Chapter 2

Looking at the black tower before him, Ye Fan was utterly shocked. Everything before his eyes had completely surpassed his understanding. He quickly forced himself to calm down. He knew that this could be an opportunity, but of course, it could also be dangerous. In the end, Ye Fan chose to push open the tower door and step inside. Leaving now? That would be impossible to accept. Once inside, he glanced around. The walls were covered with depictions of all sorts of strange beasts he had never seen before. Apart from that, there were also mysterious golden-purple runes, some of which were even wriggling! Finally, his gaze settled on a figure sitting cross-legged not far ahead—a skeleton. Beside the skeleton stood a longsword. Ye Fan’s eyes fell upon the ground in front of the skeleton, where a line of words was inscribed: "I am the Sword Master of the Cang Realm. I began practising the sword at the age of twelve, mastered the sword at seventeen, was unmatched in the Cang Realm by twenty-one, and at twenty-seven, I shattered my heart with my sword, reaching the pinnacle of the sword path. Trapped in this prison for 1,200 years, I spent my life unable to escape this tower. Today, knowing I will perish, I leave behind my inheritance. To the one who receives it, I hope you will pass it on. If you have any sense of honour, please look after the Cang Sword Sect." The Sword Master of the Cang Realm? Ye Fan frowned—he had never heard of such a person. His gaze lowered further. Below the inscription lay a jade stone the size of a fist. An Inheritance Stone! Ye Fan's blood instantly boiled with excitement. A sword cultivator! In all of Qingzhou, warriors were plentiful, but sword cultivators were incredibly rare—like a phoenix's feather. It was said that becoming a sword cultivator required a special type of spiritual root. As for spiritual roots, Ye Fan didn't understand much, only that they were exceptionally rare. Ye Fan instinctively stepped forward to take the stone, but as soon as he moved, an invisible force blocked him, preventing him from advancing even a fraction! Ye Fan froze. He couldn’t get through? "A newcomer?" A sudden female voice rang out in the space. Startled, Ye Fan instinctively stepped back several paces. He scanned his surroundings but saw no one. Had he misheard? Just as the thought crossed his mind, the voice spoke again. "Who controls the Heavenly Dao in this realm?" Ye Fan was stunned. Heavenly Dao? What’s that? A brief silence followed before the voice spoke again. "Why are you so weak? No… You weren’t imprisoned here!" Ye Fan was utterly confused. Then, the mysterious woman said in surprise, "Not only are you born with a Dao Physique, but you also possess dual spiritual roots. Both in one body… No wonder this tower chose you." Dao Physique? Dual spiritual roots? Ye Fan looked completely baffled. "Senior, who are you?" The mysterious woman replied, "You are already an adult. By right, you should at least be at the Profound Connection Realm. Why are you so weak? And your physical foundation is so poor… utterly disgraceful." Ye Fan: "......" The mysterious woman suddenly asked, "How have you been training your body?" Ye Fan hesitated before replying, "Push-ups, weighted long-distance running, and striking my body repeatedly." The woman’s voice turned icy. "Are you living in the primitive era? Using such outdated training methods—you're wasting your physique! Wasting your spiritual roots!" Ye Fan gave a bitter smile. "Senior, this is how everyone in Qingcheng trains." The woman fell silent. Ye Fan felt a little awkward. He glanced around again—still, no one was in sight. This place reeked of mystery. Since the woman had stopped speaking, his gaze once again landed on the Inheritance Stone before him, his eyes blazing with desire. "Do you want to learn the way of the sword?" the mysterious woman suddenly asked. Ye Fan nodded hastily. "I do!" Who wouldn’t want to wield a sword and soar across the heavens, gazing down upon all creation? The mysterious woman said, "Your dantian is shattered. You cannot cultivate this sword inheritance before you." Ye Fan's expression darkened. A shattered dantian! Forget sword cultivation—even an ordinary martial artist would struggle to progress. At this point, he was barely more than a martial apprentice. Just then, the mysterious woman spoke again. "How about this—I have a method of sword cultivation that is different from the usual. Do you want to learn it?" Ye Fan was stunned for a moment before asking eagerly, "Can I learn it even without a dantian?" The mysterious woman replied, "Without a dantian, it’s even better." Even better without a dantian? Ye Fan was so thrilled he almost jumped up, but he forced himself to stay calm. He glanced around. "Senior, what’s the catch?" He knew very well that there was no such thing as a free lunch. The mysterious woman explained, "This tower was severely damaged in the past, and its nine Dao Seals were scattered across the Cang Realm. The seals on each level have weakened. You were lucky—when you entered, this sword cultivator was already dead. Otherwise, you’d likely be a corpse by now." Ye Fan: "......" The woman continued, "I know you’re curious about this tower’s origins, but knowing won’t make a difference to you. Just remember—this tower has twelve floors, each imprisoning the strongest beings from different worlds. Some are human, some are spirits, some are demons… and there is even the soul of a world’s Heavenly Dao. In the past, the tower could suppress them all, but now, its seals are breaking. It can barely hold them back." She paused slightly before adding, "Your task is to retrieve the scattered Dao Seals to reinforce the tower. Of course, you could also choose to release them." "Release them?" Ye Fan hesitated before asking, "What would happen then?" The woman replied, "Two possible outcomes. One, they kill you and seize the tower. Two, you subdue them and make them serve you. But given your current strength, the odds of them killing you are… one hundred percent." Ye Fan let out a bitter laugh. A crisis and an opportunity, all in one. Something suddenly occurred to him, and he quickly asked, "Senior, are you also imprisoned here?" The mysterious woman replied, "No." Ye Fan pressed on, "Then what are you?" The woman said indifferently, "You ask too many questions." Ye Fan: "......" The mysterious woman said, "Now that you are the master of this tower, each time you recover a lost law, your strength will increase significantly, and your control over the tower will also grow stronger. If you manage to recover a law, you will gain control over the first level. In future battles, as long as your opponent isn't overwhelmingly stronger than you, you will be able to activate the tower and imprison them within it. However, as things stand, the tower has lost all its laws, rendering it completely useless. Not only that, but the seals on each level are beginning to weaken. If the tower were to shatter completely, the beings imprisoned within it would be released, and when that happens, your entire world will likely be doomed. And you… will be the first to die." Ye Fan asked in a deep voice, "Senior, are you asking me to save the world?" The mysterious woman replied, "What you need to save is yourself. The beings imprisoned on the second level are far from benevolent. If my guess is correct, in no more than a year, the seal on the second level will completely vanish. When that happens, you can bid farewell to this beautiful world." Ye Fan bowed deeply. "Please teach me a cultivation method that doesn’t require a dantian." The mysterious woman was silent for a moment before saying, "My path of sword cultivation is vastly different from conventional methods. The difficulty is also on another level entirely. Cultivating this technique may very well be worse than death. Are you sure you want to proceed?" Ye Fan let out a self-deprecating laugh. "My dantian is shattered. I have no other path left, do I?" The mysterious woman nodded. "That is true. However, I must explain this cultivation method to you. The fact that you lack a dantian actually makes you well-suited for my technique because my method requires using the sword as your dantian." Ye Fan was stunned. "Using the sword as my dantian? Is that even possible?" The mysterious woman smiled faintly. "Of course. By using your sword as your dantian, you will not be following the martial path but the sword path instead. The better your sword, the stronger your dantian will be. Unlike others who cultivate by absorbing spiritual energy, you will cultivate by absorbing swords. The better the sword, the faster your cultivation will progress. Once you reach the initial stage of mastery, your body will become a sword body. At that point, you will be immune to ordinary swords. Not only that, but your very presence will command the submission of ten thousand swords." The submission of ten thousand swords! Ye Fan felt his blood boiling with excitement. He could barely wait to begin. At that moment, the mysterious woman continued, "Before you entered, did you see the three swords at the top of the tower?" Ye Fan nodded. "I did." The mysterious woman explained, "Those three swords represent the three ultimate sword paths of heaven and earth. If you can absorb them into your body and use them as your dantian, your strength will reach an unprecedented level." Ye Fan hesitated before asking, "But those three swords seem to be suppressing this tower. If I absorb them, won’t something go wrong?" "How could that happen?" The mysterious woman answered without hesitation, "Nothing bad will happen. Trust me. I will watch over you." Ye Fan had his doubts, but he knew he had no other choice. He had to trust her. The mysterious woman continued, "Do you see that sword in front of you?" Ye Fan turned his gaze forward. Not far from him, beside a skeletal corpse, was a sword. The blade was over three feet long and about an inch wide, its entire body a shimmering silver. It was a beautiful weapon. On the blade, two small characters were engraved: Ling Xiao. The Ling Xiao Sword! The mysterious woman said, "This sword has been sealed away for twelve hundred years. Its spiritual energy has nearly dissipated, making it perfect for your current level. I will pass on a cultivation method to you. Follow its instructions and absorb the sword into your body. You are currently at the peak of the Fifth Rank, Unending Flow Realm. If you succeed, you should be able to reach the Sixth Rank, Qi Transformation Realm." Ye Fan caught something in her words and quickly asked, "Does that mean there's a chance of failure?" The mysterious woman replied, "Yes, you could fail." Ye Fan was momentarily stunned. "Senior, don’t tell me that no one has ever practiced this method before!" After a brief silence, the mysterious woman admitted, "Indeed, no one has. You are the first. If you succeed, congratulations—you will be the first in history." Ye Fan’s expression froze. After a moment, he forced a smile. "Senior, what happens if I fail?" The mysterious woman said casually, "The sword might tear through your body, and… well… you might die." Ye Fan: "..." The mysterious woman continued, "Your dantian is already shattered. You are barely surviving as it is. What’s the point of overthinking? Just go for it." Hearing this, Ye Fan straightened up. She was right—his dantian was already gone, leaving him at a dead end. If he didn't take this gamble, not only would he have no hope of survival, but his younger sister, Ye Ling, would also lose her only chance at life. He had to take this chance! Ye Fan nodded firmly. "Let's do it!" As soon as he spoke, a streak of white light shot into his forehead. In an instant, countless streams of information surged into his mind like a tidal wave. Invincible Sword Body Technique! "Regard your body as the sword, the sword as your dantian. Use your dantian to devour the swords of the world. Let the swords of the world refine your body, and your strength shall never cease..." A moment later, a beam of white light descended upon the Ling Xiao Sword. The sword trembled slightly before transforming into a flash of sword energy and entering Ye Fan’s body. "AHHH!" In an instant, Ye Fan’s eyes widened in agony, his facial features twisting in unbearable pain. Unimaginable pain! At this moment, it felt as if countless blades were slicing through every inch of his body. The mysterious woman’s voice echoed in his mind, "Now that the sword has entered your body, you must endure the excruciating pain it brings. If you cannot withstand it, you will fail to use the sword as your dantian! Worse still, you may die." Ye Fan clenched his teeth, his entire body trembling violently. Success or death—there was no other outcome! Time passed, and Ye Fan’s face contorted so severely it looked almost demonic. His body convulsed violently. Many times, the pain nearly made him pass out, but he knew that if he lost consciousness, he might never wake up again. He had to hold on! And so, he endured. After nearly a full day, a faint sword hum suddenly echoed from within Ye Fan’s body. In the next moment, his body collapsed to the ground. At the same time, a powerful wave of energy erupted from him. Qi Transformation Realm! Inside Ye Fan’s body, where his dantian had once been, a small sword now floated in its place. Somewhere within the tower, a soft whisper echoed— "I can't believe it actually worked..." Unfortunately, Ye Fan had already lost consciousness and did not hear those words.