C695 The First Sword Essence

One by one, intricate patterns emerged, forming a mystical design that made the small, crystal-clear sword in Woo Zhengyang's core grow more solid, spinning steadily at its center.

"Ding..."

As the final pattern settled, a more resonant sword hum than before spread out from Woo Zhengyang, echoing all around...

Everyone near the Profound Heaven Sect heard the sword's call, yet their eyes remained fixed on the sky. There, a jade sword wrapped in a rainbow of light suddenly surged, transforming into a point of light that descended like a shooting star, landing within the Profound Heaven Sect...

"Is this the main sword essence?"

Inside Heavenly Death Peak, Woo Zhengyang observed the small sword within him, feeling a thrill of excitement. The "Sword Sacrificing Spell" had gradually revealed itself as Woo Zhengyang advanced, and its teachings on the Shape Gathering Stage brought him immense surprise!

Typically, practitioners at the Shape Gathering Stage are distinguished by the emergence of a single drop of true essence. However, Woo Zhengyang's situation was different. According to the "Sword Sacrificing Spell," what he cultivated wasn't ordinary true essence but a sword-shaped essence focused on destruction, simply called sword essence.

The most challenging part of the Shape Gathering Stage is merging the first drop of true essence.

The Sword Essence is similarly challenging, and crafting the first Sword Essence is even more difficult than forming True Essence. This initial Sword Essence is often referred to as the Master Sword Essence or the First Sword Essence.

Once Woo Zhengyang establishes this Master Sword Essence, his future cultivation will become less strenuous. All True Essence will be governed by the Master Sword Essence, eliminating the need to imprint each one individually.

Woo Zhengyang's future goal is to refine and strengthen this Master Sword Essence as much as possible. This is the key difference between the Sword Sacrificing Spell and other techniques. For other methods, the first drop of True Essence is only slightly harder to condense.

When you condense the first drop, your skill level is at the Reality Condensing Stage. Once you've condensed it, you step into the Shape Gathering Stage, where forming True Essence becomes simpler.

However, for ordinary practitioners, every drop of True Essence is the same, whether it's the first or any subsequent one, even as they progress to the Reality Condensing Stage or the Essence Shaking Stage.

The first Sword Essence in the Sword Sacrificing Spell requires an immense amount of energy, several times more than what an ordinary practitioner would need. This requirement can multiply to tens, hundreds, or even thousands of times more.

In his martial journey, Woo Zhengyang must not only cultivate ordinary Sword Essences but also continuously integrate them into the Master Sword Essence, making it increasingly solid.

As Woo Zhengyang's main sword core advances, his combat prowess grows at an astonishing rate. This is the first surprise the "Sword Sacrificing Spell" brings him.

The second surprise also stems from this sword core. By following the techniques of the "Sword Sacrificing Spell," Woo Zhengyang can wield this core as a weapon. Even at its lowest level, it rivals a spiritual weapon.

If that were all, it wouldn't be much of a surprise, given that Woo Zhengyang already possesses King Rank weapons. But don't forget, this sword core can be upgraded indefinitely, and its quality as a weapon can improve likewise.

Initially, the sword core is equivalent to a low-grade spiritual weapon. However, as Woo Zhengyang refines it, its grade can rise to a mid-grade spiritual weapon, a high-grade spiritual weapon, a King Rank weapon, and even further to imperial and emperor weapons. This potential is truly terrifying.

Of course, with these surprises come inevitable costs. Woo Zhengyang requires dozens or even hundreds of times more Vital Energy than ordinary cultivators, and the demand only increases as he progresses.

But now, Woo Zhengyang is no longer the inexperienced kid who just started training. Despite his young age, his extraordinary experiences surpass those of many martial kings. Initially, when Woo Zhengyang learned that cultivating the "Sword Sacrificing Spell" would be much slower for him than for others, he was somewhat troubled.

Now, Woo Zhengyang understood that this slow and steady approach laid a solid foundation and built formidable combat power. With the same level of cultivation, his combat strength far surpassed that of ordinary practitioners.

The main realization for Woo Zhengyang was that he had initially misunderstood the challenges of practicing the Sword Sacrificing Spell. The difficulty primarily lay in absorbing the vital energy of heaven and earth, not necessarily in requiring more time than other practitioners.

In less than two years, Woo Zhengyang had reached the Shape Gathering Stage, a speed that was beyond the wildest dreams of most practitioners. This was all due to his continuous good fortune.

Ultimately, the root of all difficulties lay in the resources for cultivation. If he could consistently find opportunities, these problems would be easily resolved.

As Woo Zhengyang pondered these things, a third surprise arrived! He felt a peculiar sensation entering his body.

In the next moment, his main sword essence began to spin wildly, expanding and contracting as if it had consumed something.

"What’s happening? Did something really enter my body?" Woo Zhengyang wondered.

He was unaware of the natural phenomena occurring outside, but he trusted his instincts. The changes in his main sword essence strongly suggested that something unusual was indeed happening.

Now wasn't the time to worry about such things. Woo Zhengyang focused intently, casting seals to stabilize the main sword essence as much as possible. If it exploded, losing his Shape Gathering Stage cultivation would be the least of his worries; the real problem would be if his dantian got destroyed.

With each seal he cast, the main sword essence gradually stabilized, though it remained highly volatile. Zhengyang was certain now that something had indeed entered his body and been consumed by the sword essence. Within it, he sensed a terrifying energy, far surpassing the power of the sword essence itself.

This energy seemed destined to be absorbed by the sword essence, releasing itself gradually rather than exploding, allowing the sword essence to absorb it bit by bit. Even so, it was incredibly dangerous, as the energy was so much stronger than the sword essence that each surge threatened to push it to the brink of bursting.

Fortunately, with Zhengyang's assistance, the sword essence began to grow stronger as it absorbed the mysterious energy, slowly resolving the crisis. After what felt like the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhengyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. The main sword essence was now capable of absorbing the energy on its own.

Half an hour later, a look of disbelief flashed across Woo Zhengyang's face. He had already reached the mid-stage of the Shape Gathering Stage!

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