Chapter 4: The Blooddrop Sword Intent of the Brightmoon Sword Art

The young man pulled the bow drill, leaving holes in the wood and sending wood chips flying.

Ji Ning, carrying a fish basket in one hand and a fishing pole over his shoulder, fixed his gaze on the spinning drill bit as it bored into the wood. He watched, and time seemed to freeze at that moment.

"Hm?" The young man working the drill glanced at Ji Ning with some confusion. What was so interesting about him making simple furniture? But he didn't say anything.

"Haste makes waste?" Ji Ning looked at the spinning drill, lost in thought. "Perhaps I should take a different path."

A faint glimmer of sword-light flickered in Ji Ning's eyes.

It had been over four thousand years since he left the Mangya Kingdom and entered the other universe. Over these years, he had encountered many dangers. 'Skyfire Mangya,' who was in a period of rapid improvement, had made obvious progress. But Ji Ning and the others had made little headway. Since comprehending the Yin-Yang Sword Intent Domain from the 'Yin-Yang Style' of the Brightmoon Five Styles, Ji Ning had been pondering the other four styles, but none had achieved a qualitative breakthrough.

"Buzzzz..." The drill bit spun, boring a hole into the wood.

"He's just a mortal. If he held a knife or sword and tried to stab a hole, he couldn't do it at all! But with the rotating drill, he easily bores through." A myriad of scenes flashed through Ji Ning's mind.

On Earth in his past life, some mortals used electric drills to bore into concrete walls. How hard were concrete walls for mortals? Yet the electric drill easily bored through.

While traveling through the Three Realms, he had seen some mortal close-combat techniques, punches like dragons emerging from water...

And some cultivators wielding long spears...

"I always believed,"

"that the Blooddrop Style was the fastest style."

"To be the fastest, one must take the shortest distance and thrust the quickest." Ji Ning's eyes were deducing sword techniques. "Perhaps I was wrong."

Ji Ning's sword techniques continued to evolve.

...

Sometimes, at Ji Ning's level of swordsmanship, what was needed was a trigger. A trigger that could cause his profound accumulation to instantly erupt and undergo a qualitative change. Like the great scientist on Earth in his past life who saw an apple fall and suddenly understood gravity. But an ordinary person could see it ten thousand times and never think of gravity. That was because the scientist already had a deep accumulation; he just needed a trigger.

Ji Ning also needed a trigger.

Previously, when he comprehended the 'Yin-Yang Sword Intent Domain,' he had an insight in his heart, understood the direction, and thus achieved the Yin-Yang Sword Intent Domain.

...

Inside the grotto-world that Ji Ning carried with him.

Su Youji, Danbao World God, Yegou Ancestral God, and others were there, along with the World-level servants captured from the Huilan Sect branch.

"Master?"

Su Youji was meditating by the seaside when she saw a white-robed Ji Ning appear in the distance. It was Ji Ning's divine power clone.

"Strike." Ji Ning thrust his sword. Pfft—a flash of sword-light, and a faint crack appeared.

"Strike again." Ji Ning thrust again. The sword-light formed a spinning dragon. Aang—a piercing sound, and space trembled.

"Pfft."

"Chi."

"Boom."

Ji Ning struck again and again, testing his many deductions through practice.

In fact, among sword cultivators, there were many schools, each reaching extremely high levels. Although Ji Ning had seen sword techniques similar to what he was now deducing, they were others' techniques, and he hadn't thought much about them. But now, with his accumulation at this point, he naturally took this step.

Creating one's own sword techniques leads to deeper understanding.

For a sword cultivator, self-created sword techniques are always the strongest.

"Master's sword techniques keep changing, and they're all so powerful." Su Youji watched, dazzled and awestruck.

"Whoa."

"Such terrifying sword techniques."

On the island, Yegou Ancestral God, Danbao World God, and the others were all drawn by the commotion of Ji Ning's sword practice. They gathered, all deeply shocked. The various sword techniques Ji Ning was now deducing, though he considered them failures, any one of them would be enough to make an incredible Daolord.

Once becoming a Daolord, he would likely rival a top-tier Second Step Daolord.

But that was not Ji Ning's pursuit.

...

Ji Ning paid them no heed, completely immersed in his sword techniques.

He thrust out sword after sword.

Gradually, the sword techniques changed, becoming silent, with only a sudden explosive sound at the final moment.

"Boom."

The sword-light made no sound as it thrust, but only a strange boom when it stopped.

"Boom."

"Boom."

The strange explosive sound grew fiercer, like thunder, audible for tens of thousands of li around.

Ji Ning thrust again, still silent during the thrust, but at the final moment, a strange, extremely faint sound emerged. The sound was faint and low, yet it struck fear into the hearts of all watching—Su Youji, Danbao World God, and the others.

"Thump." A very low sound. Ji Ning's sword thrust out, and a pitch-black hole appeared in the space ahead.

Whoosh.

Ji Ning took a step and entered the pitch-black hole.

Inside the hole was a channel flowing with light. Ji Ning could sense the various places this channel connected to.

"A spatial channel?" Ji Ning walked within the spatial channel.

"Out."

He thrust his sword, and another hole appeared in the flowing light beside him. Ji Ning stepped out.

When he emerged, he was in a desert.

"I've circled the grotto-world several times in an instant." Ji Ning smiled. "I never thought I could use the sword to destroy space and enter another spatial dimension."

Space has many dimensions.

For example, Qinghuang Prince, who had achieved great success in the Dao of Time and Space, could take Ji Ning and the others through time and space. Such escape methods were extremely powerful! Previously, Ji Ning could at most perform spatial teleportation, which was still within the same spatial dimension. But his sword just now had directly destroyed the spatial laws in a small area and entered another dimension.

Using the sword to destroy the Dao of Space and forcibly enter another spatial dimension.

"Legend has it..."

"any Dao, when cultivated to the extreme, leads to the interpenetration of all Daos." Ji Ning murmured to himself. "Now, with the power of my sword, I can also enter another spatial dimension."

"This sword stroke is finally complete."

Ji Ning smiled.

This sword stroke forcibly destroyed the Dao of Space in a local area, and entering another dimension was merely an external manifestation. The true essence was the power of the stroke itself.

"I have to thank that little fellow called Qingzhu this time." Ji Ning showed a hint of a smile. "Just a slight change of path, and it worked."

"Pfft."

Standing in the desert, Ji Ning thrust his sword again. At the moment before stopping, the sword-light carried a slight rotation. This rotation was the true mystery of the 'Blooddrop Style'! Just as a drill can bore through wood because the wood offers resistance, the air also offers resistance.

Even in a vacuum, there is still resistance.

Even in an extreme vacuum, there are influences from the cosmic Sword Origin, Metal Origin, Wood Origin, Space Origin... many Origins.

Everywhere, there are traces of the Dao, which are layers of restrictions, like countless bonds. Wherever the Dao influences, Ji Ning's sword is bound and can never achieve unrestricted speed. So Ji Ning's sword now is a sword of destruction. Whatever blocks my sword, I destroy it.

Like the drill, destroying the wood and forcing its way in.

Ji Ning's sword even destroyed the influence of the 'Dao'! It was precisely because it destroyed the Dao of Space in a local area that Ji Ning's sword could enter another spatial dimension.

"When my sword strikes, whether it's the Five Elements, Yin-Yang, or even Time and Space, none can bind me. My sword might then match the strongest stroke of Emperor Xuejian." Ji Ning still remembered the strongest stroke of the 'Heartprint Sword Art' demonstrated by his master, 'Emperor Xuejian.' That stroke transcended time and space.

No matter how far the distance, with one stroke, the sword was already before the opponent's eyes. That was true speed.

Emperor Xuejian achieved eternity with that stroke.

"Haste makes waste. Previously, I wanted to achieve the fastest, but that was not the true fastest." Many thoughts flashed through Ji Ning's mind. "Many cultivators, even mortals, seize every moment and strive with all their might, yet still fail."

"Sometimes, stop and slow down."

"Then burst forth."

"Perhaps then success comes."

"The Dao is in life, in all things."

Ji Ning smiled.

Understanding the Dao requires observing the myriad forms of life and seeing all things. That is the principle. At critical moments, it can easily help cultivators glimpse the essence.

Ji Ning's sword first destroyed the obstacles of other 'Daos.' Seemingly slower, it was actually faster.

"My Blooddrop Sword is the fastest sword, also the sword of destruction and annihilation, destroying all Daos, pursuing the extreme of the sword." Ji Ning nodded silently. "The 'Yin-Yang Sword Intent' and 'Blooddrop Sword Intent' of the Brightmoon Five Styles are complete."