Cultivation is just so scientific! Chapter 1375 - 734: Mission

Emerging from the Sword Intent Stele in a daze, Li Yuanba appeared lost. Seeing his state, the Sword Elder was not particularly surprised.

Grasping his shoulder, the Sword Elder vanished with him once more. This time, he sent him straight back to his cave, leaving him to recover in solitude.

Even though Li Yuanba had only scanned the Sword Intent Stele briefly, the peerless sword intent etched upon it had still exerted a heavy influence on him.

It took several hours before his consciousness fully returned.

Despite being awake, a lingering sensation remained, as if that sword intent were still hanging right before his eyes.

He suddenly understood that this sword intent possessed a staggering effect on the spirit. Had it not been contained within the Sword Intent Stele without any lethal intent, his spirit and soul might have suffered grievous injuries during his observation.

He cleared his mind, focused on purging the residual influence he had absorbed.

Several hours later, he finally managed to rid himself entirely of the sword intent’s lingering pressure.

Only then did he establish a connection with his main body, Li Shiming, to examine the records stored within IBMz15.

A virtual Sword Intent Stele had been constructed by IBMz15, perfectly replicating the physical monument, though the sword intent within was now represented by complex data streams.

Despite the massive computing power of IBMz15, it could not truly simulate the essence of the sword intent itself. However, this data allowed Li Shiming and Li Yuanba to revisit the exact sensations Li Yuanba had felt while standing before the stele.

In the following days, Li Shiming utilized his one hundred and fifty brains to meditate upon the virtual Sword Intent Stele.

In contrast, Li Yuanba—having looked once out of curiosity—no longer concerned himself with the virtual stele and returned to his own cultivation.

Their lives were occupied and productive, with their personal strength growing at a steady pace.

This peaceful routine did not last long. A few months later, Li Yuanba set out again to deliver the Great Cultivator Spirit Pills that Li Shiming had been commissioned to refine.

By this time, he had added six more fourth-grade flying swords, each imbued with the sword intent of a Great Cultivator, to his ‘Ten Thousand Sword Peak.’ However, he no longer felt the urge to comprehend these specific intents.

Since witnessing the power within the Sword Intent Stele, his mind was occupied solely by that singular essence; to him, perhaps only that sword intent could be considered the pinnacle of strength.

During these months, Li Shiming’s insights into the virtual Sword Intent Stele began to yield results, which manifested in Li Yuanba as an increase in the potency of his own sword intent.

Currently, his sword intent could rank among the best even when compared to Nascent Soul Middle Stage Sword Cultivators within the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.

Nevertheless, it felt insufficient. No matter how much his sword intent improved, it remained ‘Virtual Sword Intent’ rather than that peerless, unparalleled intent.

He realized that mastering such a thing was no simple task. Even with Li Shiming dedicating one hundred and fifty brains and the support of IBMz15, months of their meditation were equivalent to hundreds of years for other sword cultivators.

Even so, Li Shiming had only managed to grasp a superficial layer of that intent, with true mastery still a distant goal.

Fortunately, this meditation did not hinder Li Shiming’s own progress. His five Nascent Souls continued their daily cultivation, undisturbed by outside factors.

Word of Li Yuanba ending his seclusion spread quickly. He soon received several sword cultivators from the Jian Family, fulfilling social obligations that were vital for maintaining his standing in the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion.

These visitors were several Nascent Soul Middle Stage Sword Cultivators, all arriving to request the refinement of spirit pills.

He took on these commissions since they required little effort and could be passed to Li Shiming for the actual refining.

He was essentially acting as a courier, earning fourth-grade flying swords imbued with sword intent in the process—a deal he was happy to accept.

"Brother Wu, if you needed spirit pills refined, a simple message would have sufficed. Why come all this way in person?" Li Yuanba said with a smile as he received his final guest, Wu Qi.

Wu Qi was one of the few who could reach him via the Identity Jade Disc, and Li Yuanba was always willing to help his friends.

Much like Tang Xue Ning, who had sent a message during his retreat, he had allowed her to deliver materials directly to his cave so he could refine them as soon as he emerged, bypassing the usual queues.

"Aside from the alchemy request, I’ve come to invite you to join a mission," Wu Qi said, sliding a storage bag toward Li Yuanba with a smile.

Sweeping his Divine Sense over the bag, Li Yuanba found alchemy ingredients and two fourth-grade flying swords imbued with sword intent. He tucked the bag away casually.

"What kind of mission requires a team?" Li Yuanba asked, his curiosity piqued.

Wu Qi’s combat prowess was formidable; as a core sword cultivator of the Jian Family, his Nascent Soul Middle Stage strength allowed him to dominate most peers at the same level.

"Have you not been checking the tasks assigned by the pavilion?" Wu Qi replied, shaking his head with a grin.

"I’ve been in seclusion lately. My progress through the realms has been somewhat sluggish," Li Yuanba admitted honestly.

Hearing this, Wu Qi stared at Li Yuanba’s face. Seeing that there was no hint of irony in his expression, a strange look crossed Wu Qi’s features.

Within the Sword Intent Chongxiao Pavilion, Li Yuanba’s cultivation speed was already considered the fastest.

Wu Qi couldn't fathom what had provoked Li Yuanba to describe such a speed as "slow."

If Li Yuanba’s progress was slow, then what did that make the core sword cultivators, or even the ordinary ones?

Wu Qi had no way of knowing that Li Yuanba was comparing himself to the cultivation speed of his main body, Li Shiming.

Since Li Shiming’s five Nascent Souls were no longer split among the Five Elements but were instead focused on the unified ‘Heavenly Human Technique,’ his progress was staggering.