Chapter 35: The Progressive Non-Phase Sword Bone
Translator: Subudai11 Editor: Chrissy
Under Wang Lu’s pressure, the respectable Master reluctantly avoided talking about the beautiful women and earnestly began explaining her teaching philosophy.
“You need me to explain this kind of thing to you? You really hurt my heart, kiddo… Don’t talk about other things first, how much money do you think I’ve spent for you in the past two years in order to provide you the daily medicinal bath?”
Wang Lu chuckled. “Certainly not as much as your liquor money.”
“...” His Master’s voice was immediately stuck in her throat. It was not until a while later before she continued, “But the effect of this medicinal bath is without a doubt. Even little Ling’Er can see its effect.”
As a bystander, the Lady Boss sighed. “Yes, you’re originally just a layperson in terms of martial arts talent, but now, you’re one of those rare talents who only appeared in a hundred years; a true martial arts prodigy. You should know this by now.”
Wang Lu was still a bit unclear. “Could you please explain in details?”
The Lady Boss explained, “When I first saw you two years ago, though you may have a good talent in Immortal Cultivation, I knew that when it comes to potential in martial arts… you have the same potential as the next person on the street. Although your comprehension was great, your natural physique was too inadequate.”
Wang Lu’s worldview was completely destroyed. “The hell! What’s this nonsense!? Could these two talents be counted separately?”
His Master sneered. “This is not nonsense. You’ve gone to the educational class these past two years yet you still don’t know this common sense? Martial arts cultivate the corporeal body, while Immortal Cultivation cultivates path to Immortality, how can you confuse one thing with another?”
As the best student in the educational class in the Spirit Sword Mountain, Wang Lu certainly understood this common sense. He just never thought that his dignified Void Spirit Root could be bound by common sense!
But then came the next question. Even if his original martial arts talent was only ordinary, were all those black and white and blue and white disciples martial arts prodigies? Why did the other people successfully completed their physical training while he himself could only run fast?
The Lady Boss explained, “This is not the same, those people are just training their body, not changing their talents. This physical training is very superficial; just by swallowing down a panacea, in several years, the body would be trained to a terrifyingly high degree… This narrative is very real! Although the Spirit Sword Sect put great importance in basic training, simply taking pills will not make someone a martial arts prodigy; moreover, their training process will be greatly simplified. However, you’re not the same. What you have now is real talent. Even without any outside help, you can complete your physical training in a year. In addition… I reckon that there’s another purpose for your Master to go to a lot of trouble to improve your physique.”
His Master fiercely nodded, seemingly touched by her words. “Oh, Little Ling’Er, our sisterly love is truly deep, it’s as if we could telepath to each other! You guessed it right, I gave him medicinal bath for two years so that he could directly cultivate the Non-Phase Sword Bone.”
Hearing her last few words, the Lady Boss gasped. “A-are you kidding me? You want him to directly cultivate now? That’s a Jindan Stage body refining method!”
“Oh, that’s old history. Several years ago, I’ve improved the Non-Phase Sword Bone so that, in theory, it can be learned by someone who has already reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, albeit slowly.”
The Lady Boss said, “That still required him to be in the Foundation Establishment Stage. However, he’s not even in the Qi Cultivating Stage yet. Wang Wu, why don’t you explain to me more clearly.”
At this time, Wang Wu suddenly sighed. “I have no other choice. If he doesn't cultivate this Non-Phase Sword Bone, with his Void Spirit Root, he wouldn’t have any chance of reaching the Qi Cultivating Stage or Foundation Establishment Stage. In theory, the Void Spirit Root is the top spirit root in the Immortal Cultivation World with the best spiritual energy responsiveness. However, it is also because of this responsiveness, which is too high, that he could spend the spiritual energy as fast as he could absorb. In simpler words, he basically gains nothing.”
At this point, Wang Lu had vaguely understood his Master, whilst Lady Boss certainly comprehended more.
“I see, so you are trying to enhance his martial art’s talent. Indeed, for a rare martial arts prodigy, it is possible to break the common sense and practice the Non-Phase Sword Bone in advance… Hey, I can’t believe you could come up with this careful plan.”
“So I just want to ask, is that old retard’s promise about beautiful women feasible or not?”
“... Em, Wang Lu, you heard her. Your Master is actually not that bad; she cares about you.”
Wang Lu chuckled. “Then, Master, I want to ask. According to the current schedule, when do you think I can start practicing that Non-Phase Sword Bone?”
His Master looked somewhat embarrassed and whispered to herself, “Ten years…”
“F*ck me! Ten Years!? Are you trying to fool me?”
The Lady Boss was also a bit surprised. “How could it be that long? Hey, you’re not going to use the same prescription for his medicinal bath for the next ten years, right? If so, it’s efficacy will continue to decline; you have to increase the dosage!”
His Master replied back, “Increase the dosage my ass! The current prescription had almost made me go bankrupt, and you want me to increase the dosage? Little Ling’Er, you’re forcing me to sell myself!”
Wang Lu coldly interrupted, “Master, If you don’t want to go all out, then you better give up and admit your defeat.”
“Sh*t!”
The Fifth Elder almost vomited blood by Wang Lu’s counter argument. However, without waiting for her outburst, the full-of-sisterly-love Lady Boss mercilessly exposed her.
The Lady Boss cast a glance inside the wooden hut through the window and saw the wooden barrel in it; she pursed her lips and said, “Are you kidding me? That’s just the Changing Tendon Washing Marrow concoction. In the world of mortals, it is indeed priceless, but in the Immortal Cultivation World… the only thing that’s expensive about it is its prescription; the material itself is not that expensive. Wang Lu’s Successor Disciple’s subsidy alone should be enough to cover it.”
“Sh*t! Little Ling’Er, why do you have to expose my plan!? You throw away our ten years of sisterhood for a man! I am really heartbroken!”
Wang Lu sighed. “Stop this nonsense talk, just increase the dosage!”
“... Aaaahh, damn it!”
——
If one could summarize the shortcomings of the Fifth Elder of the Spirit Sword Sect, it would be: too numerous to mention. The only noteworthy aspect of her was her commitment, particularly when she was caught in the act and thus backed into a corner; only then would she would show the full quality of her integrity.
After her beloved disciple and sister backed her into the corner, the Fifth Elder finally agreed to increase the dosage of the prescription. Moreover, she pulled out all the stops; that night, she came back with a bucketful of fragrant-smelling medicine concoction. Wang Lu only needed to soak in it once, and he already felt his whole body comfortable; a significant improvement than his previous baths. Although it didn’t directly increase his physical fitness, it was still faintly able to induce infinite potential into his body.
Through the Lady Boss’s mental perception appraisal, Wang Lu, at the moment, could be regarded as a top martial art prodigy. However, if he continued this medicinal bath, in a year, he would be the rarest of rare martial art prodigy who only appeared once in an epoch.
In response to this development, Wang Lu was both happy and sad. Happy that he finally acquired a solid foundation, but sad that his previous two years had been a waste.
“You can’t say that. Without those previous two years of uninterrupted daily medicinal bath, this super dosage of Tendon Exchange Washing Marrow concoction could not display its potency. At most, it only delays you one or two months.”
While saying that, his Master secretly ached as she calculated how long she had to fast on liquor just so she could bring back this super medicine concoction.
Wang Lu tentatively accepted her explanation. “Then the next step should be Non-Phase Sword Bone, right?”
His Master said, “That’s right, it’s Non-Phase Sword Bone. It’s also a system of fundamental skills of my Non-Phase Method. This… speaking of which, in these two years, I haven’t introduced you to my cultivation method’s system.”
Wang Lu nodded. “Indeed, I rarely saw you sober in these two years; you’re either drunk or sleeping like a log. I also think it’s time for you to introduce me to some things.”
“... Hahaha, kiddo, you’re really funny! In short, my cultivation is based on Non-Phase Method, which, as you know, is my own creation. I know that people have prejudice towards self-create cultivation methods. They always thought that the more ancient the method is, the better it is. But in all actuality, Immortal Cultivation is like someone drinking a water; only that person knows whether it’s cold or warm. No matter how excellent someone else’s cultivation method is, it’s still someone else’s. Only if you create your own cultivation method would it belong to yourself.”
Wang Lu appeared to understand some of it and nodded. “The moral of this story is that, it’s better to masturbate than doing it with someone else’s wife, right?”
“... Even if you’re right, can you not misinterpret what I said!? In short, the Non-Phase Method is the most suitable cultivation method for my cultivation. Over the years, I’ve continued to improve it. It includes Non-Phase Sword Knack, Non-Phase Sword Bone, Non-Phase Immortal Heart, and a series of branches of methods. Which, in whole, form a complete set of cultivation method that is not inferior to the Stellar Sword Cultivation Method.”
“Pfft, the other Heavenly Sword Hall Elders, your martial brothers and sister, all of them have already reached the Yuanying Stage. One of them is even on the Deity Stage. You’re the only one who is still in the Jindan Stage. Yet, you actually boast that your Non-Phase Method is on par with the Stellar Sword method? Oh, you’ really are worthy of your reputation, Master, your lower limit is truly unfathomable.”
“F*ck! What do you know! Stellar Sword method is a thousands-of-years ancient heritage; it indeed has infinite mysteries, and it is the Immortal World’s top cultivation method. However, as a cultivation method, it is unchanged; its training routines are fixed. In addition to a handful of qualified talents who met its prerequisites, other people can’t train it. Otherwise, our Spirit Sword Sect would only need Stellar Sword Cultivation Method, why would we still need the Brilliant Sword Heart and the other cultivation methods? However, my Non-Phase method is different. Its biggest feature is adaptability; it’s a progressive cultivation method!”
“Whoa! You mean, it can keep up with the time?”
His Master smugly said, “That’s right! Do you know how many times I’ve revised this Non-Phase cultivation method?”
“... Are you still making revisions?”
“Of course! If I suddenly come up with a better idea, why shouldn’t I revise it? The biggest advantage of my Non-Phase Method is how inclusive its framework is; this means I can change it however I want! Currently, its basic method of drawing the surrounding spiritual energy into the body itself had already been overhauled by me more than seventy times! As for the Non-Phase Method itself, it is currently at the 98th edition -- I basically make a big change every year. As for the Non-Phase Sword Knack, Non-Phase Immortal Heart and so on; I change them all the time without hesitation, hahaha!”
“...” Wang Lu had no way to respond to this “wonderful” thing.
“That’s why Little Wang Lu, currently, in the entire Nine Regions, only this Non-Phase cultivation method, which can change at any time depending on the circumstances, can cover your Void Spirit Root… In the Immortal Cultivation World, for thousands of years, there has never been a cultivation method for the Void Spirit Root in circulation. Therefore, you could only advance your cultivation step-by-step, and the only cultivation method that could guide you in ‘groping in the dark’ is this Non-Phase Method, do you understand?”
Wang Lu naturally understood this point. In fact, when his Master mentioned about the adaptability of the Non-Phase Method, he had already understood why the Spirit Sword Sect chose such a “wonderful” Master to guide him.
“The Non-Phase Method is broad and profound. You could only succeed if you make progress step-by-step. In theory, one should start in learning how to draw surrounding spiritual energy into one’s body, and then after one successfully refines the energy and is brimming with magical power, only then can one learn the Non-Phase Sword Bone to refine one’s physical body. And after that, in one fell swoop, one can build one’s foundation. However, your situation is not the same. A person with Void Spirit Root has a body that is similar to a colander; it is completely unable to amass spiritual energy, and thus, it can’t form any magical power. Therefore, my plan is for you to first train the Non-Phase Sword Bone to make up for the shortfall in your inability to gather energy… Of course, like I previously stated, the Non-Phase Sword Bone is a body refining method that is still being improved, unlike the other methods in the Immortal Cultivation World. Although it can indeed help you plaster the holes in that ‘colander’ in theory, but on the other hand, the ‘colander’ holes in the Void Spirit Root are really big and many. Therefore, training this method will have little effect, so don’t expect that you’ll be like Immortal Qin Shi Huang or Great Ancestor Desheng who became True Immortals in just twenty years, unmatched in the entire Nine Regions.”
Wang Lu sighed. “All right, let’s just start this. Not being a True Immortal is not important as long as I am not being compared to an antique anymore.”
“Hey, there’s actually some advantage in practicing my Non-Phase Sword Bone, you will not regret it.”
——
Although Wang Lu was still unclear of what exactly the advantage his Master had mentioned, he just knew that ever since he started practicing this Non-Phase Sword Bone, as a professional adventurer, he had a faint feeling of regret.
This was a motherf*cking method! Since the first day of practice, he would feel like every bones in his body was fractured, and the pain literally made him wish that he could die. What made it a novel experience was that he clearly followed his Master’s instruction, doing several moves from the Divine Skill of Subduing the Dragon and then eating a few dishes that his Master personally made… But unexpectedly, on the third day, he felt a pain that was so immense that he couldn’t even get out of bed.
However, quite a peculiar thing happened. His Master, who knew no bounds, actually didn’t stand at the bedside and laugh at his misfortune -- If they swapped places, he certainly wouldn’t show any concern.
On the contrary, his Master even spoke comforting words to him. “To practice this body refining method before you reach the Qi Cultivating Stage is indeed going against the common sense, which has no precedent in the Immortal Cultivation World. Because you have no magical power to protect your body, this body refining method is like destroying the old body and simultaneously creating a new one, so your pain must be unbearable. However, your body has been soaked in that Changing Tendon Washing Marrow concoction, which changed your talent in martial art from ordinary to a rare prodigy. So, in theory, your body could definitely withstand this dramatic change; it’s not even too big of a burden really. However, I thought that if you practice this Non-Phase Sword Bone, you would need at least a week or two to be able to see the result. I never thought that you actually did it in just three days! Void Spirit Root really deserves to be the best spirit root in the Immortal Cultivation World; anything related to spiritual energy or magical power, the progress is particularly fast!”
And then she sighed, “Unfortunately, you have yet to learn the Internal Inspection Method, otherwise, you would be able to witness the wonders of the Void Spirit Root.”
Wang Lu had no interest in witnessing that wonder; after being stuck in bed like a vegetable for two days, he just wanted to ask a question, “Did I succeed in practicing this Non-Phase Sword Bone?”
His Master nodded her head. “The first layer of the Non-Phase Sword Bone is pretty much completed. Once your pain is about to fade, it means your condition is already stable and you can see the result for yourself… To be honest, I was really worried that your physique wouldn’t be able to withstand this first tribulation, let alone what should have happened in ten days to half a month actually happened in just three days! I can’t believe you’re still alive.”
“The hell, are you actually able to do this or not? Why are there so many things that you don’t expect!?”
“However, completing the first layer of the Non-Phase Sword Bone is actually not bad. In my Master’s opinion, once I succeed in training the Non-Phase Sword Bone, I would be able to formally start cultivating Immortal Cultivation. In other words, is my Void Spirit Root problem, which had rendered the entire group of Elders in the Spirit Sword Sect confused and befuddled, have already been cracked?”
“How could it be so quick? You have just trained the first layer and you already want to fly? You need to at least complete eight to ten layers before you can plug your big colander hole. You need to take it slow. From now on, I am going to train you in the basics of my Non-Phase Method. If you’re lucky, you’ll be able to refine energy in three months.”
Wang Lu couldn’t help but ask, “Eight to Ten layers? How many layers exactly are there in this Non-Phase Sword Bone?”
“So far, I’ve designed it to have one hundred and twelve layers. I, myself, have reached one hundred and three layers, but the nature of my Non-Phase Sword Bone is inclusive; it literally has no cap.”
“F*ck! Is your method really reliable or not!?”
However, Wang Lu had no other choice but to train accordingly. In three days, he achieved the first layer. In a month, he successfully reforged his body several times before finally, he escaped from the abyss of suffering!