fall into the hands of the demon race."

"It's a real pity."

A hint of resentment flashed in Hu Xiao's eyes. He had gone to so much trouble, only to have the demon race benefit from it in the end. He was truly unwilling to accept this. "The demon race owes us a favor this time. Let's see if we can get the Starfire Sword back in the next transaction."

"This is the only way."

Feng Bao was furious when he realized that he would have to pay a price to get the Starfire Sword. He said, "This matter cannot be left like this. After Hei Xiazi kills Wang Yuan, this debt will be settled with Wang Family Village."

"Wang Yuan has an elderly mother and a younger sister at home. I'm going to publicly expose them in Wangjia Village and show these lowly people the consequences of offending Baima Mountain. As for the price we paid to obtain the Starfire Sword, it will naturally be borne by the villagers of Wangjia Village."

"It's up to you!"

Hu Xiao remained unmoved, as if killing a pair of orphans and a widow was no different to him than crushing an ant.

…………

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

At dawn, Wang Yuan opened his eyes.

After initially integrating with the Starfire Sword, he no longer needed to use sword techniques to guide his Qi absorption. As long as he was willing to meditate or sleep, he could absorb and refine spiritual energy to improve his cultivation.

Three days is ultimately too short.

Even with the help of Tiger Taoist's pills and spiritual food, Wang Yuan was still unable to completely complete the Foundation Establishment and build a sword body.

However, his cultivation progressed extremely quickly in these three days.

Apart from the brain and internal organs, the rest of the body has been formed into a sword.

As for the brain and internal organs, they are the source of life and death.

Containing Wang Yuan's three souls and seven spirits, to complete the transformation, it is necessary to strengthen the souls and spirits and cultivate divine consciousness. To strengthen the souls and spirits, spiritual energy is not sufficient; it requires strong blood and qi to nourish them slowly, or the consumption of spiritual medicines that nourish the souls and spirits.

"Not bad, your cultivation has progressed much faster than I expected!"

With a flash, Tiger Taoist appeared in front of the woodshed, looked Wang Yuan up and down, and a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.

His whole body was brimming with energy, and the sword intent emanating from his hair was dazzling.

This is a phenomenon that only occurs after the weapon has been refined to the third level and the Starfire Sword has been integrated into the body.

"Unfortunately, his cultivation level is too weak. Even with the third level of weapon refining, he cannot achieve the unity of man and sword. Otherwise, this battle would have been a foregone conclusion."

Tiger Taoist sighed inwardly, his resolve wavering.

With Wang Yuan's talent, why should I risk it for a moment of pride? Let Wang Yuan cultivate step by step, and when he is strong enough, destroying the Python Mountain Demon King will be nothing more than a single sword strike.

"Looks like I'm really getting old!"

Tiger Taoist quickly dismissed the idea; true strength is forged through trials of life and death.

Wang Yuan has good aptitude, but if he is protected by me and does not experience the trials of life and death, no matter how high his cultivation level is, it will be a castle in the air. When he encounters a true strongman, he will be vulnerable!

"If it really comes down to a life-or-death situation, I will bear boundless karmic burdens to save his life!"

Tiger Taoist silently made up his mind, but his face remained expressionless. He said, "I'll ask you one more time: are you going to back out?"

"No regrets!"

"Alright, follow me!"

"Wait a moment, Daoist priest! I have a request to make!"

Wang Yuan didn't move, his gaze fixed sincerely on Tiger Taoist.

"explain!"

"In a life-or-death battle, no one can guarantee victory."

Wang Yuan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "If I win, all will be well. But if I lose, my mother and sister will lose their support. I beg you, Daoist, to take care of them."

"I agree to this."

"There's one more thing."

"You agreed to ask me for a favor?"

"Actually, it's all about taking care of people."

Wang Yuan remained expressionless and said, "Miss Bai has lost her father and has no close relatives at home. Her life after returning home will likely be difficult. I implore you, Daoist, to take care of her as well."

"You certainly have feelings and intentions!"

Tiger Taoist chuckled, glanced around the corner, and said, "You owe your own debts, so you'll have to pay them yourself. I'm not taking on that job. Let's go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tiger Taoist waved his sleeve, and a wisp of pure energy enveloped Wang Yuan. The two figures instantly disappeared into the backyard.

Bai Wenjin turned the corner and stared blankly at the empty backyard for a while.

"Yuan-ge'er, you must come back alive!"

After a few breaths, Bai Wenjin muttered to himself.

Unlike the simple-minded Sun Erniang, she was worldly-wise and exceptionally intelligent from a young age. Since Daoist Wang Yuanhu wouldn't say, she could guess why he had been frantically cultivating these past few days.

Several times, she wanted to speak up and persuade them, but in the end she held back.

Her mother once told her that if you like someone, you should support them, not try to stop them for your own sake.

…………

Python Mountain, the Cave of Ten Thousand Snakes.

This Demon King's Domain is inhabited not only by demons, but also by humans.

Humans here are kept like sheep in dungeons, never seeing the light of day.

"Mother, when will Father return!"

A little girl tugged at her mother's sleeve, her big eyes filled with longing, and whispered, "Father has been gone for three days, and Jiu Jiu misses Father."

"Good girl, Jiu Jiu. Daddy has gone to a very far place. When you grow up a little, Mommy will take you to find Daddy!"

The woman patted her daughter's head, a look of pity in her eyes.

She knew her husband was dead, and she knew her and her daughter's future fate, but what could she do? They couldn't resist; they could only accept their fate. The absence of hope is the most terrifying thing.

A dense, dark aura permeated the entire cave.

Hundreds of vengeful spirits drifted through the black mist, emitting piercing and terrifying shrieks. Suddenly, the black mist reversed, swallowing the spirits whole into a gaping maw of blood. The black mist dissipated, revealing the enormous form of the Black Bear.

At this time, it was three zhang tall, and its physique was more than twice as large as when it was in Black Wind Ridge.

Black aura swirled around him, and his blood-red pupils shone with a violent and sinister light. His aura was both terrifying and sinister, as if a demon god had descended to earth.

"Not bad, all the resources I gave you weren't wasted. It seems this Earthly Fiend Spirit Weapon is very suitable for you, as you've actually reached the third level of weapon forging by following the blood sacrifice method."

Lady Chun appeared silently in the cave, smiling as she said, "With so many vengeful ghosts, even if that little fellow develops a divine consciousness, he won't be able to stop them from claiming souls. It seems I'm going to win this battle. I can't wait to see what that old man looks like after his defeat."